Saving is no easy task. If it were easy, then, a lot of people would have saved money by now. That said, there are ways on how to save money fast.
Believe it or not, 57% of Americans have $1,000 or less saved in their accounts. That's a shocking statistic.
With so many bills left and right to pay, it is easier to spend money faster than you can make it. That's the harsh reality.
That doesn't mean though that you can't learn how to save money or can't save money now and in the future. There are ways you can do that without going to the extremes.
How To Save Money: Add $10,000 In Less Than A Year
I have compiled a list of ways on how to save money that people can start doing now. They're easy to do yet; they work like magic.
Once upon a time, saving was difficult, if not impossible. Now, it's within your reach just by tweaking a couple of things here and there.
Are you ready to find out these money-saving tips that could help you save money to the tune of $10,000 or more per year?
Let's start.
1. Just watch TV, and still make money.
“How to save money each month” effectiveness meter: High
Say what?
When I first tried paid online surveys, I was on the fence. But I started working one survey after the other and found myself hooked.
I found myself answering a few questions while watching, and the money started to come in. In less than six months, I found myself with over $2,000. Not bad for a couple of minutes answering surveys.
Imagine yourself making money while watching and answering surveys. It has happened to me, and it could happen to you as well.
There are numerous paid surveys, but there are few I trust – Survey Club, Ipsos Panel, and MyPoints.
- Survey Club: One member even made over $4,000 in a month.
- Ipsos Panel: Keeps you engaged as some survey questions will keep you thinking of your feet. One member made $40 answering silly questions. Reports have it that some made over $700/mo.
- MyPoints: Helps you earn free gift cards for doing the things you normally do – shopping, playing games, etc.
2. Save money on groceries.
“How to save money every month” effectiveness meter: High
We like to eat, but most of us don't want to spend too much money on groceries. #realitystrikes
One way to save money is by putting yourself on a meal plan. My family has been on a budget meal plan for almost five years now.
It works like magic. We use PlateJoy Plan, and we love it.
It is a service that will send you a yummy meal plan and shopping list each week for just $7/mo (using a coupon). It is one big reason our grocery bill is $150/mo for a family of 6.
That's $25 per family member in our house per month. Yes, we fancy-like food on a budget, and that's because of PlateJoy.
Start your 100% risk-free trial membership here with the PlateJoy Plan.
Note: Subscription is as low as $8.00/mo for 12 months. With the exclusive discount code PRACTICAL10 I negotiated for my readers, it's even way less as you get $10 off. We end up paying $7.00/mo.
3. Consolidate your debt to reduce your bills.
“How to save money on a tight budget” effectiveness meter: High
If you aren't paying your debt in full or have loans with high-interest rates, chances are you are spending too much on interest.
The reality is interest payments are a killer on our finances. If you are paying at least 10% on interest, debt consolidation could be a great solution.
An excellent resource for debt consolidation platform is SoFi. It could help you save thousands.
With rates as low as 7.00% and a fixed monthly payment, you can quickly pay off high-interest debt such as credit cards.
My wife and I used a similar personal loan, paid off our $40K debt, and paid our loan in just 2.5 years. We saved over $5,000 on interest and penalty payments by getting a personal loan.
Click here to get a loan from SoFi and be on your way to reducing your bills just like we did.
4. Ditch your bank, and make money.
“How to save money fast” effectiveness meter: High
If you were given a chance to switch to a fee-free bank that offers 1.55% APY (or known as the interest rate on your account) and still get what you get now from your bank plus some more?
It's time to move to the 21st century and save money (more of it) now. That's what CIT Bank is about – a 5 out of 5 Bankrate Star Rating.
CIT Bank offers a high-yield savings account with 1.55% APY, which is 21 times higher than the 0.06% the big banks pay.
In simpler terms, you'll get $155 a year on a $10,000 deposit, but only $20 from some banks.
With both high APY on deposits and fee-free accounts, you'd be saving boatloads of money every year. It is a double win if you ask me.
A year or two ago, I ditched my two bank accounts for CIT Bank. Now, I make over $1,550 a year on interest – enough for a year's worth of groceries and gas.
Click here to open CIT Bank account.
5. Cut your expenses even further with Trim.
“How to save money on a tight budget” effectiveness meter: High
Well, that solves everything. Or not.
Cutting out or down your expenses when you have no more room to cut is easier said than done. That was true before, but not anymore.
If you've done everything you could to cut your bills but are still unable to, one great option to use is Trim – a FREE personal finance concierge app.
It's my new found favorite.
Just connect a bank account, and Trim will analyze your recurring bills and see which subscriptions can be canceled or reduced, what expenses can be cut, etc.
So far, we've saved over $300 this year because of Trim. Reports have it that some have saved over $1,000 in just six months. That's amazing.
Click here to save money using Trim for FREE.
6. Pay per mile on your car insurance.
“How to save money each month” effectiveness meter: Super High
How much or little do you drive your car? Would it be nice to pay based on your mileage usage and not a set fee every month?
That would be ideal. Believe it or not, there's an insurance out there that offers that.
The insurance company is called Metromile, and it allows you to pay your insurance based on how many miles you drive.
Metromile is designed for the low-mileage drivers or those who have additional cars that they don't use that often.
