Are you interested in learning about the different ways to save money every month and throughout the year?
While you may already be taking part in some of the many ways to save money below, you may find something new that will help you cut back on your spending. Or, perhaps, all you need is a reminder!
Doing one or all of the below may allow you to change your life for the better.
It may allow you to pay off your debt a little more quickly, improve your financial habits, help you reach your dream sooner, and more.
Below are over 30 different ways to save money each month. If you do all of the below, you may be able to save hundreds or thousands of dollars each year. Remember, little savings can add up to be a lot!
Related articles on the different ways to save money:
- How I Made Over $979,000 Blogging
- 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
- How To Live On One Income
- 10 Ways To Make Money Online From The Comfort of Your Home
- Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
- How To Save Money – My Best Money Saving Tips
Start a blog.
This isn’t a way to cut expenses, but there are many ways a blog may be able to help you save more money.
A blog can help you to make more money. I know many people who have started a blog and are making thousands of dollars a month. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!
I now earn around $75,000 a month from my blog. I also travel full-time and am happier than ever!
If you are interested in starting a blog of your own, I created a tutorial that will help you start a blog of your own for cheap, starting at only $2.95 per month (this low price is only through my link and for a limited time) for blog hosting. In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free blog domain (a $15 value) through my Bluehost link if you purchase at least 12 months of blog hosting. I also have a free blogging course you can join too that will help you start and launch a successful blog!
Get rid of cable to save money.
According to NPD Group (a market research company), the average monthly cable bill is around $120.
You can read more about cutting cable here and how to save money by doing this. I recommend getting a digital antenna so that you can receive local channels for free!
Average savings: $120+ a month
Negotiate your car and home insurance bills.
Many have too much insurance. Yes, I said too much! I know someone who has full coverage with a deductible on a car that is worth $500, I know someone who pays for towing even though their new car comes with free towing, and more.
By shopping around, evaluating whether or not you should change your deductible, changing some of your coverage amounts, understanding insurance terms better, possibly taking a driving class, and more, you may be able to save a significant amount of money on your car insurance bill.
I also recommend simply calling your insurance agent and asking for a discount, many times they will offer a discount that will allow you to save money just for asking!
Many of these same tactics can be applied to your home insurance bill as well.
Average savings: $100+ per year
Sign up for Swagbucks and InboxDollars.
Swagbucks allows me to occasionally earn Amazon gift cards with very little work. Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded points for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough points, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. I actually just redeemed over $50 worth of Amazon gift cards through them. Super easy! Plus, you’ll receive a free $5 bonus just for signing up today!
InboxDollars is an online rewards website I recommend. You can earn cash by taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, searching the web, redeeming grocery coupons, and more. Also, by signing up through my link, you will receive $5 for free just for signing up!
Average savings: $10+ a month
Take surveys online.
Okay, so this isn’t really a way to cut back your budget, but you may be able to earn money without doing much. If you sign up for them all, you may be able to earn anywhere from $25-$100+ a month by taking surveys online.
Survey companies I recommend include American Consumer Opinion, Survey Junkie, Pinecone Research, Opinion Outpost, Prize Rebel, and Harris Poll Online. They’re free to join and free to use! You get paid to answer surveys and to test products. It’s best to sign up for as many as you can as that way you can receive the most surveys and make the most money.
Average amount: $25+ per month
Find a more affordable cell phone plan to save money.
Most people overpay for their cell phone plan.
By shopping around, you may be able to save $50 or more each month, and possibly hundreds of dollars each year. I recommend shopping around the different cell phone carriers, as well as looking to see if you can downgrade your plan at all.
Average savings: $50+ a month
Eat out one less time each month.
How many times do you eat out each month? How much do you think you spend each month at restaurants? Most people are surprised when they actually sit down and track how much they’ve spent!
Eating out just one less time won’t kill you, plus it will help you save a nice chunk of change over a one-year period.
Average savings: $25+ a month
Have fun for free.
Recently, someone was telling me about how expensive it was to have fun. They were telling me about all of their debt and everything that goes along with it, and then they also told me that their “fun” budget each month was around $500.
Uhhh what?! $500? A month?!
If you are trying to get rid of high-interest rate debt, I can’t think of any reason for why you should be paying $500 a month to have fun.
There are many ways to have fun for cheap and save money. Check out How To Have Frugal Fun for some of my ideas.
Average savings: $50+
Use Rakuten when shopping for cash back.
Sign up for a website like Rakuten where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free $10 gift card bonus to Macys, Walmart, Target, or Kohls!
