Are you sick of feeling broke? I know that in today’s culture it can be easy to feel like we constantly need to buy the latest this or newest that, but saving money is ultimately going to help you in the long run. Here are some tips you might not have considered that will help you save money each week!
Name Brands vs. Generic Brands
Sometimes you are just paying for a name. At the grocery store, check out the ingredient list of food items and decide if there is any difference in the name brand compared to the store brand. I like to buy the generic food brand as often as I can to save money. Most of the time, I can’t even notice a difference in the taste. The same goes for jeans, shoes, etc. There will be some name brands that truly are better than generic or lower priced brands, but make sure to give those inexpensive items a chance before completely ruling them out.
Utilities
This is one of my favorites. I could barely afford our propane bill each month a couple of years ago. It took me many years until I realized I didn’t need it. Instead, I, bought a used chainsaw locally and safety gear on eBay and decided I would start cutting my own wood for heat. I purchase permits from our local forest service for practically nothing and my daughter, and I go and cut our wood. We found that we both enjoy this experience very much, and our house is so much warmer each winter.
We also started cooking solely on our wood stove from Fall through Spring. We not only cut our propane bill down, the bill no longer exists! For the past two years, we have used 0% propane which has saved us thousands of dollars while we also found a new activity that we both enjoy doing together. Look for ways to cut down on your monthly bills. Be creative and open minded to unique ideas.
Stay Home More Often
If you’re like me, I take a trip to get toilet paper from Target and end up with twenty bags of things I don’t need. Sometimes I just can’t trust myself to shop. So why not focus on making your home as cozy as possible? I find the nicer I make our home, the more we want to be here and the more money we save.
Grow a Garden
Grow your own food. There are always tasty fruits and vegetables that can be grown in any weather climate. My favorite vegetable to grow is Kale because it grows quickly and we can eat it from May through December, even in our short growing season here in Wyoming. Kale is frost resistant, plentiful, and jam packed full of nutrients. If you only have an apartment with a balcony or maybe just a window, try growing lettuce in your window.
If you are a person reading this that does not even have a window let alone space for a garden or potted plant on your front steps, try sprouts. They will flourish in a dark cabinet. I love sprouts for the winter especially when our garden is dormant. Sprouts need to be rinsed just twice a day while growing, and we have a new crop ready to eat every four days!
Seeds for sprouts are inexpensive and can be found either online or at your local health food store. They are very easy to grow and require little supplies. I like to grow mine in mason jars to add a rustic touch.
Share Rides To Work
Depending on how far you may need to travel each week, consider sharing the fuel expense by sharing a ride with someone. Or if you work close enough to your job site, maybe walk or ride your bike to work. City miles especially can drain your gas tank quickly.
Bonus: Have Your Money Work for You.
Whether it be through strategic investing or passive revenue there are plenty of opportunities out there to make some extra side cash. One of the newest ways is to sign up for the Vital Card, a new social credit card that rewards you when your friends spend money. You can get 1% cash back for life on all of your referrals. This may seem small now, but can quickly snowball into much larger amounts. The best part about signing up for the card is that revenue is passive and requires zero work from you!
This is a small list of ways to save money each week. Be creative and think of ways you could save and still live a fulfilling lifestyle. By saving just $20 a week over a years time, that is over $1,000 in savings per year. In 10 years, the amount is $13,700 just for saving $20 per month. By saving more money now, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of your money later. Have any other tips for saving money? Let us know in the comments below!
For more budgeting tips, check out our article here.
