Save time and money with my best-selling resources in Complete Change Your Finances Bundle.
Inside: 52 simple tips to greatly reduce your monthly expenses, boost your savings, and create financial peace. Do one each week and create more margin in your finances so you can breathe without watching every penny.
I come alive with a big grin and a glint in my eye anytime I can save money. Whether it’s getting off the phone with my insurance broker after getting the news that there’s a better rate for my car insurance, finding a pair of pants for $3.47, or closing out my monthly budget with an extra $126 I can put into savings.
Yes, it’s the thrill of a deal.
But more than that, money I can put into savings today will grow so I can continue to create a better financial future for my family - with a 3 month emergency fund, buying a house, and putting money aside for retirement.
Since I’ve made a choice to live below my means and not carry any debt (March 17, 2010 is my debt-freeversary) if I want anything that means putting money aside until I can pay for it in cash.
52 simple tips to greatly reduce your monthly expenses, boost your savings, and create financial peace. do one each week!
These are real things I’ve done to save money. Along with a handful of ideas that the friendly community over on my Facebook page have used - believe me I’ll be trying the new ones myself!
In a hurry? Click here to get all the 52 tips to save money worksheet with a handy savings tracker.
Since life is full, I like to focus on one way to save money every week so I can continue to make progress in bite-sized pieces without trying to do everything all at once. That’s a sure way to get overwhelmed and give up, telling yourself that it’s impossible to save money.
Which isn’t true!
Every amount of savings you can find or create builds upon each other, making the end result incredible, like the time I saved over $19k in one year when I’d convinced myself I wasn’t a saver.
Here are 52 Frugal Tips to Save You Money
- 1Review your cell phone plan to make sure you’re using what you pay for and get rid of any features you don’t use, like that 4G of data when you only use 2G.
- 2While you’re at it, check to see if your employer offers a discount for your phone or other places you shop or services you use. Related: Saving Money Like A Boss
- 3
Go through your bank statement and cancel any automatic payments/subscriptions that no longer fit your lifestyle (Dollar Shave Club, Gym, etc). Related: 11 Simple And Easy Ideas to Improve Your Monthly Savings
- 4Adjust your thermostat just a few degrees (lower in the winter and higher in the summer).
- 5
Call an insurance broker to see if you have the best car/home rates - ask them to shop around and switch if there’s a better rate.
- 6Anytime you decrease a monthly bill (as in #1, #4, #5), keep the amount the same in your budget for ongoing monthly savings - and be intentional about using this extra money towards your current money goal. Related: Breakthrough A Powerful Money Mindset That's Holding You Back
- 7If you fill your prescriptions at a grocery store, ask if there’s a promotion for any new or transferred prescription or if they have a prescription punch card. We get our prescriptions at Safeway and can get a $25-50 gift card for every new prescription plus they have a punch card for a $50 gift card when you fill 5 scripts.
Click here to download the FREE 52 ways to save checklist and savings tracker - and make a plan to focus on one way each week to save money.
For an easy-to-use budget worksheet, get the free Prioritized Expenses and Budget.
- 8Plan your impulse shopping - setting aside a certain amount of money each month to spend on whatever you feel like will give you the spending release and keep you from blowing your budget. Related: A Little-Known Trick To Make You Stop Splurging
- 9Decrease your spending without feeling deprived - is there an area you really want to cut back in? Groceries? Eating out? Target runs? Calculate how much you spent last month, and decrease the amount in your budget by 10% each month until you get down to a reasonable level.
- 10Want to get out of the house but want to save money even more? Here’s 40 Cheap Ways to Have Fun on the Weekend (most are free!) and here’s another 25 awesome ways to have fun on a budget
- 11Set up a prioritized budget - Find out where your money is going and see if there’s any places your hard-earned money is growing wings and flying away - then work to decrease it (see #8). *Bonus - most people find they have more money than they thought and a budget is a powerful tool to pay off debt and save money even faster.
- 12Don’t spend money buying something you already have at home. Related: Get Your Financial House In Order
- 13Bundle policies - can you bundle your phone and internet? What about car and home/renters insurance? A quick call or email to an insurance broker is all it takes to find out.
- 14Get rid of bank fees - is your bank charging you fees? Shop around to see if there’s another bank or a credit union that doesn’t have any fees and switch. I did this and found a credit union that offered Cash Back rewards for using the debit card as a credit transaction! Related: How To Pay Every Bill On Time And Pay Zero Late Fees
- 15Review your cable bill - negotiate the rates and pay for only the services you use. Or look at alternatives such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime. Related: 11 Easy Ways To Save Money On Monthly Expenses
- 16Go to the library instead of buying books. I now live right around the corner from a library and can place a hold request, so all I have to do is show up and check it out. Millionaire Woman Next Door is a fantastic book. Related: Impact Your Family's Finances
- 17Guilty splurge - cup of gourmet coffee? Snack run at the store? Cut out just one splurge each week. Related: 19 Ways To Bring In Extra Money Fast
- 18Sell things you no longer need at home. I like to use Offer Up, but Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, eBay, and yard sales are all great places to sell things too.
- 19
Close out your monthly budget and skim off any money you had budgeted for, but didn’t spend. (ex. I budgeted $70 for my cell phone and the bill was $66.87 - so I skim off $3.13)
Click here to download all these great ways to save
- 20
Turn off Budget Billing on your utilities - while I LOVE having the same amount for each month because it’s easier to budget…. a friend told me that the utilities company will often charge more and keep a running balance. It’s better to average the last 12 months of your electric bills, place the average into your monthly budget and into savings earmarked for utilities. I checked and sure enough, I’ll be saving $100 Get the Home Energy Guide here (affiliate link)
- 21Multiple savings accounts - Inside my monthly budget, I put line items for annual bills (insurance, Christmas, car repairs, savings goals etc) and put the money directly into their own savings account. That way I know exactly how much I have for each item and have the money when the bill is due.
