6 Money Saving Tricks You Can Start Today

Hi there, Friends! I hope you are well today! I come to you today with a little post to help you save up a little money or help to pay off some debt. I have paid off a decent amount of debt over the years by implementing many of these tricks. 

I will preface this by saying that some of these tricks may be outdated, but could still be easily implemented. A few of the saving tricks were used when cash was still used a bit! But having that money tucked away where I couldn’t easily get to it was really helpful!

Always start by making a list to know exactly what you are working with. Document everything in and everything out. No Exceptions. Total it all up. Make sure you set aside extra for gas, groceries, fun time stuff, etc. 

Then, go through your expenses and cut out everything unnecessary. If saving is the goal here, it needs to be a priority and you will have to make a few sacrifices. 

Trick #1- Budget- this seems basic, but it’s going to set the foundation for what you have to spend between paychecks. Sit down with a calendar and figure out when every payday is and when every regular bill is due. Plan out which paycheck will cover which bill and how much will be left over afterward. Then figure out how much you need for gas and groceries, etc. with whatever is leftover, you will figure out how much of that you will put in savings each paycheck. That part is completely up to you and your motivation level. The more you save, the faster you will reach your goal. If you are paying off debt, this leftover amount can be an extra payment you send to help pay off the debt faster or double your next payment.

Trick #2- List out your top 3-5 savings goals. Get one of those little receipts or coupon accordion-style files. Write out one savings goal on each file tab. Start with the priority savings goal, i.e. saving for a house. Then move on and label them in order of decreasing importance. Each paycheck, take out a certain amount to put into each savings goal. You can choose how you want to disperse the funds. You can put a lot into one, and a little in the rest, or equal parts, etc. Set a certain amount of time to do this and then reassess when that time arrives. If you are saving to pay off debt, once every three months or so, you could put that money towards an extra payment towards the debt. 

Always leave this at home. You don’t want to tempt yourself to spend it!

When I set mine up I had priority one was paying off debt, then saving for nursing school classes, general savings, and emergencies. Always have one spot for an emergency! I would put a little less into this one because I never touched this one so, theoretically, this one wouldn’t get used and would build up. This was saved for real emergencies. Like when my car battery died. Having this bit of money set aside was so helpful. I didn’t have enough to cover the entire bill but having something extra to put towards it was less of a strain on regular finances. Also, I didn’t have to take anything out of my regular savings to help cover it. It seems kind of redundant, but this way worked for me. 

Trick #3-Side gigs- Online surveys, playing games, submitting receipts. There are a ton of these sites out there now. You won’t get rich, but it can be a help to have a little extra “Beer Money” sometimes. And that is always a good thing. I will have a post on my blog with descriptions and links for the sites that I like the best. If you’re in a mom group with me, I’m sure you’ve seen me post these before. Anytime anyone asks for ways to make extra money or for a second income option, I also recommend these sites. 

Trick #4- Evaluate where you shop. 

-Shop Famer’s Markets. You get a fresher product and help support your neighbors. 

-Buy store brands and shop at cheaper grocery stores. We save a ton by shopping at Aldi and using their store brand. We can find a substitute for just about everything there. 

Trick #5- Evaluate how you shop-

-Use store brands whenever possible. They are usually pretty similar but cost less. 

-Buy in bulk when you can. We eat a lot of rice, so we buy the 10lb bag every time. It saves us a little bit there. 

-Use coupons. You can easily get them from your regular mail or the weekly newspaper or even print them off the internet. And store apps allow you to simply load the coupons onto your loyalty card for use at checkout. Some stores will even double coupons on certain days of the week. 

-Shop sales and stock up when you can. I always grab extra meat and chicken when it goes on sale and freeze whatever we don’t use within a few days. 

-Sign up for the store’s loyalty card and usually receive all kinds of extra deals. Sometimes, these in-store deals can be combined with coupons for an added discount. 

-Shop the clearance aisle first. If you start there, you can see how much of your shopping list you can use discounted items for. 

Trick #6-Only pay with cash. I used to pull out the money that I needed for the week and divvy it between groceries, gas, fun money, etc. I kept each one separate from the other and only used it for what it was meant for. This helped me stay within my grocery budget. If I knew I only had a certain amount of cash with me to pay for groceries, then I was more thoughtful about how I shopped. 

Alright, friends! I am going to cut myself off there for now. But I have a feeling there will either be a continuation of this post or possibly an update to this one in the near future.

Please do keep in mind, I am in no way a financial expert. These are just tricks that have helped me, but I hope y’all find some of this information useful. Have a great day!!!

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