By Paula 54 Comments
Sometimes, it seems impossible to save any more money! Maybe you are cutting every corner possible, or perhaps you just really like the lifestyle that your family currently enjoys and you don’t want to make many changes! In a lot of ways, saving money is all in your head. Figuring out ways to make your money work harder for you can be a challenge, but it’s very rewarding if you are able to make it work, which is why I want to share 4 ways you can save more money without changing your lifestyle!
1. The $5 Trick – Every time you go shopping and pay with your debit card, ask for $5-$10 cash back. Put the money in a small box at home and deposit it to your savings account at the bankeach time it reaches $50 or more. This small amount each shopping trip won’t affect your spending much, but having it out of your checking account, will keep you from spending it, when it could have easily gone into savings.
2.Resist & Deposit –Each time you are shopping and decidenotto purchase a special new top, or those cute shoes from the clearance rack, keep the resisted item’s price in mind, and transfer that amount to savings as soon as you get home. If you would have been able to find a way to make your budget work when making the extra purchase, you can just as easily make the budget happen by transferring the same amount to into your savings account. This is also a great thing to keep in mind while shopping, “would I rather have these shoes, or an extra twenty dollars in my savings account?”
3.Renew & Save –When renewing your insurance plans, check to see if they offer discounts if you pay the entire yearly amount up front. Many companies offer steep discounts if you pay upfront. If you choose this method, you can save a little extra by making monthly “payments” into your savings account that are equivalent to the amount you would have been paying in insurance every month. Since you already have your budget set up to cover insurance costs, this can be an easy way to save a few hundred dollars each year!
4.Delete – You know those wonderful promotion emails you get from your favorite stores and online shops? If you were not already planning to buy something from their store in the next month,delete the email immediately. It’s easy to convince yourself you need something when you see a “SALE” tag on it, but if you weren’t already planning on it, chances are you don’t really need it. I’ve gotten in the habit of immediate deleting these tempting emails, and it truly helps me resist extra purchases which means we save more money!
Looking for more money saving tricks? Check out this post for 8 ways to save on grocerieswithout using coupons!
Or this one, 10 fresh ideas to help you pinch your pennies!
You can also read how our family survives (thrives) on one income!
Do you have any money saving tips? Which of these are your favorite?
Or you can check out my most popular money saving post!
Reader Interactions
Comments
I totally agree with you regarding the emails. ;) I did that a few years back and it’s cut back on my temptation that’s for sure. :) I like the idea of remembering what you resisted and then saving that amount. Thanks for these tips. :)
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Grace says
I’ve gone through to unsubscribe from all the emails, and I’ve even unsubscribed from most blogs as well! It’s great when you want ideas or need a coupon, but I usually can find the ideas or coupons I want at the specific time. No need to see all those tempting things each day! I’m satisfied with my own ideas, my own clothes, and my own stuff. :)
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Thanks for the easy to do, ideas/ways to save money. I never thought to do the $5 Trick. That is a great one!
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bj says
Awesome tips…
Over from Mrs. OlsonsReply
Jacki M says
These are some great ideas! I really like the $5 trick and the resist and deposit. I will be sharing these with my husband. Thank you for sharing!
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Darcy says
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
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KM Logan says
I absolutely love the $5 trick, I’m going to start doing this immediately.
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Kari says
I LOVE the Resist & Deposit trick.. I had never thought about it that way.
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Jen Stults says
I like the $5 trick and the resist and deposit. These are methods I’ve never heard of that would definitely help to build up savings! :)
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Carla says
I love these tips! Especially the first one. It used to be that cash on hand was easier to spend but now it’s that darn debit card.
Happy SITS Sharefest!
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Rabia @TheLiebers says
I like that $5 trick. I might even start an online account that I don’t look at to keep it in. It’s the digital age’s equivalent of hiding money in your mattress!
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Michelle says
See AlsoHeading Off To Study Abroad? Secure Your Stay With Student Travel Insurance From India - FarAwayJobsIs Now the Right Time to Change Health Insurance? 4 Questions to AskIs Law School Worth It? | BankrateGurstel Law Firm, P.C. | SPENT Law Group | Debt Settlement Attorneys | Lawyers for Debt SettlementGreat ideas — never thought of this that way! I love your $5 trick!!
