20 Ways to Save Money on Everyday Expenses | Frugal For Less (2024)

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Many don’t realize that there are money saving opportunities all around us.

There are a lot of ways to save money on everyday expenses.

Why save?

Think about the benefits of saving:

• Boost your emergency fund
• Pay off your debt faster
• Save for a big purchase

There are so many reasons why saving is important, not to mention giving you peace of mind that you are financially secure.

Take a look at this genius roundup of 20 incredible ways to save money on everyday expenses.

These are golden.

You’ll want to take advantage.

Take a look!

1. Coupon

Couponing is huge! Before you roll your eyes thinking about couponing, let me explain.

Couponing is free money, available to you to help lower your costs. When it comes to couponing, many people think about groceries. While there are a lot of ways to save money couponing on groceries, there are other ways to coupon on your other everyday expenses. We’ll get to this in just a bit.

First, grocery coupons. You get grocery coupons from your local grocery stores, in the newspaper, in the mail, and online, among other places.

There are even coupon resources, free and paid, that will help you get more coupons!

The idea is to put into practice a few coupon strategies to help you save the most money. We won’t dive into extreme couponing or get too technical here but we will share some highlights. By the way, read more about couponing, you can get some killer tips for beginners right here.

Batching

This means you’ll be hoarding a lot of the same coupon. So, you might buy 5 copies of your Sunday newspaper to get 5 copies of the same coupon. Make sense?

Stacking

Using different types of coupons together to get the most savings.

For example, you might use a manufacturer coupon, store sale, and digital coupon all at once, to get you the best deal.

You might think coupon combining like this can’t happen, but it definitely can and couponers take advantage of this to get great deals on their everyday products.

Bulk Savings

Don’t forget about your bulk stores like Costco. There are some incredible deals on goods and you can coupon at Costco too!

Key to Coupon Success

You have got to be organized. Make it easy on yourself and make sure you have the right supplies to succeed. All you need is a binder, to store all your coupons, along with scissors (for clipping) and internet access (to look up digital coupons).

Organization will help you get to the cash register with a final total exactly or very close to your projection. Nothing is worse than landing at the register with a line of people behind you, with the total much higher than you anticipated. Being organized can save you here.

The bottom line here is, just start couponing. You’ve got to start somewhere. Dip your toe in and start your couponing journey. The only thing you’ve got to lose is money, shedding away from your bill!

2. Use Apps

Apps are a great source of savings. We’re going to divide this into a few different app categories here:

• Manufacturer apps
• Rewards apps
• Third party apps

This is how apps work: you use them to get rewards (savings). That’s it! They’re free to use and if you aren’t using them, you’re really leaving money on the table.

Lets dive in!

Manufacturer Apps

These are apps offered by manufacturers and brands. They want to increase their sales and get more customers, so they offer rewards and discounts on their products.

For example, Sonic Drive-In is a fast food restaurant chain and they offer an app for your iPhone or Android phone.

After downloading the app, you’re eligible for some pretty awesome freebies and deals, like a free medium drink, free slushie with regular purchase, and more. They also alert you when deals are going on like “Buy One Get One Free” or “1/2 Off Happy Hour” specials.

In fact, a lot of food establishments have deals like this with their app. Here are a few more examples:

• McDonald’s: Get free fries and $1 deals
• Denny’s: Free birthday Grand Slam
• Burger King: Buy One Whopper, Get One Free
• Krispy Kreme: Free donut when you sign up
• Chili’s: Free chips

Here are 13 fast food apps that are totally worth downloading. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for free and cheap goods!

Rewards Apps

Rewards apps are typically offered by retailers like independent and chain grocery stores, apparel stores, fast food chains and more.

They work similarly to manufacturer apps: Sign up for free and get deals on goods.

Here’s a list of rewards apps and programs that you might like:

• Sears
• Kohls
• Best Buy
• Nordstrom
• Macy’s
• Walmart
• Target
• JCPenney’s

Plus, 18 of the best, easy to use cash back apps to save money shopping.