- 22Use Ebates when you shop online to get cash back. Get a $10 bonus when you sign up with this (affiliate) link. I’ve gotten over $176 in cash back.
- 23
Calculate how much should be in your grocery budget - based on what your family actually eats. Usually it’s a whole lot lower than what you currently spend. Related: How to Set a Realistic Grocery Budget That You Can Stick To
- 24
Change your own oil - My husband has found the cheapest place to buy oil and air filters is from Walmart. Related: Buying A Used Car That's Worth Your Money
- 25
Eat at home one more night a week. Related: How To Make Cheap And Easy Stir Fry
- 26Stock up when items are on sale at the grocery store - that way you don’t have to make an emergency run to the store while dinner is cooking and pay full price. You can shop from your pantry.
- 27
Unplug small appliances when not in use. Related: 5 Ways To Cut Your Electric Bill
- 28
Don’t pay full price for purchases - you can shop different retailers on your phone to compare prices and find coupons, or buy used from thrift stores, OfferUp, eBay, Facebook marketplace. Related: Scan your receipts and get cash back with Ibotta. Get a $10 bonus when you sign up with this link I’ve gotten over $126 cash back.
Click here to download the FREE 52 ways to save worksheet.
Get control of your finances with the Change Your Finances Bundle!
Easily Reduce Your Monthly Expenses, Boost Your Savings, And Create Financial Peace With These 52 Simple Tips - Do One Each Week
- 29Put a brick or a filled water bottle (gatorade size works well) inside the back of your toilet tank to save on your water bill.
- 30Bring your own drinks and snacks anytime you go somewhere instead of buying something there. *Make your own and save even more. Related: How To Stretch Your Groceries When You Have No Money
- 31Save all your coins and roll them once a month. You can match the total with your on hand cash and put it away towards a money goal you have.
*Alternatively, you can put every $5 bill into savings, save every quarter, etc. Related: How To Increase My Savings By $500
- 32If something breaks at home, check online to see if you can fix it or how you can make something else work in its place.
- 33Track your progress towards paying off debt or saving money visually.
- 34Make multiple meals from one chicken whole chicken -check out the 4 meals I made for a total of 31 servings of food from one chicken.
- 35Turn off lights when you’re not in the room. Related: 11 Easy Ways To Save Money On Monthly Expenses
- 36Open windows and use fans when it’s nice outside instead of turning on your A.C. Related: 12 Ways To Cut Costs
- 37Make a grocery list and stick to it when you go to the store.
Click here to download the FREE 52 ways to save checklist and savings tracker - and get started today with saving money!
- 38Delete online store apps from your phone.
- 39Minor (or major) car repairs? Find a video on YouTube walking you through the repair and do it yourself. This has saved us tens of thousands.
- 40Unplug phone chargers when not in use.
- 41Cook with leftovers in mind - cook up a big batch of meat once and use it for several meals.
- 42Or double the recipe and put half into the freezer for those busy nights. Related: Meal Planning eMeals
- 43Have cable or satellite? Put your TV and box on a power strip when no in use (menu on the cable box updates every 30 minutes). Related: 4 Things That Need To Be At The Top Of Your Budget
- 44Water down things like conditioner or fabric softener to make them last longer.
- 45Make your own baked goods (muffins, cookies, cake etc) instead of buying them. Related: 18 Ways To Have A Frugal Heart-Felt Christmas
- 46Don’t have an ingredient? Google a substitute instead of going to the store in the middle of dinner and paying full price. Related: 32 Frugal Soup Ideas
- 47Start a little competition with your spouse - how much can you save off of a certain budget item (i.e. groceries, entertainment, clothing etc)?
- 48Barter for something you need with a skill you have (i.e. if you have a friend who cuts hair, can you give her a night of babysitting for a haircut?). Related: Surprised By Hope In A Time Of Unemployment
- 49Stay home, invite friends over for a potluck/desserts and have a game night.
- 50Want to buy something? Wait 24 hours or a week and see if you still want it. Related: 5 Proven Steps To Get Your Financial House In Order
- 51Remove your stored credit/debit cards on online retail sites.
- 52
Save 65% on 5 of my best-selling resources to help change your finances (psst.. They’ve helped over 1,527 women and counting, gain control of their finances, freedom and peace of mind… and they’ll work for you too!)
You are a saver. It may not feel like it right now, when you look at your savings account, but there’s the desire to save money so you can breathe without watching every penny or trying to decide which bills get paid.
You also want to save money for emergencies, repairs, and retirement. You want to be able to have money set aside for vacations and other fun things you want to do with money.
This desire to save is so amazing! I love how you want to have a better financial future for your family and you’re actively working towards it.
Click here to download the FREE 52 ways to save checklist and savings tracker - every single item on the list will help you change your finances and create a better future
I promise you’ll be surprised by how much you will be able to save in this coming year!
If you liked this post, can you please share it? Thanks!
Your turn, tell me below what you are saving for!
Related posts
My honest opinion of Master Your Money Super Bundle
You can have a better financial future.Peace of mind.Freedom to
Day 14 Ladies Savings Challenge: Internet
It's Day 14 of our Ladies' Savings Challenge!In the yesterday's
Day 13 Ladies Savings Challenge: Abundance Audit
It's Day 13 of our Ladies' Savings Challenge!In the yesterday's
Hi! I’m Charissa. I’m on a mission to help hardworking women overcome money struggles and gain financial peace with a Biblical perspective so they can have the freedom to impact their families and communities. Ready to make some changes that will impact your finances in 2020? Click here to get a free worksheet to help you make it happen!
