Where to Cut Back

When you’re looking to add a little extra into your savings or saving for something of importance there are certain things that you can do to alter your spending without (completely) altering your lifestyle.

Make A Budget

This is always the first step of any money saving plan. Budgets help you keep a goal in sight: how much money you spend on everyday things and necessities, how much money you need to save to pay off your bills.

E-mail Deals Are The Devil

Not really of course, but they do tempt you when you shouldn’t be spending the extra money. If you’re looking to save money, don’t do the unnecessary shopping that e-mail deals and sales alerts try to entice you with. It’s temptation that you don’t need.

Try these energy-saving and money-saving tips as well:

1. Wash all of your clothes in cold water.
2. Carpool or ride a bike to work or to social events.
3. Swap to basic cable or forgo cable all together. If you have high speed internet, you can save money by watching your favorite TV shows and movies online. Services like Netflix and Hulu are cheaper than cable TV.
4. Plan a soup night or a casserole night to use up leftovers in the fridge.
5. Wait for things to come out on DVD or Netflix instead of going to the movies. These days it costs upwards of $30 for a date at the movies.
6. If you are afraid of never seeing your friends again, plan Potluck/Board Game Nights with your friends.
7. Catch and use rainwater to water your garden instead of your hose. Use things like pasta water for watering household plants.
8. Focus on your shopping lists when you go out. Don’t get distracted by the sales rack or the snack aisle.
9. If you have kids, swap hand-me-down clothes with friends.
10. If you have trouble making time to cook a decent meal when you get home from work, try freezer cooking instead of eating out. Make extra portions and freeze them or spend an afternoon freezing all of the ingredients for crock pot meals throughout the week.
11. Look for knockoff recipes online instead of eating out. You can turn it into a date night by cooking with your spouse or partner.

Saving money can appear to be a big task and may seem like it will alter your lifestyle for the worse, but it’s not as bad as you may think. After all, you are saving money for something better – normally it is to build a better life for you in the future. Keep those goals in mind while you are saving your money and it may turn into an easier task than before.