Third Party Apps

These are apps not affiliated with a specific retailer or manufacturer. They exist to help consumers save money. Here’s what you’ll absolutely love about these apps:

• Free to join
• Start saving from day one
• Easy to use
• Generous referral programs

First, you’ll download the app to your cell phone. This will be free. Then, sign up and starting using the app to get your savings. You’ll love that the following apps are super user-friendly and easy to navigate and plus, they have some really amazing referral programs so it’ll pay (literally) to refer friends and family to the app. Here they are:

Ibotta

Ibotta helps you save money on your groceries. There are many ways to save including being provided details on the latest local sales and deals in your area, scanning your grocery receipt for cash back and more.

The benefits:

• Save time and earn cash back on deals tailored specifically to you
• Save on more than just groceries-apparel, cosmetics, mobile apps, and more
• Get cash back on grocery staples you already buy, like milk and eggs
• Earn cash (not points) straight to your PayPal account, Venmo, or gift cards

This app is so simple to use and it can help reduce your grocery bill by 20% or more. Take a look at these 13 tips and tricks to get the most out of this app.

Dosh

Dosh syncs with your debit or credit card to send cash back to you automatically, based on your purchase habits. You sign up for free, then link the debit or credit card that you use to buy stuff. When you visit a Dosh partnered retailer, you will earn cash back automatically straight to your Dosh account.

You can redeem your cash when you hit a balance of $25 and get direct deposit, PayPal transfer, gift cards or other payment options.

How I Use Dosh: First, I want to mention that the retail partners are local and national stores and retailers like Walmart, Mama Fu’s Chinese, etc. My family eats Chinese takeout about once a month or more sometimes. The Chinese restaurant we eat at is a Dosh partner so I earn around $3 to $5 cash back every time I order. That’s it!

So it’s like I’m being paid to order take out.

You will really grow addicted to this app in the best possible way. Refer your friends too for their awesome referral bonuses. I’ve seen users make up to $400/month in cash back monthly! Take a look!

Honey Smart Shopping Assistant

Honey is an awesome free tool that finds the best coupons on the internet to apply automatically to your shopping cart when you’re shopping online. You can get their browser extension for free and it will automatically activate when you’re shopping and apply the best coupons to your order so you can save money.

The Honey Smart Shopping Assistant is a free personal shopping assistant that will list all your favorite shopping websites and coupons together for easy scrolling, saving you time and money! This is brand new and released in 2019!

Bonus: Apps that Pay

There are also apps that pay! A great way to help your budget along is to earn more money and these apps help you do that. Here are some favorite apps that pay money:

Survey Savvy

This is all about survey taking right from your cell phone. The minimum payout threshold is only $1 and there are fresh surveys updated daily.

Survey Junkie

A popular app to earn cash and rewards for your opinion. Get paid for your opinion with their fun and interesting surveys. You earn on a points system and can cash out for your rewards. They boast a whopping 11+ million member community connecting with large companies to make your voice heard, sharing valuable insight that will shape the brand’s decision-making process.

Pinecone Research

Most surveys pay around $3 each and take about 10-15 minutes to complete. So at around $12 to $18/hour, it’s not a bad way to make some money from your phone! Check them out.

Swagbucks

You will love how multifaceted this app is. Here’s a recent review they received:

“I absolutely love Swagbucks. I’ve tried every survey out there, and this is by far the best. Anyone that takes the time and spends 2 hours a day on here can make $100-$200 a week easily….”

They boast themselves as one of the fastest ways to get free gift cards on your phone and according to the review above, they deliver!

Earn in all these ways:

• Watching videos
• Shopping
• Answering surveys
• Searching the web
• Shopping local deals
• Exploring and discovering online deals

Read our 2019 Swagbucks Review to learn more.

3. Get Organized

You might wonder how getting organized can help you save money. I’ll show you!

