10 Ways I Save Money
I have to cut the small expenses because I don’t have the option of reducing my rent or loan payments right now. But doing all of the little things is making a serious difference for my wallet and stress level.
I’ve got the techno music soundtrack from this video permanently embedded in my psyche. do duh doo do doo dooo duh doo do doo duh do da da doo dah dAHHHHH
1. Work out at home or for free: I don’t pay gym fees and I don’t have the added costs of driving to the gym. Instead, I have my BFF Jillian Michaels telling me to work out until “I feel like I’m going to die” and then do another minute of abs. I also have the P90x workout set, an MTV Yoga DVD and something called the living room floor. I use it to do crunches and core exercises. My other workouts are similarly priced: tennis at the one of the many public courts around town, running at the park or soccer. Making a schedule to work out after work also prevents me from doing other, more costly activities. I miss surfing and swimming a lot, but it’s harder to get to the beach these days (I need to fix that).
2. Tap Water, Tap Water, Everywhere: I love me some unrefined, un-Brita-filtered tap water. I hear “Ew, tap water is gross” a lot. That warning falls on deaf ears. I drink tap water all the time. I just like it! And it also helps me resist the urge to order a Coke when I’m dining out. Speaking of which…
3. Avoiding dining out unless I absolutely have to. Unless it’s a business meal or an opportunity to meet new people, I’m really avoiding dining out. If a friend invites me out, I just invite them over for dinner. Because I do have to eat.
4. Not driving all over town. I’ve only filled my tank twice this month and it’s the 17th! I think that might be a personal record. I used to jump in my car and drive all over town randomly. I’m doing less of that. I try to fit a bunch of trips/errands into one outing.
5. No small (under $5) purchases. It used to be that anything under $5 was given a free pass. T-shirt for $3.99 at Ross? SOLD! Three types of candy as an afternoon snack? DONE! Sorry, you little gremlin purchases. You’re done feeding off my money. I’ve spent $2 on chocolate this month. Compared to what I realized I regularly spend on unhealthy snacks, that’s a huge improvement.
6. Avoid the mall. That’s easier said than done. Malls, shopping centers, promenades have all been my lifelong friends. I need to write a separate eulogy post on ending such a long companionship. (I think it’s gonna be a good one!)
7. “Balance” after every transaction. Now that I only use debit and not credit, I can’t spend freely and hope it works out at the end of the month. Man, it never does! But now I have an exact idea of how much money I have left in my checking account. This usually deters me from purchases I would have otherwise made. I remember I have to get gas, pay for an oil change, or whatever.
8. Track everything I spend. It’s kind of fun. I did it for the first time in January, and I’ve kept it up in February. Think about how meticulous and precise you are at work. You do things a certain way, you have a system for keeping track of what tasks you need to do and when. So how come when you come home it’s like one huge party in your brain? “No systems! No planning! I do what I want!” I know, I want to party and be crazy too. But we just can’t go too crazy until we figure this money thing out. So start tracking.
9. Bring my lunch to work. I finally got a little insulated lunch tote. It’s quilted and kinda cute. I’m pretty proud of it. At first I was bad at packing my lunch. I’d have two minutes before I needed to get out the door and I was stuffing whatever was in the fridge in my lunch bag. Then noon would roll around and I’m eating dry lettuce and some stale pita bread. I felt like I was punishing myself. But I’ve gotten much better! I use little containers to bring dressing, yogurt, or other little things and I pack fruits, granola and other good snacks. I no longer feel like I’m eating sawdust! Lunch is good again.
10. Set reminders. Whether it was filing my taxes, paying my car registration or buying flights early instead of last minute, I’m finally doing things ahead of time. Last year I paid my car registration late and had to pay an extra $35. I was so mad at myself. This year: I’ve got that reminder in my phone, baby! I’ll be damned if I pay another late fee ever again (except of course, if California’s giant earthquake disaster happens and I forget to schedule some payment. But I’ll just call and ask them to waive the fee once the dust settles).
What are the little ways you’re saving money? Have you had to change your approach to spending lately? I need to know!
I love the not buying stuff under $5. My husband and I used to argue this point a lot, but he is a believer now. He is/was an impulse shopper and the whole it’s only $1 thing always bothered me. It was more of just an excuse to buy something.
no small under $5 is a really good idea… I think I might be losing a lot of cash to under $5 purchases.
