Ways to Save Money Starting Today

A while back I wrote a post with 20 ways to stop spending money. I actually had 35 ways to share but I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone. Today I’m sharing those other 15 ways to save to help you live more frugally, eco-friendly and have more money to spend in ways that fuel your passions and dreams.

I believe small changes can add up to big differences over time. This is especially true with spending. Making a few small changes now could save you a lot of money in the long run. Some of these tips are so easy to implement you might wonder why  you hadn’t done them already. By saving money you can work toward your dreams and goals more easily.

Ways to Save

Maybe your dream is to retire early, pay off debt, downsize or upsize! Whatever your financial dream, I hope these tips can help you on that journey. While I am sharing 15 total tips, not all of these tips need to be implemented to see an impact.

See which tips might help you find ways to save and give them a try. At a later time you might revisit the list and try other tips. I am always looking at how we spend money and analyzing to see if we can be more wise with our financial decisions. It’s good to check in periodically and live on a budget.

Related blog posts:
• Spending Money? Stop Now, Learn How
• Tips for Selling on Poshmark to Make Money
• Frugal Tips Your Grandparents Followed
• Energy Savings Tips for Your Home

Ways to Save Money!

Many of these tips are quick and easy to implement, in fact they will help you to get started saving more money today! Let’s go over the tips…

1) Use the Library: Instead of paying for home entertainment services such as Hulu or Netflix, get comfortable using your library. Not only can you find DVDs, BlueRay disk and entire TV shows for check out – you can also check out books and magazines which helps you save even more money on reading materials.

2) Pack a Lunch: Stop eating out and pack a lunch each day. Lunches can be packed for children who normally buy a meal at school, and for adults who are used to eating out during their work lunch hour. You can even make and pack food for baby! Packing lunches can also be a means to eat healthier as a family.

3) Make Homemade Bread: If you normally buy a loaf of bread every week, try making your own sourdough bread instead. Follow my tutorial on how to make an easy sourdough starter. Once your starter is established you can easily bake your own bread every week. If you want to save time, bake more than one loaf and store it in the freezer for future use.

4) Make Homemade Night Cream: For an easy and effective face cream, consider making my homemade night cream recipe and using the cream on your face for moisturizer at night. The face cream only contains a few ingredients. It is simple to make, will use items you likely already have in your home and is all-natural!

5) Hang Dry Clothing: We started hang drying clothing when we lived in apartment and didn’t want to use a clothes dryer. We purchased a small drying rack and let the clothing air dry in our apartment instead. At one point when we were cloth diapering our daughter we had three clothes drying racks! We usually keep them in the basement and rotate the clothing off the racks once dry. We save on utility bills and our clothing lasts longer.

6) Sell on eBay: I’ve written before about how easy it is to sell clothing on Poshmark. If you have items around your house that are odds and ends, eBay is a great options. You can truly find anything for sale on eBay. If it’s too cold out to host your own garage sale, this is an especially useful option to get rid of stuff and still get a little money for the items.

7) Eat Down the Cupboards: I have to be 100% honest this is not my favorite way to save money but it does work. Groceries tend to be a large part of our budget, especially now with three mouths to feed. However, sometimes I find that I lose items in the back of the cupboards. Eating down what is in the cupboards can help you go a week or more without grocery shopping and use food before it expires.

8) Try Home Canning: Another way to save on food costs and eat healthier is to try home canning. I like to can jams and sauces but you can also can vegetables, salsa and much more. Check out my home canning tutorial to learn more.

9) Turn Off the Lights: This is another tip that rings especially true for me now that my 3-year-old has learned how to turn the lights on! If only she would turn them off. Leaving lights on in your home when you are not in the room or do not need the light can really increase your electric bill. For immediate savings start being mindful of lighting use and turn off the lights!

10) Sign Up for Ibotta: Recently I’ve been experimenting with using cash back apps to earn money back on my grocery receipts. One such app is Ibotta. You simply download the Ibotta app to your smart phone, sign up for an account and begin taking photos of your grocery receipts to redeem them for cash back. The amounts can be as little as 25-cents but I’ve also seen rebates for $2. Every little bit adds up!

Earn $10 in Cash on Ibotta

• Earn $10 cash when you join Ibotta and enter invite code EWIYTRP when you sign up! Your $10 will be sent to your account after submitting your first receipt.

11) Pay Bills Online: If you opt to pay your bills online instead of sending them via mail you can save yourself a little time and money. First you will save 58-cents per bill by not using a First Class Postage stamp. Second you can save a cent or two by not buying and using an envelope to mail the bill. Lastly you will likely save yourself some time, especially if you opt for auto debit.

12) Combine Trips: This is another area where I tend to struggle but if I plan ahead I can really save on gas money and time. When making daily trips such as commuting to work or maybe dropping of children at school, consider adding  your errands into the mix. Or maybe combine one of those drives with your trip to the gym. You will save on gas money by combining trips and even reduce wear and tear on your vehicle.

13) Make Homemade Laundry Detergent: If you would like another method to save money on laundry consider making homemade laundry detergent. Check out my homemade laundry detergent recipe and instructions, then try implementing the practice at home.

 

14) Work Out at Home: Instead of paying to join a gym and spending money driving there, consider using online workout options. Beachbody on Demand is a popular option but there are also specialized options now such as Barre Online and Peloton for spin bike riding. Do some math on how often you might work out to see which option will save you the most money per month.

15) Wash Clothing in Cold Water: My last laundry tip and final tip is to wash clothing in cold water. By doing so you will not be using utilities to heat the water in your water heater for the washer. Hot water is not needed to clean your clothing, detergent is what cleans it. We use cold water for all of our clothing.

Saving Money Fast

In Summary

I hope these tips help you consider creative and unique ways to save money around your household and in your daily life. Many of these tips are ones that I practice personally now or in the past.

I am always looking for new ways to save and it’s kind of fun to come up with new ideas. If any of the tips do not work for you, that is fine too. This is simply an idea list to help you think outside the box!

What is your favorite money saving tip?