Organization and tracking holds you accountable. You can easily check back to see if you’re meeting your savings goals. You’ll be able to grab money savings resources and tools, like coupons, quickly which saves you time.

Organization is just great all around. Here’s how to do it:

Get a Coupon Binder

This is a regular binder that you’ll use with inserts to organize your coupons. You can organize according to expiration date, food group, amount of savings, how you’ll use the coupon, etc.

You don’t have to have a lot of coupons to get a binder.

Just get one. Here are some tips provided by the Krazy Coupon Lady:

• Use a sturdy zipper binder that’s at least 3 inches thich
• Separate each section with inserts
• Use sheet protectors

Track Your Spending

Track spending, expense and budget. Do this manually with pen and paper, try a spreadsheet or use a personal finance app like Mint.

Audit Your Bank Account

Once a month (more or less, your choice) go through your bank account. What you will be looking for are errors like a double charge from a retailer or an non-sufficient funds or bank free that was charged in error.

This won’t take much time and it’ll take even less time the more you do it. This will save you money when you locate errors and correct them.

Try the Cushion app. They help you get back hundreds of dollars in bank fees. I had a friend that signed up with them to get $805 back in bank fees! Take a look.

Audit Your Pantry

Nothing is worse than overspending on groceries. This is why auditing your pantry and fridge is super important. Go through it all so you don’t end up stocking up on food that you already have. As a lazy college student I never did this and as a result, ended up having 4-5 of a lot of stuff in my kitchen liked canned goods, pasta, soy sauce, pancake mix, condiments, etc.

Benefits of Organization

Organization will save you money!

• You waste less food
• You avoid repeat purchases
• Save on bills
• Have more time
• You can discover new ways to save
• Discover new things you need
• Identify errors and recover those losses

4. Take Advantage of Freebies

Save on everyday expenses with freebies. Freebies are all around you. Here are some places you get can free stuff:

Grocery Store

There are many opportunities to save at your grocery store. Take advantage of a rewards program if your local grocery store offers one. These programs usually come with a bunch of free perks like digital coupons, sales automatically applied at checkout, and free stuff!

Pharmacy

Every time I visit my local pharmacy and pick a prescription or make a purchase, I always get a 3 foot long string of coupons. It’s really awesome.

These coupons almost always come with 1 or 2 FREE offers. So, I’ll turn right around and go back into the pharmacy, pick up those freebies and head back to the register.

I’ve gotten all kinds of free deals or nearly free deals, including a $.06 big brand lip balm that I still swoon about, til this day!

I’m a part of the pharmacy rewards program. So, not only do I get access to killer insider sales they run but I earn points on every purchase that lets me get $3 to $10 back on multiple purchases all throughout the year. Don’t miss out on this!

Retail Stores

Retail stores are notorious for their rewards programs. Not to be confused with store credit card programs, rewards programs are usually free and make you a “preferred” customer with access to tons of perks.

Grab any reward program that you can. Don’t think that if you only shop a store twice a year, that that’s not enough to join their rewards program. You’re wrong. Join! Take my word for it!

Restaurants

True story here. I visit my favorite pizza place at least once a month. They make the most delicious brick oven pizza with any toppings you want for around $8. It’s crazy and the pizza is crazy good.

They have a rewards program that they tell me about every time I visit. In the beginning I brushed it off but then I decided I’d check it out. I still delayed checking it out until just recently where I found that I earn 1 point per dollar spent and access to perks and free pizza.

Had I joined from the very beginning I would have been able to recoup multiple free pizzas! As I dug around my purse for old receipts, I found that they were too old for the rewards program (it’s an app) to accept.

Lesson learned.

Now, I don’t procrastinate and join every single rewards program I can because when asked at the register if I’m a rewards member, I can say yes and collect on rewards!