Whether you commute around town, barely drive, or use your car to get away during the weekends, per-mile car insurance could seriously cut your bill in half.
Click here to get a FREE quote from Metromile.
7. Check your 401k.
“How to save money fast” effectiveness meter: High
How often do you look at your 401k and all the funds in it? How about the funds' fees?
If you don't look closely, you'll find out that some of your funds may be charging you a lot of fees. Those fees will cost you money every year and a lot of money in the long-run.
My friend introduced me to Blooom a couple of months. When I used it, I was shocked at the fees I was paying.
Blooom will analyze your 401k for FREE. It will show you whether your investments are properly balanced properly and whether you are losing money through fees.
How I wish I started using this a couple of years ago. It's a great option to use when you want to see what you are paying on your 401k without paying someone to do it.
Click here to start using Blooom for FREE.
8. Earn money back on everything you buy.
“How to save money on a tight budget” effectiveness meter: High
Gone are those days when you had to purchase products at full price. Now, you can earn as you buy.
That's where EBates comes into play.
EBates will give you cash back (sometimes up to 45%) as long as you use its site as a gateway to get to your chosen retailer.
For example, if you want to go to Lowes.com, just to eBates, type in Lowes, and click that link. You're done. The cash back will appear a day or two after you made your purchase.
Between the grocery, baby items, household goods, and others, we make at least $200 every quarter. That's free money.
Click here to start using eBates for FREE.
9. Stop deleting your emails.
“How to save money fast” effectiveness meter: Medium-High
How many emails have you deleted? I hope the answer is not a lot. If you have, you might have missed a lot of money.
Say, what?
There's a new FREE app called Paribus – a Capital One company – that scans your email receipts to see if retailers owe you money.
If it discovers that you purchased something from a retailer that it monitors, it will track the item's price and get your refund when such price drops.
No need to track the retailers to check if they owe you anything. Paribus will do that for you for FREE.
Click here to start using Paribus for FREE.
10. Cut down on your phone bill (for good).
“How to save money every month” effectiveness meter: Medium-High
The Average phone bill is dropping (seriously, dropping). Good for us.
That said, don't you want to cut your phone bill by at least 75%? I'll take a ‘YES' answer to that.
While phone bills are dropping, MintSIM is even lowering cell phone bills faster than a speed of light.
Imagine this, for $15/mo you can have 2GB of data plus all the freebies that other carries offer like unlimited talk and text, 4G high-speed data, nationwide coverage, and mobile hotspot.
If you're paying $100/mo, now, you can save $85/mo, which is $1,020/year, and still get the coverage you need. Sounds like a deal?
Click here to start using MintSIM (with a 7-day risk-free, guarantee of a full refund if you don't like it).
Other ways to save money:
11. Use money-making apps.
Look for apps to stores that you frequently go to. Those apps tend to be FREE and can save you money.
For example, Walmart's Savings Catcher is a post-purchase, price-matching app. When you buy something, and another Walmart store within a certain distance has it for a lower price, you'll get back the price difference.
Don't stop there! There are other apps to help you save money and make money as well. Other apps include Ibotta (for groceries) and Checkout51.
12. Buy discounted gift cards.
There are sites where you can buy gift cards from at discounted prices. These sites include CardPool.com and GiftCardNanny.com.
Typical gift card discounts are between 5 and 10%. Sometimes though, you'll find 20-30% discount on select gift cards.
If you buy things from a specific retailer all the time, it is a great idea to buy discounted gift cards from these sites or similar sites.
13. Buy generic than branded ones.
Branded ones can be two or quadruple times more expensive than generic brands.
If you aren't picky or don't have special diets that tend to require the use of branded products, substituting those with generic ones aren't a bad idea at all.
At times, generic items can rival the quality and quantity that branded products offer. Sometimes, the quality is even better.
14. Use the library.
Some think that libraries are a thing of the past. On the contrary, libraries are pretty much alive and is a great resource or place to save money (a ton of it actually).
Believe it or not, libraries offer just about anything. From books to movies to magazines, you'll find a variety of products that you can use for FREE.
Just don't forget to return them on time or before they are due to avoid penalties.
15. Make your coffee.
While you may look fancy when you have an overpriced coffee on your hand, you'd be saving more money in the bank if you make your coffee.
People think the savings is minimal. But in reality, it's a lot. If you buy coffee that costs $3.50 five times a week for 52 weeks, then, your yearly cost is $910.
Now, buy coffee grinds, and you'd probably spend around $50 – $75 per year.
16. Cut your cable cord.
Who needs cable these days when everything is available online?
A lot of cable companies or local TV networks air their shows on their website for FREE.
If you want a subscription-based service, you can check out Hulu or Netflix, and the selections are just plenty. Between those two services, you'd only be spending around $30/mo.
Just FYI, the average cable bill is around $100/mo. So, you're saving $70/mo or $840/year.
Conclusion:
You shouldn't have to go to the extremes to save money. Simple changes like the ones mentioned above are things that be can be done today. Many times, the results can be seen immediately.
Practice makes perfect as what many people say. Try these ways on how to save money, and you'll be on your way to saving money in no time.
The post How To Save Money: 16 Genius Ways To Add $10,000 In A Year appeared first on The Practical Saver.