How to Save Money and Cut Spending: 93 Ideas
If you have been trying to get out of debt and improve your financial situation, but doesn’t have the action plan to get it done…help is here! Take a look at the following list of ways to cut your spending. Not all will apply to you, but try a few of the ideas. Then come back and try some more.
Take the money you save and put it toward paying down your debt, and put some away in a good bank that pays decent interest as an emergency back up fund. You’ll be amazed at how much debt you can repay and money you can save over the course of a year, just by making little changes.
Save Money Around the House
1. Weatherproof your home to save electricity.
2. Line Dry your clothes. It will lengthen the life of your clothing and save energy.
3. Wash your laundry in cold water.
4. Stop using phantom power by unplugging your electronics at night. Using power strips makes this easier.
5. Get rid of cable TV or switch to basic cable.
6. Or use Netflix and Hulu in place of cable. Netflix less expensive than cable, and between that and Hulu (which is free), you have a wide variety of TV shows available to watch.
7. If you don’t want to get rid of cable, see if you can bundle it with your phone and internet service to save money.
8. Get rid of the internet and use the library.
9. Get rid of your landline, if you have a cell phone. Or get rid of your cell phone. Or use a prepaid cell phone, instead of an expensive phone with an expensive contract.
10. Set your thermostat lower in the winter and higher in the summer.
11. Use a programmable thermostat, so you never forget to adjust the temperature.
12. Use CFL or LED lights instead of regular incandescent bulbs.
13. Catch rainwater for watering your garden.
14. Use pasta water for watering household plants.
15. Turn off your water when you’re brushing your teeth, shampooing, or shaving.
16. Recycle. You’ll save on your trash bill.
17. Compost. You’ll save on your trash bill and help your garden.
18. Haul your own trash to the dump, if you have a pickup truck or trailer.
19. Try to do repairs yourself, before hiring someone. Use free resources at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and on the internet to help you.
20. Challenge your property tax assessment, if you feel it’s too high.
Save Money on Transportation
22. Carpool.
23. Take public transportation.
24. Walk when you can. You’ll be healthier, too.
25. Rotate your tires regularly to make them last longer.
26. Fill your car up when you’re down to a quarter tank of gas. You won’t be stuck going to the nearest, most expensive gas station when your car is on empty.
27. Use GasBuddy.com to search for the lowest prices on gas.
28. Don’t use high octane gasoline, unless your car specifically requires it.
Save Money on Groceries, Cleaning, & Personal Care
29. Use The Grocery Game or another deal site to make effective use of coupons.
30. Cook from scratch.
31. Grow a garden.
32. Eat less meat.
33. Or buy a side of beef, instead of smaller packages at the store.
34. Give up cold cereal. Eat oatmeal instead. It’s cheaper and healthier.
35. Give up (or cut back on) junk food.
36. Look for good deals on Amazon. Yes, it’s true. Amazon can be a good deal for groceries. If you buy something regularly, you can save even more by subscribing to that product. But know your prices before you shop.
37. Keep a pricebook, so you you know when a deal is a deal.
38. Shop at Costco or Sam’s Club, if you have the storage for buying in bulk. Have your pricebook handy, to make sure you buy the good deals. Bonus: warehouse clubs can also offer good deals on everything from insurance to tires to glasses and more.
39. Plan a weekly soup night to use up leftovers. Wasted food is wasted money.
40. Use cloth napkins. Buy them at yard sales or make your own from cheap linens you find at thrift stores.
41. Use rags, rather than disinfectant wipes or paper towels.
42. Make your own laundry detergent and household cleaners.
43. Use vinegar as a fabric softener, or skip the fabric softener all together.
44. Go no-poo. (That’s no shampoo, people!)
45. Use crystal deodorant. It’s more expensive up front, but it lasts a year, making it cheaper in the long run. It’s better for you, too.
46. Use alternative feminine products like the Diva Cup and cloth pads.
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By Lynnae McCoy, on Jan 6, 2010
I'm Lynnae, wife of one and stay-at-home mom of two. I'm committed to getting out of debt by being frugal with my choices in life.
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Combine #6 (netflix), and 77 (use workout DVDs.)
Netflix has the on-line watch instantly movies, tv shows, etc… they also have TONS of workout DVD’s available to watch instantly
Wow, that list must have taken a while to put together! Thanks for including me. Now I’m off to read a few of these others posts and figure out how to save a ton of money! :)
Wow. Nice list, Lynnae. Imagine how much our spending would drop if we put all of this together.