Bank

Banks offer rewards and savings too! Think about your credit cards. A lot of them offer deals, cash back and points earned on everyday purchases like gas, dry cleaning, etc. Not to mention the deals you can grab if you open a new bank account.

I notice these deals get better and better and maybe I only pay attention to them because I worked over a decade in the banking field but, you can get real cash $100+ for opening a new bank account with direct deposit. Don’t skip out on these and ask your bank about qualifying offers too. Sometimes they’ll offer you a deal because you asked! This leads to our next point, just ask.

5. Just Ask

A closed mouth doesn’t get fed. Have you heard that term before? You won’t get rewarded with savings unless you speak up. The worst that can happen is you’ll be told no.

Here’s another real story:

Several years ago I needed new tires for my car. Back then is when I started to become more frugal at heart so I did some research in the newspaper and online to check tire deals before we (my mom and I) made the purchase. I stored this in my memory.

My mom and I headed to a local big brand tire store and they gave us a tire quote. My mom agreed and right before she signed the agreement, I took the pen away from her and I asked the salesman if they price match competitors.

I already knew that they did.

When he said yes, I told him about a local mom and pop tire shop that offered us the same deal at $100 less.

He not only matched the price but gave us an additional $50 off. My mom turned to me with a big smile and happily signed with updated agreement with the discounts and she never forgot that story, telling it to her friends years after.

The moral of the story is, just ask for a discount.

Every time my husband and I make a purchase, a habit we’ve formed is asking about military or student discount. Because my husband is both, a retired vet going to school. We usually get one discount or the other, if not both!

6. Negotiate

Many things in life can be negotiated. For example, if you make a purchase at pawn shop, many people don’t know that you can negotiate the sticker price. The same goes for purchases made at mall kiosks, retail jewelry stores, and more.

Here’s a list of expenses up for negotiation:

• Cable bill
• Electric bill
• Phone bill
• Water bill
• Subscription services
• Marketplace purchases from Amazon, Ebay, etc.
• Your salary
• Your work schedule
• Vacation time
• Work environment (i.e. working from home)
• The cost of medical and dental procedures
• Loan rates and approvals
• Credit card fees

The list continues on! If you’re not sure if you can negotiate a particular bill, just try it! Again, the worst that can happen is you aren’t successful and can’t negotiate the price. But, at least you tried.

Super entrepreneur Ramit Sethi teaches his 4 simple rules to negotiation:

1. You can negotiate most things but not everything
2. Negotiating is not a win/lose situation
3. Do your research
4. Practice negotiating relentlessly

He even offers word-for-word scripts that work to lower your bill like the script found here, to lower your cable bill.

Bottom line, negotiating works. Don’t be afraid to try it out.

7. Split it with a Friend

Splitting your bills works like a charm to cut expenses in half. This works better for some situations than others. For example, if you go to dinner with a group of friends, paying the bill individually might be cheaper than getting one monster bill (including table gratuity) and splitting it among the table.

Here are some opportunities for you to save money splitting it with a friend:

Your rent and housing expenses

Do you have roommates? This is a no-brainer but split rent and housing expenses. This goes beyond rent and utilities. You can also split costs like food, takeout meals, monthly subscriptions, etc.

Vacation rentals and timeshares

I have family and friends that do this. They go in to purchase a timeshare together and split the costs among the group. Then, they coordinate when each person or family will visit the destination throughout the year.

Lottery club

There are fun and leisure purchases that can be split too like a lottery club. Have you ever seen those “I Won the Lottery” shows. Many of the winners are part of a lottery club. Each person puts in a set amount per period and it goes in the pot toward a big number of lottery tickets. If there is a win, the group splits it!

There are tons of ways you can split costs to save money and enjoy the fun stuff too!

8. Cut the Cable

Yikes, really?

Yes!

Cutting the cable doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite shows. You can save a ton of money while still enjoying TV. Here’s how you do it:

First, cut the cable.

