16 Ways to Save Money Every Month
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Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel trying to make money and build your dreams? Money doesn’t grow on trees, but there are ways you can save money every month when running a home daycare that don’t have to feel like misery.
How much money to save every month?
How much money you save every month is up to you. What are your goals? Where are your priorities? Is it more important for you to have nights out with your friends than to be a homeowner? Then you may save a little less each month than someone else will.
Are you saving up for a big occasion like your wedding or your child’s graduation? You may need to get super serious about saving and batten down the hatches.
When we were young, my family didn’t earn enough money to save much, but getting an emergency fund in place like Dave Ramsey suggests is a great idea. When you need something important, you can borrow from yourself and not owe outrageous amounts of interest on the money you need.
How to save money every day
There are so many ways you can reduce costs in your everyday life. Think about all of the disposable income you waste and start there. Can you make coffee at home and skip the expensive coffee drinks? Can you cook your own dinner and skip the drive-through? These things are good for not only your wallet but also the environment and your body.
Ways to save money on a tight budget
If you get a raise at your job, don’t use that extra income and make more bills, tuck it away in savings and let it add up. Another way to build savings is to sock away every extra dollar that comes in.
Did you get a rebate, a bonus, work some overtime or get some other unexpected check? Put it right into savings. You’ll never miss it.
Get rid of non-essentials or ask for a better deal on them. There are tons of things we spend money on that we don’t need. Cell phones, internet service, newspapers, gym memberships, none of it is essential. But we like having it right?
Can you read the paper online? What about switching cell services to Cricket or another cheaper service and save a bundle? Can you change cable or internet companies and get a better deal? You can even call your provider and tell them you want a cheaper service. You’d be surprised how much you can save if you tell your company you’re going to switch.
Shop around for necessities such as insurance. Get quotes from multiple companies and pick one that is less expensive.
Pinch your pennies and save your change in a jar or even your single bills. You’ll be surprised how fast it can add up. Get a container to drop them in and every month go and cash them in at the bank. Then drop the total into savings to help build your account.
Use coupons. I love how many online coupons are available now. So, I don’t feel like I have to waste a lot of resources buying the paper and throwing most of it in the recycle bin. Now, I can just pull them up on my phone at the store. I can also use coupons online at Amazon or JCPenney, they are available right on the site.
Another great way to use coupons without filling the landfill is to do coupon exchanges with other people and share the papers you have. Many times, you can also get the thrown out leftover coupons from the trash at the newspaper or from the recycling center. It’s a great way to get a ton of coupons without spending any money or creating more waste for the environment.
Buy things in season or on sale. Food that is in season is far less expensive because it’s available closer and in abundance. Another plus to buying food in season is it tastes so much better. There is also much less food waste going into the landfill from produce that is lost in transit if it travels less distance. I love that.
And using all you buy makes a huge difference in saving money on healthy food. Knowing what to eat to save money is not as complicated as you might think. And for easy frugal family dinner ideas, check this out.
Also check out these money saving ideas:
Check these ideas out for using all you buy:
- Can You Freeze Strawberries?
- Can You Freeze Cream Cheese?
- Can You Freeze Avocados?
- Can You Freeze Bananas?
Buying in season doesn’t just mean food either. When you buy seasonal items for your home right after a holiday for the following year, you can save a bundle on them. This also means less waste for the environment. If stores can sell products to you for dirt cheap prices, they will be sending less to the dump.
Everything has a season. Homes are less expensive in the spring. Clothing is on sale at back to school time and holiday time as well as at the end of each season when clearance items are available.
Travel is less expensive at off-peak times. Avoid summer, spring break and Christmas for travel. Think about when school is out and travel when it’s in. Lodging, meals, and entertainment is less expensive at off-peak times.
Carpeting and furniture are less expensive in January. Home electronics drop in price in February. Furniture goes on sale in the summer. Office and school supplies drop in price in August. Appliances go on sale in the fall. Always remember after Christmas sales as well. Buy things at their bottom prices.