1. Use the RedBox. It’s less expensive than Netflix and the first Monday of each month you get a free 1-day rental. Or why not use the library instead?
2. Breastfeed your babies! Breastmilk is practically free and saves a considerable amount not only over formula, but on doctor’s visits. I donated 22 gallons of pumped milk to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Ohio and nursed my daughter for 3 years. I intend to do the same with my next baby.
3. In my city, we do not pay per the amount of trash. It’s a set fee. Recycling *does* have a fee. We still recycle at public bins at the grocery stores for that purpose. Large dumpsters in the grocery parking lot for anyone to bring recyclables.
4. Vermiculture. I have a worm farm in my basement- it’s almost 2 years old. Food waste except meat scraps goes in there, and castings for my garden come out.
5. Why pay for the grocery game when there are so many free online forums for grocery and drugstores across the country?
Stop have sex so you dont produce too many baies. Baby cost money!!!! Not cheap to raise one. Thank you.
Wow, HUGE list! Great tips too.
My biggest tips would be to
a) Shop around. Never be afraid to look elsewhere.
b) ASK for discounts everywhere you go.
c) Yard sales.
“Volunteer at the YMCA in return for a membership.” Really?! I had no idea and would definitely be able to do this.
Excellent list, Lynnae! Definitely going to bookmark a few of these. :)
This really is a great list! I’m doing a lot of these already, but we could definitely stand to add some more of these to our repertoire. Because this year, we need to seriously focus on cutting our expenses. Thanks for the awesome, useful tips that are actually doable!
I wouldn’t recommend the Grocery Game – it’s a service you have to pay for! There are TONS of frugal blogs out there that list the coupon deals for lots of stores, so you can find the best match-up deals FOR FREE without having to pay a subscription service.
Also, I get asked all the time why we still use Netflix when we can check out movies from the library for free. We don’t have a TV or a DVD player – we watch all of our movies on the computer, and the anti-theft bars that are stuck on each DVD prevent us from playing them in the computer. I think the disc drive is too small – they won’t even play and we could damage our computer. I like the convenience of Netflix being mailed straight to our home (I don’t have to do anything!) and we are on the 3-at-a-time plan, so my husband and I each have our own queue and we have a queue for the kids. I love Netflix.
And who said saving money was difficult? ;)
Ok. I give up. Just when I think you could not possibly come up with any better posts…along comes this one. Thanks! I noted that we are already doing many of these things, but I did find a few that we are going to be using.
Definitely some good advice and ideas in there. I hadn’t even thought of using the water from pasta to water my plants. So long as the starch won’t hurt them, then there’s really no reason not to.
I use a lot of these little ideas already, and in addition to saving money, when you reuse things you end up really surprised at finding out what you own and what you’re gaining by reusing things in the first place. I have two garbage bags of worn-out clothes that are waiting to be turned into blankets and rag rugs when I get a little more free time. I got use out of them when they were clothes, and with a little extra work, I’ll end up with new blankets and rugs, too, and won’t have to buy them!
It’s a shame that sites like Hulu are for Americans only. Up here in the frigid north (aka, Canada), we don’t quite as many options for free Internet TV. I still don’t have cable and don’t really miss it much, but it’s still a shame for the non-Americans who envy those who can watch Hulu.
Actually, using the water from pasta and vegetables (boiling frozen corn or making mashed potatoes) is GOOD for plants, they love it more than miracle grow. Just make sure you don’t add salt to the water–that would kill your plants.
Nice list! I would add making use of Freecycle, turning off the oven or stove for the last few minutes (things will still cook in the hot water or oven), commit to not using any cars one or two days a week, shop locally (meat, eggs, produce, honey — usually cheaper, healthier, more eco-friendly, and better for the local economy) and do one big grocery shopping trip once a month (or at least only twice a month) to avoid “extra purchases”.
Great ideas for saving money. I save so much money yearly by using the library – they have DVDs and CDs as well. I am going to see what other ideas I can take advantage of in this post!
Overall, this is a great list. Of course, it’s a lot of things, I recommend people find where they can get the “biggest bang for their buck” (or lack thereof!) and take things one step at a time. Before you know it, they can do the whole list :) One of the biggest hurdles is knowing when to say NO. Knowing what you NEED to spend money on versus what you want to spend money on is a big step towards doing everything on this list.
Yipeee! I love a list loaded with money saving tips!
Elizabeth Warren, Harvard econ prof and co-author of “The Two-Income Trap” warns about locking yourself in to such high fixed expenses that any financial strain could push your family into the red.