Then, get a cable alternative. Here are some to try:

• Netflix at around $15/month
• Hulu (they had a $.99 holiday special in 2018)
• Amazon Prime at $99/year

And, to be honest, there are many more cable alternatives out there. I am a big lover of television and film. I thought I’d never give up cable but now that I have, I’m not looking back. My cable bill used to be over $200/month.

Jawdropping, right?

Compare that to $15/month with Netflix. No comparison.

This might feel like a huge lifestyle change but you will still get to enjoy television and your wallet will thank you. Yet another way to save big on everyday expenses!

9. Create a Budget

A big way to save is by creating your own budget. A budget has so many benefits!

• Track your spending habits
• Be more aware of purchases
• Save more
• Spend less
• Work toward meeting short term and long term financial goals

The big takeaway here is that budgeting helps you see where your money is going. If you are making a bunch of little extra purchases throughout the month, your budget will reveal that. If you are spending too much money on takeout because you don’t feel like cooking, your budget will show you.

There are two ways to go about budgeting: manually and with an app

The manual method is perfectly fine. This old school way of budgeting will never go out of style and is super effective. You track your income and expenses by hand, with pen and paper or spreadsheet. You will be going back and forth between your budget and bank statement to input costs, expenses, income, and other financials.

The new way is with apps. This is the better way of doing it in my opinion because it’s so automated, saving you time. You can link all your financial accounts to the app and it’ll tell you where your money is going. An app like Mint actually creates budget categories for you, making it easy to track spending habits and emerging patterns over the short term or long term.

Here are 8 other awesome budget apps to take a look at:

• YNAB
• EveryDollar
• Stash
• Mvelopes
• Goodbudget
• Clarity Money
• Fudget
• Joy

If you are looking to save more, try out Digit and/or Acorns. Both are awesome at helping you save automatically!

10. Check in on Your Budget

Budgeting is one thing but checking in on your budget is equally, if not more important. Checking in holds you accountable, helping you make sure you stay on track.

Set a schedule and stick to it!

Some people call it a “money date,” where you sit down with your money to go over all the numbers. Review, make adjustments, celebrate the wins and learn from the challenges.

11. Try a Potluck Instead of a Work Lunch Out

This is a great idea on saving money on eating out. When I used to work as a banker, I started going out to lunch weekly with the girls from work. It was a ton of fun and a highlight of the day but those luncheons out started to add up and I had to quickly ditch that lifestyle.

Don’t get caught in this trap.

If your coworkers want to head to lunch, suggest a potluck.

With a potluck, it costs a fraction of the price to feed a huge group from just one dish and with everyone pitching in food, you will likely have lunch for multiple days! Give it a try.

12. Drink Coffee At Home

You wouldn’t think that the occasional coffee to go would make an impact to your budget but, with pricey coffee shops charging $5+ per cup and those tempting pastries make your bill skyrocket to $10 or $12, drinking coffee out quickly becomes something that can break your budget!

How do you cope with this?

Drink coffee at home. Invest in a portable coffee mug that you can use on the go. Make coffee at home, fill your coffee cannister and take it with you on the go or to work!

13. Try DIY

Going DIY can save so much money. Here are some examples of everyday things that you can DIY:

• Gifts for others
• Clothing repairs (like sewing back on buttons, fixing zippers, etc.)
• Your hair and beauty routine
• Foods like jams, jellies, sauces that you can prepare at home

Not only does DIY save you money but it can be a lot of fun too.

DIY Gifts

DIY or homemade gifts are very fun to craft and put together. They tend to have a lot more meaning too, compared to gifts you can buy.

