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Here’s a few incredible ways to save more money and live frugally with ease.
From saving big bucks at the grocery store to sneaky ways to earn more money on things that you have right in your home, these money saving tips and tricks are mind-blowing!
Keep reading below where you’ll find the best money hacks that can help you save hundreds of dollars a month.
Affiliate links included. Full disclosure here.
1. Eat 10 meals or more at home a week.
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon
According to Smartnancials , the BLS has reported that the average family spends over $3,000 a year eating out!
That’s about $250 a month that is spent on food that is at least 3 times cheaper to make at home.
You can maximize your savings by deciding to eat out at a minimum of 1-2 times a month.
At the very least save you could save about $1,500 this year following this money saving hack.
2. Use as many cash back programs that you can find.
Rakuten is a great website for earning cashback on everything from clothes to vacations.
I’ve been using Rakuten for over 2 years now and have earned almost $3K in cash back!
On top of their cash back savings, I use my personal reward credit cards to make these purchases thus saving even more.
If you think this is a good deal you should definitely give them a try plus it’s free to sign up so you can start saving literally right now.
Sign up here to get a $10 cash bonus.
3. Execute the $5 savings plan.
Source
This person saved every single $5 bill that they came across over a course of a year and ended up saving $3,335!
It’s a simple strategy that doesn’t requires a huge commitment.
You can easily do the same with $1, $10, or $20 bills!
You can be creative as you would like but saving money should always be fun and challenging.
4. Use a cash envelope system.
Kumiko over at the Budget Mom uses an amazing cash envelope system that helps people learn how to budget the smart way.
She uses colored envelopes labeled for every single household expense such as food, gas and groceries.
She sets aside enough money in each envelope to cover each cost and only spends the money that is dedicated to each category.
It’s a great way to keep an eye on your savings all the while creating money discipline.
5. When select items go on sale, stockpile.
Living Well Spending Less states that to have huge success in stockpiling you have to catch deals when they are at least 30-50% discounted.
When you buy in bulk while it’s on sale you will have enough to last until the product goes on sale again so it’s almost like you will never pay full price for that item ever!
Use this technique to take advantage of your local grocery store’s sales cycle and it could save you thousands over a course of a few years or months.
Related: 10 Brilliant Grocery Shopping Tips That’ll Save Time and Money
6. Sell old and unused books/textbooks for cash.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Get rid of your old books and earn cash!
The BookScouter is a website/app that allows you to scan the barcode of your textbooks and you will instantly receive bids and several offers from people who are looking to buy that exact book.
Plus shipping is free and you get paid. How awesome is that?
7. Use Facebook to get exclusive coupons and catch good deals from your favorite brands.
Photo by Kon Karampelas
A Cultivated Nest suggests following your favorite brand pages on Facebook.
Sometimes brands will send their followers deals that are Facebook exclusive and will go directly to your inbox or timeline.
8. Go to your local Dollar Store to purchase household goods.
Why spend so much at retail stores for items such as bread, cleaning supplies and medicine when you can find the same items at your dollar store for way less?
he Krazy Koupon Lady has a list of 13 items you should always buy at dollar stores here.
9. Meal plan like your life (and bank account) depends on it.
Photo by Jenni Chen, license CC BY
The Practical Saver has found an amazing way to feed a family of 4 on a budget of $150 a month!
Creating a simple and consistent meal plan that includes crockpot meals and leftovers is a proven method to saving a ton of money on food.
You can check out more of his money saving tips here.
10. Get free stuff by shopping smarter with coupons.
College Life Made Easy has a list of 24 items that you can almost always get for free with coupons.
For example, you may find a coupon whether online or in your newspaper for air fresheners for $1 off.
Well, Walmart may have that particular air fresheners priced at .94 which means that when you use that coupon to make a purchase you get that item totally free!
Get the entire list of items you can get for free with this smart coupon technique here.
11. Save all of your spare change.
Source
This savings challenge has a unique twist.
Instead of saving any and all change you will only save every dime that you come across. With the ultimate goal of filling an entire 2 liter bottle you will have saved about $700.
This is definitely another fun challenge worth trying out.
12. Save money by buying things when they are out of season.
If you need a guide to know when it is the best time to buy certain things throughout the year then this is it.
The Budget Diet created a guide of all guides filled with items that you should purchase at certain times of the year to receive amazing discounts and the best bang for your buck.
From January all the way to December you can save a boatload of money year after year knowing your favorite retailers sales cycles.
You can check out the full list here .
13. Make some of your favorite household products from scratch.
Photo by Listotic
Instead of going to the store to buy expensive make-up or stain remover, how about using a few household items to create your own?
You can save a ton of money throughout the years by being extra thrifty and coming up with your own household cleaners and supplies.
Click here to check out the full list at Listotic.
14. Try this super creative 12-month money saving challenge.
by Honey and Lime
I love this money challenge because it helps you save money without taking huge chunks of money out of your account.
You simply save $10 a week for 12 months to save over $500 in just a year. Simple and genius!
You can check out more money challenges here.
15. Keep track of all of your expenses by journaling or using budget printables.
Budget Printable by A Mom’s Take
A traditional accounting habit that many continue today, writing down your expenses can help you save a ton of money.
The simple act of journaling and writing out all your expenses by hand can be convincing enough for many to stop bad spending habits all together.
Check out this awesome post on free printables that you can use right now.
