In these uncertain times, every dollar counts. We all have to make our hard earned cash work even harder.

Earlier this year we wrote about how to plug the most common financial leaks from a household budget and received terrific feedback.

Today we’ll list the 9 things to get rid of because you can get alternatives for free.

1. Cheque accounts and bank branches

Do not enter a bank branch again and never write a cheque again. Instead go to websites like www.canstar.com.au and www.ratecity.com.au to find and compare the online saving accounts your financial institution offers.

Then ring the bank and switch old fashioned transaction accounts over. Pay bills either by transferring online or through Bpay.

You’ll slash bank fees and earn interest. Don’t be scared, it’s not hard. We have a 77 year old parent who has taken to online banking like a professional.

2. Bottled Water

Come on… really? This is such an amazing First World waste of money.

We whinge about paying $1.50 a litre for petrol but happy to pay $2.50 for 350mls of water we can drink for free from the tap.

At $2.50 a day, that’s $17.50 a week, $910 a year.

We have some of the best tap water in the world. Buy a reuseable drink bottle and turn on the tap.

3. Credit Card Interest

Credit cards a scourge on the family budget. They tempt you to live beyond your means and then charge exorbitant interest rates if the monthly balance isn’t paid off on time.

But for many, a credit card was essential for phone or online purchases and transactions. Not anymore. A debit card offers the same convenience, using your own money and incurring no interest.

If you must have a credit card, go to the Canstar and Ratecity websites to make sure you have the right card which suits your financial habits with the lowest interest rate. Maybe look at transferring your perennially unpaid monthly balance to a new card which offers 0% interest on transfers for a period of time and then work diligently in paying it off during that period.

4. ATM Fees

Instead of taking out money through an ATM and paying fees, just add extra cash requirements to an EFTPOS transaction. Or if you do use an ATM make sure it’s your bank’s (not a competitor), take out larger amounts and budget its use over a longer a period.

A $2 ATM fee on a $500 withdrawal is a lot smaller percentage of the transaction than on a $50 withdrawal.

5. Long distance telephone calls

Most wireless broadband services allow free or low cost access to local and interstate calls plus cheap overseas rates. Using services like Skype and Google Voice can slash costly phone bills. A lot of Smartphones allow the same advantages and the mobility.

Our eldest daughter and grandkids live in Vietnam. We call everyday and never pay using Skype video and wireless calls.

6. Brand Names

From prescription drugs to fashion and food staples there are cheaper generic alternatives of the same quality as the bigger more expensive brand names. Often the goods are produced at the same factory using the same ingredients.

Granted some brand name items are superior and they’re market leader for a reason. But there are just as many where it seems you pay a higher price just to subsidise their marketing campaigns.

Surely rice is rice no matter what the brand.

7. Forgotten direct debits

Go through the credit card and bank statements line by line and highlight those regular direct debits to make sure they’re what you think they are and you still need them.

We recently wondered what a monthly $49.95 charge on our credit card statement was. We’d always thought it was a magazine subscription and just kept paying it.

It turned out to be a portable wireless connection we’d bought years ago and no longer used.

Direct debits for magazine subscriptions, club fees, gym memberships and donations should be assessed to see if you actually want or use them.

8. Eating out

One of life’s great pleasures is having a nice meal at a café or restaurant… within reason. Life’s all about having fun and spoiling yourself once in a while. But keep it under control.

We recently had dinner with a Dancing With The Stars judge (who shall remain nameless) who claimed he was a terrible saver and then proceeded to tell us he never cooked and ate out for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

We did a quick calculation and worked out he was spending an average $55 a day which totaled $20,020 a year. He’s now done a cooking course and eats at home.

9. Being disorganized

Have a good look at yourself and the way you manage your money. The extra bank fees from dipping into overdraft or not paying the credit card on time because you forgot rather than didn’t have the money are just stupid.

Things like automatically paying an insurance premium rather than checking whether there are better deals, leaving lights on in unoccupied rooms and not using discount coupons are all silly money wasters and also easy to fix.

KEY MONEY WASTING QUESTIONS

. does my car really need premium petrol?

. am I paying for internet services I don’t use?

. are extended warranties really worth it?

. why am I not doing a shopping list to stop impulse buying.

. I will compare alternatives when I shop online