This week can be different. You can decide to save without sacrificing much. These are little, everyday decisions that we may not think twice about, but add up to a lot over the course of a year. The following are 10 ways you can save more money:
1. Go to the public library.
That new book costs $20 on Amazon. Your local library probably will have it available in a couple weeks for free. It’s the worth the wait. There’s plenty more worthwhile reading material besides that new, got-to-have-it bestseller.
2. Brew coffee at home.
Buying coffee on the go or as a regular part of your day adds up. If I bought a tall, black coffee at Starbucks everyday for a year, I’d see $692 less in my bank account. More importantly, that money saved could be gaining interest or used to pay off debt. Brew your own coffee and save a huge chunk of change.
3. Pack a lunch for work.
Lunch doesn’t have to be expensive. By packing a lunch, you’ll be saving a boatload of cash at the end of the year.
4. Drink water when you go out to eat.
Soda, alcohol, and juices all cost an arm and a leg at restaurants. Drinking water will usually save you about $2 a meal. That little savings can add up quick.
5. Look on Craigslist for free or low-priced furniture.
Craigslist is a wonderfully simple way to get furniture, devices, and appliances at dirt-cheap costs or for free. It’s worth a look before you buy new.
6. Walk, bus to work.
Cars are a money-sucking parasite. I should know. Take the bus – better yet, walk – to school or work. This could save you thousands of dollars a year.
7. Shop for groceries once a week.
Supermarkets are prime places to spend discretionary funds on things you don’t absolutely need. Reduce the amount of times you visit, and you’ll see a nice savings in gas used and extra items.
8. Use a rewards credit card for non-discretionary purchases (i.e., supermarket and gas station).
If you’re going to be making the purchase either way, make sure you’re making the most cash back possible. The best deals are usually with cash back and/or rewards credit cards.
9. Create a list of things you “want” and decide after 30 days if they’re still worth the cost.
In the moment, it can be hard to figure out what are must-haves. Given some time and reflection, you may realize that brand new gadget or appliance isn’t really work X amount of dollars. Make a list of wants and see if you still feel that need after a month.
10. Cancel magazine, TV, and digital subscriptions.
This is easy. Just call up every discretionary company you pay money to a monthly basis and say, “I’m done.” If you’re a hefty magazine and TV subscriber, this will net you at least a couple hundred this month.
Since most people want to keep the books they buy, you can save any more than the cost of the book – you can have fewer bookshelves and a smaller house. If you’re a book freak like me, anyway. At my library they say “Hi, Christy” when I walk in since I’m there so much….
Christy,
I’m glad to hear you frequent your local library. That’s a wonderful thing to be supporting the public service and be considered a regular, even.
If you’re a book lover, it can be hard not to own a title. But the library is a wonderful place to find all your favs. As such, you might not need to buy it!
Thanks for the comment!
Sam
I think the best option is a used kindle and the free section of Amazon ebooks. I have a lot of free books (no physical copies), a couple of simple games, and so on. (mine is several years old so it doesn’t do apps). Since you can also get pdfs and mobi files on the Kindle, any free book site that offers those formats (or websites of the authors for that matter) can be used for free reads.
I think I’m doing a good job with all of the ten suggestions. I even went one step farther on the walk/take bus to work thing. I just quit working! Totally removes any commuting or job related expenses.
If you don’t want to give up a social life, concerts can be fun if you’re frugal. My husband bought us BOGO-free tickets to a concert for this past Monday. We saw Nightwish and 2 other European metal bands for really cheap.
I brought a $20 bill with me; I bought their newest CD/DVD combo for $10, no tax. (I have too many t-shirts and don’t need another band tee taking up precious space in my closet.) I bought my husband the strongest draft beer they had on tap and I bought myself a bottle of water, plus tipped the bartender. So that was $10 total. We didn’t spend another cent and enjoyed 3 great bands.
He bought us the concert tickets for an anniversary present since I told him I don’t want anymore physical gifts that take up space and waste precious resources. Concerts and events create life-long memories!! Just by searching the web, one can find similar cheap concerts local to them at any time. Some are even free 🙂