It’s a new year, and if you are like most of us you’ve made a financial resolution or two to help you get through 2023. Inflation has caused both the necessities of life, including groceries, gas, clothing and more, and our wants, including travel, cable TV, concert tickets and more, to rise higher than any of us would like. According to a recent study by MarketWatch, 57 perfect of us are aiming to save more money this year, so some things will need to be cut in order to do it. Here are a five of the ways you can save more money in 2023, and still be able to live life the way you’d like.

1. Automate Your Bills: Admit it, you’ve missed a bill payment or two, kicked yourself, promised you wouldn’t do it again, and then missed another. While an occasional missed bill isn’t too big of a deal, regularly missing them adds up. This means you are being charged late fees, interest and other charges. The best way to prevent it is to set them up to be automatically paid from your bank account. Not only will you never miss another payment, some businesses even offer discounts if you do decide to automate.  Automating your savings can also help you put a little away every month without having to think about it. Even small amounts add up!
2. Cut Your Cable: None of us really need cable TV anymore, not with almost everything being able online these days. Unless you are a couch potato, you probably don’t watch much cable TV anyway. Most of us are checking out NetFlix, Disney Plus+ and other streaming services to get our fix of entertainment, but if you are really having a hard time making the cut, get yourself an Amazon Fire Stick or Roku stick. For a one time fee you can buy the hardware, download some apps, and get all the free TV you could want. You will want to keep a handle on the streaming services you do pay for though, because the more you have, the more you probably aren’t using.
3. Pay Off High-Interest Debt: The longer you have debt, the bigger it will become. Interest never stops, and it will get harder and harder to pay off the original debt. Options you may want to consider are debt consolidation, or a debt payoff strategy. This can help you pay more to one bill, instead of small amounts to several. Also take a close look at the credit cards you have, and make sure you aren’t paying yearly fees for cards you aren’t using.
4. Take Advantage of Rewards Cards: Some credit cards offer cash back when you use them, and even give more back when used at specific locations. In other cases stores have loyalty cards, that give you points for every purchase. While it may not seem like a lot, it really adds up. Shopper’s Optimum cards for instance gives extra points for using their cards at certain gas stations. Depending on the size of you car’s gas tank, every third fill up or so nets you ten dollars in points. Doesn’t it make more sense to use the cards instead of cash, and pay the bills off as soon as they come in?  It’s a win-win you just can’t ignore.
5. Check Your Bills For Errors And Hidden Fees: You might be surprised by how many errors can pop up on your credit or debit cards. Sometimes things get double tapped, or some times fraud shows its ugly face. You might have even agreed to a subscription you forgot about, that you can cancel. You should also watch out for hidden fees charged by your bank, your credit card and more, or fees for things such as overdrafts or minimum balance required. Did you know some ATMs charge more than others, or that using an ATM from a bank that is not yours will automatically charge a fee? If you use your debit card a lot, make sure you have an unlimited transactions account so you aren’t paying more than you should each month. While the charges may seem minor, they add up quickly.