1. TURN OFF THE TV
A great way to save money is to turn off the TV. I like to stay in front of the Tv when I'm eating or just about to sleep, but I think it's better if you also turn it off at times because there are a lot of economic benefits in doing this: lower advertising exposure, more time to devote to other aspects of life, and reduced use of electricity. It's nice to relax in the evening in front of it, just another hobby that you can do.
2. LOOK CRITICALLY AT YOUR ''COLLECTIONS''
There are many people who collect things. What are you collecting? Is it something that still gives you joy? Or is it something that has become more of a habit? Does your collection have value? Can you reduce it by getting rid of duplicates or objects that you no longer use? Do you think you can reduce what you spend on this hobby? My husband just remembered that he had some playing cards which he collected in the past. If you go on-line you can find how much you can sell them for...you can make money with your collections.
3. MOVE YOUR CURRENT ACCOUNT WITH A BANK THAT RESPECTS YOU
You should be able to accrue interest on your account, or at least obtain a bonus when opening the account. The interest rates of savings accounts are nothing amazing, ranging from about 1% to 2% per year.
4. JOIN LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Although you rarely make purchases always in the same place, having a loyalty card does not cost anything and usually allows access to confidential discounts and rewards. Create a special email like gmail to use for these subscriptions and check it from time to time to see whether you have received special coupons. A simple way to save every day. I personally do this with CVS, Groupon, Michaels and other sites which offer discounts.
5. COMPOSE YOUR GIFTS INSTEAD OF BUYING THEM IN A STORE
You can create food compositions, candles, bread, biscuits, and soap very economically. They are gifts very much appreciated because handmade items are often consumable, reducing the risk of ending up in the back of the closet or in the trash can. Remember to always add a note accompanying the gift. It will be more special than anything you can buy at the mall, and you will certainly save money. Also you have fun creating all these special gifts. I'm always happy when I have a chance to do this because people are impressed when you can make them something as a gift.
6. ADOPT THE 7 DAY RULE TO SAVE MONEY EACH MONTH
Whenever you are about to make a purchase, and you have the feeling that it may be an unnecessary purchase, set yourself to wait 7 days and at the end ask yourself if you're still interested in that object. More often than not, you will realize that the desire to buy it will be completely gone, and you will have saved some money by simply waiting. If you tend to purchase on impulse, it would be best to keep a list of the object(s) of 7 days and write down the date of its reconsideration. I ask my self when I want to buy something if I really need it, how much money will I save if I do not buy that object that day, and, if I already have something similar at home, this means I don't need to buy it and I am more than happy to keep the money in my wallet.
7. HOW TO SAVE ON YOUR FOOD SPENDING? MAKE A LIST AND RESPECT IT STRICTLY
I do this all the time. During the week, I have a food list on my fridge and every time when something runs out in the kitchen, I write it down and try to make a list about what I'm going cook that week and then I go buy just the ingredients for those specific meals. You should not walk into a store without a clear idea of what you're going to buy. Go to a store only if you have compiled a shopping list. Do not buy anything that is not on the list, no matter how enticing, and, thus, leave the store having saved a lot.
8. INVITE FRIENDS OVER INSTEAD OF GOING OUT
Almost everything you can do at home is less expensive than doing it by going out. Invite friends over, cook for them and then play a board game, watch a movie, or whatever you like to do together. Everyone will have fun, costs will remain low and they reciprocate the invitation at the next opportunity. We try to do this with our friends especially during the winter because it's better to stay inside. We try alternating this every 2 weeks, so 1 week out and 1 week with friends and, yes, you save much more, in food and in activities.
9. REPAIR BROKEN CLOTHES INSTEAD OF THROWING THEM AWAY
Do not throw a shirt away for a broken button: undo the last button from said shirt, one that you rarely see since it is tucked away inside the pants, and use it to replace the broken one. Then buy one like it and sew it in place of what you just detached. Do not throw away ripped pants: sew a patch in them and keep them for when you will need to do work around the house. Anyone is able to mend, all it needs is just a few minutes and you can save you a lot of money, limiting the need to buy new clothes.
10. CLEAN YOUR CLOSET
Empty your closet and gather up what you do not wear anymore. You can sell these used clothes through markets or in resale shops of used clothing. Or you can give away your clothes to your friends; you are not going to need clothes that you don't wear anymore. You could also use Facebook Marketplace, E-bay, Etsy and other on line services to sell them.
11. SAVE AT HOME BY CUTTING CONVENIENCE FOODS, FAST FOOD, MICROWAVE PORTIONS, ETC.
Instead of eating at fast food restaurants or attacking food as soon as you get home, try some simple and healthy replacements that you can carry with you. An hour in the kitchen working on weekends allows you to have a lot of ready portions that will save a lot of money.
12. FOUR COOKING PORTIONS INSTEAD OF ONE
The next time you prepare a meal, make four servings instead of one: eat one portion and the other three put in the fridge or freezer. So next time you need a quick meal, take one of those portions and heat it: easy-peazy! Also, cooking in large quantities will enable you to buy ingredients in large batches, saving on the price per kg and saving much more than eating out or warming up prepackaged meals.
