Ok, so we all like going out for a coffee.  I love it personally.  I don’t actually have an office, I have a coffee shop for an office.  It saves me money.  But if I didn’t have to use it and I had an office somewhere then I wouldn’t use a coffee shop at all: here’s why.

So a Latte has about 250 calories for a full fat.  4 of those a day and you are half way to your recommended daily intake.  But that’s not the biggest problem with a latte.  The problem is really financial.

Consider for a moment that you are rushing into work and you decide that on the way you are going to stop to get yourself a drink before you nip into the office.  You have your routine, it’s dead easy. You go into the office carrying your foamy morning starter, and settle down with the newspaper or to the morning’s emails.  It’s a bit like an athlete warming up for a race, and this is how you warm up ready for the day ahead of hard work.  The telephone calls.  The hassles.  For you, it’s the only pleasure that you have in life.

Wrong.

It’s not a pleasure, it’s a deadly sin.  Well not actually a deadly sin precisely, but it is going to do your bank account no good.  That latte in the UK costs about £2.00.  Get one of those every morning and it will cost 5x £2.00 x 45 weeks of the year.  That’s a staggering £450 a year!  Now, add to that the possible nip out to the deli for lunch every day, and you will be tipping your financial scales as heavily as your bathroom scales.  Over £1000 a year?  Groan!  That’s bad.

So, here’s a solution.  Set the alarm clock 10 minutes earlier.  Seriously.  Because if you do that then you can spend the time making a flask of coffee and a much more healthy snack and/or sandwich.  Total cost will be about £1.00 a day, which is a much more reasonable figure.  Can’t face that as a morning routine?  Then do it the night before!

If you don’t believe what I say, then start budgeting and watching the cash flow.  If you were in small business accounting using their software everyday to look after your figures, then you probably wouldn’t have too much of a problem picking up on these numbers. But if you are like me then you will probably want to consider something more practical and user friendly.  There are a variety of excellent home softwares, and it’s worth consider some of the excellent free home accounting software that is available online, though you need to be careful of potential security issues.

Recently I’ve begun using Bing travel because of their Farecast technology, which gives me more control over the deal that I get when I purchase air tickets online than anything else I have ever seen. When it comes to save money tips for travel, it might be my favorite.

Buying tickets online is a great way to quickly compare prices but Farecast takes it to another level. Along with price comparisons from the usual ticketing websites, it also tells you how likely it is that the prices that you are quoted might increase or decrease in the days or weeks until your flight date. The software quickly analyzes years of data on many, many millions of flights, including the historical price fluctuations of the route and date that you have specified in your search.

Based on all this data you are given a percentage likelihood as to the direction of the price change between now and your flight, along with a dollar amount you stand to save on a ticket if the software recommends that you wait. The first time I tried it I couldn’t believe it!

Just as valuable as a recommendation to wait to purchase might be, it also gives you recommendations to buy immediately based on the same information and percentage likelihood that prices might increase on that route, before your flight date.

There are all kinds of places you can save money these days.  If your planning on setting up a company website, and need a new logo, then a free logo design website might be a good alternative.

The beauty of Farecast, and the reason I call this one the best tips to save money on travel that I know, is that this magical technology is wrapped right into the search you are performing anyway to find the best deal on airplane tickets. So you really have nothing to lose, even if you do disregard the recommendation of the software.

The point is that you will be a much more informed consumer based on all the historical data, yet all the complex analysis happens behind the scenes. Saving money tips don’t have to be a big mystery: in fact the Internet has given us myriad new ways to save money on everything.

An electric bicycle is a great way to save money while protecting the environment and getting you where you want to go. Let’s take a quick look at how much money you could save if you use an electric bike to replace your car.

If you intend to replace a car with an electric bicycle, the payback is almost instant.

Electric bicycles come in many price ranges. Quality electric bikes range anywhere from $800 to $1,800. If you are serious about saving money with your bicycle, then the best choice is to select a quality bike.

Another consideration is the cost of maintenance. Electric bicycles are very low maintenance; compared to a car, there are almost no maintenance costs required.

Electric bicycles provide the opportunity to get your daily exercise, just turn off the power and pedal. If you currently have a gym membership, you could cancel and save some extra money.

Finally, if you take into consideration the benefits of selecting an electric bicycle, which include saving money, reducing your carbon footprint and taking up less space in traffic, the decision is an easy one. Go electric.

Gas prices are one of those things that drive us all crazy, but are also something we just can’t do without. We can however control how much gas we use with our driving habits. If you can, leave the car in the driveway and walk or bike to where you need to be. You’ll save money, and be in better shape. When you do have to drive, go easy on the gas and break pedal. By observing speed limits for a change, and avoiding excessive breaking, you’ll put less wear and tear on your car, and burn less gas.

Cellphones are great, and everyone has one. Review your plan though, just to make sure your not paying for options you no longer use or need. While at signup time, some of those extras may have seemed like a great idea, now they may not be necessary. While it can be tough and expensive to break a contract, it’s something to keep in mind at renewal time. If it makes sense for you, it will save money to get rid of your landline. How many phone numbers does one person need anyway?

I know it’s a pain in the butt, but keeping a little log of every time you spend money can be a real eye opener. While major charges that land on your credit card or bank account may seem obvious, it’s the little out of pocket stuff that really adds up. How many dollars do you spend every month on coffee, newspapers, magazines, and lunch? Don’t know? Well, you should.

Stick a dollar or two from your spare change into a jar or shoe box every day. Sure, it seems pretty old school, but it also adds up. Wasn’t it Grandma that said “worry about the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves”? It’s true, a dollar or two every day adds up to somewhere between $300 and $750 at the end of the year. That makes for a pretty nice Christmas present for someone. Maybe you?

How about robbing a bank Well, not exactly, but if your like most consumers, you probably spend way to much money on banking fees. Do you know how much money you pay to used that debit card, or an ATM machine that doesn’t belong to your personal bank. It all adds up after a while. Check out some of the online banking services like ING, that have much lower fees. Just make sure the services they provide are adequate for you. Those bankers have enough of your money already.