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Let’s face it, being a teenager is hard. Especially when so many aspects of life is out of your control like your financial situation. There are ways to deal with financial circumstance and how you perceive it. We’ll dive a little deeper into how to deal with feeling poor as a teenager in this day and age.

Teenage life should be full of fun, building friendships, and socializing. Sometimes that may not be the case at all. Some teens may have very stressful lives filled with feeling insecure, inadequate, low self esteem, often times resulting from not having sufficient financial means. Sure people say all teens should focus on is school. But school is the place where many teens feel inadequate because they tend to compare themselves to their peers.

Growing up poor as a teenager could be one of life’s hardest things to endure. Your life and especially the financial situation you may be in is completely out of your control. If you want the best clothes, newest phone, makeup, or shoes, you most likely have to ask your parent/s. Depending on their financial status depends on whether you can get those items.

If you’re reading this and you are a teen who thinks you are “poor”, try not to be so hard on yourself! Most importantly, do not let material objects define you as a person. Stay strong because there will come a time where you will earn your own money and eventually lead the life you desire. Until then, there are ways you may be able to make some side money to buy certain things and to save! Let’s look at some ways that can help you deal with being poor as a teen.

Cover Your Basic Necessities

First and foremost, you have to make sure that you have food and proper shelter. If you’re enrolled in school please talk to a school counselor or even a mentor. If you belong to a religious organization, reach out to any of the leaders. They will have information in regards to guiding you to the right people to help you with basic necessities like food and shelter.

If your family’s struggling to pay bills, put food on the plate, or keep up with rent/housing payments then reaching out for some help is the best solution. There’s a lot of programs out there that can definitely help you and your family out in times of need.

Jobs For Those Who Are Not Old Enough

If your household is struggling financially, the last thing you want to do is go to your folks to ask them for money. Sure, as a teen you should focus on school and playing with friends. If you ever find some spare time, why not make the most out of it? Make some cash!

If you’re at least 13, there’s small jobs you can do to earn some money. You can earn some bucks on Swagbucks, earn some money around the neighborhood, and even come up with a great idea for YouTube.

• Take surveys online
  • Swagbucks – Minimum age is 13, you most likely will need your parent’s permission before joining. Get a $10 welcome bonus. You earn points by taking polls, surveys, watch videos, play games, complete daily goals, and by referring others. Those points convert to cash via PayPal or gift cards through Amazon, Walmart, Visa, iTunes, Starbucks, eBay, and more.
• Babysitter
• Dog Walker
• Lawn Care
• Clear out snow
• Sell crafts you make
• Sell lemonade/baked goods
• Are you talented? Post a YouTube video of your talents (if underage, ask your parents to post it for you)
  • Ryan Kaji – 8 year old earns $26 million
  • Anastasia Radzinskaya – 5 year old earns $18 million

Find Ways To Save Money

There are little ways you can help your family without sacrificing your childhood. You and your family can get cash back when grocery shopping or online shopping.

Ibotta

With Ibotta, you get real cash back when you grocery shop or shop online. They have over 300 stores that participate with them. For example, do you or your family shop at places like Kroger, H-E-B, C-Town, Aldi, Foodtown, Randalls, SHOP ‘n SAVE, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart?

You and your family could be losing out on free cash back shopping at those places. Ibotta is really easy to use.

• 1. Look for the store you plan to shop at.
• 2. Scroll through the items you and your family plan to buy and add it to your list.
• 3. Get your store receipt and scan it.
• 4. Get money back!

Sign up for free at Ibotta and use the code YDIGCFJ to get your $20 welcome bonus

Checkout 51 Cash Back App

Checkout 51 is very similar to Ibotta. You and your family can get cash back from groceries and hygiene products. Just upload your receipt and redeem for cash once you hit $20. What’s great about Checkout 51 is that your family can get cash back at the gas pump too and they offer a digital Prescription Savings Card which can save up to 80% on medications.

Checkout 51 has multiple items that also allow manufacturer’s coupons as well.

Sign up for free and get your $5 bonus at Checkout 51 to start earning cash back the easy way.
Tip: Earn $2 when you upload your first receipt and $1 for each receipt three times after that which gives you a total of $5 bonus cash.

GetUpside Cash Back App

GetUpside is another easy cash back app to use. You can get money back on restaurants, groceries (Washington D.C. area), and gas.

Your family can earn cash back from getting gas and also from fast food places like Burger King, Popeyes, and more.

You can see savings as much as 35% at restaurants, 15% at grocery stores, and 25c/gal of gas.

It’s very easy to use, all you have to do is claim the offer presented, simply upload your receipt, and get cash back. Once you hit $15, you can get cash back via PayPal or reach $50 to get a cash payout.

Download GetUpside and use the promo code U5NBX to get $7 cash back on your first purchase

Fetch Rewards App

Fetch Rewards is another easy app you can use to earn cash back to redeem for gift cards or magazine subscriptions. You can certainly use the gift cards for yourself or give them out as presents during holidays and birthdays.

All you need to do is scan your receipts from most grocery stores, pharmacy, convenience store, and big retailers. You will then earn points which you can redeem for gift cards or magazine subscriptions.

Use the code 7JKFH when you sign up to Fetch Rewards and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points)
You can also refer others and earn 2,000 points ($2) yourself and your friend/family will earn 2,000 points ($2) as well.

Rakuten

If your family ever does any online shopping, then they could be missing out on free money.

Rakuten gets you money back via PayPal or gift cards when you shop online via their site. They have over 3,000 major stores listed on their site along with how much money back they’re offering.

Some of the stores they have listed are Kohl’s, Walmart, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, JCPenny, Target, and 3,000 others.

When you and your family buy something online, always go to Rakuten first to see if there’s any cash back offers. Then, click on “Shop Now” from Rakuten and you will be forwarded to the retailer’s site to shop as normal. After the purchase, you’ll get cash back to your Rakuten account.

Sign up today with Rakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonus and be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!

Groupon

Groupon is an awesome site that can get you and and your family some major savings. I’ve seen deals as much as 92% off.

For example, if you and your family wanted to enjoy a manicure day but can’t afford the high costs, checking out Groupon can help you all find some major deals in your local area.

Just the other day, I found a deal on Groupon for a women’s haircut at $9 which was 50% off. There are tons more.

Sign up for free here at Groupon to start getting your MEGA savings.

You and your family can save a lot of money by using the right apps and sites. Why not get cash back, it’s free money. The more savings you all find, the more you’ll have in your pockets. Plus, most of these apps and sites are offering you sign up bonuses which can get you over $40 in total. That’s not too bad just by doing what you all normally do.

Find out 95 more ways you and your family can save tons of money.

Read More: Best Money Saving Tips to Start Now

Where To Get Clothes For Cheap

If you made some extra money doing any one of those jobs listed above then you can buy some extra clothes you think looks nice.

No, you don’t have to go straight to the mall and buy a $50 top or a pair of hundred dollar sneakers.

Check out thrift stores or low cost retailers! There are some great thrift stores out there that sell real designer clothing at a fraction of the cost. Some items may be worn and you can even find some that still have tags (never worn). You can easily find local thrift stores near you with a simple Google search or check some out online.

Popular Online Thrift Stores

• ThredUP
• ShopGoodwill
• Poshmark
• Ebay

You can also find stylish and name brand clothes with huge discounts at the following retail stores. You’ll get way more for your money compared to shopping at the mall.

Popular Low Cost Retail Stores

• Ross Stores
• Kohl’s
• TJ Maxx
• Marshall’s

Where To Get Nice Cellphones For Free

Being a teen is all about fitting in. There are ways to do that without needing to spend tons of money. If your family is strapped for cash and can’t afford to get you a nice cellphone, look into Cricket Wireless, Boost Mobile, or Metro by T-Mobile.

Affordable Cell Phone Carriers to Look Into:

• Cricket Wireless
  • Unlimited talk, text, internet – 1 line $55 and 2 lines $80
• Boost Mobile
  • Unlimited talk, text, internet – 1 line $45 drops to $35 a month after 6 months and 2 lines $80
• Metro by T-Mobile
  • Unlimited talk, text, internet – 1 line $55 and 2 lines $80

These cellphone carriers have ridiculously cheap cell phone plans with no hidden costs plus they offer a wide array of super nice cellphones for free! Ask your parent/s to look into these companies.

Changing Your Mindset

The most important aspect of who you are is your mind!

Don’t let your current situation get you down! Your financial situation of not being able to get all the things you want now doesn’t mean that you will live that life forever. Remember, it’s only temporary.

Most importantly, who you are today does not predict who you will be tomorrow. You will change, your circumstances will change, ultimately you will live your own life as an adult in a few more years.

“Who you are today does not predict who you will be tomorrow”

One thing to keep in mind is to change your mentality. Very important!

Don’t compare yourself to others and what they have. That kind of thinking leads to money problems later on in life. That is why most Americans are in debt. Now, that is something you don’t want.

An example of having debt is when people borrow money from banks and credit cards to get what they want and don’t really need. Having a lot of debt leads to money problems. It’s important to understand how to properly handle money. It is called budgeting and you are never to young to understand how to properly handle money so that you can learn how to be smart when you actually get money coming in.

Related: How To Budget Your Money For Beginners

Budgeting will teach you how to properly spend your money. Let’s say you made $200 babysitting, you can plan to spend $100 on nice clothes at less expensive retailers and thrift stores and plan to save the other $100 in a savings account. Learning how to properly spend your money wisely will help you tremendously in your life whether it be as a teen or in your adult life.

Change Your Future

As mentioned before, your current money situation does not define who you are as a person. You must look towards the future and take steps to be the person who you want to be. Let’s look at a few famous people who changed their life paths and reached financial success. I’m sure you will know who these people are, they grew up in poor households yet became millionaires and billionaires. If they can do it, so can you!

Oprah Winfrey

Estimated net worth 2.9 billion

I’m sure you know who she is! Well, she was raised from humble beginnings. She grew up without having running water or electricity as stated in an interview with Barbara Walters. She didn’t let that stop her, she pursued her dreams to work in radio and television. Now, according to Business Insider, she has an estimated net worth of 2.9 billion! She is a prime example of someone who didn’t let her past define who she was going to be in the future.

“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work”

Oprah Winfrey

Jan Koum

Estimate net worth 9.1 billion

Jan Koum was born in Ukraine and moved to California when he was 16. He and his mother lived in government housing. He swept floors at a store to make enough money to get by. He later taught himself computer skills and ultimately co-founded WhatsApp which is the world’s most popular messaging service. Facebook later bought the messaging service for $22 billion in 2014.

Celine Dion

Estimate net worth 37.5 million

Celine Dion was one in 14 children. Her family struggled to support her and all her siblings. Growing up, she said there were 3 or 4 siblings who had to sleep in the same bed. She didn’t let her situation define her. She chose to go after her passion of singing. She was the artist behind her top songs “My Heart Will Go On” from the Titanic and “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now”. She is now estimated to have a net worth of 37.5 million.

Howard Schultz

Estimated net worth 3 billion

Howard Schultz was 3 years old when his family moved into a public housing project in Brooklyn, NY. His family struggled with money due to his father getting injured and being laid off without any benefits. Howard says he worked and obtained loans just to get through school and even sold his blood for cash to get by. After college, he worked at jobs and eventually got linked to Starbucks where he took charge in the 1980s and launched the brand into the world’s most recognized coffee shop. Now his net worth is at 3 billion.

Takeaway

Let these famous people be your role models and help you to aspire to achieve your goals. Whatever those aspirations may be whether it is a talk show host, entrepreneur, singer, tech creator, and more. There are no limits to what you can achieve.

Don’t let your current situation hold you back from achieving your dreams. What you have in your possessions doesn’t define who you are inside. Sure, things may seem difficult but know that it won’t stay that way forever.

If you’re concerned about money at the moment, you can make some money even if you’re 13 years old. Also, learning how to save money can keep more in your pockets. It’ll be one of your greatest skills growing up to be an adult.

Most importantly, always think of your future. Dream of where you want to be as an adult and take the small steps to get there. Overall, try to enjoy being a teen. Have fun with your friends and family, enjoy all the great happy moments. Once you grow up, you’ll actually miss those days a lot.

