6 Ideas to Save Money Every Day
You might be spending more money on things than you realize. Here’s a few ways to save every single day.
Do you ever purchase things without realizing just how much you’re spending? Maybe you’ve signed up for a subscription service, and each month you forget about the money coming out of your account. And you’ve probably made a few impulse buys at the grocery store, and before you know it, you’ve spent an extra $40 on snacks that you weren’t planning on purchasing.
Making a few changes now could jumpstart your savings for a time when you really need it. Use these tips to save up for a rainy day—that day could come sooner than you think.
Related: Three Benefits of a Health Savings Account
1. Skip the daily coffee shop visit
At roughly $3.50 a day, going there every day before work adds up to $70 a month. Save yourself some cash and make your own brew at home.
2. Pack your lunch
Let’s say you eat out every day of the week and spend $7.00 each time. (And let’s face it, a lot of lunches are pricier than that.) That lunchtime habit has just added up to $140.00 for the month. Consider a cheaper and healthier alternative by bringing something from home.
3. Cancel unused memberships
Do you belong to a gym or yoga club that you never visit? If you’re not actually using the gym, ditch the membership and work out at home.
4. Try the envelope method
You’re probably using a debit or credit card to pay for most of the items you buy. But experts say paying with a card typically means you’ll spend more at the checkout line. The reason: Cash out of sight is out of mind—if you don’t see just how much cash you’re spending, you’ll likely to spend more.
It might take some getting used to, but put your weekly spending allotment in an envelope and only use that cash for the week. It will help you think twice before making impulse purchases and before spending too much money on things that wouldn’t make you bat an eyelash when using a card.
Related: Crunching Numbers for Back to School
5. Save loose change in a jar
It might be something you did as a kid, but this simple tip can still do the trick. Put the coins you have left over from the week in a jar, save them until the jar is full, and pretty soon you’ll have a little extra cash for your savings account.
6. Get rid of cable
We know you love to watch sports and your favorite TV series, but some cable bills are close to or exceed $100 a month. If you were to put that toward your retirement savings, that could add up quickly. Getting rid of cable for five years could mean $6,000 in savings (not counting the interest you could accrue).
