Bang! Slam the snooze on every morning like clockwork to get that extra 10 minutes of sleep.  Imagine if you did the opposite, and set your alarm ahead by 10 minutes each day? That extra time works out to well more than a full week of work or for those making $50k per year that is almost $1,000 in earnings power by simply not snoozing and not losing.  

We are in the subscription economy, where businesses, or nearly all businesses, are eager to bill you directly either monthly or yearly.  According to West Monroe Partners, the average American pays $237 per month for subscription services. Here are four steps to reduce your monthly charges from a recent Wall Street journal article…one, do at least a yearly audit of what you are buying.  Two, cross check and consolidate to eliminate duplicates with your significant other. Three, cancel anything that is not a priority and finally, put on your calendar in 2020 today, to do the same thing a year from now. Audit, cross, cancel, repeat.  

It is easy to fall into the trap of trying to live up to other peoples standards, which by definition is their standards, not yours.  By simply choosing where you want to live, what gadgets you need, and what you want to wear without worrying about your friends choices is not only liberating, but a great way to save a ton of money. “Take your life to another level by ignoring the Joneses altogether.” — Richie Norton, Author.  

Growing a vegetable garden falls right into line with the DINC way of thinking.  By growing your own favorite vegetables, not only can you save money to invest in yourself, you increase your confidence in food safety and even help the climate – not bad for getting your hands dirty.  Efficiency is the key to saving money so here are four tips: Select vegetables you like to eat, says Mr.Obvious Grow produce that can be saved and or preserved Harvest the more expensive vegetables Finally, like the investors we are… have a plan and do a little research Whether it is money or a vegetable – Green is Green  

When we are home, Americans on average eat out 4-5 times per week and spend over $1200 per year on fast food alone.  Now as we head into peak travel season, this cost of food dramatically sky rockets higher. At the Dollar Investment Club we are always looking for ways to save money and invest in ourselves and here are some ideas. Breakfast is the easiest meal to save on. If not included with your stay, bring boxed individual bowls of cereal, bagels and cream cheese, or pre-made breakfast sandwiches in a cooler.  Beware of the $7 dollar glass of orange juice for all the kids at your favorite pancake house. Lunch is all about sandwiches which travel well either on the road or at the beach. Dinner is a bit harder but there is nothing wrong with a baguette, cheese and a bottle of wine. The key to saving money on the road is to plan a little and stay away from convenience store sushi a lot.