We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details. 

Do you work hard for your money only to find that at the end of the month, you have no idea where it all went? What that means is you don’t have control over your money. But how come you don’t control your money? I mean, you or your household busts your butt to earn money right? Well, if you don’t have a system in place, then it’s hard to keep track of how you spend your hard earned cash. I’ll show you how to budget your money that even beginners can do. 

What Is A Budget?

To put things simply, a budget is a plan you set on how to spend your money over a certain period of time.

For instance, you can create a monthly budget which tracks your income and all your planned expenses for the month.

Sure, you can create a weekly or yearly budget. I really recommend sticking with a monthly budget. It’s not too time consuming as a weekly one or too lax in case of the yearly budget.

What Is The Purpose of a Budget?

A budget helps you take control over your money.

Don’t be scared off by this concept. You’ll be surprised, budgeting can really help get your financial situation in shape.

Also, just because you budget doesn’t mean you have to cut all the things you want out. No, not at all!

You can still buy the things you want, go on trips, and still have fun while getting your finances right. It’s all in the planning.

Why Budgeting Matters

So, budgeting helps you take the reigns of your finances. But, why does that matter?

Are you struggling financially? Have debt? Can’t seem to save a penny? Live paycheck to paycheck? Can’t afford that nice vacation? Working so hard but don’t feel like you have anything to show for it? Over drafting on payments? Always getting hit with late charges on bills? The list goes on and on.

Having a budgeting plan will help you to finally see what you can do with your money. Think of a budget as a way to help you:

• See Exactly Where Your Money is Going
• Pay Down Debt
• Save Money
• Have Money to Invest For Your Retirement
• Start Keeping Track of Bills
• Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck
• Buy The Things You Want
• Take That Nice Vacation
• Saves You Stress From Finances

Budgeting matters because it gives you the reigns over your financial life. You get to control how to spend your hard earned money. Don’t you want to be in control?

Zero Based Budget

There’s a lot of budgeting systems out there. The one that I prefer to use is called a Zero Based Budgeting system.

Zero Based Budgeting is my favorite because it’s very simple to understand and implement.

Basically, all you do is take your monthly income amount and plan all your expenses for the month.

For example, let’s say your household brought in $4,000 for the month. You’ll take that amount and start planning to set spending amounts for categories like rent/mortgage, utilites, food, etc. See example below. You pretty much want to make sure that you’ve planned every single dollar towards a spending category.

The whole idea behind this budgeting method is that you’ll do your best not to go over your set budget amounts. It’s super easy.

You can easily do this with a pen and paper.

Jot down your income and on one side go ahead and think of all your spending categories for your household.

Budget Items

When creating your budget, it’s important to list as many budgeting categories as you can.

List all your monthly expenses along with savings, and future expenses.

For example, start by listing all your necessary expenses for the month which may include:

• Mortgage/rent
• Electric, water, gas
• Phone
• Cable/internet
• Car loan/insurance
• Health insurance
• Medical payments
• Debt payments

Then you can add budget items for your savings fund which can be:

• Emergency fund (3-6 month worth of expenses)
• Cushion (1-2 month worth of expenses)
• Retirement account

Next you can add items for future expenses which can include:

• Kid’s braces
• Furniture
• Vacation
• School tuition
• Car maintenance

Every month, you can plan to set aside some money for each of budget line item within your own customized budget.

Keeping Tabs on Your Budget

Now that you’ve created your budget, it’s super important to keep track of all your budget items.

For instance, if you planned to set aside $500 a month for food and groceries, how will you know if you’ve spent more than $500 or less than $500?

This is why you’ll have to keep track of what you’ve spent for the month.

Then you can compare what you’ve actually spent to what you originally planned to spend for your budget items.

It’ll be a good idea to aim to stay within your budgeted amounts.

Evaluating Your Budget

At the end of the month, you’re going to see how you did overall.

Did you overspend in your budget or did you have a lot of money left over?

This will help you determine which budget line items to change and which ones you should leave alone.

For instance, did you plan to spend $600 on food but only spent $300? Then you can easily change your budget amount for food to $300 going forward.

If you’ve overspent on certain budget line items then you may have to make adjustments to accommodate the higher amount for the next month’s budget.

Overall, your budget is not set in stone and you can definitely customize it as you go along. But the whole point is to always make sure you’re trying to stay close to the budget.

Takeaway

Overall, budgeting can really change your life. It’ll help you see things you’re spending money on unnecessarily. It can also help you find tons of savings.

Once you set up your initial budget, it should be easy peazy from there. All you have to do is check in on your budget once or twice a month.

I highly recommend budgeting to help stay on track of your finances. It’s been so important in our debt payoff journey. We’ve paid off over $100,000 in 24 months and I accredit that to keeping a proper budget and saving money.

Do you need some more guidance when it comes to budgeting? I walk you through from A to Z and show you exactly how to create, set up, and use a budget monthly with one of my printables which is editable and does calculations for you. It’s part of My Financial Hill Budgeting Kit which also comes with tons of other resources that can help you finally take control of your money and get out of debt.

Grab the My Financial Hill Budgeting Kit

You can also get started by grabbing your free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp which will help you knock out your first $500 worth of debt within the first month.

We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details. 

B uying a car used can save you thousands! Who doesn’t want that brand spanking new car? You’ll be shocked to see how much money you can save by making the choice to buy a used car instead.

One thing you’ve got to keep in mind is that a car is considered an asset that loses value over time for the most part. Well, that’s unless you have one of those super rare beauty’s that you never drive around. Realistically, the average person buys regular cars that typically lose it’s value and that’s called depreciation.

How much does a car depreciate over time? 

Did you know that your brand new car starts to lose value as soon as you drive it off the lot! According to Car Fax, it’ll most likely lose 10% of it’s value during the first month as you happily drive it off the lot!

It’ll continue to depreciate and after the first 12 months the value will drop by 20%. It’ll keep losing it’s value year after year by 10%.

Think twice before deciding to buy a new car.

You can find used cars in excellent condition with much of the depreciation already taken place so you can get it at a fraction of the original cost. Check out Edmunds to check your car appraisal and to look for used cars.

First Year – New car can lose 20% to 30% of it’s value

By the Fifth Year – New car can lose as much as 60% of it’s original sticker price

How will car depreciation affect me?

Let’s look at a scenario with our fictional character Joe who landed a good paying job out of college. He’s a bachelor and living the prime of his life. Joe always wanted a smoking hot mustang so one day he went out and decided to get one.

First Scenario – Joe Got a New Car

Joe went to a dealership and found a nice looking one mustang for $40,000. It seemed like a lot of money but he figured if he finances it, he can certainly afford the monthly payments  He saved a couple thousand already so he put that money towards his down payment, financing fees, taxes, etc. 

Fast forward up to 5 years later, Joe met his wife and now is happily married. Joe’s wife Kate also has a small car. They’ve been managing just fine with two small vehicles. One day, Joe and Kate decide to have children. It turns out Kate is pregnant with twins and about to give birth in a few months! They decide that their two small cars just won’t cut it especially with twins on the way.

Joe and Kate decide that they need a new car preferably a much larger minivan or SUV. Joe finally paid off his mustang. He loves his car but they need a new vehicle plus some cash to start his new family.

Since Joe and Kate needed a new car, they decided to get a trade in value estimate for both their cars. Kate’s car had a trade in value of $1,800 and Joe’s car had a value of $16,000. Unfortunately, they both decided to sacrifice Joe’s beloved mustang due to the higher trade in value. Let’s calculate how much Joe lost in 5 years once he trades in his new car.

Can you believe that Joe lost roughly $30K in 5 years? That’s an equivalent of throwing $6,045 a year down the trash just to drive the new car. Now, let’s see how Joe’s situation turns out if he bought a used car instead.

Second Scenario – Joe Got a Used Car

What if Joe first bought a used mustang and ended up trading that in? For instance, let’s say Joe bought a used mustang for $18,000 with 65,000 miles on it instead of the brand new one for $40,000. 5 years later when it came time to trade in that car, how much would he lose with the used car vs. the new car?

Ultimately, Joe would save roughly $23,000 if he buys a used car rather than a new car. Depreciation is REAL and it hits hard, especially with new vehicles.

Saving $23,000 in 5 years sounds pretty good to me. That money can easily go towards getting out of debt, savings, or retirement accounts. It’s easy to lose track of how much we’re TRULY spending when buying new cars over used cars.

Another aspect to keep in mind when buying new cars are financing fees. Let’s be real here, a majority of people do not have $25,000-$60,000 lying around. Most people will have to finance their new cars.

Not only do you have to pay a hefty amount for a new car, there’s interest tacked on for financing plus loan fees. This can tack on thousands of dollars more to owning a new car.

Do you want to find out how much your car would be appraised for? Go to Edmunds-Appraisal Tool to find out how much it’s worth if you’re deciding on selling it.

Financing Burden

Financing a car whether it’s new or used can significantly add on more costs to owning a car. When taking out a loan for a car, there are certain major factors to consider.

• Loan origination fees
• Interest rates from 2%-15.24% (even higher)
• Need full coverage car insurance

Who doesn’t want a nice and brand new car? Are the extra factors of depreciation and financing all worth it in the long run? I don’t think so!

I had a co-worker who financed a brand new Nissan Maxima. She was paying $500-$600 a month for the car and an extra $350 every month for the full coverage insurance. That is almost a whopping $1,000 a month! Just for a car that’s depreciating in value! 

You can be wasting a lot of extra money on unnecessary costs when financing a car. The best choice would be to buy a used car in full so that way, you can avoid all the extra fees that comes along with financing.

Is Buying a Used Car Worth It?

When we look at Joe’s comparison from buying a new car vs. a used car. He would save an upwards of $23,000 in 5 years if he were to choose the used mustang. That’s a lot of money I’d say. New cars can depreciate nearly 60% after 5 years.

Not only can you use a lot more money from depreciation, you can waste even more by financing a car.

Buying a fully paid for used car is the way to go!

Buying used doesn’t mean you have to get a broken down car. There are TONS of used cars out there that are in perfectly excellent condition and much more affordable. When I bought my used car for $14,000, it was 2010 and already had about 40,000 miles on it. Yes, I financed it because I had no choice at the time. Now it’s fully paid off now and I will not finance another vehicle. My used car is still running great! In the 5 years I had the car all I did were oil changes, 2 new tires, and a tune up. That’s it!

Another great part about buying a used car is that although it will depreciate over time, the majority of the decrease in value already took place. So by the time you buy it, the price should be a lot more reasonable with all the depreciation that’s taken place. You could get more bang for your buck.

What to Consider When Buying Used

When buying used cars, there are other precautions that can be taken to make sure that you will not end up with a lemon. 

When purchasing your used car at a dealership, most of the time they will provide you with a carfax report. You can also have the used car inspected prior to purchase. Most often, test driving will also be allowed.

Also, if you go to a reputable used car dealership, they will fix any minor repairs that you uncover in the allotted time frame. One thing to keep in mind when it comes down to the actual purchase of the car is that you can do quick research on the make and model of the car on Kelley Blue Book. If the dealership marked up the price significantly, there is room to negotiate if you can find comparable prices of what the car should actually cost. 

Buying a used car from a private seller will in most cases be sold as is and they will not fix anything for you once you drive it off. However, the price of the used car will usually be less than dealerships. 

Buying a used car from a dealership may offer you better protections than buying from a private seller.

Takeaway

Most of us rely on cars. It helps us get to work, grocery shopping, picking up the kids, run errands, and so much more. A car can be a blessing or a financial burden.

Don’t let buying a car seep more money out your pockets when you don’t have to.

Buying a used car over a new one can save you thousands. Plus, it may be better to avoid financing any car. If you can, save up and pay for the car in cash. There’s lots of reliable used cars out there which can last you 10+ years.

And remember, money saved is money earned. Don’t give other people/companies/banks your hard earned money when it’s avoidable.

If you found this tip about saving money on cars useful, check out my other money saving tip posts.

