How to save more money tips

[Manoek]

I'm so bad in saving money.. I work fulltime but, at the end of my salary, I still have a little bit of month left

Things I already do:

- I only drink water and wine (no soda's, yes, every once and a while a diet coke)
- I have this online thing where I can track where all my money goes
- Bring my lunch to work instead of eating something at work

Does anyone have more good or even small saving tips?

[Zapookie]

When you go to the store to buy groceries, try to buy in bulk. Also try and buy no-name brands. I find that most supermarkets (well in Australia anyway) will have their own brand which is generally cheaper than the more well known brands. The packaging is usually a lot plainer, but the quality of the food product is generally the same! I also try and avoid buying things I don't NEED. Sure, I want that chocolate bar... but I don't NEED it. :P

[Tooki]

^^^ Aldi is our bestt friend in that situation . When pasta is $1AUD a kilo, you win!*!

What I do:

*Cook all the time: I very rarely eat out. I cook in bulk as well to save money.
*Stop drinking: Alco is expensive down under! I also bring back cheap alco when I see my girl in Europe .
*Keep track of the $$$: Watch what goes in and out. I also set some rough caps on what I can spend on food/entertainment per month.

Life gets boring but study and talking to my girl eats into most of my time. Oh wellss

[snow_girl]

Whenever I get my paycheck, I pay all the bills I have to first. Then if say I have 500 left, I put 300 into savings and then I am forced to make that 200 last till next payday, anything I have left from it when I get paid next also gets put into savings.

[digitalfever]

I have an automatic thing where 50 cents for every dollar I spend during the month is deducted from my account and put into my savings at the end of each week.

[Manoek]

Thanks everyone! Definitely helpful!

I'm a runner so I was planning to stop drinking alcohol next month.

Yes I do love my wine, so let's see how much money I can save from that

[London-FortCollins]

It sounds simple but get a big jar and dump all your spare change into that whenever you get home. Seeing the money pile up is really motivating - especially if you're able to chuck some larger bills in there from time to time. Even with a savings account, its nice to have a visual reminder in front of you too.

Never ever shop when you're hungry - huge fatal mistake. You end up with a trolley full of expensive junk food and nothing else

Investigate store points/coupons etc. In the UK the major supermarkets all have points schemes, they build up on the money you spend in store. I already have £10 at each supermarket since Christmas - not tons granted but thats still basically free money And they send me coupons and stuff in the post too. (Just dont get lured into the trap of buying something you wouldnt normally JUST because you have a coupon)

Go throw all your bills metaciously - see if there are some things you can reduce, get cheaper elsewhere or remove completley. Do you need XYZ speed internet or is it cheaper to half it? Do you use 1000minutes on your mobile phone or can you get a cheaper plan? Best way to do this is to phone the companies and ask them to tell you your average monthly usage. Do you need phone insurance at £15 a month through your phone supplier or can you cut it out or find it cheaper elsewhere?

Once you work out how much you can save in your bills instantly set up a regular transfer for that amount into your savings account - you wont even notice it because it would normally go on bills.

Do you have a credit card? Can you switch to a 0% balance transfer? I move money around on my credit cards all the time (I owe a lot no thanks to my "wonderful" ex-SO) - I consider myself cheated if I am paying interest!

Also this is UK based but I'm sure a lot of the hints and tips are transferable - https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ Martin Lewis is awesome - he's totally my money guru!

[Manoek]

It sounds simple but get a big jar and dump all your spare change into that whenever you get home. Seeing the money pile up is really motivating - especially if you're able to chuck some larger bills in there from time to time. Even with a savings account, its nice to have a visual reminder in front of you too.

Never ever shop when you're hungry - huge fatal mistake. You end up with a trolley full of expensive junk food and nothing else

Investigate store points/coupons etc. In the UK the major supermarkets all have points schemes, they build up on the money you spend in store. I already have £10 at each supermarket since Christmas - not tons granted but thats still basically free money And they send me coupons and stuff in the post too. (Just dont get lured into the trap of buying something you wouldnt normally JUST because you have a coupon)

Go throw all your bills metaciously - see if there are some things you can reduce, get cheaper elsewhere or remove completley. Do you need XYZ speed internet or is it cheaper to half it? Do you use 1000minutes on your mobile phone or can you get a cheaper plan? Best way to do this is to phone the companies and ask them to tell you your average monthly usage. Do you need phone insurance at £15 a month through your phone supplier or can you cut it out or find it cheaper elsewhere?

