5 Tips Anyone Can Use to Save Money

For me, and for most folks I know, money is tight. We’re living in a big, expensive city (Los Angeles), pursuing our dreams (which often don’t pay), and struggling to get by every month. I’m going to share some simple ways my husband and I save money, that anyone can apply to their own lives.

Stop eating and drinking out

Food and alcohol at restaurants and even fast-food joints is so much more expensive than eating and drinking in. If you always find yourself needing to grab something in a rush, have some food on hand in your pantry and freezer that will make it easy for you to throw a meal together quickly and take it with you.

Invite your friends over for potluck parties and game nights, and grab yourself a bottle of Carlo Rossi and some cheap beers. You can have just as much fun hanging out with your friends at someone’s house or apartment and save a TON of money.

Have a well-stocked pantry

Always have these staples on hand so you can easily make a decent meal for yourself:

• Loaf of bread (keep in the freezer!)
  
• Peanut butter
• Cheese
• Pasta, cans of tomato sauce, onions, and basic spices
  
• Corn tortillas and cans of beans
• Rice, eggs, and bag of mixed frozen veggies
• Apples
• Carrots

All of these foods keep well if stored properly, and you can several meals out them! Quesadillas (with grilled onion and beans, yum!), grilled cheese sandwiches (with grilled onions again!), peanut butter sandwiches, pasta with tomato sauce (more grilled onions, of course!), beans and rice (throw on some grated cheese!), fried rice, eggs of a variety of styles (add beans, onions, cheese, toast, etc to make it a meal), and more!

Peanut butter and apple slices or apples slices and cheese make a great snack! So do hard-boiled eggs. And carrot slices, amiright?

Sandwiches are easy to transport if you’re going to be out all day and know you’ll be tempted to buy something on-the-go.

Stop associating “treats” (that cost $$) with self-love

I totally get the impulse to buy yourself a treat, whether it’s a fancy drink at Starbucks or a candy bar or a bottle of iced tea. Whatever the $5-or-less thing that makes you feel like you’re treating yourself, it’s still some amount of money and probably not anything you need. Try to reassociate those impulses with free activities that are good for your body and mind. Let a trip to the library be a treat. A walk to your nearest park. A five-minute free write. A tall glass of iced water.

Any time you are tempted to buy a little treat for yourself and don’t, keep track of how much money you saved. Do this over the course of a week or a month, then see how much money you saved. Let yourself relish in the good feeling of having more money in your bank account.

If you have some extra income and have allotted a treat budget for yourself, set some bigger goals of fun activities that have a higher price-point, and let your treat budget build up until you can do something rad that will feed your memory for years to come.

Take a long, hard look at your monthly expenditures

What’s coming out of your bank account on a regular basis? Probably some necessities, like rent, electricity, gas...but what’s not necessary? Do you pay for multiple entertainment subscriptions? Gym membership? What else?

I’m not saying you have to cancel everything, but assess everything and see if it’s all really necessary. Is there another gym that’s cheaper and would get you everything you need? Can you make do with just Netflix or just Hulu and let the rest go? Is there a phone plan that’s cheaper? Can you negotiate to get your internet or cable bill lowered? Do you really need Prime?

Make sure you know exactly what’s coming out of your account every single month. It helps to have a spreadsheet where you track your income and your outgoing expenses. Don’t let something you’re not really using be the thing that takes you by surprise one month.

Price compare

If you always shop at Ralphs or Vons or Trader Joe’s, try shopping at Jons or Food 4 Less (or your neighborhood equivalent) one week and compare the prices. Discount grocery stores generally have all the same things, but at a much lower price point. Do not be afraid to buy the cheaper store brand. You can usually get the exact same thing with the same ingredients for less if you’re willing to go off brand.

Get to know what’s a good price for things you buy on a regular basis. For example, I know that a decent price for basic butter is $3/lb. If I’m out of butter and really need it for a particular recipe, I’m willing to spend up to $3.50/lb, but no more. If it’s ever on sale for $2.50/lb, I stock up and throw some of it in the freezer!

All these tips boil down to the same thing: spend less money.

But it’s about so much more than that. It’s about really getting to know yourself and your habits and being honest with yourself about what you actually need. It’s also about getting to know how much things usually cost, so you know when you’re spending more or less than usual.

If you don’t have the money for something, there is nothing wrong with saying no to yourself or telling your friends and family that you can’t afford to join them for dinner and drinks out. If they’re judging you for being honest about your finances, they might be jerks. Don’t pay attention to jerks.