Table of Contents
Introduction
We all like to save money, right?
Some of us want to save money to be able to invest it, while others strive to pay off debt as fast as possible.
If that’s your case, you probably already know that you have to make more money or spend less so you can increase your debt repayments.
Since saving money is way easier than creating a new income stream or getting a raise, if you want to pay off debt fast, saving money should be your top priority.
And that’s when this blog post comes in handy!
If you are looking for simple ways to cut down your expenses without making drastic changes to your daily life, this post about 52 tips to save money every day is for you.
Let’s get started!
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Internet, Apps, and other subscription services
1. Cancel Unused Subscriptions
Grab your phone bill, credit card, and bank account statements, and look for subscriptions you are being charged.
If you are actually not using their services, take a few minutes to cancel them.
2. Avoid Paid Apps
There are so many apps out there.
If you are used to paying for apps, try to find free alternatives. This simple trick can save you a couple of hundred dollars a year.
3. Share Accounts When Possible
Another simple way to save money is to share Netflix, Amazon Video, and Disney+ accounts if you currently pay for them.
These platforms all offer the possibility to install their apps on several devices.
Sharing a friend’s account can make you save hundreds every year.
4. Lower Your Phone Bill
You probably already know this, but you can negotiate prices for all types of contracts.
Take a few minutes to visit the websites of your regional phone operators and look for their prices and special offers.
You can make massive savings by choosing your phone operator wisely!
If you don’t find any special offers, give your operator a call asking for their termination terms.
Chances are they will offer you a big discount to stay with them.
5. Avoid Overpaying for Internet
Have you ever checked your actual internet speed?
You might be overpaying as the internet speed advertised by your operator might not be technically possible in your region.
Should this be the case, downgrade your contract to save money.
6. Block In-App Purchases
This is an easy way to save a lot of money, especially if you are used to downloading lots of apps and games.
You will avoid temptation and save money by blocking the service, allowing you to make in-app purchases charged directly on your phone bill.
Food
7. Buy Local
Buying local is great for the environment and communities but is also good for your budget.
I actually didn’t realize that before the first lockdown.
I wanted to help small merchants from my region and noticed that food products are actually cheaper if you buy them directly at the farm.
8. Make Your Coffee at Home
I had to mention this one because it is probably part of every single post on saving money.
Buying coffee on your way to work, especially at Starbucks, can cost you hundreds every year.
So if you’re not saving any money right now, that’s something to consider.
9. Cook Your Meals at Home
Cooking more often will help you avoid ordering take-out, which will save you a lot of money.
Additionally, cooking at home will help you eat healthier as well, allowing you to know the exact content of your plate and its calorie intake.
10. Have Breakfast at Home
Breakfasts on the go are often unhealthy. They are more often than not full of sugar and fats.
But getting breakfast on your way to work also hurts your wallet.
You might be spending up to $10 every day with this bad habit.
Preparing a healthy breakfast at home will nourish your body, give you the energy to crush your goals, and help you save a lot of money in the long run.
11. Avoid Frozen Dishes
Frozen dishes are expensive, often packed in a lot of plastic, and full of additives.
There’s just no good reason to buy them.
12. Plan Your Meals or Meal Prep
Meal prepping or even just meal planning will help you save time.
Planning your meals will help you write your grocery list.
If you stick to it, you will avoid impulse buying and save money.
13. Order Your Groceries Online
This simple trick helped me save up to 50% on my grocery budget.
I love saving money but hate spending more than 20-30 minutes at the supermarket.
When shopping for groceries, I would just grab the first brand I see and wouldn’t pay attention to prices.
Ordering groceries online makes it so much easier and cheaper!
This will help you stick to your list, compare prices, avoid impulse buying, and reduce food waste.
Energy
14. Check The Energy Consumption of Your Appliances
Old appliances can require a lot of energy to function.
Replacing them with eco-friendly models will make you save money in the long run.
15. Use Your Appliances’ ECO Mode
Did you know that setting your dishwasher and other appliances to eco-mode can reduce its energy consumption by 40%?
That’s a simple way to save money without changing much to your habits.
16. Switch Off Appliances After Using Them
Even in sleep mode, appliances use energy.
Turn them completely off to save money on your energy bill.
17. Switch to LED Bulbs
LED bulbs use 90% less energy than traditional light bulbs and last much longer.
You should definitely consider switching your traditional lights for LEDs to make savings on your energy bill.
18. Be Aware of Off-Peak Energy Times
Energy can be up to 50% cheaper between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
The reason is simple: this is the period when power demands are at their lowest.