95 Best Money Saving Tips to Start Now

How we Saved Over $500 a Month on Food and Drinks

Home Buying Tips to Save Thousands

How we Saved Over $60 a Month on Our Cellphone Bill

How We Paid Off $50,000 Within 10 Months

Did you know that getting out of debt can also be saving you hundreds of extra dollars a month. We’ve knocked out over $100,000 in 24 months using these tips from the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp. Start your debt free journey with this free Debt Thermometer to begin.

We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details. 

Save hundreds on your phone bill in a year! Do you want more money in your pockets each month? It can be done easily just by switching phone carriers. For the longest time, my husband and I were overpaying significantly on our cellphone and land lines. We discovered a few tips to save money on our phone bills which help us save hundreds to over a thousand a year. 

Tips to Save Money on Your Cellphone Bill

Almost everyone has a cellphone this day and age. If you get hooked with the wrong carrier, you could be overpaying by hundreds! We used to have cellphone service with one of the big named carriers (Verizon Wireless). We paid around $147 each and every month for only two lines, that’s $1,764 a year. Now we pay only $80 a month for two lines with unlimited internet, talk and text. Switching saved us $804 a year!

Have you ever heard of Cricket Wireless, Metro by T-Mobile, or Boost Mobile?

These are reputable and reliable cellphone companies that’ll give you the best cellphone pricing plans around.

Cricket Wireless

• Offers free smartphones
• Pricing under unlimited high-speed data plan
  • 1 Line – $55 mo.
  • 2 Lines – $80 mo.
  • 3 Lines – $90 mo.
  • 4 Lines – $100 mo.
  • 5 Lines – $125 mo.
• No contract and no hidden costs
• You pay a flat fee

Overall, Cricket Wireless is awesome. We’ve been using it for a few years now. The service is great and we pay $80 flat for two lines which includes unlimited data, talk, and text. Plus my husband got a free smartphone when he signed up with them.

Metro by T-Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile used to be MetroPCS. The cell phone carrier is very similar to Cricket Wireless.

• Offers very low cost cell phones
• Pricing under unlimited high-speed data plan
  • 1 Line – $50 mo.
  • 2 Lines – $80 mo.
  • 3 Lines – $110 mo.
  • 4 Lines – $140 mo.
  • 5 Lines – $170 mo.
• No contract and no hidden costs
• You pay a flat fee

Boost Mobile

• Offers very low cost cell phones
• Pricing under unlimited high-speed data plan
  • 1 Line – $50 mo.
  • 2 Lines – $80 mo.
  • 3 Lines – $110 mo.
  • 4 Lines – $140 mo.
  • 5 Lines – $170 mo.
• No contract and no hidden costs
• You pay a flat fee

My husband and I have tried Cricket Wireless and Metro by T-Mobile. I can tell you that once I switched from Verizon Wireless, my service got better. With Verizon, my GPS on my phone would always act up and the signal would drop but with Cricket Wireless, it’s never given me any issues.

My husband has gotten free smartphones with Cricket and Metro, although now Metro doesn’t seem to be offering any free ones. However, they have phones for as low as $29.

We haven’t tried Boost Mobile but my in-laws recently switched and says their service has never been better.

Overall, there’s no regrets with using Cricket and Metro. Both phone carriers are awesome. Plus, we saved $67 each and every month from switching out of Verizon Wireless.

There really is no need to be paying a lot for your cellphone bill. There’s a lot of low cost cellphone carriers out there that can provide you with quality service at a fraction of the price.

If you have a little bit of free time, check out Cricket, Metro, or Boost. If you have one of those stores near you, drop in to see if they can help you out. It can save you hundreds of dollars, just how it’s saved us over $800 a year!

Tips to Save Money on a Land Line

With so many people using cellphones these days, land line phones are not used as much anymore.

If you have land line service, it can cost you anywhere from $20 to $60 a month which is $240-$720 a year.

Cutting the phone line can save you hundreds of dollars.

But, what if you really need a land line phone?

Well, you can use something called Ooma and get free phone service and only pay for minimal taxes and fees.

Ooma Service

Ooma is a phone service where there’s no monthly contract or commitment required. Plus, the basic plan is free. The only thing you’ll pay are the taxes and fees (which has to be paid for all telecommunication companies).

Ooma Telo

To use Ooma, you’ll need to get the device which is called Ooma Telo. It works by VOIP (voice over IP), which means it connects to your internet.

Think of Ooma Telo as the middle man between your internet connection and phone. All you need to do is connect your internet line directly into Ooma Telo along with your telephone wire. Ooma Telo also needs to be plugged in to a power outlet just like any other device out there.

If your power or internet constantly goes out, Ooma Telo may not be right for you.

Since using Ooma Telo, we haven’t had any issues at all.

With our Ooma device all we pay is $5 and change every month for the taxes and fees, that’s it.

Check to see how much you would be paying for taxes here on Ooma’s website. 

Savings With Ooma

Having a land line can cost anywhere from $20-$60 per month. Let’s compare how much you could save with Ooma over a traditional land line phone.

The savings using Ooma over the land line is ridiculous!

The first year with Ooma, you can save $131 to $611. The second year with Ooma can save you $311 to $1,331.

Takeaway

Overall, you can save thousands of dollars just by switching cell phone carriers or cutting your land line phone service and getting Ooma instead.

Making these small changes can definitely keep more money in your pockets, who doesn’t want more money!

I hope these tips can save you a lot of money as it did for us.

If you want to find more money saving tips check out 95 More Ways to Save Money.

Did you know that getting out of debt can also be saving you hundreds of extra dollars a month. We’ve knocked out over $100,000 in 24 months using these tips from the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp. Start your debt free journey with this free Debt Thermometer to begin.

We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details. 

Save THOUSANDS on your first home! Buying your first home can be a very overwhelming experience. There’s just so much that goes into it. Also, let’s not forget how darn expensive it can be! Before you buy your first home, there’s things you need to know to save thousands! I’ll be sharing a few home buying tips that can save you a lot of headache and money.

Mortgage Loans

People usually don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars laying around to buy a home. So, most of us will turn to mortgage loans. The two main types of mortgage loans is a conventional loan and an FHA loan. It’s super important to get familiar with how these work so you won’t unnecessarily be blowing hundreds of dollars each month.

Conventional Loan

A conventional loan isn’t backed by a government entity like the FHA or VA. This is good news for you if you put down at least 20% of the loan. That way, you won’t have to pay for something called PMI. PMI is a Private Mortgage Insurance which protects the lender in case the borrower defaults on payments. The worst part about it is that you will be responsible to pay the premiums, how ridiculous is that? This will tack on more money each month to your mortgage bill. Avoid at all costs!

Qualify For a Conventional Loan:

• Need a credit score of at least 620
• Put a down payment anywhere from 3%-20%
• No PMI cost if you put more than 20% down
• Get get rid of PMI once you put at least 20% equity into the home
• Slightly higher interest rate compared to an FHA loan

FHA Loan

An FHA loan is backed by the government which means that it has to be insured in case the loan gets defaulted. So remember when we mentioned PMI? In FHA’s case, you could be paying a MIP (Mortgage Insurance Premium) for the ENTIRE life of the loan! This is something very important to keep in mind.

Qualify for an FHA Loan:

• Need a credit score of at least 500
• Put a down payment from as little as 3.5%
• Need to pay an upfront mortgage fee of 1.75% of the loan amount, due at closing
• Need to pay the MIP for the entire life of the loan unless you put more than 10% down, then you’ll only need to pay for 11 years
• Interest rates are slightly lower compared to conventional loans

Mortgage Insurance Rates

Conventional Loan Vs. FHA Loan

Both types of mortgage loans has it’s pros and cons. You have the conventional loan which generally may have a slightly increased interest rate compared to an FHA loan. The PMI can also be removed after 20% of equity has been built up for a conventional loan, which is great.

On the other hand, an FHA loan may be easier to qualify for but you get the dreaded mortgage insurance.

Overall, before making a decision on a loan it’s important to consider all the fees involved over the course of your mortgage. Discuss all the facts with your realtor and they should be able to help you out.

Key Things to Keep in Mind:

• Interest rates for both a conventional and FHA loan
• Initial mortgage fee of 1.75% due at closing for an FHA loan
• Rate of mortgage insurance premium for both conventional and FHA loans
• You always have the option of switching from an FHA loan to a conventional loan to get rid of MIP once you reach 20% of equity in the home
• Use a mortgage calculator to compare both types of loans

Property Tax

When purchasing your first home, property tax is something you should definitely consider. It’s something that you’ll have to pay for as long as you own that home.

A property tax can consist of school tax, county tax, and utility district tax.

Please consider getting an idea of how much your property taxes would cost for the home that you’re looking to buy. Your realtor can get you that information or simply look it up on TaxRates.org.

Property taxes can really tack on thousands of dollars for you as a home owner. You definitely don’t want to be surprised when you’re hit with the huge tax bill every year.

HOA – Homeowners Association

Another financial aspect to keep in mind when purchasing your home is an HOA fee.

An HOA fee is also known as a home owner association fee. It’s a fee collected by property owners, it can be applied for condominiums or residential properties, which helps to maintain and improve properties in that association.

The HOA fee for condominiums can cover costs like the maintenance of a building’s common areas, which may include lobbies, patios, landscaping, pools, and elevators, and common utilities.

For residential subdivisions, the HOA fee can cover costs of certain amenities like the community clubhouse, pool, parks, tennis courts, and landscaping.

It’s important to keep this in mind since HOA fees can really range anywhere from $100 to $700 per month.

If you’re set on a specific condo or home, ask your realtor if there’s an HOA fee for that property and how much it’s going to cost you.

Proper Inspection

So you’ve found your dream home, and now it’s time to get it inspected.

You’ll hire an inspector and they’ll check the home from top to bottom and give you a report of their findings prior to purchasing a home. They’ll check the home’s HVAC system, check for any water damage, plumbing, electrical, roof, attic, floors, windows, doors, foundation, basement, pest infestation, and structural damage.

What you can also do is walk through the home with the inspector and they can point new findings out to you right then and there.

Hire Your Own Technicians For Follow-Up

When the inspector finishes the report, you may have a hand full of things that need to be repaired prior to buying the home. You can then submit your list to the seller and negotiate the repairs. The seller will often be responsible for repairs related to roofs, electrical, plumbing, or an HVAC systetm.

If the inspector notices a problem with any of the above, try to see if you, as the buyer, can hire your own professional to assess the situation further and find out how much a repair would be.

For instance, if the inspector finds issues with the home’s HVAC or plumbing, hire your own technicians to take a closer look into the issue to find out what extent of damage it has caused and what it costs to repair. That way, it’ll give you an unbiased overview of what needs to be taken care of.

I’ll tell you a little bit about what happened to us.

When we first found our home, we hired an inspector to check the home we wanted to buy. Overall, there was no major damages to the home but he reported the home’s A/C was not functioning to it’s fullest potential. With that information, we relayed it to the seller. The seller had their A/C technician do a routine check on the system and said it was good to go.

Not even a month after moving in, the home’s A/C went out. It turned out that the A/C needed a few thousand dollars of repairs and this sure did not happen overnight.

Lesson learned, ALWAYS have a third party technician look further into issues before you agree to buy the home. If we did that, we could’ve had the seller either fix the problem or negotiate it within the terms of sale.

Also, if the seller said they “fixed” the issue, opt for a second home inspection to make sure it was done properly. You sure don’t want to end up in a situation like mine where we trusted the seller and were left with a few thousand dollar repair bill not even a month into the move.

Get Multiple Quotes For Home Repairs

You moved into your first home, hooray!

It’ll be awesome at first, to have a place to call your own.

But, what if things start to break on ya?

This is where you have to be careful because home repairs and maintenance are no joke. They can run you thousands of dollars.

So, remember when I mentioned how our newly moved in home’s A/C system broke not even a month into the move? Well, it was the middle of summer in Texas, and if you’ve ever been to Texas in the summer, it’s brutal.

We found a local HVAC professional to assess the system. Well, they quoted us a bill over $3,000!

So, were we going to fork over $3,000 just like that? Heck no!

We called around and received 2 additional quotes.

The last quote received was only around $180, the technician said the coolant was low and just filled in some more. Sure, there probably was a coolant leak somewhere which had to be addressed eventually, we just weren’t ready for it at the time.