Ideas to try:

• Gift baskets
• Mason jar treats
• Coupon books
• Door wreaths

Clothing Repairs

DIYing your clothing repairs will save you tons of money. No longer will you have to throw out clothes and buy replacements, with these simple repairs, like:

• Sewing a button back on
• Extending pants
• Patching up holes

Hair and Beauty DIY

Make your own scrubs, soaps, lotions and beauty products right at home. More ideas:

• Moisturizers
• Lip scrub
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Hair treatment
• Bath salts

Look at this easy recipe for chocolate lip balm: Combine the following, warming on stove, put makeup in pots and allow to set:

• 3 teaspoons coconut oil
• 3 teaspoons beeswax pellets
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

So many possibilities for DIY hair and beauty!

DIY Food

You can grow your own food in the form of gardening. Or, even making your own wine or beer, which is a passion for many people.

The simple act of cooking food at home can be a form of DIY if you think about it, preparing your meal instead of going out to eat.

14. Meal Prep

Meal prepping saves money and saves time. Here’s how it works:

You cook a large amount of food in one batch and prep it for meals for the entire week. It saves time because you can grab a meal when you’re hungry instead of having to cook. You’ll have all your lunches ready for the week and you can do the same for snacks and dessert!

Check out these meal planning apps:

Mealime

If you’re a picky eater with special preferences or food needs, you will love Mealime.

• Tons of customization options
• Supports many lifestyles including vegan, Whole30, and more
• Plan your weekly meals and get a “done-for-you” grocery list

Big Oven

This app is connected to full website, host to recipes, a cooking glossary and so much more!

• “Use Up Leftovers” option to help you maximize ingredients you have on hand
• Full access from app or web version

Yummly

This app uses the power of AI (artificial intelligence) to suggest recipes custom to your needs.

• Find new recipes and save for later
• Add ingredients you have on time for meal suggestions
• Order groceries via Instacart (in areas where available)

FoodPlanner

This app helps you plan your food, as the title suggests.

• Import your favorite recipes
• Create custom meal plans
• Access their database of meal and recipes ideas
• Sync to Google calendar

15. Food Shop Less

Let me explain this one. Food shopping less doesn’t mean buying less food, it means grocery shopping less often. If you can shop once or twice a month, compared to weekly or more frequently, you can save a lot of money, not to mention saving you time and the expense of gas from driving to the store so much.

For years I grocery shopped weekly. It was a habit I formed while in college and I continued it into adulthood and even after I had a family.

It never occurred to me to try shopping once or twice a month, which is a practice my mom did. It’s so funny looking back on it now, because I hated (and still do hate) grocery shopping.

Today, I do once and twice a month shops and it has helped me so much!

First, I save time. I go to the store less and when I do shop, I am so much more organized. I have plenty of time to organize my coupons, plan what stores I’ll be visiting (yes, I visit around 2 stores per grocery shop which I’ll explain below), plan out meals for the family, and stock up.

I really love that I hardly ever run out of food now. Shopping weekly sets you up for failure because you will run out of food. You try to plan how many bowls of oatmeal you’ll have for breakfast that week or how many cups of coffee you’ll drink but nothing goes 100% to plan.

If you have a particularly stressful week you might be drinking more coffee than normal or if you had a really awesome, challenging workout that morning, you might enjoy two packets of oatmeal instead of one.

The point is, life happens, and nothing goes to plan all time time but you don’t have to worry about this if you’re shopping less often because the fewer you shop, the more food you’ll buy.

It’s so amazing and a great feeling to see a mostly fully stocked pantry majority of the time. Even when it’s time to go grocery shopping again, we usually can hold off a few more days before we run out of the staples we need for meals.

If you were like me, doing food shopping weekly or more frequently, try transitioning to monthly or twice a month shops and see how you like it!

While you’re at it, don’t limit yourself to just one grocery store. In my area, there are 4 grocery stores (one is Walmart) within close distance. When it’s time to food shop, I almost always shop at multiple stores.

Why?

Well, the grocery store across the street is a national chain but it’s a small, community-type grocer that carries a lot of non-name brands. I love this!

I get THE BEST deals on staples in our household like almond milk, juice, oatmeal, cookies, pretzels and chips. They have some of the lowest prices I have ever seen. I always start my grocery shop here, at this grocer.

