10 Easy Ways to Save Money

Saving money can be hard to do, especially if you are just starting out. Sometimes it feels like it might take forever, or even like a lost cause. If you have been in the real world long enough (AKA - adulthood), then you would realize by now that literally, every month, something will happen that you were not expecting. Maybe you or your child gets sick and you have a new doctor's bill, you broke your glasses, or my absolute favorite one, you need a new tire. Just when you feel like you are getting your foot in the door, something happens to knock out some of your savings account. I've been there many, many times. It is not fun to see your hard work of saving disappear in seconds.

Maybe you're stumbling upon this post because you have a savings, but you would like to be able to have a little extra money during the month to spend on yourself or to pay a debt that you owe off (we all have them, right?). If you are searching for either reasons, keep reading to see my 10 easy ways to save money by decrease your spending.

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1. Have a Budget

Now I know this doesn't sound like fun, but in order to save money this is the biggest and most important step. Anyone who is trying to make smart moves with their money has to have a budget. One of my favorite sayings is, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail," and the same goes with your spending. If you are truly trying to save money or decrease your spending, then having a budget will need to be your first step. Below is a link to my favorite video on setting up an EASY budget:

SKIP TO 8:00 minutes to see budget https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulr1HAaF_JU

2. Look at your Bank Account - DAILY

One of the first things I do every morning is check and see the amount in my checking account. This is important for two reasons: 1) What if someone was stealing from you and it took you a week to find out because you weren't checking your account? 2) If you are not aware of how much you have, then you will most likely spend more than you should. You need to make sure you know how much you have to spend in order to spend consciously. Have you ever been shopping and started spending and before you knew it you had swiped 4-5 times? Then, you avoid your account because you are scared to see the damage you did. Well, the day probably started out that way because you didn't know how much you had to spend in the first place. This brings me to the next step...

3. Track your DAILY Spending

I know, I know...who has time for that?? This doesn't mean you have to lug around a pen and notepad with you every where you go. Something easy that I do is write down what I spend for the week in a note on my iphone. This is another conscious spending tip to implement into your life. I have a weekly spending budget that helps me stay on track. Tracking what I am spending helps me know when I am getting close to my limit. Also, this can help you become aware of your spending tendencies and what you might need to cut the most.

4. Use Cash for Weekly Spending

Now you might be the opposite of this...but when I have cash in my hands I am less likely to spend it. If you feel like cash is burning a hole in your pocket, then skip this step. However, something I like to do after I pay my bills, is take out cash for the month. I have categories for groceries, gas, eating out, monthly fun, and personal spending. When I run out of cash, I am out. The theory of this is to save, pay your bills, take out your cash for spending, and then don't touch your debit card again for the month. This will allow you to have extra money in your account after the month is over that you can save!

5. Buy Generic

This is by far one of the easiest tips. Generic brands are basically the SAME THING as name brands, just with a different label instead. Switching to generic can easily save you ten to twenty dollars on your weekly grocery budget. Try it and see what happens.

6. Turn Off the Lights

I am probably the biggest hypocrite when it comes to this but it helps me save on my electricity bill. My dad still calls me "Light Lady" because I was notorious for leaving the lights on every where I went in the house. Don't do that...it will add up faster than you think.

7. Adjust the Thermostat

Now I'm not saying go to sleep sweating or feel uncomfortable, but start out by turning your air up one degree, or heater down. We are a family who sleeps with box fans at night so we have plenty of fans, but turning on fans can easily help cool down your house without having to crank down the AC unit. The same goes with heaters. Tiny space heaters can quickly heat up a room. If everyone is in the living room, then there is no point in using the heater for the whole house.

8. Make your Coffee at Home

Coffee is my weakness. All. The. Time. Especially the coffee that tastes wonderful that someone else can make for you at Starbucks. However, it can often be between 3-5 dollars a cup and that can add up very quickly. If this is a weakness of yours, try limiting yourself to just 1 or 2 cups of coffee out a week. I'm right there with you friend. This is always a weakness for me and something that I have to always be aware of.

9. Make your Meals at Home

Eating out is fun, right? It is so much easier for someone to make your meals for you. When we have a busy day, the last thing I want to do is go home and cook a meal, not to mention clean up afterwards. Eating out once or twice a week is fine, but when you eat out so much that your "eating out" budget is higher than your "groceries" budget, then you may have a problem on your hands. Learning to cook meals on your own at home will save you hundreds, even thousands a year. I invested in an instant pot to help save me time in the kitchen with cooking and cleaning up. They are absolutely wonderful to have! If you are looking for easy and healthy IP recipes, then click the link below to see my favorite meals to cook.

https://www.lifewithabbylee.com/cooking

10. Only Shop with Coupons or Sales

I am someone who truly loves shopping. I seriously could do it every day of my life. Unfortunately, this is an extremely expensive hobby to have! I have two major tips to save on shopping: only buy something if you have a coupon or if it is on sale. If you think about it, everything usually goes on sale. You might have to wait a couple of weeks, but it will! If you can learn to be patient and wait, I promise it will save you! I always check on retailmenot.com to see if a store I'm shopping at is having a sale or coupon before I buy. Target clearance is WONDERFUL and Kohls is a great place to shop because you can stack coupons together to save. They will also give you Kohls Cash back for shopping with them.

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Phew! That was a long one, but it was worth it! Try these tips out for a month and I promise you will save money. My family started these habits about 3 years ago and they have done wonders for our finances. Please share with your family and friends! Leave some love down below and comment with your own favorite tip on saving money. I am always looking for new ways to save!

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