Life should be spent well. But sometimes we feel like we’re working only to pay our bills. And this is not how we should be spending our lives.
If we work, we should be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. A weekend getaway, concert tickets, or a day at the beach shouldn’t be luxuries that we can’t afford. Especially if we’re living in a country as rich as the United States.
But we’re not waiting for income equality to come around. We’re not going to wait for corporations and lawmakers to make middle-class living affordable again. We’re going to do it ourselves. We’re going to hack our way to that vacation we’ve always wanted to take or those car repairs we’ve been putting off.
Here Are 60 Easy Hacks That Can Save You A Ton of Money:
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here.
Don’t book an upgraded hotel room unless you really need it. You can probably get the upgrade for free anyway. When you arrive for check-in just ask for an upgrade and toss the person a few bucks. If there are any upgraded rooms available, you’ll likely get one. You can find more tips on how to score an upgrade
here.
3) Don’t Buy Car Scratch Paint Remover
Does your car have a scratch. Don’t go buying expensive car scratch remover. Try covering the minor scuff or scratch with some toothpaste and then buff with a cloth. It should work the same way for the price of free.
Keeping unneccesary items plugged in all the time wastes energy. Things that are plugged in still consume energy even if they are turned off. Energy Star says that the average household wastes up to $100 a year to power devices that are turned off.
If you have a nail in your tire, don’t touch it! Get yourself a tire plug kit or take your car to the repair shop and ask them to plug the hole. It’s a whole lot cheaper than buying a new tire.
6) Clear Your Browsing History
Clear your browsing history and your cache when you shop online. Companies will follow your search and jack up the price knowing you’re search for something specific. This is especially so with airline companies. Don’t sign into accounts either when buying, check out as a guest.
7) Use Cash, Carry Large Bills
People who use cash tend to spend less than people who use credit cards. This is because they can see what they’re spending because it’s in their hands. You’re also less likely to break big bills. So, carrying $50s or $100s can cut down on your impulse buys.
8) Make Purchases At The End of The Month
Have a big in-store purchase to make? Wait until the end of the month. Salespeople have quotas to make each month and will be more likely to give you a discount at the end of the month so they can hit their numbers.
9) Stop Buying Coffee And Brew Your Own
Spending $3 a day for that delicious cold brew adds up. Brew your own coffee at home instead. It will cost you about $.25 a cup instead.
Stop buying name brands. The store brands or generic brands have the same stuff in them. You can save hundreds of dollars each year, even thousands, by buying the generic or store brand version of products.
11) Stop Buying Bottled Water
Bottled water is expensive and bad for the environment. Get yourself some water filters and reusable water bottles. Filtered water can actually be healthier than spring water.
Need your hair done or want to enjoy a fancy meal? Head to a hair dresser or culinary school. You get people trained in the latest hair and food techniques under close supervision of highly trained professionals for a fraction of the price.
13) Ask And You Shall Recieve
When you go to a store if they have coupons. Ask your utitlies phone companies or other people you pay to give you a discount. You’d be surprised by how much you can save doing this. But you have to ask. While you’re at it, ask for a raise or that promotion!
14) Buy Prescription Drugs At Membership Warehouses
Buy your prescription drugs from membership warehouse stores, like Sam’s Club or Costco. You can save big time on prices. You also don’t need a membership to purchase anything from their pharmacy.
15) Don’t Buy Swiffer Refills
You can save money by filling up your Swifter Wet Jet with cheaper cleaner that isn’t Swifter brand. You can stop buying Swiffer pads too. You can use used dryer sheets or one of those fluffy socks. You can just toss out your dryer sheets and put that sock or reusable mop cover in the wash.
16) Upload Your Grocery Store Receipts
Hang on to your receipts. You can upload them to apps like Ibotta and Checkout 51 to earn cash back. You can earn around $5 a week. If you save that up all year, you’ll have some money for Christmas presents or a New Years Eve celebration.
17) Kool-Aid For Your Toilet
Before you call the plumber, you can check for toilet leaks with Kool-Aid. Pour some grape Kool-Aid in the tank of your toilet and let it sit there for an hour. If you see purple water in your toilet bowl then you have a slow leak. This is not that big of a deal but its’ wasting water. You can fix this on your own rather easily. But if you don’t need to fix it, then you just saved yourself the cost of a plumber’s visit to check for a leak.
18) Don’t Grab A Shopping Cart
Make sure that when you go to the grocery store for “a few things” that it’s actually just for a few things. A good way to help you do this is not grabbing a a shopping cart. If you have to carry what you want, you’ll be less likely to grab stuff you don’t need.
