3-simple-ways-to-save-more-money

3 Simple Ways To Save More Money

3-simple-ways-to-save-more-money

Are you looking for ways to save more money and trim your personal expenses?

Well, some of your spending habits are just that… habits, and may be draining more money from your budget than you think. Here are just three ways to save more money…


 
The challenge is actually realizing where you are losing money, and then changing some of your spending habits which have been ingrained into your social behavior.

 

Coffee

save-money-change-coffee-habits

A large percentage of people come into work during the morning carrying a cup of coffee that they bought on the way in at a their favorite local coffee shop.

“What’s the big deal spending a few bucks a day for my morning coffee” you might say?

How about buying a nice travel mug, and bringing in your own that you made at home?

This will potentially save you at least $10 a week, $40 a month and $480 a year! 

If there are two people in your household getting a coffee every morning, you guessed it, by changing your habits your savings will jump to nearly  $1,000 per year! And that’s just considering $2 a day… do you get a muffin or breakfast with that??

 

Lunch

save-money-change-lunch-habits

A large percentage of people do not pack their own lunch and bring it to work. Many will take their lunch break at a sandwich shop, or buy take-out food nearby work.

I think it’s fair to say an average workday lunch from the local sandwich shop will run you anywhere from $5 to $10 per day.

Let’s take the middle ground and use $7. If you brown bagged it even just twice a week, you will save money amounting to $14 per week, $56 per month and $672 per year! …that’s just twice a week.

What if you brown bagged it every day?  That’s a savings of $35 a week, $140 a month and $1680 in a year! True, it does cost to make your own lunch, but in comparison, that cost is drastically reduced.

Packing your own lunch is not only a smart choice but often a healthier choice! Don’t use the excuse that you don’t have time to pack a lunch… It’s just a matter of habit, and might only consume 5 minutes of your time in the morning (or night before). What about just packing some of your leftovers from dinner last night?

 

Restaurants

save-money-change-restaurant-habits

Particularly in and around cities, a surprising number of people will frequent a restaurant for dinner, or stop on their way home to pick up ‘take-out’ for dinner. 

If you are a ‘chronic’ offender who eat out a-lot, or pick up dinner at least once or twice a week (or more), you’re spending a lot of money unnecessarily.

Who wants to go home and cook, right?  We all should! And for reasons beyond just saving money… We should be able to feed ourselves without being dependent upon other systems to do it for us.

Depending on your existing habits, you could easily save hundreds of dollars a month by reducing or eliminating your habit of eating out.

 
These three simple steps have the potential to save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each year! We are all creatures of habit. By simply changing some of yours, you could put more money in your pocket…

It’s all food for thought.

13 Comments

  1. For people that say they don’t have time to cook try using a crock pot for dinner. You can throw just about anything in there and get a good meal. It doesn’t have to even be prepared most of the time. Throw a frozen piece of beef, a couple of onions,a couple of carrots some water and some potatoes in there in the morning and you have pot roast when you get home. You can do the same thing with a bag of beans and a ham hock. Great dinner for a couple of days or that lunch you want to take to work and only about 10 min. prep time.

    1. Working 3 jobs (im getting while the getting is good!….but we don’t have any kids to worry about either…) but working 3 jobs doesn’t leave me time to cook…but that’s why i’m a weekend warrior when it comes to canning and dehydrating. So nice to come home and pop open a jar of yummy homemade goodness. There’s always time to fit in what is important!

  2. If you don’t enact these now you’re not truly in the mindset to save in the first place and you can’t be helped.

  3. We have a major grocery store that offers .10 off a gallon of gas for every hundred dollars you spend in their store. Yes you have to have their store card, but I buy groceries every week anyway, so I don’t care if they track that info. Anyway the points build up every week and sometimes they offer bonuses like an extra .30 off if you spend at least $25. The only catch is they expire after a month, and once you use your points you have to start over. So we bought a couple of extra gas cans and once a month we fill up the car and the gas cans for a savings of about .50 to 1.10 a off a gallon of gas. The last time we filled up we paid 2.70 a gallon. If you fill up once a week like most people you may only see a savings of .10 or .20 a gallon depending on your grocery budget. They do have a limit of up to $2 off a gallon with a limit of 35 gallons but the savings do add up if you can get gas once a month.

    1. We love that too, Peanut_Gallery. More people should take advantage of it.

  4. Wondering what our grandparents would have thought of this all….am suspecting they would be astonished at what most consider “normal” and/or “necessities”..

    there is so much, in other articles/comments in this blog, re saving money/being frugal/living better, it is difficult to think of so far unmentioned suggestions, but will give it a try, just for the heck of it…(these are ones I have tried and lived with/someone I know has tried/lived with)…

