These days, saving money is something everybody wants to do, and there are several ways you can do this. With so much flexibility at your fingertips when it comes to what you are buying and where you are getting it from, you can save money much more easily than in the past. New technology has driven things along, making it much easier for consumers to slash the price they’re paying. Below are different smarter ways technology has made possible for people to save. 1. Coupons and Cashback In the physical world, you need to cut each coupon out, save them and try to remember what you’ve got and when they’re going to expire – this is far from ideal. Coupon applications take the hard part out, helping you to find coupons you’re really going to use and saving them on your computer. This helps you save money on your purchases. Also, consider using cashback sites such as Quidco and Top Cashback to ensure you are earning cashback from your purchases. Sites like Wowcher are also great for getting package deals on things that would otherwise be much more expensive, sic as hotel stays and dining out. 2. Smart Devices Some devices have smart controllers that allow you to turn on or off any appliance remotely or on a pre-set time. For example, while you’re away, you may be able to schedule your lighting system to come on or go off at a particular time or want your central heating controlled wirelessly. 3. VoIP Systems VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is just a fancy term for the calls we use to make using the internet. Some of the apps that make VoIP possible include WhatsApp, Skype, and Telegram. They allow people to make free calls, both domestic and international. You don’t have to spend your time and money researching complex systems to make foreign calls via mobile service providers. With these VoIP services, you are saving so much money and time. 4. Online Banking Apps The evolution of technology has made the transfer of money from one bank account to another faster and more convenient. Most banks now have a mobile banking app that can help you transfer money regardless of time or location. This saves you the time and cost of going to a specific branch to carry out the transfer. With most of these apps, you can also manage both your current account and savings account in the same place. 5. Smart Thermostat The introduction of monthly energy bills is another major worry for many homeowners, particularly in winter months, when heating is a requirement. Fortunately, more and more people are starting to adopt smart thermostats that allow you to take far more direct control over the heating of your house, which almost always helps you save money. Conclusion Using the above examples of readily available technologies will allow for huge financial savings. Some of the benefits of these devices will apply to you more than others. However, whatever your financial condition and potential aspirations, you will certainly find opportunities to leverage these smart technologies.

The outlook can look grim for small business owners who are seeing their revenue and profits plunge due to these uncertain times. Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to ease this situation for your business. Look at the big picture It is an opportunity to better understand the size and extent of existing problems, and to further understand the business model of a company—determining how its strengths and weaknesses come into play. For instance, imagine a small business owner finds that two workers regularly make inventory mistakes that allow certain products to be over or under-stocked. Although an initial response may be to dismiss those workers, another method may be to investigate whether those employees have been adequately educated because if they weren’t, the manager is the real concern. For employees who makes mistakes, there is usually always a better alternative than termination. Do a staff inventory Payroll is often one of the top costs a small business owner has, so it makes sense to make sure that the money is well spent. This may involve a thorough staff review—both when a problem arises, and during the normal course of business—to ensure that the right people are on board and that they do their jobs effectively. Ensure You Have a Back-Up Plan It is important that you always have back up plan for your business. This will include a lot of things, such as having some cash saved for emergencies and having comprehensive businesses insurance that will protect your business in any and all situations where a problem, may have arisen. This will also ensure that when a bad situation arises, you are covered and won’t lose massive amounts of money in dealing with the problem. Start sweating the small stuff While having an eye on the big picture is crucial, a small business owner shouldn’t ignore little items that can adversely affect the company. A large tree that obstructs the public’s view of the business or the signs of the firm, insufficient parking, lack of road/traffic access, or poor ads are examples of minor issues that can make a huge dent on the business bottom line. Taking into account and evaluating the various causes that lead consumers through the door will help recognise any issues. It will also help you work over your quarterly costs, line-by-line. Owners need not look for one-time expenditures here. Instead, owners can search for little things that seem harmless but really empty the accounts. Don’t compromise quality If the concern is a product or service quality issue, then tackling it head-on makes sense. Staying on the offensive and keeping staff on board with improvements being made, also makes sense. Owners should also be mindful of not losing sight of quality when making improvements to such goods. Company owners looking to increase profitability on a specific product should be careful to make drastic adjustments to the components in question. While you are eager to get new customers on board, you do not want to counteract that by losing current customers.