*This post may contain affiliate links to products we recommend and happily use.*
Are you struggling to save money?
Do you watch the money come in and then go out again to bills? Don’t panic, this is believe it or not a situation facing a large number of people. Your spending more than you are making.
First you need to get your money in order, you need to figure out how much you are really making in income and how much you are really spending. You really need to know these things. You can’t save money if you don’t know where your money is going. What you need to do is set yourself up with a budget.
You can save money… You just need to change a few things.. It is real easy.
Some of the highest money saving changes are the smallest, easiest, super frugal changes. For example, skipping your regular brand at the grocery store and opting for generic or the brand on sale will save you money. Opting to bring your lunch and coffee to work could save you $100 over a five day work week. Simple easy changes can save you big money.
50 Small Super Frugal Changes To Help You Save Money This Year:
- Set up a household budget
- Call your credit card companies and ask for a rate decrease
- Collect all your change in a container (it will add up)
- Drink more water, less pop and juice
- Bring snacks and beverages from home when you travel
- Save all your $5 bills you get – tally them up at the end of the year for huge savings
- Cut coupons
- Shop in bulk
- Plant a garden and grow your own food
- Opt for reusable kitchen napkins and food storage
- Shop local
- Meal plan
- Cook from scratch
- Stop buying these 21 things
- Turn the lights off and unplug
- Hang your clothes to dry
- Borrow books and items for free from the library
- Pay with cash
- Use the cash envelope system
- Enjoy free community entertainment & festivals
- Use cloth diapers instead of disposable
- Shop vintage before new
- Use it, mend it, re-purpose it and then recycle it
- Enjoy a no spend weekend
- Set plans and goals
- Make your own natural cleaners
- Seal around windows and draft holes
- Insulate your hot water tank
- Ensure all appliances are operating properly
- Cancel magazine subscriptions
- Cancel monthly prepaid programs you aren’t using
- Swap babysitting time with friends
- Shop online
- Cut the cable and use online programming
- Look for deals on everything
- Create a stockpile
- Harvest the season – canning, dehydrating, preserving
- Wash your clothes in cold water
- Shop the dollar store
- Shop discount grocery stores
- Learn to Do It Yourself
- Barter for goods and services
- Have a meal swap
- Try beans & rice meals or cheaper meat cuts
- Plan family fun nights at home
- Take advantage of kids eat free, kids stay free
- Plan a staycation
- Brown bag your lunch
- Turn off, power down and socialize old school
- Learn to live with less
Saving money…
Learning to live with less. Learning to live and think more frugally will help you save money. Simply turning things off, powering down and simplifying will help you save money. Opting for cheaper things. Budgeting and meal planning will save money. Creating a plan and setting goals will save money. Every little bit helps.
I talked above about setting up a budget being the first thing you do when wanting to save money. Really setting up a budget is important if you are wanting to get your money in order. If you are looking to get out of debt or save for anything big a budget is a huge help and a huge motivator.
Have an amazingly frugal day.
Cynthia
Saving & Simplicity
