Are you looking to save some extra money each month? Aren’t we all? Sometimes the easiest way to save money is to stop spending it on things. Sounds simple, right? Well, the easiest way to leave a little more cash in your account is to curb some of our most common expenditures. Now I know this can be tough. It’s the little things in life that we love right? I’m not saying you have to eliminate these things, but curbing just a few every month, will leave you with extra cash. And extra cash is what we’re all after!
- Starbucks/Coffee– Now I’m not saying you should quit your coffee habit cold turkey. I don’t think you’re loved ones, or your boss would probably appreciate. But what about just curbing it a bit. Like for instance, if you buy coffee every day, maybe you curb it to 2-3 /per week? It won’t kill you, I promise. This will add up to a savings of over $75/month! And you don’t have to quit, just buy some nice coffee, creamer, syrups and make them at home. After a while, you may grow to love your homebrew more than spending the money on other coffee. Just try it!
- Cigarettes– Now this is an expensive habit. While I’ve never smoked, I’ve lived with one for almost 12 years. And when you break down how much he spends (pack a day), over a month, or even a year, it’s astonishing. If the average price of a pack of cigarettes is $7, and that’s probably low, a monthly pack a day user spends $210/month, or over $2500/year! That’s crazy!! And don’t even get me started on the health problems associated with smoking, or the increase in health insurance costs between a smoker and non-smoker. I understand that this is probably one of the toughest things to quit, but it’s imperative. Not only for your health but your pocketbook. Try nicotine patches or the gum. Get a prescription for Chantix. Or just try to taper down. Every bit helps, both your health and your wallet.
- Eating Out– Eating out is one of those things that we often pay no attention to, and it’s a real problem. Eating out for lunch every day will cost you an average of $50/week, over $2400/year. That’s a lot of money in In-N-Out burgers and shakes. I understand that it’s sometimes inevitable, we’re traveling for work, we’ve got a work lunch meeting. But planning ahead and bringing your lunch to work, even 2-3 days a week, will help substantially. To the tune of saving you $120-$130/month. It’s a no-brainer really.
- Magazine/Subscriptions– Don’t get me wrong, I love a good rag magazine. Set me down with some potato chips, and the newest People magazine and I’m happy! But make no mistakes, it’s not worth paying for the subscription. EVER. With the advent of the internet, you can find almost all articles and info about whatever you’re interested in online for free. Oh and don’t forget about the library. You can go in there and sit to your heart’s content and read about every Kardashian there is.
- Switch to Pay-As-You-Go-Phones– This use to be a huge thing as far as saving money, but honestly many regular phone companies offer such great deals on phone plans, such a T-mobile, it’s almost a thing of the past. There are companies like Tello, and even Mint mobile, where you can find good deals. But honestly, if you don’t wanna mess with changing companies, or numbers, you can always call your current provider, and opt for a cheaper plan, say without data, or ask for a break in your rate. Most will go out of their way to make you happy so you don’t cancel service.
- Cut/Dye Hair at home– I know plenty of you are like, what?? Are you kidding me? Nope. Cuz I do this. I realize that a lot of men, let their wives cut their hair, or go somewhere cheap like Sportclips for a $8/haircut. But for most of us women, that’s not the feasible. I’ve always gone to salons. And it’s super expensive and time-consuming. See, while I’m relatively young, I have a lot of grey hair. Like my whole head. So I’d spend 3 hours in a salon, getting my hair dyed and highlighted just to cover these buggers. And guess what, they’ll be back in a month. I have a relatively easy layered bob haircut. Oh, and did I mention that it would cost me $250/with tip? I couldn’t take it. So I got brave, watched some Youtube videos and started doing it myself. And guess what, it’s not that hard. I bought higher end hair color, that kind that colored greys good, and went to town. Now I can color and trim my own hair in the privacy of my home, every month. It’s great and one of the best decisions I ever made. I get that this isn’t for everyone, but if you’re not too scared, just try it. I’m not against salons, I love the results, but I’m pretty frugal, and probably would only use them 1x or 2x a year at this point.
- Cancel Cable– Before I canceled my last cable account with DirectTv, I was paying $120/month for a basic package, no extra channels. I’d been with them for over 12 years and they didn’t seem too interested in lowering my package. (until I left that is!) I did, and still do have Netflix and Hulu. So I made the decision to cancel Directv and went with SlingTV. It doesn’t come with live local channels, but everything I wanted to watch, like Modern Family, I can watch the day after on Hulu. I got all the same channels and HBO and my bill is now $45. ⅓ of the price of regular cable. We’ve had great service and very little problems. Highly recommend making the switch!
- Cancel You Gym Membership– Now by all means if you go daily, keep it. It’s worth it for the stress relief, and health benefits. I had been a gym rat for years and years. Now. Not so much. Since getting my puppy, who is a crazy wildman, I’ve taken to walking him 3 miles every morning. It’s great exercise, he needs it, and it’s got me on a great routine. Trust me, he’s the best alarm clock I’ve ever had! I was scared and slightly let down to cancel my membership, but I wasn’t using it at this time. I’ve always loved the gym, but it simply doesn’t make sense to keep paying $50/month for something that I don’t use, and currently don’t have time for. And besides, the gym isn’t going anywhere, you can always sign back up!
I know reading over these, you think, “gosh, but I like all those things”. Well I do, or did too. But guess what, making a sacrifice sometimes is great for our psyche! It lets us know that we’re disciplined to curb or stop the unnecessary things in our lives for a greater good. And think of all the extra money in your account! Take a chance and just cut out 1 or 2 things this month. Take that money and put it into a savings account, or better yet, put it toward your debt! I can almost guarantee you won’t miss these things, and your bank account will thank you!