13. FREQUENT FLEA MARKETS
I really love these shops. Some that I personally have found and like include Vintage Garage Chicago Flea Market, and Heritage Trail Mall where you can find lots of things which you can reinvent for a very good price.
14. COMPARE PRICES AND LOCATE THE CHEAPEST SUPERMARKET
A lot of us are accustomed to always buying from the same supermarket, although often they are not the most competitive on the products we buy regularly. Make a list of the 20 products you buy regularly and then go buy them in all surrounding supermarkets. A comparison of receipts will tell you which one is most convenient for your shopping. Stick to it and automatically save money!!!
15. WHEN PURCHASING ITEMS, LOOK FIRST IN SECOND HAND OR USED
Very often you can find the same object with a few searches online(amazon, ebay, facebook marketplace, etc) or used in the industry online stores: used game shops, used clothing store, etc. Simply introduce these stores in your routine and check their prices before deciding on a purchase.
16. MAINTAIN CLEAN HANDS
17. REMOVE YOUR CREDIT CARD DATA FROM ONLINE ACCOUNTS
18. RE-EVALUATE WHAT YOU HAVE AROUND THE HOUSE
Go to every room and browse what is in it. Do you really need that item? Are you glad it's there or would you rather it be somewhere else? Maybe it hasn't been used for years. It is generating only clutter while it might have value for someone else. SELL IT! Make money by improving your perception of value of your house. Take this opportunity while cleaning up.
19. TRY GENERIC BRANDS FOR THE PRODUCTS YOU BUY REGULARLY
Instead of buying all name-brand, check out the generic or equivalent sub-brand of the same product. At the very least, you can save a few cents immediately, but you will also discover that the unknown brands or products bearing the mark of the supermarket chain that sell them, are as good as the originals. The same name-brands typically produce the sub-brand products...just changing the packaging.
20. DO NOT JUST GO TO THE MALL TO WASTE TIME
It would just be an encouragement to spend money that you do not have to buy things that do not serve a purpose. Find other places to spend your free time: the park, a museum(especially now for holidays there are a lot of free museum days), the house of a friend or your home. Do not use shopping as entertainment and you will be well underway.
21. ADOPT THE 10 SECOND RULE
Every time you pick up an item from a shelf to add it to the cart, pause for 10 seconds and ask yourself why you're buying it and if you really need it. If you can not find a good answer, put it back in its place. This will limit your impulse purchases.
22. BROWSE YOUR CLOTHES
If you have the need to regularly buy new clothes, first review what you have and identify what you can still use. I did this by reordering my closet. Later, when I folded my clothes, I was surprised to realize how much of those I forget to wear. Take the clothes from the bottom of the wardrobe and place them forward. Your wardrobe will change automatically. Get the buried clothes and keep them at the top. You'll feel like a new person, and you will not have the need to buy new clothes.
23. BRING WITH YOU A PICNIC LUNCH
Instead of going out for lunch, bring lunch from home. With a little careful preparation, and only a few minutes in the morning, you can create something very good, saving a lot of money every day.
24. LEARN TO BE A MINIMALIST DRESSER
Only buy clothes that go well with each other and can potentially have twice as many combinations. I like to buy simple clothes that you can combine with a lot of interesting accessories. Just mix everything together, while still being careful to match.
25. CHECK OUT THE FREE SERVICES OF YOUR CITY
In every city you can find parks, communal areas with free wifi, open areas, etc. This gives you the opportunity to spend your free time, all you need to do is discover them and make use of them. Every month I receive in the mail a magazine with the city programs; from there I can choose the activities which I want for free or with discounts.
26. HAIR
I decided to save money on my hairdresser, who cost me more than 100 dollars per month, by deciding to do it by myself. I was equipped with all the necessary tools and, with some tutorials, I'm in line to definitely save at least 100 dollars.
27. FREQUENT THE LIBRARY
The library is a place where you can feel free and where you can invest time learning new things, browsing the internet, finding free local newspapers, and informing yourself about community events. The best thing is that it does not cost a single penny.
28. TAKE NOTE OF YOUR EXPENSES
Annotating and categorizing all your expenses will allow you to optimize and monitor the outgoing cash flows. Personally, I have a notebook where I write down all the incoming and outgoing cash flows. I keep all receipts to be able to write down in my notebook. How much do you spend on entertainment and dining out?
29. VOLUME USERS
There are many objects that can be used in large quantities, like what is not ruined with time such as a trash bags or detergent for the washing machine. Purchasing in large quantities (especially if done during a sale period), reduces in a significant way the unit cost. We ourselves did this kind of shopping when we moved into our apartment. We did it at COSTCO, and we still have not run out of certain things from that day months ago.
30. DIGITAL COUPONS
When you buy online, around the website you can typically find saving coupons/codes posted. You can then use them in said website, which will allow you to get a % discount on the purchase. We did this for our wedding and we saved a lot of money.
SAVE MONEY AND BE HAPPY!!!
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