Average savings: $5 a month
Stop smoking.
According to Statistic Brain, the average person spends around $34 a month on tobacco products. That is a lot of money for a very unhealthy habit.
My father passed away partly due to his smoking habit (he had brain and lung cancer) when I was just 18. If that’s not enough to tell you that it’s a horrible habit, I don’t know what will!
Average savings: $34 a month
Increase your savings by canceling your gym membership.
There’s a gym in my town that’s quite small yet charges $200 a month. I have never once seen a soul in there so I’m not sure what’s going on. However, they are open so someone must be paying it.
There are so many ways to get a great workout both inside and outside your home. While occasionally there are positives for paying for a gym membership for some people, the majority with a gym membership do not get their money’s worth.
Average savings: $25-$200+ a month
Receive a sign-up bonus from a credit card.
Now, this one should only be used by someone who knows how to take advantage of credit cards. Please skip this section if you are not good with credit cards!
In one year, I earned over $4,000 by churning credit cards for their rewards. This may not be realistic for every person out there, but I’m sure churning just one card is something that some may be able to do.
Related: How To Take A 10 Day Trip To Hawaii For $22.40 – Flights & Accommodations Included
Average savings: $500+ a year
Purchase a water filter to save money on water.
According to The Water Project, the average person in the U.S. spends around $100 per year on bottled water.
Instead of spending $100 on bottled water each year, you can drink the water from your own home. You can even buy a water filter if you want to.
Note: Yes, I realize there are some towns out there where the water is not clean and that water needs to be bought, but that is not the average person.
Average savings: $100 per year
Meal plan to save money.
Meal planning is something that has completely changed our lives. We eat healthier than ever, we are saving money, and we have less food waste.
That’s saying a lot considering that the average person wastes over 40% of the food they buy. Yes, 40%!
If you have trouble eating at home, then try out $5 Meal Plan. They send meal plans directly to your email.
It’s only $5 a month (the first two weeks are free) and you get meal plans sent straight to you along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well! If you are interested in joining for free, click here.
Average savings: $100+ a month
Drive a more affordable car.
According to Edmunds.com, the average person in the U.S. spends $483 on a new car payment and $361 on a used car payment.
Yes, I was just as shocked when I read that statistic!
This is sad especially considering that many take out high-interest loans in order to pay for their car as well. Back when my husband worked in new car sales, he often told me about new car buyers who had car loans at interest rates of 20% and above.
While $479 a month may be affordable to some, I’m going to assume that it’s a lot of money for most people. Plus, once you add in gas, maintenance, insurance, taxes, registration costs, and more, the number is going to be much larger.
I think everyone should buy a car that they can actually afford. I am a big believer that your car expenses should be less than 10-15% of your monthly income in order for it to be affordable.
Miscellaneous ways to save money.
There are many other ways to save money as well. Below is a quick list:
- Bring your lunch to work.
- Make meals in bulk for the days you don’t feel like cooking.
- Always pay your credit card bill in full each month.
- Take public transportation, walk, or ride your bike more.
- Stop buying soda and drink more water.
- Give yourself 24 hours or longer to think about a big purchase before pulling the trigger.
- If you’re a student, use your student ID discount whenever you can.
- Switch to free banking if you’re paying for bank services.
- Switch to generic if you can. Always make sure that it’s actually cheaper, though! In some cases, it’s not.
- Don’t pay ATM fees.
- Use cold water when washing your laundry when you can.
- Start/maintain a garden.
- Plan out when you will pump gas and where. We are always traveling in our RV and have noticed wide differences in gas prices. One time we were lazy and thought that we didn’t have a choice because we were in the middle of no where and a sign said there wasn’t gas for another 50 miles. We pumped gas for around $4 and got back on the highway. The very next exit had gas at $2.50. I couldn’t believe it.
- Use Uber for your next taxi and receive your first ride for free.
- Visit the library for free books, movies, and more.
- Rent things around your home that you are not using, such as a spare bedroom or garage space.
- Always have a list before you go to the store. This can prevent waste, unneeded items, and more.
- Use a programmable thermostat so that you can heat and cool your home efficiently and more affordably.
- Keep your car well maintained. This can prevent expensive surprises in the future. Plus, it can keep you safe too! Things such as bad tires can put your life and others at risk.
- Skip stores, the mall, window shopping and more so that you don’t buy items you don’t need.
- Lower your utility bills. Find ways to use less water, less electricity, and more.
How are you going to save money this year? Please leave a comment so that this list becomes bigger!
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