Wallet feeling a bit too light? Need some extra cash for that next computer upgrade? Here are 10 tips for saving money on the Internet. You just may be surprised at how much money you’ve been wasting without even realizing it. The Internet is a great place, but along with it comes many ways to spend money.

1. Don’t sign up for paid website subscriptions. As much as you may like a website, signing up for a paid subscription can get costly very quickly. Though they do offer more features versus a free subscription, I find I can always make do with a free subscription.

2. How much power is your computer using? Though there is very little you can do on a desktop to make it use less power, you can:

• Turn your computer off or at least put in standby when not using it.
• Defragment your hard drive and disable unneeded startup processes so your computer spends less time accessing the hard drive when starting up, which in turn helps save electricity.
• Take out unneeded parts from your system. You may never use your dial up modem, but it still uses your electricity.

3. Have you seen what you’ve been paying for Internet lately? If you’ve been subscribing to a DSL or cable Internet service for more than a year, it’s possible the price could have gone down since you first signed up or faster speeds are available for a similar price. Call your ISP and ask what the newest pricing is. Many cable providers will give you a discount if you bundle your TV cable and Internet together. If you use the Internet less than 10 hours a month for basic things, you may want to consider a free ISP. AnchorFree and Wifi Free Spot are sites dedicated to finding free wifi hot spots.

4. Never, ever rent a cable or DSL modem from your ISP. Without realizing it, you could be paying for the modem your ISP gave you when you signed up every month. Instead of renting a modem, go buy your own and return the ISP’s modem. My ISP charges $5/month to rent a piece of junk modem from them. It seems cheap in writing, but it is actually very expensive. If I were to rent a modem from them for 4 years, I would have paid my ISP $240! If I went out and bought a good modem for $80, I would have saved $360 over four years and have a much better modem than my ISP would ever dream of giving me!

5. Never buy something without first searching for a deal online. You’ll be surprised how much you can save! The most well known deal websites are Tech Bargains, Deal News, Slick Deals, and Ben’s Bargains . I like to use a website such as Deal Fiesta that display deals from multiple sites at once.

6. How well do you take care of your computer? A computer hardware failure could cost you both money and inconvenience. Make sure your computer’s inside is free of dust and dirt and that you have a surge protector. If there is a bad thunderstorm nearby, always unplug your computer! A surge protector is useless if lighting hits near or on your home. Taking care of these things will help make your hardware last longer.

7. Never pay for extended warranties on electronics, including computers and computer components. Chances are good that if something actually does fail in a computer, it will be cheap to fix yourself. In addition, by the time something does break outside of the computer’s warranty period, it will be so old getting a replacement will cost a lot less.

8. If you aren’t using Skype for long distance phone calls, start using it now. You can save a lot of money by making your long distance calls over the Internet, even if it’s to a land line phone. Right now, Skype is offering free long distance calling in the US, even if it’s to a land line.

9. Freeware, freeware, and more freeware! There is a piece of freeware out there for almost every piece of commercial software. One method I use for finding freeware, besides going to websites like Source Forge and Download.com, is to type in the name of the commercial software I can’t afford on Google followed by the word “alternatives”. Just try it with Photoshop. I sometimes get commercial software for free by beta testing it.

10. If you run a small website or blog, you don’t have to pay for web hosting. Run a small web server out of your home or sign up for free web hosting. Scoff all you want at the thought of free web hosting, but many free web hosts are now ad free and some offer service and support better than paid hosts.

Remember, the list doesn’t end here! Be creative and find more ways you can save money! In the end, it will pay off, literally!