If you’ve been trying to save up some cash or make your money stretch further, you’re going to love the ideas we have rounded up here. We’ve got 50+ Best Money Saving Ideas for you.
These can help you save up for something special (maybe a big family vacation) or just handle your day-to-day expenses better so that you have more disposable income to work with. There are plenty of ideas here for you to try!
BEST MONEY SAVING IDEAS
MANAGE YOUR MONEY
1 – Make a budget and stick to it. This can be one of the key ways to get a handle on your money and know exactly where it’s going. Once you can see that, you can make some choices about how you’re really like to prioritize and spend your money.
CREATE A REALISTIC BUDGET From Self
2 – Keep track of your spending. There are many ways to do this but the cash envelope system is quite popular.
CASH ENVELOPE SYSTEM From Mom Managing Chaos
3 – Identify and distinguish wants from needs. What do you really need? Which things can you live without? What would you like to save up for?
50/30/20 RULE From Stoj Finance
DECIDE ON YOUR PRIORITIES From Better Money Habits
4 – Use online bill payment to save on postage and to ensure that the bills are paid on time. Or automate your bill payments.
5 – Have savings taken directly out of your paycheck and deposited right into your account. If you don’t see it and get your hands on it first, this is often a great way to establish some savings. Bonus tip: If you use a debit card, don’t add your savings account as one of the ones available on your card. This makes spending from that account a more deliberate decision that you have to think about and make special arrangements for.
6 – At the end of each month, check over your subscriptions and cancel any that you’re not making use of. It’s easy to sign up for things, never use them, and then forget to cancel. Set a date each month to go through these.
22 – Use the 24-hour rule for all big purchases – or even any impulse buys. Make yourself take the time to think it over. Do you really need it? Can it wait? Are you willing to buy this one item knowing it means you may have to cut back in other areas?
23 – Budget splurges. We’re not suggesting that you narrow down your budget to only needs and never have any fun! But if you budget for your splurges, just like you budget for everything else, you can keep a better control on it.
24 – Use step down spending. This can be a really helpful technique in which you gradually cut back your spending in an area. You don’t have to give it up entirely!
USE STEP DOWN SPENDING From Personal Finance
25 – Negotiate. We don’t mean just at yard sales or antique shops – you can negotiate on many things. Try getting a better deal for your cable, phone, or other such expenses.
26 – Use cashback apps such as Caddle (in Canada), Ibotta, Rakuten, and Swagbucks among others.
27 – Check your receipts and bills. Humans make mistakes! Double check your bills and receipts to ensure that you are being charged the right amounts.
28 – Comparison shop. This is a great way to save, especially on those big purchases. Shop around, do your research, compare prices.
SAVE ON FOOD
GROCERY SHOPPING HACKS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW
29 – Make a meal plan. Planning out your meals can be an easy way to save money because then you can take advantage of what’s in season, what’s on sale, and think ahead about using up leftovers.
PLAN MEALS From Savingchamps
30 – Use a grocery list. Once you make your meal plan, be sure to write down the groceries you need on a list and stick to it. Avoid impulse buys!
31 – Speaking of avoiding impulse buys: Eat before you go shopping. It’s a proven fact that you’ll buy less.
32 – Grow your own fruits and vegetables. Not only is this a great way to save money on food, but it’s a great way to get the kids involved and encourage them to try new foods.
33 – Collect rainwater for gardening. Many towns have a program where you can purchase rain barrels just for this purpose. It’s much cheaper than having to pay for the water.
34 – COOK CHEAP MEALS From Savvy Budget Boss
35 – Carry your lunch. Eating out every day can get pricey. Allow yourself one purchased lunch every month or week or whatever works in your budget if it’s important to you, but the rest of the time, carry your lunch to work.
36 – Speaking of lunch, if you want to eat out and can, it’s often cheaper to have lunch at a restaurant than it is to have dinner. Don’t forget about the restaurants that offer free meals for kids on certain days or free meals when it’s your birthday. Some restaurants offer 2 for 1 deals on certain nights or free appetizers or other such bargains that you can take advantage of too.
28 – Drink water at restaurants. Other beverages are marked up by quite a bit so unless it’s a special drink only available at that restaurant (and it’s important to you), drink water and have other beverages when you get home.
29 – Buy local. Look for farmers’ markets or roadside stands where you can often find higher quality, fresh from the farm food for much less than at the grocery store.
30 – Buy in season. If you want to buy watermelon or strawberries in the middle of winter in Ohio, you’re going to pay more for them. Try to buy only what’s in season.
Here’s where to find what’s in season.
31 – Get generic products. Okay, we’ll admit it. There are a few products that we much prefer getting the name brand for and we’re willing to splurge for those. However, whenever we can, we get the generic products and they are just as good! Fun fact: Often generic products are made in the same factory as the name brand ones. They’re just given different labels.
32 – Bring your own bags. Some stores have stopped carrying bags completely, but others charge for them. It’s a small amount but it does add up. Plus, using your own bags is better for the environment.