Moral of this story is, ALWAYS get multiple quotes and make your best judgement call on how to proceed. Plus, you can eventually find that one honest technician that you can always rely on.

DIY Home Repair

Doing your own home repairs can really save you so much money.

Google and YouTube can be your go-to when it comes to DIY home repairs. You may also find parts to fix appliances on AppliancePartsPros, they’ll even have video tutorials on how to fix certain appliances.

Once you’re in a new home, you may experience issues like a leaking faucet, running toilet, broken appliance, cracked caulk/grout, broken door knob, walls that need to be painted, holes that need to be patched, and more.

Do your research online because chances are, other people needed help and they’ve come up with solutions on how to fix that specific problem. You’ll be able to find lots of video tutorials online or forums you can read.

My husband and I took up so many little projects around the home and saved ourselves probably thousands of dollars on repairs on the home and appliances.

So, before calling the repairman, always check to see if fixing it yourself is possible, it can save you a ton of money.

If you want to find out more ways to save money, check out 95 Best Money Saving Tips.

Takeaway

Getting your first home for you and your family can be an awesome yet overwhelming experience.

There’s definitely a lot to consider when it comes down to how much you could be potentially spending for your new home.

• Consider whether a conventional loan or a FHA loan works for you
• Calculate your property taxes
• Find out if you have to pay for an HOA fee
• Always follow up with home inspections, don’t always rely on the seller’s word
• Get multiple quotes for home repairs
• Try the DIY approach when it comes to simple home repairs

I hope all these home buying tips I’ve learned along the way will help you with your first home purchase!

By any chance, would you like to free up hundreds or thousands of dollars each month by getting rid of your debt? We knocked out over $100,000 within 24 months using the steps in our free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp. If you’re interested in starting your own debt free journey join us and grab your free gift – Debt Thermometer to start.

We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details. 

Save THOUSANDS in a year! Working all the time is hard enough as it is, let alone having your money fly right out of your hands as soon as you get paid. There’s tons of ways to keep more of your hard earned money in your pockets. With more money at hand, you get more freedom to do what you want like save up for that nice vacation you always wanted, pay down debt, or even invest for you and your families future. I’m going to share 95 best money saving tips you can start now. 

Saving money can actually be really easy. All it can take is making a small decision, taking a small action, getting the right apps to save money, getting more organized, learning about new ways to save money, finding ways to get cash back, and so much more. Also keep in mind that even saving $5 is still $5 more than what you would’ve had. Don’t dismiss the small savings because it all adds up over time. Without holding you up, let’s find out 95 ways to start saving today!

Food Savings

1 | Make Your Own Breakfast & Lunch

Spending money on food can be one of the biggest expenses. It’s VERY EASY to spend at least $15 a day just by buying breakfast and lunch.

All these meals can add up very quickly, let’s take a look.

Tip: Wake up 10 minutes earlier for work to make yourself something to eat for breakfast. Also, pack your lunches the night before work so you don’t have to scramble the morning of.

Ideas for Lunch Meals:

• Salad
• Sandwiches
• Healthy Microwavable Food
• 11 Lunch Ideas
• 27 Easy Lunch Ideas
• 100 Lunch Ideas

2 | It’s Okay to Buy Generic Brands

Buying generic brands can save you more money. You don’t always have to buy the brand named foods. You can actually save up to 30% off your supermarket spending when buying generic over name brand.

3 | Get Cash Back When You Shop

Finding savings when you shop is awesome especially when you can find some great coupons. But what if you just don’t have the time to look for coupons?

That’s where cash back apps come into play. The best part about using these apps is that you get REAL money back.

For instance, if you find a $2 off coupon for an ice cream, you’ll hand it to the cashier and they knock off $2 off your bill which is great but it’s not tangible money you can use. On the other hand, if you get $2 cash back from the apps, you get money back in actual gift cards, PayPal, or checks.

A lot of the cash back apps also allow you to use manufacturer’s coupons as well which multiplies your savings both ways.

Ibotta

Ibotta has over 300 stores that participate in their program. Ibotta gives you cash back for shopping at your favorite grocery stores and big retailers. They have all your main grocery stores like Kroger, H-E-B, C-Town, Aldi, Foodtown, Randalls, SHOP ‘n SAVE, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and so much more. It’s a very simple app to use and you get real money back which you can cash out once you earn $20.

Not only can you get cash back for grocery shopping with Ibotta, you can also earn money back with other categories like grocery pickup and delivery, online shopping, beer, wine & spirits, clothing, health & beauty, specialty, restaurants & bars, convenience, travel, home & auto, kids & baby, pet supply, sports & outdoors, and subscription & delivery. There’s over 300 stores to choose from.

Ibotta also allows combining manufacturer’s coupons to get you more savings.

Sign up for free at Ibotta and use the code YDIGCFJ to get your $20 welcome bonus

I got $8.75 cash back from my last shopping trip. Ibotta is awesome for people who hate spending time looking for coupons. It comes in handy for me since I just don’t have the patience to clip coupons.

Checkout 51 Cash Back App

Checkout 51 is very similar to Ibotta. You can get cash back from groceries and hygiene products. Just upload your receipt and redeem for cash once you hit $20. What’s great about Checkout 51 is that you can also get cash back at the gas pump and they offer a digital Prescription Savings Card which can save you up to 80% on medications.

Checkout 51 has multiple items that also allow manufacturer’s coupons as well.

Sign up for free and get your $5 bonus at Checkout 51 to start earning cash back the easy way.
Tip: Earn $2 when you upload your first receipt and $1 for each receipt three times after that which gives you a total of $5 bonus cash.

GetUpside Cash Back App

GetUpside is another easy cash back app to use. You can get money back on restaurants, groceries (Washington D.C. area), and Gas.

You can see savings as much as 35% at restaurants, 15% at grocery stores, and 25c/gal of gas.

It’s very easy to use, all you have to do is claim the offer presented, simply upload your receipt, and get cash back. Once you hit $15, you can get cash back via PayPal or reach $50 to get a cash payout.

Download GetUpside and use the promo code U5NBX to get $7 cash back on your first purchase

Fetch Rewards App

Fetch Rewards is another easy app you can use to earn cash back to redeem for gift cards or magazine subscriptions. This can come in handy when you want to give out gift cards for birthdays or holidays.

All you need to do is scan your receipts from most grocery stores, pharmacy, convenience store, and big retailers. You will then earn points which you can redeem for gift cards or magazine subscriptions.

Use the code 7JKFH when you sign up to Fetch Rewards and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points)
You can also refer others and earn 2,000 points ($2) yourself and your friend/family will earn 2,000 points ($2) as well.

4 | Shop When You’re Full

Have you ever gone grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Chances are you’ll start putting all sorts of stuff into your cart. Studies also show that people tend to buy more high calorie or junk food when they’re hungry. So, if you want to save a little more on your grocery bill, try to shop when your tummy is full and happy.

5 | Eat Breakfast at Home

People skipping breakfast is pretty common. After all, time is scarce in the mornings before work.

Eating breakfast is super important. There’s so many benefits to it. If you eat breakfast at home, it’ll save you money by cutting costs on outside food. Think about how much a loaf of bread and a carton of eggs cost, maybe no more than $5. That $5 can last a whole week for two people.

Besides saving money, it can help regulate your blood sugar. Which means that it may curb your appetite for lunch.

Skipping breakfast can make you want to eat a high calorie or heavy lunch which may cause you to go out and spend money.

Try to always eat breakfast, set your alarm for 10 minutes earlier to cook up a quick toast and egg sandwich.

6 | Create a Shopping List

This is a huge money saver for me. I’ve noticed that when I shop for groceries without a list, I’ll end up almost doubling my grocery bill.

Creating a shopping list will help you stay on track, organized, and keep you from spending money on unnecessary stuff. The meal planner/shopping list below will help you do just that.

7 | Plan Meals Around Grocery Store Flyer

Do you ever get circulars for grocery stores mailed to your home? If you do, then go through them and create a weekly meal plan based on the sales going on. This can definitely help cut your overall food costs.

If you don’t get too many mailer circulars, then check out the ones online at Flipp. Flipp will have pretty much all your local circulars. Another bonus of using Flipp is that you can click on the certain items you want and it’ll save it to your shopping list which you can print for your next shopping trip.

8 | Use a Calculator When Shopping

If you’re budgeting, you should have an idea of how much you aim to spend on groceries. One way to make sure you’re staying on track is by shopping with a calculator.

It’s really easy to do. Start adding up all the items you add into your cart. If you’re going over your budget, you can make adjustments as you shop.

Another thing you can try doing is open up a notepad on your phone and write the price down for each item so that you won’t lose track while you calculate.

This method helps cut my grocery bill in half each month.

9 | Start Cooking at Home More Often

Buying less convenience food and cooking at home more often will definitely save you money. For us, eating more at home has definitely slashed our food costs by 50%. We used to spend nearly $1,000 or more just by eating out all the time and groceries. It’s ridiculous, I know. You’d be surprised how much you can spend on food alone.

To make your life easier when you start to cook at home more often, try to create a meal plan for the week and use gadgets that’ll help you speed up cooking times and just make the whole process of cooking easier.

$5 Meal Plan

If you ever need some ideas for meal planning, try out $5 Meal Plan. It helps save you time and frustration with ready to go meal recipes for the week plus they provide you with all the ingredients you need to get. It’s great for people who don’t want to spend the extra time to meal plan every single week.

$5 Meal Plan

Offering a free 14-day trial
Weekly recipes sent straight to your e-mail
Option to choose the pre-made weekly meal plan and shopping list OR
Use the Meal Plan Builder to customize what meals you want
You’ll get 5 dinner with sides recipes, 1 lunch, 1 breakfast, and 1 dessert/snack/or beverage option.
It also comes with a full ingredients list so it requires less work on your part.

Instant Pot

So there are a lot of people who have been raving about the Instant Pot. It’s able to be a pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker/steamer/saute/yogurt maker/ and warmer all in one.

It helps to cut cooking time significantly. Beans for instance can take anywhere from 5-24 hours which includes soak time to prepare. With the Instant Pot, it can take an hour without even soaking them.

What about baby back ribs? When baking ribs, it can take 2 hours or longer but with the Instant Pot, it can take 23-30 minutes only.

The Instant Pot can definitely save you a lot of time and money by cooking more at home.

Air Fryer

For those who are not familiar with an Air Fryer, it’s pretty much a convection oven. It circulates hot air throughout food which cooks it evenly and fast, plus it’s a healthier option to deep frying food.

An Air Fryer actually makes cooking so much easier because you don’t have to hassle with huge ovens. It can cook chicken nuggets, fries, hash browns, and all sorts in minutes. It’s definitely a must-have to make more delicious crispy and healthier food at home while saving stress and time.

10 | Make Large Portions of Food

Make your meals last. It’s hard work to try to come up with something new to make for dinner every single day. Often times, people just get fed up and resort to outside food.

Instead of trying to cook something every single day, make 1-2 large batches for the week. Anything left over can be eaten the next day or it can easily be frozen to eat another time.

By doing this, you’ll save so much time, energy, money, and stress. Who wouldn’t want that.

11 | Grow Herbs at Home

Buying herbs at the grocery store can tack on more money on your grocery bill. Usually, you may even use it once and the rest goes in the garbage, what a waste of money.

I know, this happens to me all the time!

Herbs is actually one of the easiest things to grow indoors. All you need is a pot, good soil, and seeds or cuttings. It’ll be a nice little project that’ll give you fresh herbs whenever you need while saving you money at the same time.

Herbs to Grow Indoors:

• Chives
• Mint
• Parsley
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Thyme
• Sage
• Kaffir Lime
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Lemongrass
• Bay Laurel

12 | Reduce Meat

Not saying you should cut all meat. But meat is usually one of the more expensive items on your shopping list. Instead of eating meat every single day, try to have a Meatless Monday night or try to reduce eating meat a few times a week. This can definitely help you save more in the long run.

Also, if you ever see meat items on sale, stock up! It might be good to invest in one of those storage freezers to store bulk meat items or other things that take up room in your freezer.

