10 Simple Ways to Save Everyday
Frugal living starts with the choices you make, each and everyday. The smallest changes made can make a big impact on your budget over the long haul.
It’s those little changes that can make or break your budget, more than the big purchases you make. Here’s ten changes you can make to help improve your financial outlook.
Simple Ways to Save Everyday
1. Drink Water, Water cost very little. It is so much better for you and is something your body really needs each and everyday. Water is also calorie free, instead of full of empty calories like other drinks. Start small and switch out one drink a day for water. Then work up until at each meal you are drinking water instead of other beverages.
2. Brown Bag It or Eat Leftovers, Eating out at lunch can really add up over the month. Even if you eat a cheap meal at a fast food restaurant, you could still be spending $4-6 a day. Which adds up quickly. Pack leftovers for lunch or pack a quick sandwich for lunch. It could save you $80 or more a month.
3. Quit Shopping for Entertainment, earlier in this series I talked about how I used to shop for entertainment. I would go to the store just to “window” shop. But somehow I would almost always end up purchasing something. If you do the same, stay out of the stores. Find something fun to do around the house instead, your wallet will thank you.
4. Use the Library, Instead of purchasing books, check them out from the library. Some libraries have free music to download, television show to stream, movies to check out and free wifi too. See my post on Ways to Save Money, Use the Library for more ideas.
5. Purchase Used, Shopping second hand can really save you a bundle of money. From yard tools to clothing, we get lots of items used. We purchased a beautiful solid maple dinning room set for a fraction of the cost of a new set, off craigslist. I’ve found lots of useful items at Estate sales. Thrift stores and garage sales always have lots of kids and adult clothes to be had at deep discounts from brand new. I’ve found lots of items with the original tags on them at the thrift store too.
6. Use Cash, Ditch the credit and debit cards for your everyday shopping. Use a cash to make everyday purchases. There is something about having to hand over the cash to make you think about your purchases.
7. Track Your Spending, It’s easy to get to the end of the month and think where did all the money go. When you track your spending, you know where it goes. I track our spending in a notebook with the major categories covered, so I know if we are staying on budget.
8. Don’t Auto Renew, Never auto renew, take the time after your current contract expires to shop around. Then ask your current provider to match the price. If they can’t make the switch. Some companies don’t reward customers for loyalty anymore and you need to switch to get the best deals.
9. Limit Purchase of Perishables, It’s hard to resist a great deal when they come along. But use caution with perishable items. You don’t want to take advantage of a great deal, overbuy what you can use and then have it go bad before you can use it. Just purchase what you will use, when it comes to perishable items. Or have a plan to freeze or dry the surplus for later.
10. Think Before You Buy, Take a moment before you make a purchase to ask yourself , Do I really need this item? Or do I just want it? Think about how many hours you have to work to purchase the item? Is it worth your time. If not put it back and leave it behind.
Now it’s your Turn
What little things do you do everyday to save money? I would love to have you share your ideas in the comments below. You never know who you may bless by sharing.
See all the posts in this series,
These are GREAT tips, Shelly! I definitely do not shop for entertainment. I do use the library, and leftovers are my friend.
Way to go, Sandra!
Great list! I am working hard to use less – less soap, less detergent, etc – because the less I use, the less I waste. Plus, with using less, I am saving more!
The hubster takes leftovers for lunch every day, I drink water, my daughter utilizes the library, we are trying to use cash, and I think before I buy … errr … sometimes I buy, think and then return;0) We also save moolah by having movie night at home … we rarely go to the theater and by lumping errands together to save gas!
Wow Jayleen, sounds like you do a great job at saving everyday. Way to go!
Thanks for this great list of ways to save every day! I am always looking for good ideas to incorporate into the every day, and this list touches on several that I already do but gives me a few more ideas as well. 🙂
I found your post today on Thrifty Thursday Link Party.
Joan, Thanks for stopping by and I’m glad you found some new ideas to try.
great points. I think drinking water is the biggest one. Even if you still eat out drinking water (not bottled water) makes a huge difference in the expense.
I found this great post by visiting the Frugal Friday Link Up Party. I buy all of my clothing except undergarments and shoes second hand. I find that I save a great deal doing this. But…I do shop for entertainment. There isn’t a lot to do in a little town.. So I visit the local shops & couple of boutiques that are uptown. I’m always into much sticker shock to purchase items though. Thanks for sharing this awesome post.
Janell, thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
I have been thinking recently that we need to switch over to using cash more. We do this for groceries, but that is the only area that I have made the leap. Guess cause I have to get my husband on board with the other areas! Great tips!
I do several of the things you mentioned and I also make my own bread, my laundry detergent, and wash out my plastic bags and reuse them. I am switching over to baking soda and vinegar for cleaning as much as I can. I too shop at thrift stores first when I need something.
Thanks for sharing Kay. I use baking soda and vinegar to clean and my e-cloths. They work really well to clean and nothing is needed except the cloth and water.
Shelly, my boyfriend and I bought a home in June 2019 and I’ve been struggling financially since the bills started rolling in. While our mortgage is on the conservative side and we live in a town that is within our range of affordability, but I’m always looking for ways to cut things, go greener, and create new frugal norms. My boyfriend is an engineer and that leaves much of the planning, organizing and cleaning to me -your Podcast has helped me prioritize and avoid feeling overwhelmed. I have found your podcasts a great way to put use to my drives home from work in the car. Thank you for all you do to provide insight into ways to save and stay organized to keep your family on-track.
Katie, I’m so glad you find the podcast helpful. I know when we bought our first house there are more bills than you would expect to come in. But good for you for only taking on a conservative mortgage and looking for ways to save money. Keep making small changes and making them habits. Then move onto the next item to change. You can do it, little by little grows into big change.