Doing your laundry (and other tasks consuming a lot of energy) during this time frame can help you save money.
19. Open Windows For a Few Minutes Only
This is another trick to save money on your energy bill in winter.
Keeping your windows slightly open for several hours wastes so much energy.
Open them 3-4 times a day for a maximum of 10 minutes each time.
This will really help you lower your energy bill while keeping your home warm.
Self-care
20. Switch To Solid Cosmetics
Solid shampoos, shower gels, and body scrubs last so much longer.
They might be a bit more expensive, but believe me, they will save you money in the long run.
In addition to that, they are also helping us fight against single-use plastic!
It’s definitely a win-win!
21. Ask For Free Samples
I used to spend a lot of money on cosmetics.
I would buy new products to try them out and often throw or give them away.
Asking for free samples is a great way to save money on perfumes and cosmetics.
You can either ask for free samples at the checkout or on brands’ websites.
And then only buy the products you really like.
22. Avoid High-End Skincare
Ok… This might be a controversial take.
Although I love luxury products, I realized that high-end skincare is really not worth it.
Following a complete routine from Estee Lauder can cost you over $300 a month.
Switching to drugstore brands will cost you less than $50 a month. And I bet you won’t see a difference.
In addition to its excessive prices, high-end skincare is also often filled with chemicals and perfumes that are bad for your skin.
23. Participate in Giveaways
Giveaways are a great way to save money by receiving free products.
A lot of cosmetic brands organize giveaways on their websites and social media. All you need is a bit of luck.
Use Technology
24. Unsubscribe From Newsletters
An easy way to save money is to avoid impulse shopping.
To do so, unsubscribe from your favorite online stores.
No temptation = Money saved.
25. Uninstall Your Favorite Shopping Apps
This simple trick will really help you save money.
Uninstalling shopping apps from your phone can help you stop impulse buying.
When bored, people often mindlessly scroll on their phones.
This bad habit can lead to a lot of unnecessary small purchases.
Deleting these apps will definitely help you save money.
Related read: How to create a budget step-by-step
26. Use Cashback Apps
When you really need to buy something, do it using a cashback app if possible.
Apps like Rakuten offer interesting cashback on selected stores.
27. Use Loyalty Cards
Loyalty cards can sometimes make you overspend as you feel like you are making a great deal thanks to the discounts offered.
However, if you only use them to buy things you really need, the credits and discounts received will save you money on future purchases.
28. Subscribe to Couponing Websites
Couponing is great to save money as long as you only buy products you actually need.
Buying everything in bulk can be a waste of money if you buy products you don’t need, never tried before, or with a short expiration date.
29. Buy on Outlet Websites
This is another trick to use, especially when you want to get new clothing.
Outlet websites are a great way to get brand-new things for a fraction of their retail price.
Websites like MangoOutlet offer up to 80% discounts on brand-new items from previous collections!
30. Buy on Private Sales Websites
Whenever you need to buy a new piece of furniture, clothing, makeup, or skincare, visit private sales websites to check their offers.
Private sales websites can offer up to 90% discounts on brand-new items!
31. Give Secondhand Websites a Try
You can save a lot of money by buying secondhand items.
This is especially true if you are willing to splurge on luxury.
Do your shopping wisely and never pay full price on luxury items.
Loans, Credit Cards and Insurance
32. Avoid Unnecessary Bank Fees
A simple trick to save money is to compare the offerings of several banks to find the one with the lowest fees.
I used to pay 25$ per month in bank fees and now pay 0$ because I canceled one of my accounts.
This simple action saved me 300$ a year.
33. Have several Bank Accounts
Having several bank accounts can help you keep your budget.
It can also help you save money if you keep the bare minimum on your main account and wire any extra money to your second or third account.
Having several bank accounts is also a must to create an emergency and survival fund.
34. Avoid Late Fees By Automating Your Payments
Did you know that the average Americanpays over 48$in late fees per month?
It’s a staggering 577$ per year!
Keeping track of your bills’ due dates and automating your payments is an easy way to avoid these unnecessary fees.
35. Refinance Your Loans
Getting more debt when you are willing to get out of debt can seem counterproductive, but it can actually make you save thousands in interest.
If you got your student or car loan long ago, you might consider refinancing it to get a better rate.
Chances are that you can get a better rate if your credit score improved, which will save you a lot of money.
36. Consolidate Your debt
This trick can be directly linked to the previous one.