13 | Buy in Bulk When Necessary

This one can be a little tricky. Have you ever gone to the wholesale clubs like Costco or Sam’s club and walked out with a over $200-300 bill? It’s happened to me countless of times.

That’s why I actually don’t go to wholesale clubs anymore, it’s just too much temptation there. For those who have a large family and need to go, make sure to have a list on hand and only get what you need.

Also, buying only necessary items like hygiene products can result in big savings over time.

For those who don’t have memberships and want big savings on certain products, you can order through Instacart without a membership card. Plus, Instacart people will deliver the items to your house. That’s pretty awesome if you ask me.

Try Instacart out to get your bulk items delivered to your house. The signup is free and you can use this code MINFO1CE14E to get $10 off your first order.

14 | Cut Down on Paper Towels

Do you and your family go through packs of paper towels. We all know that a large pack of paper towels are expensive! To cut back on going through so many paper towels, get a few packs of small hand towels for cheap.

Small towels are perfect especially for the kitchen area. Once they get dirty you can throw them in the laundry and it’ll be good as new. It’ll save you a lot of money in the long run.

15 | Save Money on Drinking Water

It’s pretty silly that we have to pay for water. Well, not really. We have the option of drinking tap but seriously, who in the world knows what chemicals are in tap.

My tap water has chlorine and I know for a fact I don’t want to be drinking pool water. So I resorted to buying water, many people do.

Buying water in gallons or personal water bottles definitely add up significantly over time. A family of 4 can be spending upwards of $1,000 to $1,400 per year just on drinking water. That’s enough for a nice little vacation.

To cut costs give water filtration systems a shot, especially reverse osmosis filtration. It’s the same tech that water treatment companies use for your bottled purified water.

I switched to a home RO system and I’m so glad I did. It will save money in the long run, we don’t have to lug around heavy bottles of water, less contamination from plastic water bottles, plus it helps reduce our pollution output.

Keep in mind that the start up of a home reverse osmosis filtration system may run a couple hundred but after that all you need to buy are filters once a year which are less than $100. That’s huge savings right there!

If you’re interested in home water filtration, check out the Home Master Filtration on Amazon.

16 | Limit How Often to Grocery Shop

Do you go grocery shopping a couple times a week? Having a meal plan and grocery list can definitely help prevent the frequent trips to the grocery store. You can also save money by trying to reduce your trips to the store.

We used to go grocery shopping weekly but also tried to stretch it to going 2 weeks. We found that we spend less by doing that, it’s been working for us. If you can, limiting your trips to the store can really shave down your grocery bill.

17 | Look Through the Pantry and Freezer

I bet you can find so many meals to make just by going through your freezer or pantry. Sometimes, it’s easy to overlook items in the freezer and pantry. Go through your freezer and I bet there can be some delicious meats or seafood you can start defrosting ahead of time.

Before any meal planning, run through both places to see if you can find things to make a decent meal out of, it’ll save you a lot of money.

Finances

18 | Create a Budget

Having a budget for your household and finances is so important as I’ve come to realize.

A budget will help you see exactly where your money is going every month. That’s how we realized that our food costs were nearly $1,000 each month or more.

If you don’t have a household budget, give it a shot. It’ll help you take charge over your finances.

Related: How to Budget Your Money For Beginners

19 | Give Yourself an Allowance

Trying to save as much money as you can doesn’t have to suck. It’s all about finding balance.

It’s not about counting your pennies and trying to be cheap with life. You can still get the things you want but giving yourself a limit will help overspending on things you don’t need.

Give yourself a monthly allowance to get little things here and there without worrying about your finances. It’ll also help if you get a budget going so that way you can add “Allowance” as a line item.

20 | Track Your Spending

In order to find different ways you’re going to save money, first you need to see where all your money’s going.

There are different apps and programs out there you can use to track your spending. Personal Capital is a financial planning tool that helps you budget, track your cash flow, figure out your net worth, and it comes with a savings planner. It’s free to sign up unless you decide to sign up for the investment and wealth management advice. The free version is more than enough to start out.

Using apps to track your spending is so helpful to see exactly where you could cut costs and save some money.

21 | Save Money by Moving Checking Accounts

Did you know that you could save money, heck, you could even make money by switching checking accounts?

It’s true. There are a lot of banks out there that offer enticing deals for new customers. Some will even pay you hundreds just to join them.

Banks That Offer Money For New Customers

• Associated Bank: $500 Bonus
• Wells Fargo Bank: $400 Bonus
• HSBC Bank: $200 or $450 Bonus
• TD Bank: $150 or $300 Bonus
• Chase Bank: $200 or $300 Bonus
• PNC Bank: $50, $200 or $300 Bonus
• Huntington National Bank: $150 or $200 Bonus
• SunTrust (Truist) Bank: $200 or $400 Bonus
• Bank of America: $100 Bonus

22 | Aim For a Higher Interest Savings Account

Do you have some money put away in a savings account? Double check your rate. Depending on the interest rate, it can make a huge difference!

For example, let’s say you have $5,000 with a .01% interest rate. After 5 years, you’ll have a whopping $2.50.

If the interest rate gets bumped up to 1.15% on $5,000, after 5 years you’ll collect $295.78 on interest. That’s a big difference isn’t it?

Right now, Axos Bank is offering a 1.15% interest rate for saving accounts which is significantly higher than most banks out there. Check them out.

23 | Avoid Interest Fees With Credit Cards

Interest fees on credit cards can be the absolute worst!

Did I ever tell you my husband and I had 8 credit cards 2 years ago? I remember paying sometimes over 28% just on interest alone, highway robbery!

After we got serious about paying off debt, we knocked out all those cards and now use only 1-2 credit cards each month while paying off the balance each month.

By paying off your cards in full, you can save hundreds of dollars just on interest alone.

Related: How to Get Out of Debt With These 5 Tips

Did you know you could be saving hundreds or thousands a month by just knocking out debt. Join us in this free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to get started with your own debt journey plus here’s a free Debt Thermometer to get you started.

24 | Automate Bill Payments

Were there ever times when you didn’t receive a bill which led you to pay your bill late and you get hit with a late fee the next month.

I’ve been there too!

To save money on those pointless late fees, set up automatic bill payments out of your checking or savings account so that you won’t ever pay late again.

Hot Tip: Did you know that signing up for automatic payments with most school loan service providers can save you money? You can typically expect a savings of .25%, find out what your student loan service provider offers.

25 | Balance Transfer or Consolidate Credit Cards

As most of you know, credit card interest rates can be brutal. It could save you money by transferring your balance to a 0% interest rate card or one that offers a much lower interest rate. Also, keep in mind there may be a balance transfer fee. Overall, if you think you’ll save more money by switching to a lower interest card while considering the balance transfer fee then it may be a better move in the long run.

Another alternative to get huge savings on interest is by consolidating credit cards. If the interest rate on most of your credit cards are sky high, then it may help to take out a personal loan at a much lower interest rate. I’ve seen rates for personal loans as low as 5.95%. Be careful as some personal loan interest rates can be ridiculous too. Another thing to keep in mind is the loan fee when the loan gets processed. Before you agree to take out a personal loan to pay off high interest debt, take the interest rate and loan fee into consideration.

26 | Negotiate Credit Card Interest Rates

Sometimes, your interest rates aren’t locked in stone. There are times when you can call up your creditor and have them lower your interest rate. Maybe you’ve been making all your payments on time or you’ve checked your credit and it’s improved. It doesn’t hurt to make one phone call to see if you can get a lower rate. If it works, it’ll save you a lot of money down the line.

Related: Tips on How to Get a Good Credit Score to 800’s

27 | Fee Reversals

Have you ever missed your credit card bills and skipped payments? I know I have. Usually you’ll see a $20-$40 charge get smacked on your bill. It sucks to have to pay for something so silly.

Don’t just sit there and let the banks take your money!

You always have the chance of getting that late fee reversed. Call them up and explain your situation. Most of the time, they will reverse that fee for you. Give it a shot if you ever get stuck with a late fee on your statement. It’s worked for me numerous times.

28 | Save Your Change

Save your spare change when using cash. Put it aside and after some time you can bring it in to your bank and cash it all in. You’d be surprised how much you’ll have just from saving your spare change.

Now, a lot of people are moving away from using cash and use their debit or credit cards for everything. Acorns is an app that actually saves your digital spare change by rounding up to the nearest $1 when you purchase something and invest the difference in an investment account. For instance, if you buy a coffee for $4.60, Acorns will automatically save .40 for you in an investment account.

Acorns is great for those who wants to get started investing with spare change.

Sign up with Acorns today and get your free $5 just by signing up with this link.

29 | Improve Your Credit Score to Get Savings

There are awesome benefits to getting yourself a better credit score. The higher your credit score, the better the interest rates you’re likely to get which will save you a lot of money over time.

Let’s take for instance the interest paid between a person with a credit score in the low 800’s compared to someone with a credit score in the 600’s.

In the example above, the person with a lower credit score ends up paying thousands more over time. Why give the banks more of your hard earned money? Simply, getting your credit score in order can help save you thousands in the long run.

Related: Tips on How to Get a Good Credit Score to 800

30 | Make Bi-Weekly Mortgage Payments

Did you know that making mortgage payments every two weeks instead of once a month can have you contribute 1 extra mortgage payment a year.

For example if you were to have a 30-year fixed loan of $200,000 at a 4% interest rate, making bi-weekly payments can shave off up to 5 years off your mortgage term and save you over $20,000 over 30 years.

Check out how much you can save with this biweekly mortgage payment calculator.

Also, before you go ahead and sign up for the biweekly mortgage payment plan, make sure that your mortgage company actually applies your payments towards the loan every 2 weeks. Some companies simply hold onto your second payment for 2 weeks and make the monthly payment on your behalf which defeats the whole purpose of making that extra mortgage payment a year. Some companies may even charge a setup fee to implement this process. Be careful and get all your facts before signing up.

Another option is to make extra payments each month towards your mortgage which can also help you pay off the mortgage earlier.

31 | Avoid Those Little ATM Fees

Were you ever strapped for cash and needed to swing by an ATM? You go to withdraw money and the ATM wants to charge you $5 as a withdrawal fee?

All those little ATM fees definitely add up.

What you can try doing is withdrawing enough cash each month from your bank to get you through.

Also, try to choose a bank that has plenty of it’s own ATM machines around so you don’t have to pay for unnecessary withdrawal fees.

Shopping

32 | Get Cash Back When You Shop Online

I’m sure that you’ve probably purchased something from online. Whether it’s from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Macy’s, and all the rest of the big named stores.

Well, you can get up to 40% cash back for doing what you normally do.

Rakuten, used to be known as Ebates, is a major hub with over 2,000 stores listed online. To get cash back with Rakuten, you sign up and get to browse cash back offers from over 2,000 retailers.

They literally have ALL the big named retailers from Amazon, Ebay, Sephora, Macy’s, Best Buy, you name it they probably have them listed. They even have travel sites like like Orbitz, Travelocity, Travelzoo, hotels, and so much more.

For example, if I wanted to shop on Macy’s.com I would go straight to Rakuten first to see if there’s any cash back offers. If there’s any cash back offers, all I would need to do is click on “Shop Now” where it brings me straight to Macy’s site. From there, you’ll shop as usual and automatically get cash back on your Rakuten account.

Over time, your cash back keeps building and building. Once you reach at least $5 in cash back, you’ll get a check mailed to you or they can pay you via PayPal.

Sign up today with Rakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonus and be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!

33 | Finding the Best Deals Online

If you haven’t heard about Groupon, you need to sign up like today!

Groupon hosts many local businesses near you and they offer major deals and coupons to promote their stores. Groupon has all sorts of local businesses listed on their site from auto, beauty & spas, restaurants, gyms, fitness, home services, meal prep, online learning, personal services, retail shops, salons, activities to do, travel and more.

These businesses offer huge discounts. I’ve seen discounts anywhere from 10%-92% off. I’ve seen deals for Microdermabrasion Treatments which would go for $150 but with a 78% discount it goes for only $32. Or even a $1,650 laser hair treatment going for $120 with 92% off.

What’s great about Groupon is that many people purchase these coupons so they leave reviews for you to go through. You can always check out the ratings of a business before you purchase the coupon. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Sign up for free here at Groupon to start getting your MEGA savings.