They are amazing but they are a smaller store and they don’t have everything we need so to supplement our shop, we head to a larger regional chain up the street.

Shopping this way lets us save a lot of money while getting everything we need. This is why I shop at multiple grocery stores on a food shop run.

16. Take Advantage of Bank Rewards

We touched base on rewards a bit, up above but bank rewards deserved a point all its own.

My bank offers all kind of rewards from discounts on gas to reward points on my purchases. In the 15 years I have been with my bank, I have accrued over 50,000 points and gotten these freebies, as a result:

• Digital camera
• Tablet
• Kitchen block knife set
• Essential oil diffuser including oils

As I write this, I still have nearly 10,000 points on my account that I can redeem! Not to mention they partner with major gas stations that helps me get a whopping $.50 off per gallon when I pump gas!

Another bank card I have lets me earn 1% of my purchases back in cash every month and deposits it right into my bank account month after month, like clock work.

Pretty incredible, huh?

So many benefits of banking. Make sure you check with your financial institution to ensure you’re taking advantage!

17. Wait 48 Hours Before You Buy

This is an interesting little tip I discovered here. Today, we live in a world of instant gratification. It’s so easy to get nearly anything you want with just a few clicks online:

• Groceries delivered
• Takeout food
• Online shopping

When you shop online, keep the item in your shopping cart for 48 hours and come back to it. The idea is, when you come back to the item, you’ll see that what you were buying is more of a “want” than a “need” and you won’t end up buying.

I experienced this a few weeks back without realizing it.

As a heavy Amazon user, I’d buy from the their site at least once a month. What I used to do a while back was wait until I accumulated several items I needed before I bought. In my head I was thinking I was saving postage and shipping fees, despite having free shipping, as a part of my Amazon Prime membership.

At some point I transitioned to just buying what I wanted on the spot and then I went back to my original way of shopping a few weeks ago. I had thrown a bunch of items into my cart but didn’t buy. I came back to it a few days later and didn’t end up buying any of it.

I remember thinking, “what was I thinking with these?” It was an eye-opening experience and a shopping practice I’ll start employing regularly to save money.

18. Live Within Your Means

A big way to save everyday is to stop trying to compete with neighbors, coworkers, family or friends. Everybody is different and everyone has different careers, income levels, and budgets.

Bring yourself down to reality and start living within your means to save money on indulgences you can’t afford. Here are some signs you might be living beyond your means:

• You can’t pay your bills on time
• You have bank overdraft fees
• You live paycheck to paycheck
• You’re house poor
• You use credit

Not Paying Bills on Time

This is a big warning sign that you’re not living within your means. If you struggle to pay your bills by the due date, this is an indication you are living beyond your means. Take action to correct this to avoid high interest rates that could be put in place and/or fees.

Solution: Until you have more income or reduce your expenses, in the meantime, contact your bill companies to negotiate. Get put on a payment plan or make payment arrangements.

Bank Overdraft Fees

This happens when you try to buy things that you don’t have enough money for. The bank charges fees when a charge is presented that you can’t pay for and these fees add up. Yet another sign that you are not living within your means.

Solution: It’s tough to get overdraft fees if you’re on a cash budget. Try Dave Ramsey’s Cash Envelope system. This doesn’t have to be permanent but it’s a great way to help you save money on unnecessary bank charges.

Living Paycheck to Paycheck

Unfortunately, this is the state of living for many people and I once lived this way myself, back in college. It felt like my paycheck was spent before I got it. I would get paid and my paycheck would be eaten up in less than a week afterward, going to my rent, utilities, and other bills.

It’s not a good feeling, like you’re trapped by your income. Extras being out of the question and not certain where to turn. If this is you, then you are beyond your means.

Solution: Increase your income. Check out these income-increasing options below.

