With all the opportunities to sign up for subscriptions, impulse shop with a click of the mouse and lose your head as well as your hard-earned income at online auction sites, you may think of the internet as a place to spend rather than save.
However, if you can resist the lure of everything available on the internet that you don’t need, you might be surprised at how much you can save on the things you do. Whether you need to make some major financial changes in your life or strive for an inexpensive vacation for your family that you can find, the internet is full of bargains.
Refinance Your Loans
Do you feel like you’re going to be paying off your student loan debt forever? You may be able to refinance your student loans at a lower interest rate and pay substantially less.
Once upon a time, refinancing would have meant tedious meetings with or phone calls to banks or other lenders, but thanks to the internet, you can easily check out offers and terms with an online lender. If you have an auto loan and a mortgage, you might want to consider refinancing those as well, although the process can be overwhelming.
Reduce Travel Expenses
It’s never been so easy to find cheap prices for travel and accommodation. If you want to go somewhere but you aren’t sure where some sites allow you to simply search for cheap flights from your nearest airport to anywhere. There are also opportunities to save more by bundling hotel stays and car rentals with your flight.
If you do find a good fare for a flight on a travel site, be sure to check the airline’s site for prices as well. They are often the same or lower than what you can get from a third party, and airlines will sometimes require you to go through the third party for any issues you have unless you book with them directly.
Successful Budgeting Apps
The internet is full of articles and sites dedicated to managing your finances. This includes budget apps that make it easy to track and save your money. Some can be connected directly to your bank account so that anytime you use your debit card, it assigns a category to your expense. An app can analyze your spending habits and make suggestions to improve your budgeting.
Earn Extra Income
In addition to using the internet to save money, you can make some extra cash online with very little commitment. Online surveys and small tasks that you can easily do while watching TV, offer small payments that add up. With a little more time, you can set up an account on auction sites to sell unwanted items.
If you need cash for a vacation or another special occasion and have a few spare hours a week, you can find opportunities on the internet for writers, editors, translators, tutors, programmers, graphic designers, virtual assistants and more. Most of these opportunities allow you to work as much or as little as you like.