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With the cost of living rising, people are looking for simple ways to save money. According to a survey by Forbes Advisor, 46% of Americans expect to save more in 2024 than they did in 2023. Gen Z is primarily saving for a car, Millennials and Gen X for an emergency fund, and Baby Boomers say they're focused on retirement savings.
If you're looking into how to start saving more, Pandas, we've got some tips for you right here. We've compiled people's advice from two threads online, where they shared simple but efficient ways to be more frugal. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something new? And if you know any clever ways to save money, share them with us in the comments. Sharing is caring!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This will get lost but hopefully it will help the one person who reads to the bottom:
Carry with you the knowledge that your parents and grandparents didn't magically start out with a house full of bathrooms, stainless appliances, multiple TV's and other electronics. Granite.
Its OK to not have everything, to accumulate your stuff over time.
Don't get suckered in by the lifestyle TV shows or articles online or from your peer group.
Its OK and financially responsible to defer gratification...it will come.
RELATED:
#2
On every payday, I move half of what I had leftover from last pay period over into my savings account. (Paying yourself). Sometimes it's not a lot but it has added up quickly. I also add 5$ to each of my kids savings accounts every payday. They each have over $1,000 and my personal savings has just reached 5 figures. As a single mom, who has always lived paycheck to paycheck, I have surprised myself.
censorshipsucks 4 months ago
left over money from a last pay period?! ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
#3
Whenever you feel the urge to buy a non necessity, give yourself a couple of days before you buy it. Often times, the impulse will have passed and you'll be glad to still have the money.
Magenta Blu 4 months ago
Days pass and i spent the money on food anyway.. and still need a pair of shoes that which prize had risen...
#4
Rice. That son of a b***h goes with everything.
Even rice.
#5
- If you are a student - Learn to cook.
- If you are working - Bring lunch to work every day. You'll save a lot of money.
- When you go shopping, especially grocery shopping: make a list and stick to it. And never grocery shop on an empty stomach. Or after a busy day or week. You'll be more inclined to buy bad food and make poorer purchasing decisions
People waste a ton of money ordering food and prepared stuff. Just look up some tutorials and save some real money.
#6
A trick that always works for me is to think about how many hours wages I am spending on something. As someone who previously had a huge spending problem, this has helped me realise that I've worked hard for my money, and I'd rather be working my a*s off for a stress free life financially than living pay day to pay day buying meaningless s**t.
#7
Make as much food as you can. Buying lunch every day at work adds up.
Rayne OfSalt 4 months ago
Yeah, nah. I'll just make my one cup noodle at a time, thank you very much. Only a schmuck prepares cup noodles in advance.
#8
Counterintuitive but buy the best you can afford and take good care of your stuff. Since you know you have the best you can afford you don't have the constant itch to replace and upgrade.
For example, buy quality clothes, get them tailored so that they fit (no stretching to wear them out) and then clean them correctly. Rather then constantly buying/replacing cheap stuff keep good stuff long-term. Same thing with cars, appliances, etc.
Good quality has higher upfront costs but can have long term savings.
Kim Kermes 4 months ago
Shoes! 2 pair of quality shoes worn alternate days will last 3 times as long as one worn daily. Of course, Capt. Vimes boot theory comes in to play.
#9
I pay with credit card for everything I buy. I get points from my credit card. I pay off my credit card in full each month and there are no fees for the card. Essentially MasterCard pays me several hundred dollars a year for using their card
If you are actually good with money and credit
Michael Largey 4 months ago
Rule of thumb. If you're doing well enough financially to not actually need a credit card, it may be safe to use one. It's people who really need credit cards who are the ones who should avoid using them.
#10
Pay your credit card off completely every month. Don't let it accumulate interest. Don't purchase things you don't have the cash for. Too many people get over their heads in credit card debt and its hard to dig yourself out at 18% interest.
Wintermute 4 months ago
You guys are getting 18%?! Damn, which company. My credit score is in the 830s and they just bumped mine to 27%. Fortunately I don't have to use it, but one minor accident and Visa will own my a*s forever.
#11
Quit drinking alcohol and cigarettes. Theyre both money suckers that make you unhealthy.
#12
Make a game of going as many days as you can without spending a penny. Excluding absolute necessities like gas/groceries/bills. Works like a charm for me.
Magenta Blu 4 months ago
Ha, that's how I live. No money left after, but i least I'm no homeless. I can't get sick tho, because I wouldn't be able to afford it, but I just avoid thinking of this and that's works like a charm too.
#13
You don't have to pay for the basic necessities if you go to prison for Tax Evasion
#14
Buy greeting cards at the Dollar Store.
I get greeting cards for 99 cents that are as good - or better - than ones selling for $4.99+ elsewhere.
#15
Buy store brands
buy in quantity when stuff on sale. i like a particular toothpaste but it is expensive, except every few months it goes on sale for like 1/3 off. when that happens i buy 6 or 8 tubes, then i've got a supply until it goes on sale again.
i do that with a lot of stuff, even cheap stuff. like soda. 2 liter bottles are usually between $1.00 and $1.50 each. i just bought a dozen bottles of my favorites for $0.88 each. yeah, my average savings is maybe $0.25 each but it adds up. I do the same with cereals, sometimes the $4.00/box is on sale for $1.75 so i buy six of them.
Magenta Blu 4 months ago (edited)
My grandma did this, but there is no way I can afford bulk buying. If I buy a dozen soap bars, then I can't buy bread... So I have to buy bread and groceries and one soap bar if i can squeeze it between.
#16
Look at your bank statement. Actually look at where your money goes.