34 | Get Free Gift Cards

Has birthdays or holidays crept right up and you’re like “Oh crap, what the heck do I get this person”. You then run out to a store to buy a gift card. I know I’ve done that plenty of times.

Well, you don’t have to buy gift cards anymore!

You can actually get FREE gift cards now!

All the cash back apps I recommended in #3 such as Ibotta, Checkout 51, GetUpside, and Fetch all offer either cash back or gift card payments.

Another way to earn free gift cards during your free time is by filling out surveys/polls, watch videos, shop online, download and try apps, or play games on your phone.

InboxDollars

If you ever have some free time during the day, why not spend that time to earn a little extra cash on the side. With InboxDollars, you can take surveys/polls, watch videos, play games, search the web, get cash back by shopping online, and even get paid to clip coupons through InboxDollars. They have paid out over $50,000,000 so far to millions of members.

Join InboxDollars for free and get your instant $5 just for joining.

Swagbucks

Take surveys and get your $10 sign up bonus on Swagbucks. Some people make anywhere from $10-$350 a month. With Swagbucks, you earn points for taking surveys or polls, watch videos, play games on your phone, shop online through Swagbucks’ site to get points, complete daily goals, enter competitions, try out apps, sign up for free trial services, and refer others. Swagbucks uses a point system where you get awarded with SB points, you can then redeem those points for cash back via PayPal or gift cards through popular companies like Amazon, PayPal, Walmart, Visa, iTunes, Starbucks, eBay, and so much more.

Sign up for free here at Swagbucks and earn a $10 welcome bonus

Survey Junkie

Get paid to take surveys online with Survey Junkie. For every 1000 points you’ll get a $10 gift card or cash via PayPal. During your spare time you can complete these surveys to make some money here and there. On top of simple surveys, they even offer phone surveys which can pay $5-$100, Test some products to make $5-$50, and join focus groups that pay anywhere from $25-$150. Realistically, you can expect to make anywhere from $3-$10 a day. If you make $10 a day for 30 days straight, that’s $300 a month. Not too shabby.

Sign up for free here at Survey Junkie and start earning

Joining these survey sites are a great way to fight boredom while making a little bit of side cash to get free gift cards.

35 | Sell Things Around the Home

If you want more money in your hands, sell things you don’t need anymore around the home. You can sell almost anything from unused electronics, gently used clothes, accessories, jewelry, furniture, kitchen ware, video games, toys, bicycles, gym equipment, and more.

You can always set up a garage/yard sale or if you don’t want to do all that, use apps or websites to sell your things.

Apps and Sites to Sell Items

• Ebay Sell video games and consoles, tech, clothes, handbags, shoes, auto parts, baseball cards, bicycles, cameras, electronics, golf equipment, jewelry, books, records, watches, pretty much anything you can think of
• decluttr Sell CDs, DVDs, Games, Books, Cell Phone, Tech, Tablets, Lego
• Letgo Sell electronics, sporting equipment, cars, motorcycles, furniture, appliances, clothes, shoes, and more
• Poshmark Sell clothing, shoes, accessories, makeup products, and some home goods
• Mercari Sell clothing, accessories, shoes, toys, electronics, kitchen ware, pretty much anything you can ship
• Offerup Sell almost anything from appliances, furniture, cars, clothes, electronics, shoes, jewelry (Shipping and meet up available)
• Facebook Marketplace Sell pretty much anything from furniture, cars, appliances, electronics, kitchen ware, office supplies, books, clothes, toys, shoes and more
• Nextdoor Sell cars, furniture, clothing, appliances, kitchen ware, shoes, toys, home decor, and more (Neighborhood app)
• 5 Miles Sell cars, accessories, furniture, toys, jewelry, clothes, bicycles, home decor, and more
• Craigslist Sell cars, bikes, electronics, appliances, kitchen ware, tools, furniture, clothes, jewelry, exercise equipment, and more

36 | Buying Used Can Save You Money

You can get huge savings from buying used things like handbags, video games, shoes, electronics, furniture, clothing, and more.

Some thrift stores have items for so ridiculously cheap. Some of those items probably were never even worn with tags on them. You definitely can find great deals.

You can even find gently used or pre-owned things online or on apps.

Check the list above to find great deals.

37 | Don’t Skip Customer Rewards Programs

Always check to see if your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, fast food place, or other stores offer rewards programs. Every time you go there and purchase something, use your rewards card. After you accumulate certain amount of points, you’ll often get some great perks like free meals, drinks, coupons, and more. You can even earn free things when your birthday rolls around, which is a nice little treat.

My husband and I love Chick-Fil-A, when we use our reward card, many times we get surprised with free chicken sandwich offers. Nothing beats FREE!

38 | Master the 30-Day Rule

Are you an impulsive buyer?

Impulsive buying can lead you to spend lots of money. Did your kid’s ask you for that brand new video game system or you want the newest $1,000 iphone?

Before taking the leap and making the purchase, let it marinate for 30 days. After 30 days you can really see if you needed the item or not. If it’s something you can’t absolutely be without then go for it.

Second guessing purchases has really helped us to save money.

39 | Buy Used Cars

Buying used cars over brand new can save you thousands!

Did you know that a new car can lose up to 60% of it’s value by the 5th year of owning that car? It’s like buying a brand new car for $50,000 and by the time to sell, it may be worth only $20,000. You’ll lose $30,000 over 5 years. How crazy is that! Buying new cars can really be a huge waste of money. Used cars can be just as reliable as new cars.

On top of all that, if you were to finance a new car, you’ll get hit with a loan fee, interest, major depreciation, and needing full coverage. If you buy a used car with cash, you can definitely avoid all those unnecessary fees.

Buy a reliable used car when you can!

Read More: Buying A Used Car Can Save You Thousands

40 | Skip Shopping at the Mall

Try skipping shopping at the mall if you can. A lot of those stores have clothing and shoes marked way up! You can end up walking out the mall spending hundreds of dollars.

Instead, try discount stores like Ross, Marshalls, Kohls, or TJ Maxx. They’ll have name brand clothing/shoes/accessories with HUGE mark downs. You can definitely save more money by shopping at these stores instead.

41 | Buy Clothes That Never Goes Out of Style

Have you ever bought a nice top or shirt because you thought it was so stylish at the moment. After a short while, you realize “what the heck was I thinking”?

Before buying clothing, shoes, or accessories try not to go for stylish or trendy items. Look for things that won’t go out of style easily. That way, you won’t waste so much money on items that go out of style quick.

42 | Buy Clothes That Mix and Match

When you’re buying clothes, try to find something that you can mix and match well instead of buying 1 outfit you’ll only wear a handful of times and can’t match with your other clothing.

This will help you spend way less on clothes while stretching your wardrobe a lot further.

43 | Second Guess Your Purchases

Before you buy ANYTHING, always ask yourself “Do I really need this in my life”.

It’s time to look out for your money. It doesn’t do any good to buy things impulsively just to use it a few times and have it sit there collecting dust. This was a mind-set that I had to change myself.

You’d be surprise that half the things you get on a whim you won’t use again in a month or two. So really think about what you want to spend money on. If it adds no value to your life, let it go.

44 | Fill Out Those Rebates

Have you ever bought something and it comes with a money back rebate? Did you ever throw those rebate offers out? Think again before tossing them in the trash!

Most of the time, those rebate offers are legit and you’ll get real money back either in the form of a gift card or store credit. It’s real simple to do, most rebate offers have websites where you can go and simply fill out your information and that’s it. It’ll take no more than 5 minutes.

Just recently I had to purchase my dog’s heartworm and flea medicine and ended up receiving $120 bucks back just for filling out the rebate form.

Don’t forget to fill out those rebates!

45 | Buy Used Video Games

Do you or your family play video games? If you do, I’m sure you know that new games cost at least $60. Those video game costs really add up over time.

Instead, buy them used on sites like Ebay, eStarland, or Swappa. The good part about buying physical used games is that you can sell them once you’re done playing them.

DIY

46 | Save on Furniture

If you need some new furniture around the home, it doesn’t hurt to skim through your local Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or Nextdoor. You can get furniture for a fraction of the price.

You can also start a little side project and build your own furniture, there’s plenty of YouTube videos out there that can show exactly how to do that.

Before you hit the furniture store, check out sites like WayFair and Overstock. You’ll be able to find some great bargain deals on those sites. The only downside is that usually when the furniture ships to you, it’ll be in pieces so assembly will be required. Overall, putting the furniture together is so easy plus you get huge savings instead of heading to the furniture store.

47 | Repair Appliances

Did you ever have a run-in with an appliance that broke on you? You’ll call out a repair person and they charge you few hundred or even thousands just to repair something small?

Before you call someone out, do your research online! I’m sure whatever problem you’re facing, someone else had the same issue. There’s tons of YouTube videos or forums you can check to see how people were able to fix their appliances.

Fixing your own appliances (the ones that you can do) will save you hundreds and thousands of dollars! Cha-Ching $$

If you’re ever looking for appliance parts check out Appliance Parts Pros, they have tons of parts that will help you fix your own things.

I had a overflowing laundry machine once and after doing research, all I needed was a part under $20. I saved hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars because my husband actually wanted to throw out the machine and buy a new one! Ugh, can you believe him? I saved us hundreds of dollars! Yay!

48 | Repair Your Home

Having a home can come with it’s own share of responsibilities. If you don’t want to go broke maintaining your home, try to do some repairs yourself. It’ll save you hundreds to thousands of dollars!

DIY Home Repair/Maintenance

• Lawn Care
• Landscaping
• Caulking
• Sealing
• Power Washing
• Fixing Toilets
• Painting

49 | Repair Car

Having a car is awesome and all but there are times when stuff starts to go wrong with it. Before heading straight to the mechanic, do some online research. You’d be surprised at how many small fixes you can easily do yourself which will save you $100’s!

50 | Change Car Air Filter

Did you know that changing your car’s air filter can save you up to 10% more gas mileage? As we all know, gas = money. Less gas used, the more money you’ll have in your pockets.

It’s recommended to change your car’s air filter every 12,000 to 15,000 miles.

If it’s been forever since you’ve changed your air filter, get started today! Read this tutorial from Auto Zone how to do it properly.

51 | Repair Clothing

Have you ever broken a button on a shirt or jacket and decided to throw it out? Or need clothing hemmed and altered?

Learning how to sew on a button is super easy to learn with YouTube.

Hemming or altering clothes doesn’t have to cost money at the tailor. There’s hem tape you can get on Amazon which doesn’t require any sewing at all.

52 | DIY Gifts

Buying presents for people can really add up over time. There are nice things you can actually make which would save you a lot of money while making your gift a very thoughtful one.

DIY Gift Ideas

• Candles
• Decorative Soap
• Cookies
• Decorate a Cake
• Picture Frames

Get 55+ more DIY gift ideas on Shutterfly.

53 | Start Your Own Garden

You can save money on produce and pick up a nice little side hobby by starting your own garden. It can be super cheap to start growing your own food. Even if you live in an apartment, you can still grow produce.

Produce Grown Living in an Apartment

• Tomatoes
• Microgreens
• Salad Greens
• Garlic greens
• Bell Peppers
• Lemons
• Mandarin Oranges

54 | Groom Your Pets at Home

If you ever bring your pets for grooming then you know how expensive it can get. Over time, all those grooming costs add up to hundreds or thousands a year.

If you have an easy going pet, try grooming them at home to cut costs. You’d be surprised how well your pets can do. First get a good affordable grooming kit and watch some tutorials on YouTube to get an idea of how to groom your pets. This will save you tons of money down the line.

I bought this grooming kit on Amazon for $25 and my goodness, it works better than my clippers that costed $160. Plus it doesn’t get hot like my expensive ones do. Overall, I’m able to save $720 a year just by grooming my dog at home.

Health

55 | Smoking and Drinking

Cutting certain habits like smoking or drinking can save you hoards of money.

Let’s look at smoking for example. Cigarettes are getting more expensive not to mention they’re horrible for your body health/teeth/gums.

