Sharon also suggests making routine calls to your insurance agent and getting new, updated quotes on your car, life, and home insurance.  (A phone inquiry can save you hundreds of dollars.) 

Next, check the mail for coupons!  Yep, it’s as easy as shopping at a certain grocery store, on a certain day, to utilize specials.  Also, sign up for loyalty programs; you’ll often you get rewarded with discounts on gas and other items.

In relation, go for daily deals!  (You know, all those websites offering major discounts on products and services.)  However, Sharon warns: don’t go overboard.  Don’t buy just to buy. 

You’ll also want to review your credit card statements before shredding and tossing them in the trash.  Who knows—you could see incorrect charges.

Next, seek haven in your humble abode.  Instead of a noisy and expensive night out on the town, entertain at home once in a while.  (And make it a pot-luck to save some green.)

As for that unfortunate ever-decreasing credit score, Sharon recommends the following.  First, check your credit report for errors—then get them corrected!  Second, stop using credit cards, but don’t close the accounts.  (When you shut them down, your score takes a hit.)  And third, make every effort to make payments on time, as challenging as it may be. 

Sharon’s final two cents are success-driven: set yourself up for financial independence!  Yes, you may feel discouraged, and yes, you may feel broke…but if you take the right steps, you’ll eventually see an increased bank account. 

And if all else fails, plant a money tree. 

For more financial tips, visit: www.sharonlechter.com

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