Can you make coffee at home and skip the expensive coffee drinks? This will also help you save on single-use items that you only use once and then throw away. This habit can add up big time in good for the earth. Cut down on how much alcohol you consume. Have a drink at home before you meet your friends or don’t drink at all. This has a lot of benefits besides financial.
If you enjoy gambling, cut back on how much you go. This is a big way to give your money away that could be helping you live a better life now and in the future.
Stop smoking. You’ll save on future medical bills, lots of cleaning costs, landfill space AND save you a ton of cash.
There are so many things you can cut out that you just don’t need. It may hurt at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll be so glad you did. These things aren’t good for you anyway.
Take the bus, walk to work, ride your bike, buy a more fuel-efficient car, lawnmower or appliance. There are so many ways you can cut back on how much power you use. Turn your thermostat up two degrees in the summer and down two in the winter.
Turn off lights you are not using or plug-in strips. Don’t leave the tv on when no one’s watching. Turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth or between rinsing dishes. Be mindful of using gasoline, water, electricity and other resources. Think about how you could cut back.
When I drop a piece of ice on the floor, I pick it up and throw it in a plant instead of the sink. I make sure all electronics are turned off at night.
These changes can add up to big savings in your pocketbook and for the environment. I love making a difference in the future and this is one big way I can.
You can save a ton of money by snaking out your own drain, painting your own house or repairing your own car or dishwasher. You can learn to repair your clothing too. A lot of things can be learned on YouTube. You can also take a class to learn skills that will save you money in the future.
You can save a load of dough by not buying single-serve items. Carry a water bottle instead of buying bottled water. Buy a pound of cheese and cut it into chunks for snacks instead of buying individually wrapped cheese sticks.
Make granola bars and cut them instead of buying pre-made bars. The things you prepare will be much healthier, you’ll know just what is in them AND you’ll save packaging and waste to the environment while you’re saving money. Click here to see basic cooking skills you need to make things yourself.
I love how much packaging we save during garden season. No bags, no plastic wrappers, no mess. Just pick the food and bring it inside. Wash it and eat it. No trips to the store. The food is fresher and healthier and it tastes great.
Eating out can suck the life out of your budget in no time. You can save a ton by packing leftovers for lunch the next day or making dinner at home.
Buy in bulk
Bulk buying can save you a ton of money. You can get a 50-pound bag of beans for much cheaper per pound than one pound. Dump it in a plastic bucket and scoop out what you need. If you don’t have a big family, buy 10 pounds at a time. You’ll still see huge savings.
You can also buy other products besides food in bulk. When you buy a big bottle of dish soap at the store, it’s cheaper per ounce and you won’t have to make as many trips to the store.
When you take the time to cook something, make a double batch or more. This saves clean up time because you make the same mess but only clean it up once instead of multiple times. You also save energy such as gas or electricity.
Once you have it cooked, you can eat it two times in a row or freeze the second portion for a time when you don’t have time to cook. Just pop it in the oven to reheat and have an easy meal. This can also save you a ton of money if you have something to pull out on the nights you don’t feel like cooking. It will save you from running through a drive-through. Again, less wasted packaging from takeout and healthier too.
And check out these other ideas for reusing food scraps instead of throwing them away.
Learn to cook what you have. Pretend you’re on an episode of chopped and use up what’s on hand before it spoils. But produce weekly and plan your menus around what’s in season. Less food ends up in the landfill and less waste in your budget. Click here to see more about how to cut down on food waste.
It may not seem like you can save money by giving it, but what you give always comes back to you. Giving helps us to be grateful and helps us to see what we have. It helps us keep in mind the true value of life and that it’s not all wrapped up in money.
You can give more to charity than money, you can give things you no longer need. That can be tax-deductible and can save you money that way too. Plus, you won’t be putting things in the landfill and you will have less clutter in your home.
There are so many ways you can cut corners here and there. When I was young and couldn’t even afford to pay attention, finding little ways to save helped in big ways for the future. I still use them today and it helps me save money for the future. I love being self-sufficient and having the skills to better my life.
If you still need to produce more income, check out some of these side hustles for daycare providers to get you through the lean times.
What are your favorite ways to save?
