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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

Saving money is something that most people endeavor to do. However, not many people know that there are a lot of simple ways to save money without making significant changes in their budget or compromising on daily life. A little information and creative thinking can save you a lot of money over time. Let’s consider these 8 hacks for cutting your daily expenses:

1. Consider permanent makeup.
Permanent makeup isn’t suitable for everyone. However, if you tend to make up your face the same way every day it can be an option worth looking into. Permanent makeup is just expertly-applied tattoos and the cost of these tattoos can range from approximately $200 to $800. The cost of buying makeup for a lifetime is considerably higher than this with the average woman spending $14,000.

2. Attend college year-round.
Most college students go to school only during the fall and spring semesters. This allows them to have the summer off like children in the K-12 school system. However, reducing the amount of time spent in college can cut costs considerably and going to school year-round is easier than taking heavier course loads. In many cases it is possible to take an entire semester’s worth of courses during the summer which can cut half a year off your degree for every summer spent in school.

3. Paint your roof.
According to research, simply giving your roof a new coat of white paint can decrease your air conditioners’ workload by 20 percent during the summer. The white color reflects sunlight away from your home and prevents some of the heat from penetrating. Paint is cheap and you can often paint your own roof over a weekend or series of evenings. A 20 percent break on your air conditioning bill can really add up, depending on where you live.

4. Shop in a hurry.
Grocery stores use a lot of gimmicks to get you to buy things that you don’t really need. Shopping in a hurry can backfire if you don’t have a list because you may be more vulnerable than usual to the gimmicks that surround you. On the other hand, shopping in a hurry may provide your wallet with some protection if you have a list. When you only have enough time to get in and out of the store with everything on your list you are less vulnerable to standing around and considering whether you really need whatever it is they are trying to sell you.

5. Sport a short hairstyle.
If you’ve been considering cutting your hair perhaps the economic push will give you the final reason to do so. Shorter hair requires less shampoo, less conditioner, takes less time in the shower to wash and you might even be able to skip the blow dryer entirely. All of these things cost money which can be saved if you simply choose a shorter hairstyle.

6. Be a guinea pig for professionals in training.
Schools often need people to practice on and the price for these services often cannot be beat. Dental hygienists-in-training can give you a cleaning, cosmetology students can do your hair and massage therapists-in-training can help with that knot in your back, all for a fraction of the cost of a fully-trained pro. These sessions are usually supervised for safety but you are taking a bit of a gamble in terms of quality of service.

7. Barter and swap items and foods.
It can seem like bartering is a lost art but thanks to the Internet you can connect with people who wish it wasn’t. If you have a skill that you can offer, several websites can help you connect with someone who has goods to offer and vice-versa. If your child needs new clothing but the old ones are barely worn, there are also websites where you can swap these and additional items for other ones at no cost to yourself. For example BarterQuest and SwapTree are two of such websites.

8. Teach your cat to use the toilet.
This one sounds fairly ridiculous but can save you money, especially if you don’t pay for water. The average cost of litter for a cat is $110 per year and the average domestic cat lives 15 years. The one-time cost of a kit to potty-train your cat is about $30. Over your cat’s lifetime, using the toilet can really save you money.

So, even if you know many different ways to save money, there are pretty much always more to learn about. It is usually worth investing a little time on regular research. Keeping abreast of information on new money saving techniques can help your household prosper whether your goal is to pay all of the monthly bills on time or save up for that trip to the Caribbean.

Mark is a blogger with eTitleLoan, a company that provides car title loans. eTitleLoan helps you borrow money based on the value of your car and not on your credit report.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want to save the budget.

Image courtesy of Rachel Torgerson via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.