If you are contemplating a life change that has financial implications, read her book and build in some flexibility by not taking on too much debt or failing to plan for a rainy day. We are all going to get sick and eventually die. Don’t assume you’ll be the exception. Plan.
Very nice… I love #13 and #14 – glad to see I do many of the others, and many of those I don’t it’s because they don’t apply to me (I don’t have a TV or a car, for example)…
Great list! Of course I do a lot of those things already, but there were a few ideas that I’ll have to try to work into my life for 2010.
Great list! Pasta water is fine for watering your plants (and they like the starch), but not if you salt it. Salt water will kill you plants!
Awesome list! I’m going to add one for those of us who are soda drinkers :)
Brew a jug of ice tea in the morning to sip on throughout the day instead of drinking sugary soda for caffeine. Doesn’t just save money, saves teeth and waistlines too!
Another way to save money when dining out is to skip the soft drinks or tea and get tap water. A simple soft drink these days can add $2.00 to your lunch tab.
I agree with nearly every suggestion you make, although some are not possible in my current situation.
1) I can’t make my home energy efficient because I rent. I wish I could get the landlord to put better windows, doors, and more insulation into the house, but oh well.
2) No matter how little, or much, trash we put out, we still pay $35.00 every 2 months for trash pickup. There is a recycling center available, but you have to take your stuff there.
3) I love crystal deodorant. I have used it for years because it does not aluminum chlorohydrate in it. A bottle or stick lasts a long time. The last one I bought at Big Lots for only $2.00!
4) We have a lot of CFLs and a few LEDs in our house. They are great and do use less energy.
Deodorant???? I used that for years and was a smelly construction worker the whole time.
I learned from my daughter. Washing hands, say your ABC’s to make sure you washed them enough. Your armpits are no different, except it is 26 seconds X2, can’t wash them at the same time. Try it, smell better forever. Do us all a favor.
About making your home energy efficient: make a second window out of plastic and attach it to a removable wooden frame. Make the frame just smaller than the window and wrap foam window insulation around the outer edge to give a nice tight fit in your window frame. Then hang rugs or blankets on your walls at the ceiling as inner insulation to keep the heat or cold out. Also, try hanging up a blanket over your window to keep out more heat or cold. I lived in rentals for many years so I know how to find ways to increase energy efficiency. Caulking inside with putty caulking helps keep out the drafts too, you would not imagine how much air flow there is even with no gaps between the window frame and wall.
I prefer to wash my own clothes with a rapid washer, plunger, or my own home made version of the rapid washer. The clothes come out cleaner, softer, and look and feel different. I can hand wash four loads in an hour and only need the washer to rinse. Plus I can wash several loads which require different temps or soaps/bleach/ammonia then rinse all in the same water. Or I use my spinner to spin out the water and hand rinse. When I do that I only need to rinse once and add fabric softener to the second rinse and use that same fabric softener water for all the wash loads. After a turn in the spinner I hang to dry and they are ready by the next morning to put away. I save a ton on laundry washing this way. When I pull my clothes out to wear two weeks later, or a month later, they still smell fresh and the fabric softener smells wonderful. For some reason the smell does not fade.
My room mates use the spinner then the dryer and the dry time is about 15 minutes or 20-30 minutes for towels and blankets.
I also thin down my shampoo and conditioner, add vinegar to drop the PH closer to 5.5 (which hair prefers), add mint and tea tree essential oils (mint to clean and tea tree to hydrate and condition) and my shampoo and conditioner lasts for months. Plus my hair is super shiny and healthy. I have not had to cut or trim my hair in over a year.
Hope someone can use some of these tips.
Great list! I’ve been cooking from scratch and making more so that I can freeze an extra meal for a while now. I’ve saved a packet in the process, and it’s become seccond nature now. I don’t have to think or plan it just comes naturally :)
There are some really good tips in here, Thanks.
THANKYOU!!!! I’ve been looking for otherways to find some extra things to cull. I’m on the home made beer and cycling thing at the moment, got rid of my home phone, wasn’t sure what to do next
Great list! some other things:
* make sure your car’s tires are filled properly.
* Don’t skimp on regular maintenance of anything – car, air conditioning, ventilation system, etc.
* get a Hybrid or motorcycle.
* buy a cloth grocery sack and use it instead of plastic bags – better for the environment too. Or, you can use plastic bags to pick up doggy-doo.
* Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.
