25 Easy Money Saving Tips
Being wise with money is a learned behavior and may not come to us naturally. If you are not perfect at this, I would like to share a couple of ideas to help you cut costs and strengthen your family’s financial security.
Here are 25 money saving tips that help me in my own life.
1. Evaluate recurring expenses
Try to shave as much as possible off the expenses you have regularly. For instance, with the fuel prices going up, you might want to consider combining your trips and staying home more.
2. Choose the cheapest phone carrier
Our phone expenses may seem negligible but can really accumulate. Check out other phone carriers to find the most affordable one.
3. Meal plan
Save thousands of dollars every year just by taking the time to make a meal plan every week and going by that plan no matter what.
4. Grocery shop with a list
To avoid impulsively buying unnecessary items, stick to the things that you know and are used to buying, or you know that you have a plan for.
5. Cancel unused subscriptions
If you are not currently using it, it is okay to cancel that service, even if you decide next month to reinstate it.
6. Monthly freezer clean up
To avoid situations where you buy things, stick them in the freezer, forget and buy more of the same thing, schedule an opportunity to review what your freezer holds before it all goes bad.
7. Learn healthy and cheap meals
Just because feeding your family a healthy meal is very important to you does not mean that you have to spend a ton of money at the grocery store. YouTube is full of recipes for nutritious and budget-friendly meals.
8. The 14-day rule
You can totally change the number of days, but the idea is to prevent yourself from impulse buying online. Instead of buying something you want right away, mark it down with the date, and let yourself re-evaluate the need for that item once two weeks have passed.
9. Do not let influencers define your needs
Influencers all over the internet try to tell you what you need to spend your money on. Be mindful of what you really enjoy and need, and do not allow other people to influence your spending habits.
10. Have fun at your home
Use your property as a resource for fun and exciting activities for your family instead of outsourcing those to other facilities that cost an arm and a leg to enjoy.
There are so many things that we can do inside our home and in our yards, and you will not have to spend a dime on the activities or gas.
11. Stop caring about others’ opinions
Only you really know what you need and what affects your quality of life. Never spend money just because someone else believes you should.
12. Shop second hand before shopping new
Some things you have to buy new, but many others, like a bread maker, a coffee maker or an iron, can be found used but not used up.
Always check at thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, and even online selling markets to get better quality items for a lower price.
13. Simplify your life
Your kids do not need a million toys and you do not need to have everything in order to live a wonderful life. Living a simple life helps us to focus on the things that really matter and the things that are really important to us.
14. Live like your grandmother
From DIY handmade gifts to being mindful of waste and resources, we have so much that we can learn from that greatest generation.
Sitting at their feet, asking them questions and learning about the things that they did in order to live a more frugal life can be an eye opener.
15. Use cold water for laundry
Most of your clothes do not need hot water to get clean. Just by switching to cold water before every load, you can save tons of money.
16. Line dry your clothes
You can save up to $1 every single load of clothes that you do by drying it outside. Nothing makes me feel quite like a pioneer as much.
17. Adjust the house temperature
Bump up the temperature in the summer and down in the winter just by a few degrees to save up to $50 a month on your heating and cooling.
18. Use your leftovers
The habit of making a little bit more every time you fix a meal and have that for lunch or dinner the next day can save you a lot of time and in the long run, a lot of money as well.
19. Use your resources wisely
Being mindful of our resources may not be easy, but it is so important to try to avoid wastefulness.
Turn off your light, keep your doors closed, and close the water tap.
20. Learn how to do hard things
Fixing simple issues in your car is a great example. There are so many resources available, so find some YouTube channels and try to do all of your own repairs.
21. Eating out is a special occasion
Do not eat out just because it is easy, but rather keep it for special occasions. We can train ourselves to enjoy homemade meals and making meals together just as much, if not more, than eating meals at a restaurant.
22. Make all-purpose cleaner at home
Instead of spending $5 each time, make homemade cleaner using water, vinegar, and a little bit of orange oil.
23. Choose reusable when possible
Cutting out weekly purchases of paper towels, paper plates, and napkins can really reduce your overall budget by $10-20 per month. Instead, pick up some cute cloth napkins at an estate sale for a quarter or a dime a piece.
24. Never spend money you do not have
Living below your means will keep you out of a lot of financial trouble. Put off buying something until you have saved enough to buy it with cash. This will spare you both the expense and the stress trying to pay it off.
25. Keep a gratitude journal
Being mindful and grateful for the things we have been blessed with will breed a sense of contentment and prevent us from wanting to spend more and more. This is a mind shift to teach your children, too.
Money saving tips
Those were my best money saving tips. Do you have any tips for saving money? Share in the comments!
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