When suddenly finding yourself needing to save for an unexpected cost...or maybe for a down payment on a home, one overwhelming thought that occurs for many is, "How am I going to pay my bills & pay for this?"

If you've experienced a recent expense or possibly you are saving up for a down payment on a home, one of the things you can do is adopt the mindset that saving money, is making money.

Here are my top three tips to help cut costs quick:

1)  Go through your credit card bills and your bank statements. Do you have any auto-payments that reoccur weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly and what not? Ask yourself do you really need those particular reoccurring payments? Some of them you do need to keep, like be sure you keep and pay your basic necessity bills--like electricity, internet, water, you get the picture. But do you really need that cheese-of-the-month club at the moment? Think about which ones you could do away with or just put on a temporary pause. Some companies will allow you to remain on a low cost a membership just so that they don't lose you as a customer. So ask!

2)  Lighten the load! Take a look around your surroundings. What do you own that you don't really need? Look into selling your stuff on market place or Craigslist today, because those surplus items can bring in a few extra bucks in put toward your savings goal. You may find after these items are long gone that you never needed them in the first place and you probably won't seek to replace them in the future.

3)  Odd jobs & side gigs. Now is always a good time to find a side hustle, if you don't already have one! Ask friends and family if they have any odd jobs that you might be able to do for them. Some people might need some temporary work, (which can work perfectly while you job search), for their their own businesses. (#tempwork, #oddjobs)

Got a great talent that nobody knows about? Maybe this is the time that you can discover & debut it a little bit more. Maybe you are great at teaching art lessons, maybe you have DJ equipment and could host friend's upcoming parties, or perhaps you have a trailer and could do dump runs for your neighborhood. Whatever the case may be, use your creativity and seek out different areas that you are good at doing. This is a great time to explore hidden talents that you have. You never know when your side hustle may turn into a full time gig! (#sidegig, #sidehustle)

If you are trying to save for a down payment and you are struggling with putting it all together, contact Mickie Giacomini, Realtor® today: Mickie.Giacomini@gmail.com Allow her to help you put the pieces together today.

At Giacomini Real Estate, we specialize in helping people buy, sell and invest in real estate. For more information, contact us today! 916.-572.1117