By consolidating your debt (taking a new loan to pay off all of your existing debt), you can also save a lot of money.
Credit cards usually have staggering interest rates.
Consolidating your debt will allow you to pay off your credit card debt right away, saving you money in the long run.
37. Leave Your Credit Cards at Home
Leaving your credit card at home when shopping will help you use them less.
That’s a no-brainer.
It will also help you spend less money since you will have to resist impulse shopping.
38. Erase Your Credit Card Information From Your Browsers
The other simple way to stop using your credit cards is to delete their information from your phone, laptop, tablet, and favorite websites.
This is also a good initiative to protect yourself in case your accounts or devices get hacked.
39. Keep Cash in Your Wallet
According to several studies, people spend up to 83% more when they pay with a debit or credit card.
Paying with cash instead makes you more conscious about your money and helps you spend less.
40. Get Insurance
Insurance is key to financial planning and can save you a lot of money when something bad happens.
Money spent on insurance is money well spent as it brings financial security.
41. Consolidate Your Insurance Policies
You can get interesting discounts if you subscribe to several insurances at the same company.
As always, when taking insurance, compare offers and make sure you do not overpay.
General Tips To Save Money
42. Purchase the right products at the right time
You can save a lot of money by simply buying things at the right time.
Do not wait until the 24th of December to buy Christmas presents and buy winter clothing before September.
You will save so much money by simply buying things in advance.
43. Get Cleaning Products On Sale
We all love a clean and nice-smelling home.
Unfortunately, cleaning products can cost so much.
A simple way to save money is to start buying them in bulk when they are on sale.
This simple tip can save you hundreds every year.
44. Buy Generic Brands
This is definitely the trick that can save you the most money.
You can save so much money by looking for cheaper alternatives and avoiding brands.
When you buy branded products, you basically pay for the packaging.
When you switch to generic brands, savings really add up. Easy, no?
45. Always Compare Prices
Prices can vary greatly depending on where and when you decide to buy things.
I follow one simple rule: if something costs more than 25$, I always check the prices on several websites before buying it.
46. Never Pay Full Price
This is a trick you should live by to save money: NEVER pay full price except for food.
We all know that we can get discounts on literally everything now.
If you are paying full price, you are wasting money.
47. Buy Refurbished Electronics
Electronics are way cheaper than they used to be 10 or 20 years ago, but they can still be too expensive for tight budgets.
If you are willing to get a new smartphone or computer, you might consider buying a refurbished one.
Refurbished items are like new, usually covered by a 24-month warranty, and sold with 30-70% discounts!
48. Sell Your (Too Expensive) Car
Car payments, fuel, maintenance, and insurance can get so expensive.
If you have a car that costs you too much, try to sell it to get a cheaper one.
I know people who waste thousands per year because they have a super expensive car that requires a lot of maintenance.
Nothing is worse for your budget than an overly expensive car!
49. Wait a Few Days Before Making Purchases
This is another simple thing you can do to save money.
If you want to buy something, wait a few days before doing so.
If you still desperately want that thing a week or so after, go get it.
These few days will often help you realize that you don’t need to make that purchase.
50. Forget About The Brand
I used to buy products based on their brands only.
Whether it was for food, makeup, or fashion, I used to think that high-end brands were just better because, in my mind, more expensive = better quality.
I couldn’t be more wrong.
Try to find cheaper quality brands to replace your go-to favorites.
You will be surprised by the quality offered by some cheap brands. In most cases, buying high-end brands is just a waste of money.
51. Buy Your Plane Tickets in Advance
This one is obvious, but believe me, many people still wait a few weeks before their trip to get their plane tickets.
You can actually save thousands on long flights by booking them months before.
If you are the kind of person who waits until the last minute to book a flight just in case your plans change, consider taking travel insurance and buying your tickets in advance.
Even with the cost of insurance included, it will be cheaper to do so.
52. Avoid 3rd Party Websites When Booking Hotels
This is something I found out a few years ago.
I used to go to Paris 2-3 times per year. I would always stay in the same hotel and ask for the same room.
Once, the manager told me that I should call before my next visit instead of booking a room through booking.com.
He explained that third-party companies charge them every time a customer books a room using their platform.
So by calling the hotel to book a room, I would get a much better rate.
I have done so ever since and have always been able to get at least 15% off!
Final Thoughts
As you can see per this list, saving money is actually easy.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to save money, and the internet makes it super easy to find new money-saving hacks.
Implementing these tips will help you save money, pay off debt fast, and build wealth.
So get started today.
Your future self will thank you!
