Are you living from paycheck to paycheck?
Does saving $5,000 a year seem like an impossible task?
It might seem overwhelming, but I am here to tell you that it is actually a lot easier to save than you might think.
We all have things that we waste money on. It could be anything from the newest gadgets to entertainment to shopping, etc. For me, it’s going out to eat. I knew I was spending a lot of money on food, but it wasn’t until I sat down to work on my budget that I realized how much I could be saving.
Recommended read: 10 Best Ways To Make Money From Home
Take action now: Grab your FREE Monthly Budget Planner and start taking control of your finances.
11 Easy Ways to Save Money (Silly Things People Waste Money On)
There are many more ways for you to save money, but here are just some ways to get you started!
1. Morning coffee
An average American spends more than $1,100 on coffee every year. That just blew my mind away.
If you spend $4/day for a cup of coffee for 5 days a week, that’s $1040/year. Most work places have free coffee that you can take advantage of. But if you’re someone that needs coffee before you can even step foot out of the house, you’re not alone!
Personally, I prefer espresso and cappuccino over coffee.
Fun fact: Did you know that caffeine is the most consumed drug in the world?
Saving: ~$1000/year
2. Bottled Water
Aside from the environmental concerns with the amount of plastic being produced, bottled water can cost up to 1900 times more than tap water. Crazy right?
I live in California and we get charged an extra 5 cents for each bottle for CRV (California redemption value). A case of water would cost me an extra $2.
If the taste of tap water bothers you, use a Brita water filter. A one time investment that could save you hundreds every year.
3. Cable / Cell Phone
With the rise of Netflix and Amazon Prime, there is no reason for you to use cable anymore. With the average cost of $100/month for cable vs $12.99/month for Netflix. It really is a no brainer that cable needs to go.
I recently called Spectrum about my internet services (trying to cut down my bill). I found out that for $14 a month you get unlimited talk and text along with 1 GB of data. After that, it is $14 for each additional GB used every month. Talk to your provider and ask for deals to cut down your phone bill.
Saving: ~$1000/year
Related: 10 Ways to Save Money on Medications
4. Dining out
As I mentioned above, eating one was what I wasted most of my money on every month.
Even if you eat out at a fast food joint such as McDonald’s once a week for a family of 4, that would still set you back $1000 a year.
A big mac meal is $6 and a family of 4 would cost $24/week. I just went to Taco Bell (I know I know) not too long ago and it came out to be $24 for 2 people!
Most of us are busy and after a long day of work, we just don’t feel like cooking and fast food is everywhere and convenient.
I get it.
But that’s why Instant Pot exists.
With over 31,00 reviews and a 4.5-star rating on Amazon, you really cannot go wrong with this. It can serve as a rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, food warmer, yogurt maker, and sauté. If you want to cook healthy food fast, you have to give Instant Pot a try.
Air Fryer is another must have item in your kitchen. I am getting both Instant Pot and Air Fryer. They’re great investments since I’ll eat healthier and my wallet won’t suffer as much in the long run.
Saving: ~$1248/year
Recommended read: 10 Best Ways To Make Money From Home
5. Save on grocery with Ibotta
When it comes to getting cash back on groceries, Ibotta is my go-to app. The cash back on Ibotta is very generous.
Ibotta is free to download and you get up to $20 in welcome bonuses. All you have to do is search for the items on your shopping list within the Ibotta app, add it to your list. When you get home from your shopping trip, scan the barcode on your receipt. Instant cash back.
- Click here to sign up for Ibotta and get $10 bonus after you submit your receipt.
Saving: Varies $200-500/year
6. Save money on entertainment
If you don’t want to spend $14 on a movie ticket that isn’t even 3-D or IMAX, then check out InboxDollars.
You earn money by watching their videos which range from Entertainment, Food, Trending News, and even World News. On top of that, you will get $5 as a sign-up bonus.
Pro Tip: They set it up in a playlist and if you don’t want to watch the videos, you can just leave them playing in the background while earning money. You can earn up to $200/month just watching videos.
Potential Earning: $200/month = ~$2400/year
Related: InboxDollars Review: The 10 Best Ways to Make Money with InboxDollars.
7. Dosh – Get Instant $5 Cash
Dosh is an awesome cash back app because it’s a set-it and forget-it kind of app.
To get $5 cash, all you have to do is download the Dosh app on your phone and connect your credit or debit cards. Dosh is safe and secure and will not share your data with unauthorized people. They use bank-level encryption software to keep all your personal information safe.
Shop like you normally do at stores you love using your credit or debit cards. You get cash back even without realizing it.
You get cash back from the Dosh on top of other coupons and discounts. It’s a clever way to save even more.
Claim your free $5 now and earn an additional $5 for every friend you refer.
Saving: $200-500/year
8. Save money on a gym membership
After years of going back and forth, I finally purchased a 2-year contract gym membership. Let’s just say I wish I didn’t.
There are many ways to exercise for free outside the gym. In fact, you can even earn extra money just for moving around.
Sweatcoin is a free app that gives you points for walking. You can redeem points for gift cards, workout gears, or even an iPhone.
How about getting paid to lose weight? Healthywage allows you to make a bet on your own weight loss and you can win up to $10,000 if you meet your goals.
I just made $9.35 just for walking with StepBet. You can click here to read my whole process and how easy it was.
Saving: $30-$40/month or ~$360 – $480/year
9. Shop around for car insurance
I hate shopping around for insurance and since I pay once every 6 months, it’s easy to forget or ignore it. But this is a big saver and doesn’t even take long to do.
I had State Farm and was paying around $800 every 6 months. Before that I was paying $450 every 6 months under my dad.
I was shocked when I got my quote, but they told me it’s because of the area I was living in. The area had a lot of uninsured people and that was why I had to pay more. Doesn’t seem fair right? Why am I being punished for that?
I kept putting it off and before I knew it, it was 2 years later. My quote with Geico was $500 for 6 months and it has since dropped even more. That was a $600/year saving with just one phone call.
As I mentioned above that I had just recently purchased my first home (both scary and exciting at the same time). There are so many costs when it comes to buying a house and homeowner insurance is one of them.
Since I have Geico and seeing how I was able to save so much by switching, I figured I’d get a good deal for my homeowner insurance. But it wasn’t the case at all. I was able to get the same exact coverage for $300 cheaper.
The moral of the story: SHOP AROUND!
Saving: $600/year
10. Save on electricity with OHMConnect
Did you know that OHMConnect pays you to save electricity? I just found out recently that it costs me less by doing laundry at night than during business hours.
You can track your energy usage after you sign up for an account by entering your zip code and e-mail address.
OHMConnect will reward with points for saving energy. Their free service will help you use energy when it’s cleanest and reward you points to save when it’s dirty. Every 1,000 points = $10.
Sign up for OHMConnect now and start saving money on your electricity.
Saving: $300/year
11. Get cash back with Ebates
Ebates is the largest cashback website with over 2,500 brands such as Walmart, Groupon, Macy’s, Amazon, TripAdvisor, Expedia and so many many more.
Ebates is very simple to use and you can get up to 40% cash back. All you have to do is shop through their portal on Ebates.com or the app. If you’re worried that you might forget to use Ebates when shopping, then just download and install Ebates browser extension.
Sign up now to get FREE $10 Walmart gift card after you make a purchase.
Saving: $200/year
Related: How to Make and Save Money with Ebates
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