Image by Samuel Regan Asante for Unsplash
21 Tips To Save Bucks Today
“My budget is completely out of control. I’ve got no savings, my credit card debt keeps climbing, and making ends meet is tougher than ever. Inflation’s rampant — and the mere thought of what tariffs may do to prices is something I don’t even want to think about. I’ve got to rein in my spending but I don’t know how. I’m drowning in the sea of financial worry. I’ve gotta do something now!”
Recognize this person? I sure do. It was me.
Everything quoted above is something I said or felt. I needed to make some serious changes, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. On my own – and with a little help from my friends, as the song goes — I developed a set of instructions or behaviors that can stop the kind of crazy spending that’s giving so many of us sleepless nights.
You’ll be surprised by how effective they are.
Try These:
- Before buying anything beyond groceries, calculate how many hours you’d need to work to afford it — perhaps you won’t buy it after all.
- Boycott companies that have eliminated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives; you save money and help fight fascism at the same time.
- Take photos of stuff you wanna buy, thinking that you’ll snag them later — when you look at them in the morning, they may not seem so hot after all.
- Load up online shopping carts, then exit without checking out to get the satisfaction of shopping without spending.
- Refuse to buy anything unless it sparks the same joy as finding cash tucked into your couch cushions.
- Cancel one streaming service every month and rotate between platforms. OR: Cancel all streaming services and request refunds for unused subscriptions. OR: Set all subscriptions to expire after one year to prevent automatic renewals.
- Switch to a prepaid cellphone plan to reduce monthly bills.
- Unplug all electronic devices when not in use to save on energy bills.
- Use a daily allowance of “fun money” and freeze spending once it’s gone, no exceptions.
- Challenge yourself to no-spend weeks and turn it into a personal competition.
- Eat everything in your pantry before buying new groceries — even the weird stuff.
- When grocery shopping, always shop with a basket instead of a cart — less room = fewer impulse buys.
- Make a wish list and revisit it after 30 days — most wants will disappear.
- Use a sticker chart to reward yourself with a gold star each day you don’t spend money.
- Ask yourself if the item you’re considering will end up at a future garage sale for a fraction of the price.
- Shop at thrift or consignment stores for clothing and household items.
- Host a clothing swap with friends to refresh your wardrobe without spending money.
- Get your friends involved — set up no-spend challenges to build awareness of spending habits and save money.
- Dine at home.
- Pick up your Pinot at your local wine shop — not at $20 a glass at the trendy bistro down the street.
- Coffee at home — Put that expensive espresso machine to work.
Money’s tight and it’s only looking to get tighter. That’s why conscious, careful decisions about what we do with our hard-earned mean green are more important than ever. One small change may seem to do little, but add a bunch of them together and the cumulative effect is pretty darned impressive.
You can do it. I did. And if I can…so can you.
Image by Anastase Maragos for Unsplash