Solutions if You Are Living Beyond Your Means

You don’t have to feel stuck. The solution is a combination of earning more income and having less expenses. First, more income. Ask for overtime at your employer, get a second job, grab an after work gig like delivering for UberEats (earn around $11/hour working from your car) or driving for Lyft.

Want a way to earn that’s more flexible?

Take surveys. This roundup shares tons of companies that can help you make up to an extra $300 or more per month.

Then, tackle your expenses.

Start with your living situation. Can you reduce your rent or move to a cheaper place? What about roommates or moving back in with family? These are all ways to lower your housing costs.

For travel, if you have a car payment, call your auto loan company for opportunities to refinance or lower your payment. Consider carpooling or public transportation.

For lifestyle, cut back. Cook at home, limit eating out, make necessary purchases only, reduce or eliminate extras, and put yourself on a budget.

If you are living beyond your means, there are many ways to help.

19. Change Your Lifestyle

Make a lifestyle change for the better, reducing your expenses. Here are some ideas to try:

• Get a side hustle
• Get roommates
• Give up your car
• Go back to school
• Eat healthy

Bring on a Side Hustle

A great way to contribute to your savings goals is to increase your income. You can do this flexibly in today’s bustling gig economy. Delivering food, driving people around, house sitting, pet sitting, renting out a room or your entire place are some examples of side hustles to increase your earnings.

Have the entrepreneurial spirit?

Open a home-based business. Service businesses have low startup costs, like freelancing, HVAC, computer repair, etc. You could also open an ecommerce store, start blogging, or create products to sell in marketplaces like Etsy or Udemy.

Want to work from home?

These apps pay you to play on your phone.

How about passive income?

You’ll love this list of passive income earning apps that pay you nearly up to $1,200/year passively!

The Roommate Life

Roommates can help you instantly slash your housing expenses. Split rent, utilities and other household expenses. This might be a big change for you but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Give Up Your Car

This might sound extreme but there are tons of ways to get around without having a car:

• Walking
• Bicycling
• Public transportation
• Uber or Lyft

Again, not a permanent change unless you want it to be, but a good way to free up money in your budget.

Go Back to School

Develop your skills and go back to school to help you move up in your company. A former director at my workplace did this. She was with the company for many years and wanted to move to the next level but required a degree so she took advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursem*nt program to get her bachelor’s degree. It could pay, literally, to go back to school.

Healthy Eating

Have you ever noticed that when you go to the grocery store, the whole foods are on the outer aisles and the processed foods are in the inner part of the store?

Stick to the perimeter when you food shop and stock up on healthy foods.

It costs a lot less to prepare your own foods at home rather than getting junk food or ready-made food options. Ready-made options can be hidden. Check out these sneaky examples:

• Sandwich meat
• Sliced bread
• Chicken breasts, thighs or other cuts of meat
• Chicken broth
• Juice and sodas

You can buy whole cuts of meat and butcher it at home or you might find it cheaper to visit a butcher shop or meat market. Make homemade broths. Bake bread at home. Drink water or juice fruits and veggies to consume. It definitely makes you think.

Also, if you’re thinking that healthy eating will break the bank, think again. Check out our roundup on healthy food on a budget.

20. Stop Indulgent Spending

The last one on the list, stop spending excessively. You might have grown so accustomed to this way of living that you don’t even notice it.

We’re not going to lie, it might be difficult at first but take action and soon it will feel like the norm to you. Cut back on extravagances like these:

• Multiple subscriptions
• Shopping for non-essentials
• Expensive leisure activities
• Eating out
• Expensive hobbies
• Extravagant vacations

Try cutting out one or more of these indulgences to help you save more. A few small changes can make a big impact!

Final Thoughts

There you have it, 20 ways to save money on everyday spending. These ideas make you think, don’t they?

From changing your lifestyle to increasing your income or taking advantage of free rewards programs, there are tons of opportunities to help you save.

Did we miss anything?

Have any idea to save that you’d like to share? Comment down below so we can hear from you!