Save Big: Cut Your Top 5 Costs and Save Thousands

Every tip in Elisabeth Leamy’s book, SAVE BIG, has the potential to save readers at least a thousand dollars.  Anything less didn’t make the cut.  “I don’t believe in penny pinching,” writes Leamy, Consumer Correspondent for Good Morning America.  “I like to pinch $1,000 bills!”  In fact, there are $1,176,916 worth of savings examples in the pages of SAVE BIG -- welcome news in this troubled economy.  (Wiley; January 2010; $24.95; Hardcover).  Sound impossible? 

Leamy achieves these BIG savings by targeting our top 5 costs: houses, cars, credit, groceries and healthcare.  “The key is to identify the areas where you spend the most money, because that’s where you can save the most money,” Leamy says.  SAVE BIG is the antidote to the depressing advice we’ve been hearing for years that we should banish lattes from our lives, install low-flow showerheads and pack our own lunches. 

“Why give up life’s little pleasures and conveniences,” Leamy asks, “when you can save much more money by attacking a few BIG, boring expenses instead?”  Some examples:

HOUSE:

• Fight junk closing costs when you buy a home and save $2,530.
• Refinance into a shorter mortgage.  Save $103,536.
• Appeal your property taxes and save $1,265 a year.

 CAR:

• Buy a “dark horse” car instead of the most popular make and model and save $ 6,814.
• Pay cash for your car and save $2,608.
• Exercise a “secret warranty” where the dealer fixes flaws for free and save $1,400.
                

CREDIT:

• Ferociously guard your credit score and save $2,916 a year on your mortgage.
• Undergo rapid rescoring before finalizing a mortgage and save $72,000 over the life of the loan.
• Negotiate for a lower credit card interest rate and save $1,272.

GROCERIES:

• Price match using simple online tools and save $4,628 a year on groceries.
• Stockpile and save $5,772 a year on groceries.
• Master creative couponing (Click don’t clip!) and save $7,956 a year.
  

HEALTHCARE:

• Raise your health insurance deductible and save $2,700 a year.
• Take the over-the-counter version of a drug instead of the identical prescription version and save $1,763 a year.
• Hire a medical billing advocate to fight hospital billing errors and save $6,858.

A recent Consumer Reports poll showed Americans have responded to the recession by ushering in a new era of “intelligent thrift.”  79% of respondents said they will continue to purchase only what they truly need post-recovery.  Two thirds said if they were to win $10,000 they would use it to pay down debt or build their savings.  SAVE BIG will resonate with an audience hungry for a new direction.  Elisabeth Leamy has spent years educating consumers and offers life-changing advice at this critical time. 

Leamy appears on Good Morning America several times a week, digging up new ways to save money, alerting people to dangerous products and giving a heads up about scams and rip-offs. Leamy also reports for World News, Nightline and 20/20 and writes a weekly column for ABCNews.com.  Leamy has received thirteen Emmy Awards and four regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. Her first book, The Savvy Consumer, was published in 2004.