#17
Don't waste money buying water in jugs. Instead, buy powdered water. Comes in boxes. Cheaper. Just add water.
troufaki13 4 months ago
You can also boil some water and put it in the freezer. This way you can have boiled water any time you need it! 😅
#18
Cook. For f***s sakes cook. Take out, drive thru and delivery adds up.
Every month or so I make a batch of 15-18 meat balls ($12 of lean ground beef) and sauce and freeze them in old yogurt tubs. A tub can hold 2 portions which I thaw in a small pot over low heat. Boil up some spaghettini once the sauce is almost thawed (about 45 minutes), load up some glassware and you've got lunch figured out for tomorrow and the next day. Delicious, cheap, filling and microwavable.
Pro tip: good spaghetti sauce doesn't come from a glass jar.
#19
Ask yourself if you need it or only want it.
If you want it, but don't need it. Give yourself 24 hours to decide whether it's worth purchasing.
Dragons Exist 4 months ago
But who decides "need"? If "need" only means "need it to live" then never buying anything fun or that makes you happy could affect that
#20
Drink at home, alone. No buying drinks, no tipping, and nobody will judge you for drinking the cheapest stuff you can.
#21
When you're about to buy something, imagine a person holding the product in hand and it's worth cash in other hand. If you're picking cash, don't buy it.
#22
I was quite bad for really wanting things and buying them as soon as I got paid, of course as the end of the month came near I had barely any money left and struggled. To fix this, instead of buying things at the start of the month I decided to buy things at the end of the month if I still had enough of that months wages left over to do so. If I didn't then I did the same again and wait till the end of the next month, and of course last months leftovers plus the new months wage by the end of the 2nd month I had enough, and sometimes saved money as the item was now cheaper.
Basically patience and timing means I can still have the things I want and not be struggling near the end of the month, I'm in a much better place financially now.
#23
If you have kids, buy what you can used. Toys, clothing, furniture etc. They go through clothes so fast, so paying full price is stupid, you can often find brand new with tags stuff at the goodwill, garage sales or local buy and sell pages.
Thrifting your own clothing isn't a bad idea either.
liz MacClain 4 months ago
My son wore second hand rummage sale clothes for the first 6 years of his life. He outgrew things in sometimes WEEKS so I saved a lot by doing that. I also registered for diapers, wipes etc for my baby shower
#24
I made an Excel spreadsheet to budget with. Has all my bills, what I make each month, and what to put aside to save any specific amount. So far this year alone, I've managed to save $4,000.
#25
Don't buy anything bigger than $20 unless you've given yourself at least a day to think it over (obviously excluding gasoline, groceries, and other necessities). A lot of people buy stupid s**t in the moment and regret it not long after.
#26
I once bought a 500 pack of teabags. That was 3 years ago. I ran out this week.
#27
Potatoes. Keep plenty of them in stock - they can sit for a long time in the pantry or fridge, they're versatile, easy to cook, and filling.
Becky Samuel 4 months ago
Potatoes used to keep so well. Nowadays they're all over-washed and packaged in sweaty plastic, so they go damp, moldy, and sprouty in less than a week.
#28
Get water with your meal when you eat out. $1-$4 savings immediately.
censorshipsucks 4 months ago
Depends on whether it's tap or bottle. Restaurants here default to bottle unless you specify tap.
#29
Don't spend money.
Ha, but really don't waste money on "sales" for things you don't need, do meal prepping, make a budget for yourself, carry cash as it's harder to spend money when you can actually see it, sign up for email newsletters and use coupons whenever possible, and cut out anything unnecessary or that doesn't serve a really positive purpose in your life.
#30
I always get my change at put it in my piggy bank - yes it's a pug, a chalkboard pig so it's tons of fun to draw on. I very rarely use cash as I like my reward points but it still comes out to $100+ every year.
Don't feel bad for getting your change. So many people walk out without it thinking it's what you're supposed to do. . .but now your $2.56 coffee every morning costs $3, that's 20% more!
What do you think ?
Rose the Cook 4 months ago
My thoughts exactly, just how much do you save by stealing a roll of toilet paper? These are the people who would be the first to complain if there was no toilet paper in the office loo.
Load More Replies...
Bob 4 months ago (edited)
How about we learn collectivelly to get fair wages before learning to romanticise poverty ?
Ken Beattie 4 months ago
While that's a fair point. Poverty isn't the only reason people need to save. Historically a persons' first job (or two) is always low paying, for obvious reasons - lack of experience, training etc. Kids need to learn how to save as they move into the working world (no longer having parents paying for everything). This is a good article for the younger generation. I know when I got my first job I spent waaay too much and saved waaay too little (basically nothing). So tips like this would have been useful at the time.
Load More Replies...
Blah Blah Blah 4 months ago
Am I the only one who's so f'n sick of this whole save money c**p when the avg. wage/salary is not enough to cover basic bills let alone allow for extra
Rose the Cook 4 months ago
My thoughts exactly, just how much do you save by stealing a roll of toilet paper? These are the people who would be the first to complain if there was no toilet paper in the office loo.
Load More Replies... Bob 4 months ago (edited)
How about we learn collectivelly to get fair wages before learning to romanticise poverty ?
Ken Beattie 4 months ago
While that's a fair point. Poverty isn't the only reason people need to save. Historically a persons' first job (or two) is always low paying, for obvious reasons - lack of experience, training etc. Kids need to learn how to save as they move into the working world (no longer having parents paying for everything). This is a good article for the younger generation. I know when I got my first job I spent waaay too much and saved waaay too little (basically nothing). So tips like this would have been useful at the time.
Load More Replies... Blah Blah Blah 4 months ago
Am I the only one who's so f'n sick of this whole save money c**p when the avg. wage/salary is not enough to cover basic bills let alone allow for extra
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