Fabulous list! When my husband lost his job last year, saving money became the top priority. When it came time to buy the kids clothes for school or new shoes for work (I’m a nurse and go through shoes like crazy) I came up with a new strategy: never buy new! I spent my evenings checking out FreeCycle.org and Craigslist.org for clothes, and ShoeSwappers.com for shoes. So far I have done well. My husband needed a new pair of jeans the other day and he is an odd size so I had to buy them (on sale of course), but that’s been the only new item of clothing or shoes I have bought in 9 months. Anyone can do it!
I am an avid reader, and I save money by buying used books on Amazon.com. Then I make money on the books I’m not reading anymore by reselling them to the online book buyback site http://www.mybookcart.com.
You say “Take every dollar you save and put it toward your debt” – my problem is I don’t have enough at the end of the month to save…
Great list! I’m really focusing on saving energy this winter. I’ve added insulation to the attic and will use space heaters in my room at night while the heat is low in the rest of the house.
My wife and I made the decision to cut our premium channels and keep basic cable with internet service. We are saving $100 a month and can’t believe we didn’t do it sooner! I watch sports on ESPN via my Xbox 360 and the kids can watch their favorite shows on PBS and Netflix. You can even leverage podcasts to create your own personal network of shows that you can stream to your TV!
I simply phone my broadband and telephone providers every 9 months and threaten to leave. Saves money every time.
Not sure if you listed this, but using cash instead of debit and/or credit cards may help save some cash in the long run. This is because you have more of an idea of what you have spent, rather than just caning your plastic!
These are great tips and something that everyone should do to save their money.
I found a site that offers all sorts of tips on how to save called Penny-Pincher’s Pal. Be sure and check out the current article and the archives. I have saved a lot of money following their tips.
Always keep the tiny batteries from musical greeting cards, they come in handy for watches and small toys amongst other things.
I have an additional tip to add that goes very well with #81. As you probably know insurance companies offer large discounts for families with multiple cars and a homeoweners insurance policy. But what if you sell your home and need to cancel the insurance coverage on your house? You will probably loose the discounts on your auto insurance right? Not if you add renters insurance. This will enable you to keep those discounts after you cancel your homeowners insurance policy. It’s a simple trick that can save you hundreds in insurance premiums.
Note that the best deals DO NOT come from bundling these services however…better deals will be had by buying your auto with one company, home with another, etc. Bundling these coverages only saves you money with that carrier…but not overall if you’re actually shopping around.
For that reason, the original article is wrong in this regard.
Relating to #9 on the list, I saved over $800 / year with converting from a cell phone to using Google Voice + Skype + iPod.
See: Replacing My Cell Phone with Google Voice and Skype
Good idea.I have been saving a ton of money by having a Magic Jack the service is great and its just like a home phone. I like the one were you dont need to plug into computer because I have a laptop but I can plug it into my computer if I’m going on a trip or something. It’s 20 usd a year.The device costs 70 dollars but that includes one year service. If you want the usb one it is only 45 dollars with one year.
Wow, this is a really long list, but it does cover a great deal of aspects! I sure got some new ideas about how I will make debt go away!
Wow, you covered a lot!
My husband and I are trying to pay off our last debt (our house) within 3 years. I recently blogged about how to save money on practically everything and you may enjoy it! http://theartistoflife.com/blo.....verything/
Thanks for this information. I love the lean towards the natural that you seem to have. :) We love not being “normal.”
Fantastic post, quite a lot of ways to cut your spending! Sometimes people now days just don’t pay attention to what they are spending they just keep buying and buying. Some people buy out of habit some people buy because they crave something to fill a void in their life.
Great post.
“8. Get rid of the internet and use the library.” This is ridiculous. The reality is people need internet access to look for jobs, sell things, and keeping in contact. Maybe for some, access via their library is convenient, but you need it to survive.
The entertainment part you can get a coupon to save some money when going out. Like you we only go out to eat once a month and we try to use a coupon when we do go out. Thanks for the 101 ways to cut cost
2 more suggestions that I didn’t see on the list…
buy a duplex printer so you can print on both sides of a sheet of paper and you’ll save money on paper and be more environmental and also invest in rechargeable batteries so you don’t have to keep buying new batteries.
I’d suggest bartering. It’s a great concept that can save you lots of money while you’re still getting new stuff you need. Personally I like barterquest.com, it has always worked for me so far.
obviously written by someone who already has money
I loved the list of ideas that you had compiled to save money, I had a few already such as growing veggie garden. Sometimes you don’t realize how many ways there are to cut back, its only the sacraficing part that is difficult but it depends upon the individual. I have tips on growing a veggie garden in beds and in containers at blog
All items in this list are things that people already know they should do to save money, yet keep forgetting to follow.