A pack of cigarettes can average $6. So smoking a pack a day can cost $2,190 for a whole year and $21,900 for 10 years. What about NY? A smoker living in NY could be spending $12 for a pack and in a year they’ll spend $4,380 and $43,800 in 10 years. Cutting down or quitting smoking can save you tons of money!

Alcohol can also get expensive over time. An average household spends $12 a week, they can spend $624 for one year and $6,240 after 10 years. Now this is only if they’re spending $12 a week. Some households can be spending way more money than that.

Cutting smoking and alcohol can definitely keep more of your hard earned money in your pockets.

56 | Get Healthy

Did you know that 6 in 10 adults in the US have a chronic disease and 4 in 10 have two or more chronic diseases? Some of those conditions can include heart disease, stroke, cancer, lung disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and kidney disease.

It’s true some conditions occur due to genetics but a lot of the diseases can be prevented with limiting harmful habits like smoking, excessive drinking, eating healthy, and getting active. Avoiding a disease can ultimately save you a lot of money down the road with costly medical visits, medication, and inability to work.

57 | Buy Generic Medications

If you need to buy medication, always check the price of the generic brand. Chances are, the generic brand will be a whole lot cheaper and it’ll work the same. Even FDA states that generic medicines is the same as a brand-name.

Save some money and don’t always go for brand-named goods.

58 | Use Coupons on Medications

You can always go through your pharmacies coupon books or find them on their digital app for discounts on medications.

There’s also another option of finding a coupon online on GoodRX.com. They have coupons for almost all medications. I saved 90% off one medication for my dog. I had to pay over $100 but ended up paying only $13 with a coupon I found on GoodRX. My pharmacist was the one that actually told me about it. It’s truly a money saver.

59 | Cancel Gym Memberships

Getting fit is super important but do you happen to have a membership to a gym that you haven’t gone to since January? If that’s the case then cancel it because it’ll save you money.

A lot of times, you can still get fit and in shape with simple exercises at home.

Bills

60 | Use Trim to Cut Bills

Sometimes going through bills and trying to cancel services or even negotiate lower terms can get stressful and overwhelming. For those of you who hate doing that can sign up for Trim.

What Trim Does:

• Sign up is free
• Acts as your own personal finance assistant bot
• It negotiates your internet, cable, or phone bill and can lower your bill up to 30%.
• Analyzes all your transactions quickly and easily to help you understand how you’re spending money
• Finds recurring charges and helps you get rid of old and unused subscriptions
• If Trim is able to negotiate your bills, they’ll charge 33% of your yearly savings upfront. You can always skip this part if you want, you just have to negotiate bills on your own.

61 | Term Life Insurance

There are two major types of life insurance policies out there, whole life and term life insurance. There are lots of articles out there stating that term life is the way you want to go and whole life policies are a huge rip off.

Basically, term life insurance is much more affordable than whole life. Term life insurance policies can cover someone for 10, 20, and 30 years at a low rate. Once someone passes, their beneficiaries can receive the coverage amount.

Whole life insurance covers someone during their entire lifetime but it comes with heftier premiums. Whole life policies also builds cash value by putting a part of the premium in a savings account. The negatives about this kind of policy is that if someone passes away, their beneficiaries only get the face value of the policy and not the savings portion. In order to use the money set aside for savings, it has to be used when the policy holder is still alive.

Overall, if you’re thinking about getting a policy to protect your family financially in case something ever happens, then term life insurance would be the better way to go. It’s more affordable each month and it could offer better policy coverage in case anything happens. Before making a decision, definitely speak to a financial advisor to get all the ins and outs first.

62 | Get Free Magazine Subscriptions

If you’re on the checkout line when grocery shopping, fight the urge to buy those magazines. Each magazine can run close to $4 and if you buy one every week, it can cost you $208 for the year.

You’re better off buying a magazine subscription for significantly less. Better yet, get FREE magazine subscriptions!

Fetch Rewards gives you points for each time you submit your receipts. It can be receipts for grocery stores, convenience stores, fast food chains, drug store, sporting goods stores, clothing stores, pretty much anything. Once you hit 3,000 points, you can redeem it for gift cards and you’ll need 5000 points for 1 year magazine subscriptions.

Magazines Fetch Rewards Offering Now:

• Better Homes & Garden
• Eating Well
• People
• Entertainment Weekly
• InStyle
• Parents
• Real Simple
• Shape

Use the code 7JKFH when you sign up to Fetch Rewards and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points)
You can also refer others and earn 2,000 points ($2) yourself and your friend/family will earn 2,000 points ($2) as well.

Reaching 5,000 points to get your free 1 year magazine subscription or redeeming for gift cards should be super easy. If you use my referral code above, you’ll get 2,000 points and if you refer someone it’ll add 2,000 more points. Already you can get 4,000 points. All you need to get is 1,000 points which is real easy.

63 | Raise Your Car Insurance Deductible

For those who aren’t sure what a deductible is, it’s the amount that the policy holder pays before the insurance company starts to pay up in the case of a car repair.

Get a lower car insurance premium by raising your deductible. You can reduce your collision or comprehensive coverage cost by 15% to 30% by increasing your deductible from $200-$500. Increasing your deductible to $1,000 can save you 40% or more.

To be on the safe side, make sure to have the higher deductible amount safely saved away in case an accident does happen.

64 | Home/Renters/Car Insurance

Shop around for your home/renters/car insurance. This can give a significant amount of savings. 

Don’t always go for the big named companies for your insurances. They tend to be WAY more expensive! It’s worth reaching out to lesser known companies and getting quotes, it won’t hurt. 

Also, ask your friends, neighbors, or co-workers on who they use. They may have some great recommendations and can help you save hundreds to thousands a year!

Tip: I just recently saved $400 off my home owners insurance! I went through my mail and reached out to one of those promotional offers from a home insurance company. They asked for a copy of my previous home owner’s declaration policy, so I provided that with the premium amounts all blocked out! That way, I received a fair new quote which saved me $400. 

Utilities

65 | Save on Electricity

Always try to be aware of unnecessary electricity use. Do you leave lights on all the time? Or leave the A/C running when you leave the house? This can all have a direct impact on your electricity usage.

Saving on Electricity from BC Hydro:

• Unplug unused electronics Save $50 a year
• Turn off unnecessary lights Save $15 a year
• Use natural light Save $9 a year
• Controlling your electric A/C or heat can Save you $120 a year
• Skip the heat-dry setting of dishwasher (leave the door open slightly and it will air dry) Save $27 a year
• Use cold water to wash clothes Save $22 a year
• Hang dry instead of using the dryer Save $65 a year

66 | Use Energy Efficient Lightbulbs

Using energy efficient lightbulbs like LED’s make a huge difference, it can save you hundreds a year.

So, let’s say that an average rate for electricity is 13 cents per kW/HR. If you had 40 incandescent 75 watt lightbulbs running for 5 hours a day and switched to 11 watt LEDs, you could save $600 a year. That’s a lot of money!

Always go for LEDs!

67 | Automate Your Thermostat

Sometimes it can be difficult to try to keep up with your A/C or heat settings, especially on the days you’re late for work and run out the house.

Installing a programmable thermostat could be your answer to saving a lot of money on energy costs. With technology getting better, you don’t even have to physically touch your thermostat. You can adjust it straight from your phone in case you’re at work and need to change the temp for your home.

Saving energy by cutting back the time your A/C or heat is on, or even adjusting temperatures can significantly save you a lot of money each month.

68 | Maintain Your Appliances

Doing regular maintenance on appliance can help save energy which reduces your overall bill and prolongs the life of the appliance.

• Clean refrigerator coils to make it be more energy efficient
• Avoid overloading your washer and dryer which can damage parts
• Keep the dishwasher filter clean
• Change home A/C filter periodically
• Clean window air conditioning unit filters
• Clean out dryer lint traps which can cause house fires if it accumulates too much
• Descale coffee makers
• Descale dishwashers

69 | Use a Surge Protector

If you have valuable electronics or appliances, please use a surge protector.

A few years back, I had an Apple TV device which costed $180 plugged into an outlet. A storm came through and knocked out the power to my home. When the power came back on, I noticed the Apple TV wouldn’t work anymore. Because I didn’t use a surge protector, $180 went right down the drain.

Always use a surge protector to prevent your electronics and appliances from getting fried.

70 | Use a Smart Strip

Have you ever heard of vampire energy? It’s when you have an electric device or appliance that puts out some electricity even though it’s powered off. It can be TVs, chargers, coffeemaker, A/C unit, electric toothbrushes, and laptops/desktops.

Vampire energy can cost a household anywhere from $165-$440 per year. Instead of giving electric companies more of your money, invest in a Smart Strip which can completely power down your devices.

71 | Cancel Cable or Channels

As we all know, having cable can be pricey each month. If you find yourself not watching too much cable TV then it may be better to just get rid of it completely.

Or what if you have those premium channels like HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Sports, and others? If you barely make the most use out of the premium channels, you may be better off canceling it.

Cutting cable and premium channels can save you over $1,000 each year. This doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on your favorite shows, find out more below.

72 | Sign Up For Streaming Channels

As long as you have internet, you can cut the cable bill and switch to streaming services like Locast, Philo, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video.

If you want to stream through your TV then you’ll need internet and a streaming device like a Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, or Apple TV.

Locast

What is a main concern for cutting cable? It may be not having access to your favorite local channels like ABC, Fox, CW, and more. Well, you can actually get FREE local channels on your TV with Locast.org. It’s a not-for-profit service that provides you with free local channels which you can watch on your TV, phone, or computer.

They provide service in 21 major cities, so check here to see if they cover your area.

Philo

On Philo, you can stream some of your favorite cable channels live for only $20 a month.

Channels they cover are: A&E, AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, Hallmark, HGTV, History, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TLC, Travel Channel, VH1, and WE tv.

Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video

You can’t leave out Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Video as part of your streaming needs. Stream shows and movies with these services.

• Netflix starts at $8.99 per month (Try one month free with this link)
• Hulu starts at $5.99 per month (Try one month free with this link)
• Amazon Video starts at $8.99 per month (free with Amazon Prime membership)

73 | Skip Store Bought Extended Warranties

Have you ever purchased electronics and appliances where the store clerk asks you if you want the extended warranty? At that moment, you’re afraid you’ll be screwed if something were to break and you didn’t have any coverage, so you end up buying it?

A few things to keep in mind before buying that extended warranty.

1. Most electronics or appliances already come with some form of warranty, double check to see what the original coverage period is
2. Don’t buy something impulsively
3. Plan ahead of what you’re considering to buy
4. A lot of credit cards offer 1-2 years additional extended warranties or even doubles the manufacturer’s warranty if you buy the item with that card.
5. Check to see if your credit card provides that benefit for the item you plan to get

Best Extended Warranty Cards

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
• Chase Freedom Unlimited Card
• Chase Freedom Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Card
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
• Citi Premier Card
• Citi Prestige Card
• Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard
• American Express Green Card
• The Platinum Card from American Express Card
• American Express Gold Card
• American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card
• Bank of America Premium Rewards Card
• Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express Card
• US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card Card
• Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
• United Explorer Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

74 | Cut Your Cell Phone Bill

Did you know that if you switched cell phone carriers, you can save a lot of money.

I saved $804 a year or $67 per month just by switching carriers. I went from Verizon to Cricket wireless and was able to save $67 per month. The best part is that my service is now much better than when I was with Verizon. This goes to show that just because it’s a huge company, doesn’t mean you’ll get the best.

Affordable Cell Phone Carriers to Look Into:

• Cricket Wireless
  • Unlimited talk, text, internet – 1 line $55 and 2 lines $80
• Boost Mobile
  • Unlimited talk, text, internet – 1 line $45 drops to $35 a month after 6 months and 2 lines $80
• Metro by T-Mobile
  • Unlimited talk, text, internet – 1 line $55 and 2 lines $80

Now, if you’re paying more than $80 for two lines then you need to go straight to the sites above to sign up, like now!

My husband and I have tried Cricket Wireless and Metro by T-Mobile and they’re both very similar. I love the no BS approach to these phone carriers, $80 flat fee for two lines. The best part is if you sign up with them, you could probably get one of their free smart phones. Gotta check them out, you’ll be happy you did!