19) Shop With Discounted Gift Cards
You can buy gift cards from various sites at discounted price. Then use them to shop. You can find cards for places like Best Buy and Home Depot. It’s kind of like buying a coupon.
20) Save Through Your Health Insurance
Some health insurance plans offer discounts on things like gym memberships. Some employer might also offer extra perks like hotel discounts that come with their benefit packages. Just call up your insurance company and ask.
21) Weight Your Prepacked Produce
Sometimes produced comes in pre-priced packages. Make sure you weigh a few and get the heaviest one. This way you’ll get the most for your money.
22) Skip The Rental Car Insurance
Rental car insurance isn’t a good investment. Your private auto policy will likely cover your rental car for personal use. Sometimes your credit card will even offer it.
Why have a lawn when you can have a money saving garden. You can save up to $5 or more each time you go to the grocery store by growing your own tomatoes, lettuce, and other veggies. You also can reduce your lawn care costs.
24) Replace Your Refrigerator Seal
Sometimes refrigerator and freezer seals get worn out. This can lead to energy loss and food spoilage. Place a dollar bill in between the door, if you can pull it out then it’s time for your seal to be replaced.
25) Get Rid of Dust Bunnies
You’ll also want to clean out the dust bunnies from under your refrigerator. This will ensure your refrigerator is running as efficiently as possible so you can save on utility bills. It will also keep your fridge running longer so you can get your money’s worth out of your purchase.
If you’re looking to plant some trees in your yard, plant wisely. They can be carefully positioned so that to shade your house and act as a windbreaker.
27) Stop Buying Cleaning Products
Cleaning products can be expensive. But not if you make your own. Make your own by filling a heat resistant glass container with citrus peels and equal parts boiling water and white vinegar. Close the container and let it sit for a week before pouring into spray bottles.
28) Clear Your Dryer Vents
Cleaning out your dryer vents is important for more than one reason. First, it prevents fires. Second, it makes your appliance more energy efficient which will save you on utility costs.
29) Head To The Thrift Store
Need a crockpot or a pair of jeans? Check out the thrift store first. You might find something you like for a fraction of the price.
Do you have a regular commute with regular hours. See if your co-workers or neighbors want to start a carpool. You can save hundreds of dollars in fuel costs. It also puts less wear and tear on your car if you take turns driving.
31) Always Make A Grocery List
Don’t leave home without your grocery list. And when you get to the grocery store, stick to it. This will help you save a lot of money on impulse purchases.
32) Plan Meals And Keep It Exciting
Plan you meals and make sure you make something different every week. You don’t want to get bored of what’s in your refrigerator and the meals you’re eating. When we do get bored, we tend to eat takeout which gets expensive.
33) Buy Non-Perishable Items In Bulk
Are those non-perishable items on sale? Buy them in bulk. It will save you in the long run.
34) Set Up Automatic Transfers
Set up automatic transfers so that a certain amount of money is deposited into your bank account every time you get paid. Eventually you’ll just forget that the money is being taken out. And eventually you’ll end up with a nice savings.
35) Quit The Convenience Store
The convenient store is great for grabbing things on the go. But it’s not great on your wallet. These places usually raise their prices. It’s usually a lot cheaper to go to the grocery store.
Paying interest is a waste of money. Come up with plans to eliminate your debt that carries interest. Call your credit card companies and see if they’ll give you a lower interest rate. Trying transferring your balances to interest-free cards.
37) Have Someone Shop For You
Do you have trouble sticking to your grocery list when you’re in the store? See if you can get someone to go to the grocery store for you. You can also try ordering online which can make it easier to stick to your budget.
38) Brick In The Toilet Tank
Reducing the amount of toilet water you use can save you money and help reduce waste. Just a water bottle filled with sand or water in the tank of your toilet or something else with weight to it. This will reduce the amount of water in the tank which means you’ll be using less water every time you flush.
39) Stop Buying Dryer Sheets
Don’t waste your money on dryer sheets. Instead, take some scrap pieces of towel or cloth and dip them in 1 cup of white vinegar, 20 + drops of essentials oils. Toss these in the dryer with your clothes.
Coupons are a great way to save money. You don’t have to be an extreme couponer, but you should check your grocery stores digital coupon section. You’ll also want to check out sites like The Krazy Coupon Lady to get up-to-date info on the latest sales and coupons. Apps like Honey can search the internet for coupon codes when you shop online.