    -use dish soap to wash hair, and buy only the cheapest cream rinse if necessary to use for detangling/smoothness
    -if scalp feels flaky, or build up , or even dandruff, try table sale (generously) put on scalp, and give it a good scrub, then wash.
    -use dish soap routinely as hand soap
    -eat the peels of your veg/fruit, as much as possible…(apples/carrots/potatoes/etc)…healthier/more filling/more fibre/more nutrition…
    -buy at least some of your clothing at second hand/thrift stores/garage sales
    -every so often eat more modestly for a week, put the saved funds aside for emergency or prep food
    -if you have like minded relatives/friends, instead of gifts trade/gift items you currently have, which would be appreciated/enjoyed…(an unused pot might be useful to others/a picture/art not your favorite, likewise)
    -research what supplements/diet choices/herbs might be added to diet to maintain hair color, instead of paying money to dye it
    -if you are a unskilled (lousy) gardener, is there one thing you can grow, which you might then trade with someone who can grow something else?
    -if brown bagging it is “not cool” / embarrassing…could you “start a trend” — make it cool?
    -if your kids ask you for something (to buy them), smile sweetly and tell them it sounds fascinating…..how will they be earning the money for it?
    -EAT your leftovers…seriously…many do NOT
    -Cook less so you do not have leftovers
    -ONLY use discount coupons for products you actually use/like
    -Eat what is on the table (this applies to Adults as well as children…- have known many adults who claim not to be hungry at meal time, only to scrounge later)
    -Shop carefully – items on sale are not always cheaper than similar brands
    -Shop carefully – larger sizes (cans of beans/juice/veg etc), are not always cheaper than equal amount of smaller sizes.
    -If someone offers you a chance to pick their fruit tree for free, please do
    -Think back to when you were a kid…how was money saved/spent then?

    1. Don’t use dish washing or clothes cleaning soap or liquid to clean your hands or skin. They contain harsh chemicals to kill bacteria and clean those particular products.
      These soaps kill the “good bacteria” on your hands and skin that protect you against various germs etc that you pick up.
      You should wear gloves when cleaning dishes or handling clothes cleaning chemicals.
      Make sure you use only soaps designed for cleaning your skin – if not you will pay for it later on in life. Same goes for skin products.

      Brown bags (or doggie bags)are banned in my particular area. It was found that leftover cafe or restaurant food contributed to pathogen stomach ailments.

      Be careful with your own left overs – particular poultry products

  5. If you want a safe “cleaner” to use to wash yourself with and household stuff, try Dr Bronners soaps. Safe and well trusted. Make your own laundry soap, is another money saver. Kindle offers free e-books, or just go to your local library. Look up frugal living websites.

  6. Good article Ken, and good advice too. Although your math is a tiny bit off. If you brown bag your lunch (for example) you will save money, but you still have to buy the food you bring with you, so you don’t really save the entire $7 a day. Still good advice though, and the few dollars saved adds to the health benefits of not eating crappy fast food.

  7. Try going to farmers markets for vegetables & fruits–usually the price is much lower and the produce is fresher. Good way to eat healthier & try the various seasonal items.

  8. I can’t believe people seriously use dish soap to wash their hair or skin. Hair needs to have a certain amount of natural oil to be soft and tangle free. If hair is really that unimportant just cut it off.

    I’ve been shopping at thrift stores my whole adult life. It allows me to wear nice, brand-name clothes while spending even less than if I’d bought new things at Wal Mart. But really, the biggest things people can do to save money are 1) get out of debt and 2) limit the monthly bills. Every time you let some website or movie service hit you up for 10 bucks a month, that starts adding up really fast. Pay your car insurance all at once at the start of the policy and they’ll give you a discount. Front load your expenses as much as you can.

  9. to RandomPasserby…possibly you are right for most dish soap…however, there is one, and as long as the household version (as opposed to commercial which looks much the same but for word Industrial) is bought, it is very good….

    I understand your skepticism, but I have to say, I have been using this for about thirty five yrs, with only the odd time not. I do use a good shampoo from time to time, and I have always used cream rinse or conditioner. (sometimes the very cheapest, sometimes a good one. As well I ninety per cent of the time use this dish soap for hands/body wash/etc.. Occassionally wil use the “regular stuff”, but not to often. I started using this about thirty five yrs ago to save money, and also for allergies. I found most all regular stuff really gave me problems. Even the “non” allergenic stuff, and it was/is pricey.

    so, having explained all that, I have to say, despite using this same brand liquid dishsoap for most every thing for about thirty five yrs, I with long hair, constantly get comments on how healthy /shiny it is. Few split ends. I (on the few times I go) get asked when I do go for a trip, what I use on my long hair, as almost every hairdresser comments they have never seen such healthy strong hair. Re my skin/face/hands. By no means to I look young for my age/but neither do I look older for my age. Again, I get frequent comments on my skin – soft/nice/great looking.

    Having said the above, I, all my life, due to allergies, have stayed away fr much of the chemicals/makeup/gunk which many use. Maybe that helps. I do admit, if I heard of someone using dishsoap for most everything, I too would be skeptical..but…what works works.

    The odd time I would use head and shoulders, as I would get a bit of build up on my scalp. I wasn’t happy about using chemicals, since I work hard to avoid them. I tried rubbing my scalp with baking soda (as I have read many do), but was not happy. Inspiration struck, and when washing, (if it feels in need), I give my scalp a good rub with salt (any salt seems fine). Rinse, and shampoo (with dish soap). It works a treat. Hve been doing the salt scrub for about a year now, and all is good.

    (by the way, I too buy MUCH at the second hand thrift shop)

  10. My local supermarket marks down perishable items close to closing time, about 9 pm. So I go there at 8:30 and collect half price chickens, cheap bread/milk/cheese/yoghurt/smallgoods/meat.

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