75 | Cut Home Phone

It’s more common now-a-days to have people call your cellphone rather than your land line. If you rarely use it, just cut the land line phone.

You could be paying anywhere from $20-$50 a month for a land line which is about $240 to $600 a year. That’s a lot of money to be paying for a service you’re rarely using.

If you feel like you really do need a land line, try a VOIP service instead. VOIP is an internet based phone service. Your phone will be connected to the internet instead. It’s actually what my household uses and it costs just a fraction of what a land line bill would be.

All we pay is $5 and change each month just for taxes and fees. We use a service called Ooma, and it’s been saving us a lot of money. My husband actually needs a home line for work so we decided to get Ooma over a traditional land line. It’s works wonderfully!

Fees to keep in mind is the actual Ooma device which you will connect your phone and internet. Once you get the device, you just pay taxes and fees every month (which is super cheap). Check to see how much your taxes would be here.

Tip: Shop around for cheap Ooma devices, you can always use Ebay to find some great prices for them.

Related: Tips to Save Money on Your Phone Bill

76 | Switch Electric Providers

You could be saving hundreds a month just by switching your electric provider. It’s true!

As we all know, summer months can get brutal and hit our electric bill hard. One month last year our bill rose to over $300, some of you may have higher bills. That’s when I realized that we didn’t switch our electric provider. We immediately found a different electricity provider and our bill dropped down to the $100’s in the summer.

It’s very important to shop around for different electric providers. Once your contract is up, find a good deal right away. A lot of times, once your electric contract expires, the electric companies will take away the good rate promised to you in the beginning and hike up the rate, leaving you with a hefty bill each month.

So, how do you shop for better electric plans? Ask around to your friends, family, or neighbors, or do a simple google search to find companies in your area. This will definitely help save you hoards of money each month!

77 | Lower Hot Water Temperature

Lower your water heating temperature to 120°F. According to Energy.Gov, this can save your water heating costs by 4%-22% annually. Lowering the hot water temperature can also slow the buildup of minerals and corrosion in your water heater and pipes. If yours is set at 140ºF, you can be wasting anywhere from $36 to $61 annually.

78 | Save on Your Water Bill

There’s ways to reduce your water bill by making small changes.

Fix Running Toilets

Do you have a constant toilet leak? Well, that leak can be costing you $70 per month or $1,000 per year in waste. Don’t let your money literally go down the drain, fix toilet leaks yourself. It’s actually easy to do. With the world of YouTube now, there’s tons of videos out there showing you how to do DIY repairs. That’s how my husband and I fixed leaks and repaired our own toilets when it had problems. You can save money by fixing the leaks and by not needing to call the plumber out to your home for every little issue.

Turn Water Off When Brushing Teeth

Another way to save on your water bill is to turn the water off when you’re brushing your teeth. Sometimes you may not even realize you’re doing that.

Run The Dishwasher

Did you know that running the dishwasher actually can save you more money than hand washing dishes?

Washing dishes by hand can use up to 27 gallons of water where an Energy Star dishwasher can use as little as 3 gallons. That’s a huge difference isn’t it?

If you still prefer to washes dishes by hand, follow these tips:

• Don’t fill the entire sink to let your dishes soak
• Use a smaller bucket if you need to soak dishes
• Even a small spritz of water on the dish and letting it soak is enough to break up the food bits
• Avoid letting the water run when you’re scrubbing the dishes
• After scrubbing all dishes, then use water to rinse

Lifestyle

79 | Enjoy The Outdoors

You can save a lot of money by simply enjoying the outdoors. Go on a nice picnic, spend an afternoon at the park, go on a hike, explore your town or city. You can still have fun and spend some great time with your friends and family without having to spend any money.

80 | Host a Game Night

Partying with friends can get expensive fast. Instead of spending money at the bars and clubs, host a game night instead. You’d be surprised how much fun it can be plus you’d be saving a lot of money too. Also, don’t think you have to provide all the food and drinks. BYOB and order a pizza, how inexpensive is that!

81 | Save Money on Kid’s Activities

Bringing your kid’s to theme parks or other expensive activities can really put a huge dent in your finances. Instead, bring them to the beach, park, or find free community activities. You may be able to find lots of low cost or free activities to enjoy with the kid’s. I’m sure as long as they get to spend fun time with you, it doesn’t matter where they are.

82 | Check Out Your Library

Do you read a lot of books or love to watch movies? Instead of buying books or renting movies, head to your local library. You can borrow books, DVDs, and Blu-rays for FREE.

83 | Find a Less Expensive Place to Live

Housing costs can really take up a lot of an income. After budgeting, if you realize that your housing/apartment cost is taking up a huge chunk of your money, then it may be time to consider finding a more affordable place to live.

84 | Look For Free Events and Activities

Your town or city could be hosting tons of free events that you may not even know about. Doing a simple google search, checking out Eventbrite, or looking through your community paper will give you lots of ideas for free events and activities

85 | Take Public Transportation

Check to see if your place of work is fairly easy to get to with public transportation. If it is, why not save gas and tolls? Public transportation can save you a lot of money and it’ll give you some time on the commute to read a nice book or watch your favorite videos.

86 | Carpool

According to Rideshare, if you drove more than 12 miles and carpooled 250 days a year, a two person carpool could save more than $1,500 per year. This savings doesn’t even include parking or toll costs. So, yeah carpooling can save a lot. If you don’t mind sharing a ride with your co-worker, why not try it out?

87 | Cut Your Own Hair

A haircut or salon treatment can take up a lot of money on your budget.

Let’s say a man spends $25 every 3 weeks for a haircut, that’ll be $433 a year. If a woman spends on average $45 a month for only a haircut, that’ll be $540 a year.

If you can get away with skipping a week or two for haircuts, it can increase your savings.

Also, cutting your own hair at home can help you maintain a longer length between hair cut visits or even eliminate them for good. It all depends, how good you can get with cutting your own hair.

88 | Cut Down on Vacation Spending

We all need and deserve vacations, but they can definitely get expensive quick. There are ways to still have a nice getaway without breaking the bank to do it.

Using travel rewards cards is the way to go. Do you know that I scored a free cruise, free flights, and hotel stays without paying a cent? You can definitely get free trips too! There’s a lot of great travel rewards cards out there that gives you tons of points for joining them.

Popular Rewards Cards:

• Venture Rewards from Capital One – 50,000 Intro Offer
• Chase Sapphire Preferred – 60,000 Intro Offer
• United Explorer Card – 40,000 Intro Offer
• Hilton Honors American Express Card – 75,000 Intro Offer
• Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard – 50,000 Intro Offer
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card – 40,000 Intro Offer
• United Explorer Card – 40,000 Intro Offer
• Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card – 35,000 Intro Offer

There are things to keep in mind when applying and using these travel cards.

1. You may need good to excellent credit to get approved
2. Spending requirement need to be met before you get the bonus points
3. Always consider the annual fee

Now, before you go ahead and start applying for these cards. Focusing on one credit card at a time can help immensely. Find out more helpful tips on how we were able to successfully get approved for 6 travel cards and got over 500,000 in travel points.

Related: How We Got Our First Cruise For Free

89 | Find the Best Travel Rates

Besides finding ways to use credit card points for travel why not get even more savings by finding the best travel deals?

Best Site for Cheap Travel Rates

• Skyscanner – Skyscanner is one of the best travel search engines. They provide some of the cheapest flights I’ve seen around. They also have a nice ‘Everywhere’ feature in case you’re not sure where to go, it can pull all different destinations both domestically and internationally and include the best flight prices.
• Orbitz – Orbitz is a reliable site where you can search flights, hotels, vacation packages, car rentals, and cruises. They have really great prices, very competitive rates compared to other travel sites. Plus they also have their own rewards program, where you can earn points to apply towards your next trip.
• Hotwire – Hotwire is another very popular travel booking site that’s been around for nearly 20 years. They have great rates for flights, hotels, car rentals, and bundles.
• Travelocity – Travelocity has also been around for a while. They also offer low rates for flights, hotels, vacation packages, car rentals, and cruises.

Before booking any trip, make sure to get the most out of your money. Stop by Rakuten first because they will have cash back offers for a lot of travel sites like Orbitz, Hotwire, and Travelocity.

Sign up today with Rakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonus and be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!

Related:

Las Vegas Trip an a Budget Free Flight Included

How We Got Our First Time Cruise Trip For Free

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Visit in The US

90 | Tax Refund

For those who receive tax refunds, it’s time to go on a shopping spree. Give yourself a head start with your refund by paying down debt, saving for an emergency fund, or investing it in a retirement account.

91 | Increase Your Income

Another way to definitely be able to save more is by having more money coming in. You can always ask for a raise or work some overtime to bring some extra cash each month, that way it gives you more money you can save.

Related: 16 Ways to Make Extra Money Each Month

92 | Go Through Your Mail

Do you get mail and just toss out the ones you think are junk mail? Don’t do it! Go through all your mail because you’ll be surprised that some offers are legit and can save you hundreds.

I always get mail offering me new home insurance rates, instead of throwing them out, I go through each one. Many times they will have a price quote right on the mail. If it’s low enough, I’ll reach out to the company to get an actual quote.

I saved $400 off my home insurance plan just by doing this, so don’t dismiss “junk mail”.

93 | Save on Property Tax 

There are many responsibilities that comes with property ownership and one of them is the dreaded yearly property tax bill. Filing a Homestead Exemption and Protest or Tax Appeal can lower your property taxes every year. Always look for tax exemptions if you can provided by your state.

• Homestead Exemption

We had $25,000 knocked off our home value for the property tax assessment. It was easy and all we did was fill out a simple form. Not all states offer this. If you live in your residence you can apply for a Homestead Exemption where a certain amount will be deducted off your home value when it comes time for property tax assessment. This can save you some money when it comes time to pay your yearly property tax. 

• Protest / Tax Appeal

Every year in my county, an assessment of home value is done for property tax calculations. Basically, the county will say they think your home is worth a certain amount and tax you on it. That can easily increase your property tax bill! There is something called a protest where you prove that your home is less than their assessed amount in order to decrease your property tax. 

Both the homestead exemption and filing for a protest can significantly save you $$$ off your property tax each year!

94 | Medical Insurance 

Please get medical insurance for you and your family! Make a budget for it because it is essential. No one knows what may happen and accidents sure do happen. This actually happened to us where my husband ended up going to the hospital but luckily we had medical insurance through his employer. We only paid 10% of the visit. If we didn’t have medical insurance we would’ve paid over $40,000! 

Our furry pet members of our family also can get hurt too! I have tried many different pet insurances for my dog Bella and found one really good one called Healthy Paws Insurance. They are hassle free and it is very easy to process claims with them. They cover 90% of Bella’s medical costs.

95 | Student Loan Forgiveness

Do you have student loans? If you do, there are ways to get rid of them for good. Wouldn’t that be such a relief.

• Perkins Loan – If you ever took out a Perkins Loan, it can be forgivable if you worked full time as a:
  • Early childhood education provider
  • Employee at a child or family services angency
  • Faculty member at a tribal college or university
  • Firefighter
  • Law enforcement officer
  • Librarian
  • Military service
  • Nurse or medical technician
  • Professional provider of early intervention services
  • Public defender
  • Speech pathologist
  • Volunteer service (AmeriCorps VISTA or Peace Corps)

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness – Be eligible for loan forgiveness if:
  • You’ve worked full time for a Government organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps
  • Made 120 monthly loan payments
  • Have direct loans

A few months ago, I processed a loan cancellation form for the Perkins loan and I received 30% off my $7,000 loan. I had $2,100 knocked off my loan for working 2 years full time.

If you can get your loans forgiven, why not try? Call up your loan service providers and they can advise you if there are any eligible programs you can enroll in. It can save you thousands of dollars!

So there you have it, 95 money saving tips for you to try. I hope you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars! A lot of these tips I’ve done myself and can really attest to it saving our household thousands. If I missed out on some good tips, please feel free to share them with us below. Thanks and happy savings!

If you want to free up some money starting today take these actionable steps in our free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp and grab your free Debt Thermometer to get yourself out of debt ASAP. This can ultimately save you hundreds or even thousands each month.