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Leslie says
I love these ideas! I’m going to start using them next week. I’m stopping by from SITS & I’m a new follower through Twitter.
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Adrian says
These are some good ideas. I have been using the Email trick of years, but I do mine a little differently. I used to use filters to move them directly into special folders and not go into my inbox at all. Then when I DO want to go to the store, I can search on the Emails and pull up coupons and other sale info. Nowadays, I use a free service called Unroll.me where they take all of those sale Emails, newsletters, and notifications from Pinterest and other sites. It bypasses my inbox and puts them all into a daily summary Email. And when I don’t want to get them any more, I click a button and it unsubscribes me. Pretty handy! My other trick is to take a change jar and keep it on the counter. Everyone puts their spare change in there and then once a year, we use it to purchase our 4th of July fireworks. We all love fireworks, so it’s a big motivator for us to get that change in the jar.
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I love the idea of saving the money you resisted spending on the clearance rack. This could help me save a lot of cash! I find myself buying things that are going out of season with the intention of wearing them next year. By the time next year rolls around they are completely forgotten.
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The $5 Trick is my favorite idea on how to save money! I definitely need to start deleting the promotion emails as well. They easily draw me in for online shopping. Thanks for sharing these tips!!
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Liz says
Such good tips. We are on a very tight budget right now and any suggestion is greatly appreciated :) Thank you for posting.
Have a blessed week!
Liz
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Jan says
I save my singles, for the most part and those generally go for the pizza deliveries when they pop up :) I do like the $5 trick though … that would be a pretty quick way to add to the savings stash (of course, it needs to be moved OUT of the house, like you said!)
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Delora Peters says
What great information. I really loved….Resist & Deposit. I will have to use that tip soon! thanks for providing practical tips we can all use. Stopping by from Living Proverbs 31. Let’s stay connected!
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Carissa says
I really love the $5.00 trick! Thanks for the ideas :-)
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Glory says
I really like and will start to do the $5 trick!!
Thanks for these tips~
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Glory says
I am your newest follower!
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Jenna says
Great little tips and tricks! Thanks for sharing!
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Lori says
These tips are excellent examples of how saving a little adds up to a lot over time. tHanks for the reminder :)
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Jill says
Those are some great tips! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Thursday’s Temptation! Your link got the most views so I am going to be featuring this at tonights link party!
JillReply
Sarah says
Love the $5 tip- gonna try it! Found you on Ducks n’a row!
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Jennifer Kaufman says
I love the $5 trick, what a simple idea to save up quickly!
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Chris Carter says
It’s always the “sale” items that get me… great tips!! Happy SITS day!!!
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Sheila Skillingstead says
Four good ideas. Enjoy passing on good habits for your toddlers as they grow and become consumers. Enjoy your SITS Day.
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another jennifer says
The $5 trick is a great! I might have to try that.
Happy SITS Day!
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ReneeJay says
For me, saving money is harder than losing weight. I have zero willpower and lots of holes in my pocket from all the money burning through it. Great ideas though!
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Kimberly H. Smith says
My favorite is the $5 trick. Thank you for sharing. Enjoy your SITS Day!
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Renee says
Great ideas! One thing I decided just this week is to throw away catalogs when they come in the mail. Just add them to the junk mail and toss them. Unless I am needing something….it only tempts me to buy something when I really don’t have to have it…
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What awesome tips! I love these. I’m definitely going to do the $5 trick!! Especially if I’m under budget for that trip! You should come link this up at our Pinterest Power Party we had on Wednesday. You can find it on my blog!
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Mo at Mocadeaux says
Happy SITS Day! I do get sucked in by sales and coupons I get via email. “Oh look, a $5 coupon! I can’t let that go to waste so I will go spend $50 on something I hadn’t planned on just so I can ‘save’ $5!”
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Great article! I am definitely going to try #2! I will easily save a couple of hundred dollars a month doing this!
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kimberly says
Visting from the SITS Girls….
What great, practical, and do-able advice! Thanks!
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Aja says
Deleting the emails is a great idea. Seeing the sales makes things all too tempting.
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Alison Hector says
Great ideas! Number #2 resonates with me. I will give it a try, Paula.
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Jhanis says
These are definitely great tips. It’s hard living from one paycheck to another.
