10 Easiest-Ever Ways To Save Money
Saving money is easier than you think. It doesn’t always require huge sacrifices or the need to feel like it’s deprivation.
Whether you’re doing it because of an income cut or because you’re saving up for something special, here are the ten easiest-ever ways to save money:
Related: 8 Ways To Save Money On Groceries
Ten Easiest-Ever Ways To Save Money
Eat Less Meat. Come on, are you going to miss an ounce less per day? Or what if you go meatless for one meal per day or one whole day per week?
Eat More Beans. Especially if you buy beans in dry packages, they’re cheap and can replace some of the protein you took out when you started eating less meat. The best part? They’re delicious! Here’s a menu and recipes for you. You can eat beans every day for a week without getting bored.
Get your produce from the freezer aisle. Buying frozen over fresh is a HUGE pocketbook savings. Plus, you get produce that was flash-frozen during its prime, which means more nutrition! Read all about buying freezer isle produce.
Cut Cable and/or Satellite. With Netflix and HuluPlus, do you really need Cable or satellite TV? Yes, you’ll have to wait an extra day to watch your favorite TV shows, but that’s a small price – and I mean teeny, tiny – price to pay for the extra savings.
Use less laundry detergent. It may sound crazy at first but just think it through. The main purpose of detergent is to break the surface tension of the water. It doesn’t take a lot to do that!
Line Dry Your Clothes. It’s such a simple thing, but it saves so much money! Tumble dryers suck up electricity like thirsty dairy cows suck water, and in the summer, they make your air conditioner run harder!
Make your own bread. A loaf of homemade bread costs you literally pennies, plus it’s much healthier and tastes amazing (I dare you not to eat the whole loaf before it cools off!)
Ditch your weekly shopping habits. Shopping monthly reduces your opportunities to buy things you don’t need. OR, keep shopping weekly, buy things at their lowest prices and stock up on that item for a month (or more).
Use a calorie-tracking app to keep you from overeating. You might be surprised to find out how much money you can save on food when you’re being held accountable – even if by just My Fitness Pal or Lose it. Logging Little Debbie Cakes isn’t fun. 😉
Buy Things out of season. Do you know you’ll need a new coat for next winter? Buy it in the spring when it’s on sale! How about a new swimsuit for next summer? Buy it in the Fall! Get creative! Buy things out of season!
See? Saving money isn’t hard!
And if it ever feels hard, always remember “hashtag firstworldproblems.”
Yeah, I know I have a “suck it up, buttercup” attitude. But the truth is, we’re all a bit spoiled, and I think that sense of entitlement is damaging. But that’s another story for another day. For now, Happy savings!
I’m married and a father of 3 littles. I looked at your ‘groceries for $20 a week’ and was inspired. To answer your question, good old fashion meal planning, and getting away from shopping habits. I am the primary grocery shopping for the family, and usually spend $100 every week on groceries(minus Costco). Last week I used your shopping list, and saved $40 even after buying some of our regular items including dairy free yogurt and eggo waffles!!
Wow, that’s inspiring! Way to slash your grocery bill. 🙂
Meal planning honestly isn’t my strongest point, but I definitely agree – it’s a great way to save money!