I agree with Bridget – no small purchases is a great idea. Those little things really add up.
Also, maybe I’m strange but I prefer tap water. I find it tastes better. But that’s just me!
Agreed!! I used to drive this point to death with my boyfriend too, he has a real love of stopping off at convenience stores to buy $2 sodas. He’s finally getting it too and he’s so proud of himself for not buying Starbucks in the morning and sodas on the way home. I did it a lot with candy, saying what’s 99 cents, honestly? But I agree with Niki, it’s just an excuse to buy something!
Daisy, tap water is great!!! But your Canadian tap water is probably cleaner and better-tasting than ours!
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Love these ideas, especially the one to Step Away from the Mall!
Those little things DO add up! The ones that get me are the ones that are $20 and under. This year I started posting my weekly spending recaps so that I can hold myself accountable and be embarrassed of all of the money that I throw out of the window! Thanks for the reminders!
I also have to agree that the ‘no purchases under $5′ is great. It is so easy to justify frequent wasteful spending and letting it add up to a lot of money.
Also I think when you start to get better at tracking your spending, you might want to embrace credit cards. With debit cards you are usually the one paying the fee instead of the merchant. Plus you can build up credit history and qualify for cards with cash back or other rewards. It is just a matter of staying disciplined and trusting yourself.
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Great post. You’ve made some adult choices-way to go. It’s so easy to spend small amounts that up very quickly.
It’s the tracking all my spending that usually keeps me on course. Of course that also highlights just how fast all those under $5 purchases add up. Dropping soda in favor of water is also saving me quite a bit of cash while also helping me lose a few inches around my waist…double win!
Totally agree with you: Track your spending habits. I have a ‘note’ on my phone. Every time I spend anything I write it down under a category such as “restaurant”, “shopping”, “outing” etc. Once a week I update an excel spreadsheet that contains all my income and outgoings. For more information check out my post on “Budgeting” (yes, an unashamed plug
).
Great article, thank you.
I do a lot of these things already. I started tracking my budget meticulously 7 months ago and when I was reviewing my spreadsheets from earlier in the year, I was so mad that I didn’t start earlier. I pay cash now for mostly everything I can and I’m saving for big annual expenses, like my car registration.
Way to go!
I do almost the exact thing.
I pay for a fitness routine from a trainer, but I do it with whatever is available at home. I have lost more weight this way than when I was going to the gym.
Really good list.
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eating at home instead of going out and bringing a lunch to work has definitely saved me a lot of money.
Thanks all for the great comments! I agree that tracking your spending is the biggest game-changer…when it becomes part of your daily activities you are a lot more conscious about what you spend on.
With spending apps for SmartPhones, there is no excuse for anyone to not track their spending. It may have been easy to forget your pad of paper when going out and recording your spending, but now, you can easily enter everything right into an app on your phone.
When I started tracking my spending, I was surprised at what the small spending added up to!
I LOVE your rule about not buying anything under $5. My conscience won’t let me justify a $20 purchase, but doesn’t see the harm in a $3.99 latte from Starbucks – until I see my monthly statement and realize I spent $50 on coffee! I think I will have to adopt this rule. Scratch that, I AM GOING to adopt this rule!
Elizabeth, that’s what started it for me, all that money I spent on candy in January, but it was never more than $2-$3 at a time!
This is not only a great list of suggestion but it also works – I have tried (and continue to abide by) all of these except the under $5 rule. I found that writing down what I spend took care of this but will have a go. And, yes, it adds up; a lot. Just remember that curing all these long term is hard – moderation will get you through though. A treat from time to time is allowed
.
Maria, you’re definitely right! I know when I try to go all “Sparta” on my life, that’s usually when it backfires. Little rewards are definitely allowed.
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Best way to save money: cut the cable bills. With internet nowadays, a lot of the stuff on TV can be watched online.
Cut the cable almost a year and a half ago! That’s old news
Avoid the mall is huge for me. I just have to! I noticed that I am spending less. No more new clothes, or shoes or bags. I drink tap water everywhere I go. If we go hiking, no more bottled water, we re-fill.
Aloysa, wow! We’re both cutting drastically. But I have to say it feels great. It’s not like I’m sitting around at home thinking “I wish I was at the mall more.” So far, I definitely don’t miss it.