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Kelly says
Great tips! I have tried #2 in the past but not when shopping for clothes, when resisting to buy coffee! I know it sounds crazy but $2-5 a cup, sometimes for than one cup a day can start to add up. So I tried to move a few dollars to savings every time I resisted buying coffee. It didn’t last long…But it is a great idea.
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What great tips! I love the idea of number 2. While I’ll walk around with an item to try and decide if I really want/need it, I’ve never considered thinking of putting that money towards a vacation savings instead. Love it! Also, number 4 is so true. I’ve found myself in the checkout process realizing that I don’t really need the item, no matter how great of a deal it is! :)
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Melissa B says
You are totally right about the emails. I feel like ModCloth is my achilles heel and even when I don’t need something, I get sucked right into their website through their emails. Great post! And happy SITS day!
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Hi Paula!
I’m visiting you from SITS Girls, congrats on your SITS day! I really like these tips… I haven’t thought of a few of them, but I definitely like #1 the best! I think I’m going to put that into practice right away! Take care and have an awesome weekend! :)Reply
Savvy Working Gal says
I like #2. I would like to add to #4 unsubscribe to your favorite stores emails all together and ask them to take them off your mailing list if you receive catalogs at home. Then you don’t have to worry about temptation. Hope you had a great SITS Day.
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Holly says
I love your first two tips here!! I’ve actually not seen them before and they are definitely things we could do. :)
I’m a new follower from the SITS girls! I look forward to staying connected with you!
~Holly
Desert MommaReply
These are GREAT tips! I know I definitely need to start deleting most of the “Sale” emails I get… it’s so much easier to justify spending money on stuff you don’t need when you have a coupon! Thanks for sharing!
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Jean Lynd says
Oh those sale emails get me so often! Happy SITS day, late.
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Brent says
I really like idea #1. I have always done the “keep the change” on my own long before it was offered as a savings plan with your debit card. I would only spend bills and never spend my change. After 8 years I had nearly $3,000 saved up! Now, that’s not $1 million but for how easy it was it was a nice chunk of change. Just imagine how much it would have been if I was doing what you’re suggesting and added $5 or $10 each time. Woah, that would have been a really nice chunk of change. Thanks for the tip!
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Colleen says
#1 and #2 sound like good ideas but they imply that you have no plan for every dollar you are spending at the beginning of the month. We follow Dave Ramsey’s program which is based on budgeting and telling your money where to go so each dollar has a category. We use the envelope system so that the money you spend is spent on a cash basis, because it’s been proven that you spend less when you use cash vs. credit or debit card. So there’s no impulse buying or temptation to buy a special blouse if it’s not in the budget to begin with. Also there is a temptation with cash back to spend it when it’s in your pocket. Dave Ramsey suggests paying yourself first with savings and then moving onto other categories. Savings as an afterthought will always be less than if it was planned out in the first place. http://housewife2hostess.blogspot.com/2013/01/budgeting-101-dave-ramsey-way.html
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Melanie says
We live on a one-income ministry salary with 3 children in an affulent Dallas suburb . . . so I have lots of experience with saving money and stretching paychecks! The biggest thing I have learned though is to avoid debt at all costs. Pay for EVERYTHING with cash, with the exception of a 20% down fixed rate mortgage. We pay cash for cars, cash for vacations, cash for furniture, cash for clothes, cash for groceries . . . it’s so easy to just swipe that little piece of plastic of sign-up for that payment plans and tell yourself “I’ll figure out how to pay for that later . . . ” But the debt will always catch up. I take our our spending cash at the beginning of each month, each category gets its own envelope, and when the cash is gone, I stop buying. I’ve learned there is a lot we can live without and, handing over that $20 bill makes you think twice about what you’re buying, more than just giving the casher plastic. Those are my thoughts :) Visiting from Make it Pretty Monday.
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Elaine says
Great ideas – thanks for posting. Stopping by from Friday Link UP!
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Cindy Eikenberg says
Paula, these are great tips and I need to put them all in to action immediately! Thank you so much for sharing at Best of the Weekend – will be pinning and sharing! Hope you have a happy Saturday and a wonderful weekend!
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Two Cowgirls says
Great suggestions!! It’s rare to read about unique ideas for saving!
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