There are ways you can start saving money in small increments. And also ones you may be overlooking without realizing. This does not mean you’ll get rich in a year or two by doing this. That’s one of my annoyances with some finance articles that make it sound like you’ll get rich saving a few bucks a day.
You will not become a millionaire from these tips. But, these small increments of saving money can contribute to your financial progress and goals. So while some things in this list below may seem insignificant, they can help you keep some extra cash in your pockets.
1. Speak Up – Always Ask For Fees To Be Waived
There may be certain fees with signing-up for something or whatever it may be, but we still pay it. Even if we complain internally about it. You’d be surprised by just asking to waive the fees how accommodating many companies will be for you.
Again, not something that will make you rich, but having some extra cash from waived fees is nice. Also, not all companies will be super accommodating, but it never hurts to ask.
2. Do A “Maintenance Run” On Household Items, Your Car, etc.
Appliances, household items, and your car are all pretty essential items to your daily life. And many of these things can have expensive repairs or for replacements. But, by doing some monthly routine check ups on these areas, you can save yourself some future financial headaches.
3. Stop Overpaying for Contact Lenses
An estimated 45 million people in the U.S. wear contact lenses. Plus, not everyone opts to get lasik surgery either. But a way to save some money, is recognizing you might be overpaying for your contacts.
Pending what you choose to wear, every three or six months you may need to order more. That money adds up, just so you can see clearly. A great way to save some cash is to know and compare your options. You can compare prices and find ones that will save you some money on ContactsCompare.
4. Cancel Unused Club or Gym Memberships
It’s common that people forget to check in and see if that club or gym membership is even worth it. Look at any memberships you belong too and if you don’t see the value, free up the money. You can always renew it later again.
5. Drink More Water
When you do go out to eat, stick to water as it saves you some money. Soda, teas, and alcoholic beverages can add up quickly. Also for your home, invest in a filter water container to fill up and keep in your fridge, which will save you from buying water bottles.
6. Cancel Cable or Satellite
You can get everything you want with either Netflix or even Hulu Live which is half the price. Some personal finance people recommend removing it all. But I’m just not that extreme. Instead find ways to put that extra cash back in your pocket, yet still, have some things you enjoy.
7. Invest In a Crock Pot
Crock pots or “slow cookers” are awesome investments for making food. You can make a bulk amounts of food while you are at work. Simply throw all your ingredients that a recipe calls for and set to low while you are gone and when you come home dinner is ready! And there are tons of delicious recipes to mix up your meals. This will save you money in the long run and stop you from hitting up fast food or delivery services constantly after work.
8. Pack Food for Road Trips Or Cook On Vacations
Sticking with the food costs here, if you go on roadtrips try to pack food for the majority of the trip. And with vacations, try to cook and make food most days. Instead of spending money out everyday, only pick a day or two instead and use the other days to make food.
9. Negotiate Rates With Your Credit Card Company
If you’re paying a lot of interest on your credit cards, it’s important to know that you do have some power as long as you’ve been making your payments. Not only do you have the right to negotiate your current interest rate with your credit card company, but you also can transfer your balance to a different card as well.
10. Know About the Benefits Your Company Offers
I think this is actually a big one we sometimes neglect or don’t always think about. The first big one should be understanding their retirement package (if your company has a 401k) to take advantage of any company match.
That’s free money to help you reach your retirement goals fast and with less of your own. But your company may offer a lot more. There may be free training sessions, offers to pay you to go back to school, tickets to free events, etc.
It’s worth talking to the HR leader at your company to get all the info you need. Or if anything, look back at your employment manual as the info might be right there for you.