10 Ways Americans Waste Money.

Money/ MSN.com

http://money.msn.com/saving-money/article.aspx?post=2c424b16-e5fe-4fd2-8d40-88b4348cae33>1=33026&ocid=xnetr3-1
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This post comes from Stacy Johnson at partner site Money Talks News.
According to a new report from the Census Bureau, in 2010 the average American household income was $49,445. Adjusted for inflation, that's about where it was 15 years ago. Even more depressing: The 2010 poverty rate in the U.S. is more than 15% -- the highest since 1993 -- which translates into 46 million souls.

Suffice it to say that for many Americans money is in short supply, which makes it all the more important to preserve the cash that comes our way.Last week, Money Talks News guest columnist Len Penzo explained how he wastes more than $1,700 a year. In the video below, I cover a sampling of ways Americans waste money. Check it out, then read on for more.

1.Buying new. Getting something in the original packaging often means paying twice the price. This mistake is most costly when it comes to cars, but it applies to many things: furniture, clothing, textbooks, etc. So whenever practical, skip the stores and showrooms and choose thrift stores, yard sales, eBay and Craigslist.
Accepting initial offers. Many sellers of goods are willing to negotiate because they want your money as much as you want the product. In "Confessions of a serial haggler," I explained how I've gotten discounts on cable service, hotels, doctor bills, and more. It never hurts to ask.
2. Buying brand names. People are finally wising up to this one; generics have been gaining market share since 2006. While prescription drugs have the biggest price tags vs. generics, the dollars add up at the grocery store too. In many cases, the only difference between generic and brand name is price. Can you really tell the difference between name-brand and generic when it comes to water, cleaning supplies, or spices?
3. Buying a bigger home than you need. In 2001, Americans spent about 12% of their income on "residential and transportation energy," but this year they're projected to spend almost 20%. Living in a big house with unused rooms or bigger rooms than you need is like driving a stretch limo: You're buying energy for unused space. A bigger house means more furniture, higher maintenance, higher taxes, and more time spent taking care of it. When home prices were rising, there was some logic to leveraging potential profits by buying the biggest. Now, that extra space is nothing but a cash drain

rest at article..........

But there are other ways too. This is a good read. worth 5 -10 minutes.

in most areas, if you build a house, you're required to use only new products (E.g. windows).

Allowing for recycled and alternative building methods would save people thousands.

rooms that you walk in once a year. And pay for the privilege.

You know there's a problem if you have so much stuff it won't fit in your oversized house, and you have to pay to store it somewhere else!

An awful lot of what we buy today comes from stores where the person working the checkout doesn't have the authority to haggle and further, they have enough customers that they don't need to haggle. Haggling at a Mom N' Pop store might get you a saving; haggling at Barnes & Noble won't.

for some of the craziest reasons - "the box is dented". A manager has to override it into the system, but I'd say 7 out of 10 times I get it when I ask for it, my friends always want me to ride to the store when they need something because they know I'll ask for and hopefully get them a better price.

It's often cheaper (and healthier) to make food from scratch.

*Buy bulk & cook from scratch.
Not only cheaper, but healthier & more environmentally friendly

*Grow your own veggies
Can & Preserve

*Chickens are a fun, healthy, economical way for year round nutritious eggs,
and supply fertilizer for the Veggie Patch.

*Passive Energy Efficiency (conservation)
Low cost, high reward


*Deep Freeze
Buy On Sale & deep freeze for later

*Less IS More

*Don't buy the cheapest or the most expensive Appliances or Tools.
These are investments.
Spend a little extra and get quality, especially for tools.
Cheap Appliances/Tools are "CHEAP", won't last, and you will probably want to upgrade later.
The Most Expensive is for Suckers.