Making Money Go Further by searching for bargains and freebies was the advice from the Miami Herald.

On a recent Thursday evening on the big-screen TV set on CNN, a panel of financial experts predicted more financial woes for families. The experts’ consensus: An increasing number of families can’t afford the costs of their lifestyles.

Not so for the Williams family.  Randol Williams says,“There really is no deep formula to how we do things. We’re not worried, because we just know how to make money work for us.”

Money is tight for us all, especially for older people relying on interest rates from savings. But there are some simple and straightforward things we can all do to make our money go further.

As a first step, make a budget and stick to it but be realistic and allow for a little occasional unplanned spending. Nevertheless avoid impulse buying. This can destroy even the most carefully planned budget. Make sure that any spare money at the end of the month is transferred to a savings account.

Are your savings working as hard for you as they might? There are many websites which allow us to check out what banks and building societies are paying and even though rates are now lower than they have been for a very long time, you can still get some relatively good rates. And if you are relying on the income from savings, it is important to get the best rate possible.

Many banks and building societies offer introductory rates for new customers for a limited period of time. These can be attractive but make sure you review the rates before the end of the introductory period. And don`t be afraid to move your money around to chase the best rate.

You will also find it possible to get a better rate if you can afford to tie up your money for a longer period of time. If you have some money you know you are not going to need for some time, transfer it into a fixed rate account. But always ensure that you have some cash at hand for emergencies and the unforeseen.

And while you are reviewing your savings, see if you can get the taxman to help out. If you are not a tax payer make sure you have registered to get your interest paid gross. Or if you are, like most of us, required to pay tax, are you fully using your TFSA tax allowance which allows you each year to save or invest a given sum in an TFSA and get interest paid tax free.  (TFSA or Tax Free Savings Account is the term in Canada and other countries often have a similar way taxpayers can generate at least some interest or gains tax-free.)

It might also be a good idea to review how much you are paying on your utilities like gas, electricity, telephone and broadband. Again there are many price comparison websites that will allow you to do this. Like banks, many of these companies will give great deals to new customers and if you bundle their products together. Remember it`s your money so do your research and switch to save it.

And finally you will probably find it cheaper to buy as much as you can online or to pay for regular bills by direct debit. These are normally safe and secure means of buying and paying for things. So why not give it a go if it will save money.

Saving money to make your cash go further is not difficult. It is mostly a matter of common sense. You can almost think of any money you don’t have to spend as free cash.

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