33 – Make coffee at home. Okay, okay, we know. We are HUGE fans of coffee shop coffee. But you really can save a lot by investing in some good coffee and some coffee making equipment to use at home. We actually find it fun to play barista!
34 – Use coupons. This is a tip with a caution. Using coupons for items that you are going to purchase anyway is a great idea, especially if you can find a store that has double or triple coupon days. However, don’t get fooled into buying things that you don’t really need simply because you have a coupon.
35 – PRICE MATCHING From My Money Coach
Find the stores that do price matching. This can save you time and money so that you don’t have to drive all over town to grab the bargains. In addition, some stores not only price match, but promise to do even better than the lowest price you can find. We’ve even seen some stores that say that if you can find a lower price, they’ll give you the item for free!
SAVE ON HOUSEHOLD COSTS
36 – Turn off lights and appliances when not needed. It’s amazing how quickly this can add up. For some appliances, it’s a good idea to unplug them when not in use because they will continue to draw power even when not in use.
37 – Use a timer on your outside lights. There’s no sense in them being on for hours longer than they need to be. In fact, it can be helpful to add timers to your indoor lights as well. This makes it easier when you have a family who forgets to turn them off when not in use. Go old school with plug in dial timers or get yourself a system like Alexa.
38 – Add weatherstripping and insulation where needed in your home to keep in the heat and air conditioning and keep out the cold and heat.
39 – Use curtains to block out the sun during the hottest time of the day during the summer. You can also help block out the cold of winter with curtains!
40 – Use a programmable thermostat to turn the heat down at night and turn it back up in the morning. If everyone leaves the house to go to work and school, you can also turn it down while no one’s home.
41 – Dress in layers. Keep your thermostat lower and dress in layers to save on costs. Sleeping in a cooler room is better for you too!
42 – REPLACE DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS WITH REUSABLE PRODUCTS From A Cultivated Nest
OTHER WAYS TO SAVE MONEY
43 – Get clothes from a thrift shop or through a clothing swap. We know people who have clothing and household item swaps with their friends every season. It’s a great way to find some amazing items without spending any (or little) money.
44 – Throw all your coins (or just the nickels or the dimes etc) into a jar at the end of each day. This can really accumulate over time!
DIME MONEY SAVING CHALLENGE From Michele’s Skinny Friends
45 – Choose a staycation over a vacation. If you don’t have the money to go away on a big family vacation, plan a staycation instead. Take in the local tourist attractions or just stay home and plan some fun at-home family activities every day. It can be so much fun and much more relaxing than a typical trip out of town.
46 – Look for free events in your town. In our town, we have free outdoor concerts, plays, and movies every summer, free summer, fall, and winter festivals filled with entertainment and activities, and more.
47 – Volunteer at events in your city. They will almost always give free tickets as a thank you to their volunteers.
48 – Set a spending limit on gifts for your family. Or you could also consider drawing names during the holidays to cut down on the number of gifts being purchased.
49 – Look for Buy Nothing groups on Facebook. They’re a great way to get rid of the things you no longer need and get items you do need.
50 – Practice preventative health and dental care. It’s better to have regular dental visits and take care of your teeth now, instead of having to pay for expensive fillings and restorative work later.
51 – Take public transportation or walk/bike whenever you can.
52 – Do your own simple car maintenance. Even things like replacing your own windshield wiper blades, changing your air filters, and adding fluids can save you money. Not sure how? Look for helpful Youtube videos. You might even find that you can do some simple home maintenance yourself as well.
53 – Go to yard sales to look for needed items and save money on them. Have a yard sale and make some money!
54 – Are you using your gym membership? It’s easy to buy one and think you’ll use it every day, but not many people actually follow through. Maybe the gym isn’t really your thing. What about asking a friend to go walking with you every evening after dinner? Or how about buying a few simple weights and a resistance band and doing exercises at home to Youtube videos? Find a solution that works for you – and if that IS the gym, we think it’s well worth the investment in your well-being and future health.
EVEN MORE WAYS TO SAVE MONEY
55 – Check out the local dollar store. You can find name-brand items (often from overstock and end of lines) and everyday items at a great savings. Shop carefully and check for quality.
56 – Use the library. Obviously, this is a great place to get books, but we have heard of libraries that lend out appliances, craft equipment, movies, music, sports equipment, and so much more too. Many hold free events for all ages including puppet shows, concerts, movies, and craft classes. Check out your local library to see what they can do for you.
57 – Learn how to sew and make your own clothing repairs.
58 – Buy in bulk. There’s a caution here. You should only buy in bulk if it’s going to save you money to do so and you have the room to store it.
BULK BUYING From The Balance
59 – Do your holiday shopping in advance. We often start shopping for the next Christmas at the after Christmas sales. We have found $250 wine glasses marked down to $10 and more amazing bargains this way. Keep your eyes open all year long for the best buys.
60 – Take part in a No Buy challenge!
NO BUY CHALLENGE From The Confused Millennial
61 – MAKE MONEY BY TAKING PAID ONLINE SURVEYS From The Practical Saver
62 – CHALLENGE YOURSELF!
Challenge yourself to save money with one of these fun ideas.
