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In this journey of becoming a stay-at-home mom, one of my top priorities has been to prepare financially. One thing that I have learned about being better about money is that it boils down to a lot of little things. When my husband and I are more conscious of our spending habits in little ways, our finances are so much better! I have found that easy ways to spend less money often make big differences.
If you have some debt to clear or are always living paycheck to paycheck, then it can be a struggle. It is hard to live like that and will only carry on unless you are willing to do something about it. Debt can take years to clear, but if you make small changes each day, and pocket the savings, rather than spend them, then it can make a real difference. So with that in mind, I’m sharing a few quick and easy everyday savings that you can start doing today.
Easy Ways to Spend Less Money
Meal Planning
One of the biggest, easy ways to spend less money is, of course, meal planning. You’ve heard it before. It’s on the top of the list because this by far makes the biggest difference in our budget.
When I take time to plan meals and go grocery shopping, we’re always amazed at how much more money we have! It seems like such a simple thing. When you really stop to think about how much you actually spend when you eat out, even at a fast food place, it’s no wonder!
One small habit that I have tried to start is looking at our current ingredients while meal planning. This can help cut your grocery bill down significantly. You’ll be surprised how few ingredients you actually need when you only need to buy some fresh veggies, for instance.
Buy in Bulk
Pretty much anything that doesn’t go bad, we buy in bulk. We have a closet that is filled with toilet paper, paper towels, and other things that we will always need. This also keeps us from running out as often!
Buying food in bulk is a good way to save money in the long run, as well as meaning that you can batch cook foods. Take something like dried pasta and jarred pasta sauce, for example; stock up and make up big batches and you’ll have food for the whole week.
Shop Generic
If you normally buy name brand goods (foods in particular), then why not try the supermarket’s brand instead? In pretty much all cases, they will end up being cheaper. Most generic brands these days are just as good! Figure out which things make zero difference to by generic.
Stop buying bottled water or coffee from a coffee shop. You can drink tap water (or even buy a filter jug), and make your own coffee to bring into work with you. It can save you a lot of money, as well as being better for the environment.
Compare Shop EVERYTHING
Compare and shop around with everything that you need to buy. From car insurance from sites like https://cheapautoinsurance.co/cheap-car-insurance-quotes/, to travel insurance, flights, or new shoes, it can pay to shop around and compare sites and prices.
Switching your energy provider is also a good idea, as loyalty gets you nowhere with this kind of thing. Again, shop around, and you’ll be likely to find yourself a good deal.
Use Cheaper Transportation
Another one of the most effective easy ways to spend less money is to think about your transportation. Public transportation can be a good alternative to driving a car.
Walking is also a good option if you go to a lot of places near home. Walking more is not only good for you but is better for your wallet! It can take some time to plan in more time for walking to more places, but it will really be worth it as it saves bus fare or gas money.
Cancel Subscriptions
Look through your bank statements and look at the things that you are spending money on that you really don’t need to. There are even apps that can pinpoint recurring expenses to help you notice
Do you have a gym membership that you never use but are still paying for? What about a magazine subscription to https://isubscribe.co.uk/ that you have just forgotten about? Check through and cancel what you no longer use or need.
No-Spend Months
Give yourself a couple of no-spend months a year, where you only buy the essentials, like food and transport costs. Clothing, nights out, and other things that you can go without are banned; you can then pocket what you would have spent.
After you see how much it is, you will be shocked! My habits changed drastically after I saw how much unnecessary spending I was doing in my average month.
What easy ways to spend less money make the biggest difference for you?
This post has so many great tips!!! I love all of them! We’ve done a few no spend months and it’s amazing how much you can save by doing this!
You are so right about meal planning being the number one money saver!! Another way that we have cut down on costs is to plan ahead for a special occasion. We cut our budget for any eating out for three months before we go on a vacation so that when we are on vacation we already have money set aside for it (and usually we don’t need it all). It teaches our children to sacrifice now for what you really want later Ü
Yes! Breaking up expenses over time is such a great strategy. We use an app called Qapital to make separate funds for different things.
These are really great tips. I am so guilty of forgetting to cancel subscriptions and not being on top of it. Which is just a silly way to spend money!
These are all good tips. I have recurring deposits to a savings account set up and the bank does it automatically so I don’t even have to think about it.
Buying in bulk is our biggest lifesaver! With a family of 6, we go through A LOT of everything. We love Sams Club for all things. haha
These are really great tips! I’ve never thought of a no spend month but it’s an excellent idea!! Thanks for this!
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Nice post-Meagan, What a great list! So many ways to budget when you need to save money fast. This article’s already helped me with my finances, and I’ll be sure to share with my friends and family when they need help saving money. Thanks for the awesome info!