Once you work out how much you can save in your bills instantly set up a regular transfer for that amount into your savings account - you wont even notice it because it would normally go on bills.

Do you have a credit card? Can you switch to a 0% balance transfer? I move money around on my credit cards all the time (I owe a lot no thanks to my "wonderful" ex-SO) - I consider myself cheated if I am paying interest!

Also this is UK based but I'm sure a lot of the hints and tips are transferable - https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ Martin Lewis is awesome - he's totally my money guru!

Thank you! Some good ones!

Just got my paycheck! Going for it again! Wish me luck

[squeeker]

Good luck with saving!! I'm going through the same thing.. I was doing pretty good when I withdrawed money and put it aside because I knew that money was being saved to visit my SO and then I just had to make the rest of my money last til payday. And I also started using a piggy bank again (Actually it's a snail bank lol I think it was from the dollar store) and putting my spare change in it every now and then is nice and motivating too. Anyways I just wanted to say Good luck!

[Hololz]

To save on things like electricity I dont use the tumble dryer and I wash all my clothes on a cool wash.

If I need something new for the kitchen (like a baking tray etc) or a new accessory I look in thrift stores and charity shops first. If I buy a DVD I try and get them second hand from amazon, ebay or cex.

I rarley buy new clothes, I just try and vamp up old ones with cheap accessories such as coloured tights or belts. I also only get my hair cut once every few months, but inbetween I get a fringe cut, which just keeps it tidy. If I do get it cut, I try to go with a trainee (It takes a little longer, but they're still supervised by a professional stylist - I got my hair cut for free by a trianee at very high end salon. It took 3 hours though, but the cut was AMAZING and lasted for months) or just get a wet cut and style it when I get home (it usually rains in england anyway so styling my hair always seems like a waste of time :P).

Another good thing I found if you're budgeting - take out all your cash for the week at the beginning of the week. Once its gone, its gone. Its good to have a visual representation of your money and how much you actually do have left. Its so easy to forget about little purchases.

If I think of any more I'll post them :P

[Manoek]

Thanks! Good tips!

[dglynn77]

I'm an awful saver...

It was great to see all these tips!
I'll have to try implementing them. (slowly, or it would never last lol)

[rach92g]

I have created a budget for myself. Half of my paycheck goes into savings, then I have a certain amount of money that I allow myself to spend on certain things.

1. Hair - $50
2. Gas - $100
3. Data Plan - $30
4. Blow Money (spend on anything) - However much is left over from my check.

I have a notebook and I have each section on a separate sheet of notebook paper. When I buy something hair related I subtract it out of the $50 that I have allowed myself for that 2 weeks, just like a register that you keep track of your checking account with, but more specified. It really helps to know where my money is going and helps me not just blow all of my money on stupid things.

I also have a car payment but it comes out of my savings account each month automatically.

I hope this is helpful and not confusing ha.

[Manoek]

I actually saved money this month! Yay!!!

Everyone's tips where great, and I also stopped drinking wine.. Good for body, mind and wallet

[books]

I landed a better paying job about 6 months ago (in addition to working a second job nights and weekends) and while it seemed like I had all this "extra" money to blow, I have actually been really disciplined and have instead focused on saving and paying off debt. Why? Well, aside from the fact having no money in the bank and owing tons of money sucks...I really want to close the distance next year and have a lot of financial stuff to get in order beforehand.

I follow Dave Ramsey's baby step plan (google his name) and keep track of my monthly budget on mint.com (free site). In 6 months, I have managed to save $1,000 in an emergency fund, pay off 2 credit cards, pay a couple thousand dollars towards my student loans, visit my mom for x-mas, take a trip overseas to see my SO...all while taking care of my monthly expenses (rent/utilities/food) in super-expensive NYC. Basically, I figure out how much my income will be for the month and then plan out all of my necessary expenses (necessary= things like debt payments, rent, phone, etc). I have $80 budgeted for clothing (which I use for my work wardrobe) and $50 as my "blow" money (money I can spend on whatever). This month, I spent my blow money on some makeup and a calendar for my office. At the beginning of the month, I take out my whole food budget in cash and keep it in an envelope. This really helps me keep track of how much I'm spending as I believe before I started budgeting I was spending too much on lunches out, coffee, etc. Now I'm more aware of bringing my lunch and having lunch out maybe once a week. If I come in under-budget on anything, I use that as extra payments for my debt. If I wasn't in debt, I'd use that for savings.

You really just need to develop a system to track every dollar that comes in and goes out. Writing everything down on paper didn't work for me, but tracking it online does. So, you just have to play around and see what's best for you.