5 Money Saving Tips That Make all the Difference

Do you feel like you’re constantly battling with your bills, and feeling swamped? Do you constantly look for money saving tips but come up empty all the time?

Look no more – here are 5 simple money saving tips that you need to start doing to keep you from sinking.

We are in the transition from 2017 to 2018 now, and what better time than now to get your money saving plan in order so you can start the new year off on the right foot.

Looking back on your year, have you been able to stay on your budget? Do you even have a budget? Have you been able to live comfortably and still save money? Or do you find yourself struggling to get all the bills paid and your bank account in a steady decline rather than incline?

It can be tough to figure out if you came out of the year with more money or less than you started with, and it might not be something that you even want to think about in fear of what your bank account has done throughout the year.

This year let’s start keeping track of our spending. Let’s create the perfect budget that we can easily stick to with just a few adjustments to our lifestyle.

I’ve put together a step by step guide below to help you create your perfect money-saving plan to lift the weight of financial fears off of your shoulders.

Stick to your budget and see the difference it will make in your lifestyle. You don’t have to give up your phone, internet, house, or even cable (although it would definitely help you save more) to save money.

It’s really simple – there are so many creative and unique ways to help people save money. If you’re desperate for ways to save, but don’t have the drive or time to figure out and think of how you can save, let me do the work for you.

I have multiple articles on how we live comfortably on a single income, which I will link to at the end of this article. I’ve done the research, and I continue to do it every day. And there are a very large number of other bloggers out there who have done the same.

These tips are great to put into practice in your everyday life. You might surprise yourself with what you’re capable of doing when you put a bit of effort behind yourself.
Start the new year off right by following these tips, or pick these up and create habits out of them all throughout the years to come.

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There are countless ways that you can pay your bills, save money, and live comfortably without selling your soul.

Have you ever used Ebates? If you want to get cash back from your everyday purchases? If you purchase through Ebates (they offer a wide variety of stores like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s and many more) they will give you cash back from all your purchases. And the best part? It’s completely free! There are no signup fees and no monthly costs. Check it out here.

Here are just a couple of the many money saving tips that will help you start saving your pennies today.

I’m going to start with one that I am sure you will see in any and every kind of money saving article:

1. BUILD A BUDGET

We all have unique lives, unique jobs, and unique bills. No two people’s lives are the same, so building a budget isn’t always as simple as finding a copy only and printing it off, but that is a good place to start. If you find a good budget don’t be afraid to edit it so that it fits your lifestyle better. If you’re feeling ambitious you can build your own personal budget so, so easily!

Learn how to create a budget that works for you here.

2. KEEP A RECORD OF ALL YOUR SPENDING

Any money that is coming out of your bank account should be taken into record. Keep your receipts and at the end of the month go through them and see how you’re sticking to your budget. Make adjustments where they are necessary.

Even that $2 coffee that you bought, keep the receipt for it. Every single penny spent, keep the receipt (this in itself is a phenomenal way to save money, because you have a paper trail of what you’ve all spent money on, you can’t just forget about it).

Likely for the first couple of months you will be changing your budget and moving some money and percentages around on it until you figure out where you’re spending most of your money, etc. But once you’ve customized it to fit your life, stick to it.

3. CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE ABOUT IT

This will be the one change that will impact how you save the most. Simply by changing your attitude, being happy with less, and willing to save more, makes all the difference.

When you decide to see saving as a good thing in your life, make sure there is a spot on your budget for money that goes into your savings account. Don’t let all of the money that you make flow back out into the world. Make sure a good chunk of it gets put away in a savings account.

If you have spare money laying around, put it away and save it.

4. KEEP AN EMERGENCY FUND

Always, always make sure that you have enough saved up so that if an emergency happens you are prepared. In case of medical emergencies, job loss, and many more things that could happen, you want to be prepared and have enough saved up that these sudden emergencies won’t sink you.

5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BUY SECOND-HAND

When you do have to buy stuff, don’t be afraid of buying second hand. Thrift stores are great places to shop for new-to-you clothes and a variety of items. Some thrift stores get a bad rap, but some have awesome quality clothes for such a cheap price.

If your trusty appliances break down and you are forced to purchase new ones, look online on Kijiji and/or eBay for second-hand ones, or find a local scratch and dent store if you want a little bit more reliability.

Another great way to save money when making your everyday purchases is to make your purchases through Ebates. When you buy through Ebates you automatically earn cash back. So that means if you buy stuff you were going to buy anyway, you can make money for it.

Ebates is completely free. No signup cost and no monthly costs, there’s nothing to lose, only money that’s being left on the table if you don’t buy through Ebates. You can check them out here.

We also use Checkout 51 for all of our grocery store purchases. We simply scan which items are available to earn cashback on that week, scan our receipts, and claim our money back. Check them out here.