50 Easy Things You Should Do To Save Money (2024)

Make Your Money Work for You

Listening to music can actually make you happier, according to research from the University of Missouri. Fortunately, you don’t need to buy a bunch of new tunes. Instead, check out affordable music services like Spotify, where you can listen to tons of amazing musicfor free. Look up free concerts in your area as well – cities and community organizations often have free concerts in the parks during spring and summer!

A bike with rusted gears and a flat tire is not a bike — it’s a space-waster. And a car that never gets its oil changed is a major credit card expense waiting to happen. Remember, a little prevention can save you a major headache — and potentially reduce big expenses down the road.

Your time is valuable, so learn to say “no” to time-wasters. That’s advice Bill Gates said he got from Warren Buffett, who has the great habit of not letting his calendar fill up with useless meetings. If work meetings are mandatory, try other ways to feel more energized at work. In your personal life, it’s okay to decline social invitations that don’t add value to your life — just be polite about your boundaries!

Whether it’s collecting stamps, taking photos or flying model planes, a hobby could make you happier. Although the science isn’t definitive, there are studies that show hobbies can improve cognitive ability. Better yet, there are plenty of hobbies that don’t require a lot of money, like running or learning a new language.

Make Your Money Work for You

Studies show that regularly sleeping less than seven hours per night correlates with higher blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and depression. None of these are synonymous with living well, and all sound like issues that could cost you in the form of healthcare bills.

The price cut on refurbished or open-box items can be substantial. Returned electronic products were often not even defective in the first place, so you have a pretty good shot at scoring a virtually new laptop, TV or smartphone for a great price.

Make Your Money Work for You

Ask yourself if you’d rather have those meals out with co-workers or if you’d rather have money in your pocket for your future. Then, buy a lunchbox. To make it easy on yourself, meal prep recipes you can prepare in bulk, like salads, chili, or pasta.

Don’t just simply reach for the sky as you yawn. Practicing yoga regularly provides a myriad of benefits, a Harvard Medical School review found, from improving body image and flexibility to lowering blood pressure. Avoiding health issues with proactive movement can save you money in the long run.

Make Your Money Work for You

There’s strong evidence that good oral health can help your overall health. Bacteria and inflammation due to gum disease can even lead to other diseases, according to the Mayo Clinic. Grab some floss and you may be able to avoid other costly dental work.

Sure, a massage might sound like an indulgence, but many massage schools offer massages at drastically reduced prices. By offering up your tired and knotted flesh for students to practice on, you can score a near hourlong massage for as little as $35. Start by finding a school near you through the American Massage Therapy Association.

Studies have shown that laughing has a wide range of health benefits. For instance, a Vanderbilt University study estimated you can burn up to 40 calories by laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day, and a University of Maryland study found that having a sense of humor might help ward off heart disease, which will surely help you out financially in the long run. Turn on that comedy series and destress!

Make Your Money Work for You

It takes about 20 minutes from the time you start eating for the brain to signal fullness. When you eat too fast, you often eat too much, according to research presented at a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. Take smaller bites, chew longer, and put your fork down between bites. Take sips of a beverage during your meal. Eat more slowly and you might reduce stomach upset and reduce expenses on food from eating smaller portions. That’s a win-win-win.

Early risers feel healthier and happier than night owls, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association. With more time in your morning, you may not feel rushed trying to get ready before work, school, or social plans. Want to start waking up earlier? Start by setting your alarm 10 to 15 minutes earlier and once you adjust, set the alarm earlier again until you’ve found your ideal sleep schedule.

Everyone loves vacations, but they can be pricey. So, check out discount travel sites for good deals. Sites such as Skiplagged, Travelocity or Kayak can help you track prices and find cheaper rates on flights, hotels and car rentals. Consider alternative trip styles like camping or cruises which can be cost-effective.

TV can be a time-waster or worse. Some studies have suggested that watching a lot of TV — for example, three hours or more a day — can lead to premature death. It’s even been suggested that for people over age 25, each hour of watching TV equals 22 minutes less of life.

Credit cards have notoriously high interest rates and are difficult to pay down. Billionaires from Warren Buffett to Mark Cuban say to cut the plastic. If one of your goals is to build wealth, avoid going into debt with them.

Make Your Money Work for You

Ask yourself if you really need that 6,000-pound gas-guzzling SUV. When you’re in the market for your next car, look for a more fuel efficient car with things like racks that can help you haul your stuff. That’s money you can spend on living better — or a new bike.