I confess, I wash out plastic glasses and use them over and over again. Seems like such a wast to just pitch them. Same way with napkins. When laid out and not used, I can’t bring myself to throw them in the trash.
My bad!
Here is a great money saving tip if you have a mortgage. Pay it every 2 weeks instead of monthly. At the end of the year you will be putting extra money towards the loan and not realizing it. This will turn a 30year mortgage into a 27 year mortgage. Even more if you go with Primerica, if you are able to, their estimates are free but are literally house market value, i.e. hard to get if you still owe a lot. Yes you saved money by switching to a payment plan by paying every 2 weeks but its not the most savings. If you can get a mortgage loan through Primerica your 2 week payment is made and then loan is readjusted, then you pay a 2 week payment and then loan is readjusted. This will bring your loan down by a few years or more. For example, a 27 year mortgage becomes a 18 year mortgage instead by refinancing with them. FYI they do not do new loans as far as I know of yet. Most mortgage DO NOT readjust after that 2 week payment, they readjust after your full payment of the month. Also applies for when you pay an extra payment, some mortgage companies apply any extra at the end of the year. (These are the worst) Also if you have a loan that has a variable interest rate, get rid of it NOW!!!
Coupon clubs can also be a great way to save money on things like grocery items and everyday toiletries.
These are great ideas! I would like to add another. Swapstorm.com is a FREE bartering website. We created it to help people save cash by trading unwanted things for goods and services they can use. Stop by and start Trading!!!
Thank you for writing about saving money! In this economy, it is so sad to see people hurting and yet, giving them tips sometimes falls on deaf ears. Great job!
Wow, even two years late this list is still applicable. There are even a few things that I could do, like washing my clothes with cold water instead of hot and unplugging my electronics every night.
I’m really a bad spender! I don’t know how to save! All these are really helpful to me. Yet some are already practiced there are just times that when you buy something you will tend to forget these tips.
I think the best thing to do is practice. This is one of the those practice makes perfect and change your life style kind of thing. It works. The hardest part is consistency. Once you’ve saved, you will feel like you are on cloud 9, and when you geared off to eating out one night that cost you, it will be a lesson.
I’ve lived fugal all my life, until I’ve landed a nice job and pretty much spent like a maniac because I was able to afford whatever and whenever. I have to say, even making that kind of money at the end of the month, i did not save and this goes to show no matter how much you make, the way you spend and your habits will reflect your future. Its actually much harder now that I have to go back to living fugal because again its a life style change, but i think this change will be best for my future.
That is one exhaustive list! I’m going to print this out for sheer inspiration. I found this post on pinterest, and it just goes to show how the internet really does make it easier to save money. For one, I get almost all of my recipes on pinterest, which saves time and money. You can always find printable grocery coupons and online coupons. Then there are free ebooks that you can download. Thanks for all of these money-saving ideas.
The best way that I’ve found is by reducing monthly bills like cable and internet.
Use an online bank like ING Direct or Ally … not a traditional one with fees and higher operating costs like Bank of America.
what i do to save money is pretty much pick out things i like outta weekly ads that are actually a good price!buy in bulk and save a tons of $$$$. thats alls ill buy and thats what i eat then. say a can of soup is $2.00 and on sale for 49 cents i will stock up on it. after a couple of weeks your house will be super full of your favs. you will only have to go to the store for milk bread eggs. pretty simple!!! * tip* i check all stores around me compare, make a list of every item at each store i go shopping to all stores. becarful because the cheaper stores are NOT usally a deal! plus you can clip coupons and use those. make sure you check each store coupon policys
Thanks Lynnae!
Most people could really save a ton of money with these tips. I mostly like the “saving money around the house” list because just about every one of those things are relatable to most of us.
I try to do a lot of conserving money, but its always great to see a list like this to get a few helpful reminders.
Thanks again!
love the blog, btw
-Coupon Lady
We all know that using a list when grocery shopping is essential in saving money. Save even more by setting a maximum price you’re willing to pay to the side of each item and then try to beat it. Also set a weekly total. After you’ve learned to beat that, set a new lower total. Repeat until you either can’t beat it or you die of malnutrition.
I stock pile and use a lot of coupons. I have saved $30.00 on groceries.
One of the best SIGNIFICANT ways of saving money is to switch your electricity or natural gas supplier. These “save money” sites always miss this one, and it is one of the best ways to save significant amounts of money month after month.