You work hard for the money. And you don’t have to be strapped for funds if you think carefully about how you spend, and find ways to cut down on unnecessary expenses. Here are five easy tips to trim unnecessary spending that will save you $1,500 a year or more. After all, saving money can be much easier than making more of it.

1. PAY OFF CREDIT CARD BALANCES EVERY MONTH
According to Yahoo! Finance, each American family carries about eight credit cards, with an average balance of around $9,000. About 60 percent of Americans pay credit card interest every month at an average rate of 14 percent annually, according to www.creditcards.com. If you pay your credit card bills off every month, you can actually save $1,260 annually, instead of paying it to your bank.

2. DUMP CREDIT CARDS THAT CHARGE ANNUAL FEES
Many credit card companies charge an average of $25 to $100 a year just for the privilege of carrying their card. Find a card that won’t charge you.

3. REDUCE CREDIT CARD FEES
Call your credit card company and ask for a lower interest rate, based on your good credit history. Also, by getting rid of all but one or two credit cards and by avoiding annual, late payment and over-the-limit fees, you can reduce the fees you pay credit card companies by $100 or more each year.

4. SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST CELLULAR PHONE SERVICE
According to www.LetsTalk.com, the average monthly cell phone bill is $60.

That means the average user pays $720 a year for the convenience of “staying in constant touch” with family and friends.

If you only use your cell phone for emergencies, or use only a small amount of your allotted minutes every month, consider switching to a prepaid cell phone.

Most prepaid plans don’t require a deposit or service, monthly rental, activation and termination fees. You can pay as little as 2 cents a minute, and you only pay for the minutes you use.

 5. AVOID BANK SERVICE CHARGES
Banks charge their account holders a variety of fees. But, you can save money if you take steps to avoid paying them. 

First, if your bank charges you a fee for not keeping a certain minimum in your checking account, try linking your primary account to another account to avoid the charge. This can save you approximately $11 a month, or $132 a year.

Second, avoid overdraft charges. Banks charge an average of $27.04 for every overdraft their customers make.