Who doesn’t love saving money? If you’re one of the many people who are looking to save money, look no further. Don’t worry, I won’t suggest you stop using toilet paper and only use a wet cloth
(I want to vomit just typing that).
So here we go, below are SIMPLE and PRACTICAL ways to save money. So here we go...
1. Stop ordering out and start buying groceries. Make sure to buy snacks too so you're not buying them on-the-go. I used to spend about $100/week on ordering out. I am single so I hated cooking just for myself, making a mess in the kitchen and then having to clean it up after each meal - I thought it wasn’t worth it at the time. Then, I started working with a financial advisor and challenged myself to stop eating out and only ordering groceries. I now spend $100 every 2 weeks for groceries and sometimes less. If you were like me and order out a lot - try not ordering out for one week and see how much you save.
2. No more Starbucks, start making your coffee at home. A cup of Starbucks can be at least $5 and you can buy a bag of coffee for about $8 (sometimes more, sometimes less), which can last you at least 2 weeks. Think of it: $5 a cup X 5 days a week = $25 weekly. Some people even get Starbucks 2-3x a day! Think of all the money you’ll be saving by making your coffee at home.
3. Drink more water and less juice and soda. I used to LOVE soda, I’d drink it every day. If I was at a restaurant, I’d have at least 3-4 glasses of soda with every meal. Today, I drink water morning to night. Sometimes I’ll have iced tea or lemonade, but it’s usually just water. Invest in a Brita and buy a good insulated water bottle, I bought this one and it’s amazing. I also stopped buying premade lemonade and iced tea and instead bought the powder to make my own and saved money that way too.
4. Pregame before going out. I don’t drink alcohol anymore but when I did go to bars my friends and I would like to drink before heading out. It’s a great way to save money, and saves you time from waiting in those long lines to get a drink.
5. Orrrr stop drinking all together. This will not only save you money, but calories as well. Not only will your wallet thank you, but your liver as well.
6. Give up bad habits. This can include smoking, gambling, your Amazon addiction, etc. My suggestion is just go cold turkey. Make the decision to quit and start at that exact moment.
7. Stop buying books and join your local library. If you’re like me, you have books scattered through your house, about 100 are waiting on your Kindle, and every time you pass a bookstore you have to go in and get something. I have saved THOUSANDS of dollars going to my library. Most libraries also have audiobooks (which are my favorite) and are great to listen to while walking or cleaning.
8. Ask for a raise at work and/or take on a side hustle. There are endless YouTube videos and blogs about how to ask for a raise - go check them out. Also, start looking into side hustles. Do you know how to play piano? Start offering lessons on the side. Do you love meal planning? Put together a program to teach others how to meal plan. There are ENDLESS ways to make money. Just because it’s your hobby doesn’t mean you can’t profit from it.
9. Put a percentage of what you earn into a savings account immediately!! The best way to do this is to have it automated. At my jobs I would have a portion directly deposited to my checking account, and the remaining percentage into my savings account. You don’t even need to pick a percentage, you can put a specific amount. For example out of every paycheck you put $20 into savings.
10. Buy in bulk if you have the room for it. Be careful, because buying in bulk can also be wasteful if it's not something you use daily. For example, buying in bulk for toilet paper might be a good idea because well….we all need toilet paper, but buying in bulk for eggs when you’re only one person and barely eat 1 egg a week….yeah you might want to reconsider buying bulk. I come from a family with 6 kids so pretty much everything was bought in bulk and I had to reprogram myself to not buy that way when I moved out on my own. But the takeaway should be buying in bulk can save you money, gas and time.
Are you having trouble with your mindset around money?
Reach out to me at annie@anniedelre.com so we can discuss the steps to take to change your mindset and grow your bank account.