Writing on how to live a better life, psychologist Thomas A. Richards pointed out that when you compare yourself to others, “you always tend to see yourself on the ‘short end’ and everyone else seems better.” That’s no way to live well. It might also lead to spending on things you don’t need or actually care about in an effort to overcompensate. Don’t compare yourself to others, and you might just keep more money in your wallet.

If you want to try name-brand items without paying name-brand prices, consider signing up for subscription boxes. It could be a great way to live well and reduce expenses, too.

Positive thinking builds your skill set, enhances your health and improves your work, according to positive professor andpsychology researcher Barbara L. Fredrickson. That can lead to living better. Also: Positive thinking is free.

Gardens provide bigger benefits than just fresh veggies. Studies have found that gardening can reduce stress, improve mental health — including reducing the risk of dementia — and provide low-impact exercise. Plus, those veggies are really cheap and fresh. If you grow flowers, they can make for a great gift for others that costs you nothing!

Make Your Money Work for You

When a challenging situation arises, practice compassion. Practicing compassion helps you “enjoy better mental and physical health and speeds up recovery from disease,” and might even lengthen your lifespan, according to a University of California, Berkeley publication.

Friendship doesn’t cost a penny, but it has many benefits that can enrich your life. Friendship boosts happiness while reducing stress and increases your sense of belonging, self-confidence and self-worth, according to the Mayo Clinic. Make time for a phone call or video chat to catch up with a friend that lives far away, or invite a local friend to a free park or to your home!

You’ll get more happiness from going on vacation than buying a new couch, reports The New York Times. Research has found that, in general, spending money on experiences can bring more happiness than spending on more stuff. So take a vacation… from that new couch of yours.

Giving your time to a cause can help more than the cause. Studies have shown that volunteering not only fends off loneliness and depression, but it can also offer better health, including lower blood pressure and a longer lifespan. So donate a little time, and you could get a lot back.

From toys and gifts to cosmetics and cleaning products, there are many costly items you could make yourself with materials you already have on hand. It’s often not only less expensive, but it can even provide a great family project. And it’s all just a Google search away.

Make Your Money Work for You

One way to enrich your life is to have a list of life to-dos: Anything from climbing Mount Everest to writing a book to getting a dog is fair game. Experts suggest making your goals specific and attainable, or failing might do more harm than good. Bucket-list items don’t have to be expensive, either.

First of all, reading a book is one of the cheapest ways to entertain yourself. Get them secondhand at a thrift store or borrow from the library. Second, research from Emory University has shown that reading a gripping novel actually creates new connections in the brain. That can only make your life richer.

There is a way to avoid paying full price for just about anything. For serious discounts, check out services like Groupon and Living Social, as well as sites like RetailMeNot, Offers.com, Coupon Sherpa, Coupons.com, Slickdeals and others. Honey is a browser extension that looks for you whenever you check out online!

Make a prioritized list of things you buy with discretionary spending each month, then cut the bottom three. You’ll have more to spend on the goodies and experiences you really love — or take that money and put it toward your saving goals.

Make Your Money Work for You

Whether you smoke cigarettes or vape, smoking is expensive. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System reports it costs an average of over $1,000 per year to vape. Quitting could be beneficial to both your lifestyle and your life expectancy. Get serious about cutting this bad habit — and any other habits that are making you poor — and watch the savings roll in.

Finding ways to cut your cost of living can help you live well. One thing you might not think to negotiate are your monthly bills, but there are ways to save even on those recurring costs. Take your cell phone bill. You may be able to lower it by seeking out discounts you’re not taking advantage of, like for putting your bill on autopay, or by reducing the amount of data you pay for if you find you’re not regularly using your full limit. You can even call your service provider and see if they have any additional ways to help you save– after all, they have an incentive to keep you as a customer. Or, look into discount carriers that charge less for using the same towers as the major telecom companies.

If you’re a parent, it may feel like the way to their hearts is with toys. But, children who talk to their parents regularly are happier than those who don’t, according to a study by the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics. Make time for family bonding over free activities like visiting a park, going on a hike, or attending free events in your community, and you’ll strengthen your family relationships!

Make Your Money Work for You

Most books are a one-time read. After that, they become bookcase dust collectors. So, trade them for other used books, either with your friends, at a local bookstore or online at sites like PaperBack Swap.

Libraries are a great resource not only for books but for digital books, audio books, magazines, DVDs and CDs, too. It’s one of the few places where you can get some of these items for free, so take advantage.

Most informed consumers buy generic, according to a study by economists from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and the University of Chicago. For example, nine out of 10 pharmacists and doctors buy the generic version of aspirin, which can be as much as 80% less expensive. And, professional chefs prefer store-brand sugar, salt and baking powder to name brands.