Any time you research ways you can save money, you usually see the same things: Stop eating out. Stop buying fancy coffee. Even we’re guilty of offering those up as great suggestions for saving money.
But let’s be honest, people like eating out at nice restaurants and drinking coffee with fancy names. So we put on our thinking caps and tried to come up with some other things you can do to save money that you might actually be willing to do.
Let’s start with the most obvious and least painful. Get a big jar. Then at the end of every day, drop any change you have in your pockets into that jar. (If you really want to go crazy, you could add the singles in your wallet.) Once the jar is filled, bring it in and deposit it into your savings account — not your checking account and definitely not back into your pockets.
Next, try living on the 50/30/20 budget. Basically, that means 50% of your income is devoted to necessities like bills, etc. 30% goes to wants. And the final 20% goes into your savings. To help make sure that 20% will actually go into your savings, just pretend it’ s a bill and pay it into your savings every time you write out your bills.
Another easy trick is to take whatever balance is remaining in your checking account on the day before payday and transfer some of that balance into your savings. For example: If your balance is $150 then transfer at least $50.
Here are a few other money-saving tips:
• Have a weekly “no spend day” and don’t buy anything (even lunch) on that day
• Stop paying others for work you can do — like yard work or cleaning the house
• Cancel any auto-renew subscriptions that you aren’t using regularly
• Only make big purchases like furniture or appliances during annual sale periods
• Ditch cable for streaming services
• Shop around for the best cell phone plans and insurance services
• Grocery shop with a list so you’ll be less likely to buy stuff impulsively
• Buy generic whenever possible. According to an NPR study, it’s something even chefs do
• Save your raise (if you’re lucky to get one)
We hope you find these tips helpful. Or at least more palatable then giving up your favorite restaurant or morning cup of coffee.
