Saving money is often a matter of many small steps

Most of us know how to save money on the big items; flying coach instead of first class, eating out less or eating out at lunchtime instead of dinner and choosing a less expensive restaurant, cutting out expensive habits like smoking or a daily café latte at Starbucks, buying last year’s model car instead of the shiny one on the showroom floor.

But there are many small ways we waste money that we don’t think about that can make a difference.

February is a good time, as we approach tax season, to look over spending patterns and plug some of the places where we are losing or wasting money.

• Check the price of generic or store brands against what you often purchase. Chances are they are just as good and often have the same ingredients as the brand we reach for because we saw it on television.

• Don’t make more than one trip to the grocery store per week. Little trips when you run out of one item can be costly because we always end up buying other things as well.

Grocery shopping when hungry also makes us more susceptible to buying “extras.” If you also plan a trip when you have other things to do and must hurry, you are more likely to stick to your list instead of succumbing to emotional buys.

• Buying a product just because you have a coupon. It can be a good way to try a new product, but if you don’t need it or like it, you are not really saving.

Some people say they save big bucks with coupons, but for many of us who live alone or have small families, “buy two, get one free” doesn’t work well. Most of the time I never seem to have the right coupon for the right store, but if it works for you, that’s fine. Just be sure you are not buying something you normally wouldn’t because you have a coupon.

• Watch out for individually packaged products. You can do this yourself at home by using small baggies and storing extras in the freezer.

Unnecessary laundry junk and cleaners are also money wasters; one or two basic products will suffice.

• Expiration dates are not the law. Some foods go bad quickly, but dried foods like cereal and pasta and many canned goods, if stored correctly, are good beyond the date. Check your pantry regularly so you use foods before they expire. It could also mean you are buying unwisely.

• Use cash. Only using credit or debit cards makes it easier to spend more than you intend. Paying with cash automatically puts the brake on unnecessary spending.

Check out card fees and see if there are better options for your needs. Another good saving trick is to put all your loose change in a jar and save up for something special. (I used to save quarters for theater tickets in the good old days when it cost four or five dollars to see a show).

• Take care of your health. A healthy lifestyle is a good investment. Not only is being sick no fun, it is costly, as well.

Contact Jean Cherni, senior adviser for Premier Transitions, a full-service program for seniors contemplating a move, at jeancherni@ sbcglobal.net or 49 Rose St., Apt. 510, Branford, 06405.