Every Day Money Saving Tips
The following is a list of 21 ways that anyone can save money every day.
For example, instead of going through the drive-thru and paying $3 for a coffee and bagel, bring your own and spend just pennies.
People often think of the big ways they save. Big savings are great, but little savings can add up too. Saving a dollar here and there doesn’t seem like much, however if you do it every day, the results really start to add up. The following is a list of 21 simple money-saving tips that anyone can follow to save a little cash on a daily basis:
1. Stop going to the bank teller for everything! They charge you fees and take hours out of your life with excessive paperwork. You may be able to avoid them as long as you have an ATM card and know which ATMs give free withdrawals (you can find those ATMs at www.bankrate.com). Also make sure you sign up for FREE checking (ask your bank about this when you open an account).
2. If you use credit cards, make sure it has no annual fee and the best interest rate possible. Just because a card offers 0% APR in the beginning doesn’t mean it will be that way forever; many companies offer deals like this to attract members, but then raise the interest rates shortly after to compensate for their loss in revenue during the introductory time period.
3. Make grocery shopping trips quick and painless by planning your meals before hand, sticking to a list while you’re at the store, only buying what’s on your list, and avoiding snacks/prepared foods/impulse items all together! The more food is pre-made and packaged, the more it will cost you.
4. Always look for coupons and deals before making a purchase. The internet makes this very easy; there are thousands of coupon sharing websites that allow people to swap coupons with each other (such as www.couponmom.com) and many stores like Wal-mart and Target make printable copies of their ads available online every week (just do a quick search!).
5. Don’t buy bottled water; instead, bring your own reusable bottle or mug to refill at drinking fountains and filtered water dispensers! Not only is it better for the environment, but you’re also saving yourself money by not spending $1 – $2 per bottle on something that’s normally free!
6. When dining out, always ask the server to omit one or more items from your meal (cheese/sauce/bread/etc.) and substitute it with something healthier. For example, order a side salad instead of fries for no extra charge!
7. Don’t book plane tickets over the phone; this ensures you get the best deal possible on your flight because there is a sales person trying to make a sale every time you call in. Instead, buy online without any hassle whatsoever! However if booking online puts you off for whatever reason, try calling up at least 24 hours before departure to ensure that the price didn’t go down since you last checked it (flights often drop in price by ~24 hours before departure).
8. If you’re planning on being somewhere for an extended period of time (six months or more), look into buying a long-term car rental rather than paying for expensive car rentals each week/month. They are often around the same price as weekly rates, but will save you hundreds in the long run! Also check out places like www.autoslash.com to get even better deals if using one of these companies.
9. When purchasing furniture, always wait at least three weeks after signing your lease before buying anything to give yourself time to consider all options and get the best deals possible on what you need! Most people sign leases and start looking for furniture right away without realizing that they don’t actually need any pieces until they move into their new place. If you sign a lease for a one-bedroom apartment, but don’t plan on buying furniture until you move in and realize that your bed is currently sitting in the middle of the living room, you’re going to pay more than if you would’ve just waited until after your lease was signed!
10. Stop listening to those late night commercials selling garbage debt relief services and credit report monitoring programs; these companies will not lower your interest rates or help remove any negative details from your credit report (however, there are certainly legitimate services out there such as www.changemycredit.org). Many of these companies prey on low-income individuals by luring them into spending money they clearly can’t afford; unfortunately we live in a society where people will go to great lengths to believe what they hear over and over again. If you really struggle with debt, don’t waste your money on these services; instead, put it towards improving your credit by making small, yet effective changes such as paying all of your bills on time!
11. Don’t pay $4 for a bottle of water at the airport before boarding because dozens of flight attendants pass out free bottles once you’re in the air. However if that doesn’t work for some reason (you board late or quickly), buy water while waiting in line to get through security so you can carry it onto the plane with you. This is also an excellent opportunity to check out duty-free shops and bring some snacks onto the plane to save yourself some money, but make sure it’s allowable on your flight (some airlines like Southwest don’t allow you to bring food/drinks with you).
12. Take advantage of rewards websites such as Ebates; they provide cash back every time you purchase something online! Instead of visiting www.amazon.com directly, log into www.ebates.com first then click “shop now” on the Amazon banner that appears at the top of your screen (after logging in). You can also use these sites to find coupons for local stores and restaurants near you if shopping online isn’t an option.
13. Cut up all credit cards except one or two which offer airline miles or points towards future purchases for meeting a certain minimum spend; this will help you save money on any future purchases and give you some extra incentive to actually use the credit card(s) again (bonus: keep an eye out during checkout for online coupons or promo codes).
14. For bookworms, consider joining your local library and only purchasing the books that interest you most! If not browsing their selection feels like too much of a hassle, rent physical books from sites such as www.bookrenter.com instead of taking forever to download them through Overdrive/Libby/Dewey Decimal or waiting for them to arrive in the mail if using Amazon. Some websites even allow you to sell back your digital books once finished with them so you can start all over again, which is great for avid readers!
15. Make the switch to Amazon Prime; you’ll get free two day shipping on almost everything Amazon sells with no minimum spend or monthly fees! At $12.99 per month it’s even cheaper than your local supermarket’s weekly ad unless that member price is lower (some grocery stores offer memberships at discounted prices), but this way you don’t have to carry all of those grocery bags back home either! If not wanting to pay for Amazon Prime, simply use www.themarketingminimalist.com to find the cheapest online price within 24 hours and opt to purchase items through Walmart instead so you can pick up your order curbside without ever having set foot inside the actual store.
16. Do a comparison search for local moving companies and ask them to beat the online price, which is typically anywhere from 25-50% lower than their out of town competitors! What you need to be careful about though is choosing a mover based on price alone since that’s not always the best indicator of quality or reliability. Search for reviews by past customers, check if they’re licensed/insured, and never pay more than 10% of your total upfront just in case something goes wrong later on during the move (this only works if you have an upper limit in mind).
17. Before grocery shopping at your local supermarket (or any other store for that matter), make a list and stick to it; don’t forget anything because you’ll probably end up spending more than you intended without it! This is especially true if you’re planning to purchase any non-perishable or perishable items that are only on sale at certain times of the year (e.g. Valentine’s Day candy).
18. Use Facebook Marketplace for selling used goods, housesitting/pet sitting, and meeting new people; this way instead of having to turn around and spend cash again on products/services you no longer need, you can simply trade them straight across instead! It’s also a great way to make some extra pocket money through your personal social network since most users are already on there anyway so there’s minimal extra effort involved.
19. Use Uber or Lyft for taking taxis within your city, or combine it with public transit if available for even more savings; this will reduce your carbon footprint and save you money at the same time! If you’re taking a trip to another city, use either Skyscanner or Google Flights to find cheap flights (which can vary by up to $300+ depending on where you fly from).
20. Use coinstar to exchange loose change for gift cards once per quarter; this gives you an excuse to go through all of your old change before flying off somewhere instead of letting it get lost in the back of your car or drawer for months!
21. Once you’ve decided on a place for your vacation, use www.nomadlist.com or www.hihowmuch.com to estimate prices of daily living expenses before packing anything; this way you’ll know exactly how much to budget ahead of time and not be caught off guard by any unnecessary expenses once you arrive!