20 Small Ways You Can Save Money
Everyone would love to have a little extra money saved over at the end of the month. Sometimes our poor choices and decisions can keep us from where we want to be.
Saying “no” to bad spending habits and costly subscriptions in our lives is a great way to start. Here are 20 small ways you can save money every single day that will pay huge dividends in the long run.
You Can Save Money
1. Say “Goodbye” to Cable
You might be thinking, “Yeah right, that’s not happening.” Do you realize how much you could save? Most cable bills average around $85-$100 a month costing you well over $1,000 a year.
This might sound awful for a family that spends a lot of time watching cable, but there are other great alternatives. Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix have most of your favorite television shows for a fraction of the cost.
2. Quit Smoking
Not only is smoking a deadly bad habit, but a costly one as well. Let’s put this into perspective. If you smoke a pack a day, you’re paying over $2,000 a year in smokes.
Smoking between 2 and 3 packs a day will cost you around $4,000-$6,000 each year. Ask yourself, “what better ways could I be spending my money?” It’s also a great way to help protect your health!
3. Skip the Starbucks Coffee
How about getting up a few minutes earlier and making your own coffee in the morning. You can buy creamers and sweeteners that will be as equally satisfying for a small chunk of change.
If you are a faithful Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts customer 5 days of the week, by the end of the month you could have saved over $100.
4. Quality over Quantity
Saving money sometimes means spending more money upfront. This goes for food, clothing, tools and household cleaners. While getting more may seem better for a cheaper cost, overall the life of the product is far more limited than the life of the quality purchase.
Take a good hand towel over a single roll of paper towel. Over time the hand towel will pay for itself, while you continually have to go out and buy more paper towels.
5. Wait 48 Hours on a Purchase Decision
Before making an impulse decision, decide to wait 48 hours to decide if you really need it. This will separate wants from needs in a purchase.
6. Avoid Glancing over at the Jones’s House
Looking over to compare what your neighbor has and what you have can be dangerous too. So, stop comparing your success and happiness with those around you. Be content with where you are and what you have. Being grateful is a trait we should all strive for.
7. Put it in a Savings Account or IRA
Most experts would say that we need to save around 20% of our paychecks each week, when in reality most people save around 5%. Tuck away more money in a savings account or IRA to help with your future and keep you from spending more money now.
8. Free Customer Rewards Programs
Many retail stores and restaurants want your business by offering free customer rewards programs to save you money. Make sure you apply or download these rewards so you can take advantage of this.
9. Shop the Deals and Store Brand Products
Pay attention to in-store deals and store brand products that will help save you money. Generic brands can be just as good as the national name brand items.
10. Avoid Fast Food Restaurants
While fast food is convenient and keeps you out of the kitchen after a long day at work, steer clear from them. Even with a small family, you are easily spending over $25 a meal. Try investing in a crockpot that can already have the meal done for you when you get home.
11. Plan your Meals/Stick to the List
Plan out your meals before grocery shopping and stick to the list. This will keep you from throwing in those extra impulse items that will take you away from your budgeting goals.
12. Consolidate Student Loans
Consolidating your student loans might be the way to go. The interest rates out there right now are extremely low and can help reduce the amount you owe long term.
13. It Doesn’t Cost Much to Entertain your Children
You don’t always have to be spending an awful lot of money on entertainment and toys to make your children happy. Getting them involved in sports and extracurricular activities and free camps are some great options. There’s nothing wrong with a visit to your local park where the young ones can swing, slide, teeter, and more.
14. Drink More Water
Did you know that drinking more water is good for you and can save you money as well? This will keep you from eating more by ransacking your cupboards for a snack every night. Think about investing in a stainless steel reusable water bottle. I have two of these: Contigo 24-Ounce Water Jug
15. Turn Out the Lights
Does your family have a bad habit of leaving lights on while no one is at home? Turning out the lights when not in a room is another great way of saving money each day.
16. Make Homemade Gifts
Are you gifted at crafting, sewing or another hobby? Consider making home-made gifts for presents and special occasions for your loved ones. Plus, they’re more sentimental anyway.
17. Buy Used
Not everything needs to be brand new when you make a purchase. This can include buying a car, video games, furniture and more. Buying used can save you tons of money too.
18. Borrow Instead of Buying
Do you read a lot of books or enjoy watching movies one time. There’s no reason they need to be sitting on a shelf when you could borrow instead. The library has several great movies, CD’s, and books to choose from. We have friends that exchange good books with other neighbors. Just let them know what your areas of interest are and hope they share the same ideas of a good “read.”
19. Holiday Shopping After the Holidays
Shopping for holiday treasures after the holidays can save you even more money. If you wait about 2 days after Christmas, you can pay a fraction of the amount you would have paid less than a week before.
20. Repair Clothing instead of Parting with It
Do you own a needle and thread? Being a handy clothing repair man or woman can save you from tossing out clothing that still has much more life to live.
Final Word
These are 20 ways that you can save money every single day. Did you find any of these tips helpful? What other ways do you use to save money on a daily basis?
Grocery Shopping on a Shoestring Budget
Good tips! I love saving as much money as I possibly can. 🙂
Hi Jess, it takes baby steps and envelopes, it works! Linda
Such great tips! And so many brought back memories of different times in my life. Glad to see you brought up money envelopes in your reply. I read the Drink Water tip as a way to reduce snacking. Realized that simply drinking more water with a meal can also help with weight loss dieting. I’m going to suggest this to my sis who once again is trying to lose weight. I always start meals with a glass of ice water, whether at home or particularly in restaurants. I’ve found I eat less, so in cafes I order from children’s menu or will order ‘half servings’. (Lol, both will save money too). I also order a child size glass of milk to finish meal. I rarely see many adults do this! I get full easier for a bit less money and it cuts down on calories. Yet, I’ve never suggested this to my sis…so now I shall. She has spent a lot of time and money cooking different (like, the bone broth thing), buying foods from different weight loss plans, buying gadgets that make healthier foods. You name it, she’s tried it. She may lose a few lbs but that’s about it. And she’s very active! Maybe the water trick could help? Sometimes your Tips sure can spur my thinking, so thanks.
Hi Wendy, you are so cute, thank you! It’s amazing just thinking about a few small tricks we can share with each other to save money! It’s crazy how big the serving sizes are at restaurants! It makes you wonder if the children’s serving size is really what we should be eating! The water trick before eating helps a lot!! Linda