There are a few things you can do to save money, starting right this very moment! Each one of these ideas might not save you much, but together, you’ll save a whole roll of cash!
Some of these ideas will save you money immediately, and others will save you money over time. Nevertheless, they are sure to save you loads of money! So let’s get started!
10 Ways To Save Money
1. Turn off those lights.
Electricity costs a lot. You know that light that’s on right now? Why not open a window instead and let some natural sunlight in. It’ll be better for your health as well!
2. Review your cell phone plan.
On many cell phone bills, you’ll discover charges for random features you thought weren’t even on there in the first place.
Review your bill and see if there’s anything you can cut back on. This will help with reoccurring savings down the road!
You can also consider dropping your current mobile provider for a more low cost pre-paid provider.
3. Save the leftovers.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really care for leftovers too much. There’s just something about a fresh home-cooked meal that satisfies like nothing else. Nevertheless, when you throw out the scraps, you’re wasting. So whatever meal you’re snacking on right now, save the rest for later, won’t you?
4. Unplug everything you’re not using.
Believe it or not, just because an appliance isn’t in the “on” position doesn’t mean it’s not sucking energy. Unplug your toaster. Unplug your other computer. Unplug hairdryers and toothbrushes! Unplug your refrigerator – wait, don’t do that (I just want to make sure you’re awake).
5. Review last month’s expenses.
Sign in to your online bank account and check to see where you’ve been spending money in the past month. Are there any purchases you’re not so proud of? What kinds of things could you really do without? Make a commitment to not continue buying those things. This will help keep your expenses down and save you money right away!
6. Drop the Netflix plan.
Netflix has raised their prices, and you might be stuck with a $15+ bill every month for streaming and DVD rentals. Pick whichever service you use more, and drop the other one. For many families, streaming is adequate. Or, if you want to be extremely frugal, you can check out the Netflix alternatives, or drop Netflix all together! We’re now using RedBox and love it! You can’t beat $1.00 rentals.
7. Switch banks.
I don’t know about you, but with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and other big name banks now charging to use their debit cards, an alternative is in order. Switch to a bank that actually wants your business, and doesn’t charge you fees for using your own money!
8. Downgrade your internet speed.
If all you do on the internet is read blogs, check email, and surf news sites, you probably don’t need blazing fast speeds. However, if you regularly stream video and music, you might want to consider keeping your internet speed in top shape. By downgrading your internet speed, you can potentially save $10 or $20 a month.
9. Consume less water.
Well, you should probably drink more of it, but use less while:
- Taking a shower.
- Washing clothing (try a quick wash cycle).
- Washing dishes.
- Shaving.
10. Think differently.
If you’re going to save money in the long run, you have to obtain and maintain a frugal mindset. When you’re out and about shopping, always ask yourself if you need the items you’re holding. Sometimes it’s easier to ask a friend to show you some areas where you can improve.
For some more saving and income producing ideas, check out these posts:
- 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Save Money
- 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Make Money
- 10 Ways To Screw Up Your Finances Without Even Trying
- 10 Practical Ways To Save Money And Increase Your Net Worth
Which ways to save money are your favorite? Meet us in the comments and let us know!
Good ideas here John. We’ve dropped the Netflix too – don’t need to extra expense each month and they seemed to have lost their way.
We’ve done a bunch of these over the years. We reviewed our cell phone plans several years ago and found we were grossly overpaying for regular cell service when we hardly ever use our phones. We switched to Virgin Mobile and went from $40/month per phone to about $6-7/month per phone.
We also just dropped part of our Netflix plan, and are now using more of the Redbox, which there are a ton of around us.
We also reviewed our cable bill a year or so ago and dropped cable and went with Satellite instead – and ended up saving $20/month for more channels!
Any tips on how to switch banks. Like going from a big bank to a credit union? I’d like to do this but I must admit I’m a little intimidated.
Actually i saw a post on switching banks today on another site:
Switching Banks
Perfect! Thanks for passing this along!
I just did 5 and 6. I realized I hardly use Netflix any more.
Turn off lights and unplug all appliances not being used… These are two of the first steps we took when we decided to reduce our electricity bill. Small savings it may be, but the confidence it gave us knowing that we can do something to save on our bills was a big help. It was also the start of our frugal living.
Also a big one is to switch to programmable thermostat and lower your house temperature during Winter and increase during Summer. The energy cost is one of the largest bills beside the mortgage payment.
What about drop cable altogether? We did this nine months ago and don’t miss it. We realized we were watching only 6 or 7 (some of those being local) channels and paying $60-70 a month. That is really expensive per channel. Now we have Netflix instead and an antenna on the roof. We still get to watch almost all the programs that we watched anyway. So we have saved about $600 right there.
Incidently we have stayed in a hotel a couple times just when out of town and turned on the TV and it re-imphasized how much crappy programs are out there.
I agree, dropping all together is definitely an option. For others who still want some programming I detail an option here:
low cost TV option
Become a business so everything you buy is a write off, your spouse is an employee, and everything you spend is an expense.
How do you think all these self-help speakers get over on it?
I wrote an article a couple of years about about how people could save money without changing their lifestyle. I think it is applicable in this case because it shows several ways to save money – and many of these are things people would otherwise overlook.
http://redpushpin.blogspot.com/2009/08/saving-money-without-adjusting-your.html
How about cutting out driving on the weekend stay home sleep in.