Patricia Grisafi
If you’re always finding yourself a little short in the money department, there are other, simple things you could be doing to save cash. Not everything involves a financial planner or some complex system that you eventually get confused about and abandon.
On Reddit, people are sharing really simple and clever ways to save money—give some of them a try.
Get creative in the kitchen instead of ordering takeout. Avoid impulse buying by waiting a few days to see if you are still thinking about the item. Learn some basic fix-it skills (but don’t obviously try to renovate your entire home). You’ll be surprised by how much you can save.
1. Make A Counter Offer
“Politely make a counter offer when you get a job offer. its actually expected and there’s pretty much zero risk in doing so as long as you don’t turn it into an ultimatum. You’re probably throwing more money away by not doing this than you can save by pinching pennies and not buying drinks at restaurants.” — femptocrisis
2. Cook Your Own Food
“Making your own food. It’s creative and can save tons of money. Especially when it comes to eating out.” — lookingForPatchie
3. Postpone Impuse Purchases
“Every time you fancy buying something ‘special’ (impulse buying), by principal, postpone it for a week. If you forget, you really didn’t need it.” — paku9000
4. Learn Some Handy Skills
“Learn to fix things rather than instinctively replacing them or paying someone to fix them. YouTube is quite educational.” — AmigoDelDiabla
5. Compare Value
“Learn what’s really worth it. An overpriced day at the spa with meh services or a really good 90 minute massage close to home for less?” — Chubbymommy2020
6. Drink More Water
“Learn to love water. Get a good reusable bottle or a bunch, and just bring one everywhere. It’s the best thing for your health, and that 2-3$ tax buying a drink whenever you’re out is avoided.” — Billbapoker
7. Don’t Shop On An Empty Stomach
“Never go shopping when hungry.” — kogan_grzz
8. Party At Home
“Have a ‘bring a 6 pack’ party at your apartment rather than going to the bar.” — 623326
9. Check Electricity
“In some areas electricity is cheaper after a certain time, so you can run dishwashers, washing machines and dryers at that time to save on electricity. Call your provider and ask.” — Driver4Life
10. Take Food To Work
“Take your own lunch/coffee to work. I did the math, before the pandemic, I would spend almost $15 a day on breakfast, lunch and morning coffee at work in the cafeteria. I work at an on site daycare. I was laid off for a few months and when I came back. The offices were still closed and the cafeteria has been closed since. So I bring my own food. So that was $15 a day, 5 days a week so $75 a week. $300 a month. $3600 a year. On food at work. I have been saving so much that, when the cafeteria opens again in a few months, I’ll still bring my own food. It adds up.” — KittyTheShark
11. Buy In Bulk
“Buy in big packages or in bulk/on sale but also put stuff in smaller containers to use. Like dish soap, shampoo, laundry detergent etc. You can ‘lower’ the price of most things 50% basically just by tricking yourself into using less and extending the amount of time each bulk package covers. Also when you do this with food like putting cereal or pasta into a bigger food storage container instead of the small cardboard boxes you won’t feel the need to overeat by using up the last of a small package as often if it’s in one huge container and you just get out enough for one meal.” — kitterkatty
12. Buy The Next To Cheapest Option
“Don’t buy the cheapest option. Buy a couple of steps above it. The cheapest washing machine will last you 3 years and then you have to buy a new one. Just wait for a special offer, Black Friday or some sort of clearance sell-out and get the last years model for a discount price and it will last you 10-15 years. Same thing with most machines, cars, computers and clothes. Don’t buy a cheap pair of sneakers, save up and buy a slightly more expensive leather boot. Something that you can actually maintain, repair and re-use. Any furniture made out of cheap material is going to collapse eventually. Buy real wood and it will last for a lifetime. Same thing with pots and pans, bed-linen, clothes and so on.” — myspaghettishoe
13. Take Up Thrifting
“Thrift stores. Especially where I live, there are lots of them, and they have deals quite frequently. If you time it right, you can get just about any durable good for less. Now, it won’t be new, or shiny even, but if you want some plates? Who the f*ck cares? After three months those 10 USD new plates will be just as scuffed as the 99 cent thrift store ones. Same with glassware, coffee mugs. Clothes are hit or miss, because so many people are reselling thrift store shit. Go early in the AM if you can.” — Commander_Shepard_
14. Make Coffee At Home
“Make your own coffee at home. Don’t go to places like Starbucks or even the independent coffee shops. You might have to spend a little in the beginning to get a decent coffee maker/set up, but in the long run you will be saving yourself time and money.” — BlakeBurna
15. Don’t Go For Sales In The Season
“Don’t go for the sales and go ‘against the stream’ Buy winter clothes in the summer, buy summer clothes in the winter.” — ToastAbrikoos
16. Get Rid Of Subscription Services
“You don’t really need any subscription services. Check out movies, audio books, and more at public libraries or find interesting youtubers or twitch streams.” — Checks_Out___
17. Put Small Change In A Jar
“Taking out some cash when you get paid. Use it for a small purchase and then put the leftover change in a jar. Believe it or not, it can add up quickly and can be a secondary savings.” — One_Good_Juju
Featured Image: Unsplash
