As we’re heading into the weekend I wanted to share some ways that my husband and I choose to save in our daily lives. This easy saving can make a big difference in your financial goals! Earlier this week I talked about working out at home if you don’t want to get a gym membership (post is here), and I wanted to continue on that theme! It’s so easy to have the little things add up every month – and if you’re trying to save for something bigger (new car, vacation, house down payment), these little amounts can really make a difference over the long term. Here are 5 easy ways to save!
Bring lunch to work
- Right now I’m at home, and when I was working remotely this wasn’t really an issue. But when I was back in the office it was hard to not buy food everyday! Walking to the cafeteria is a big time for chatting and catching up with coworkers, and that’s hard to miss. But I would rather save money and eat the lunch I brought – and still walk with the group to get food. That way I could chat and still save money! Sure this required advance planning and grocery shopping, but anything you make at home is cheaper than buying.
Bring Coffee
- This is SUPER hard. My office had three coffee shops inside, and going to get coffee is a daily event! Buying coffee is so much more fun than bringing your own, I admit it. But if you spend $3 a day on coffee, that’s $15 a week! If you don’t like normal coffee invest in a Nespresso to make yourself espresso drinks – even though it’s expensive to buy, it’s still cheaper in the long run!
Only Eat Out on Special Occasions
- I love going to fun restaurants as much as the next person – in fact, I have a running list of restaurants I want to try in both St Louis and the Twin Cities! But now that I really enjoy cooking at home and meal planning I try to only go out to dinner on special occasions or date nights. I don’t want to be forced to go out to dinner because we don’t have any food in the fridge! I would rather make it a fun event than a last minute decision. Of course we order pizza or run to Chipotle occasionally, but I try to be thoughtful in planning when we go out.
Use a List
- Lists are essential when shopping – grocery or otherwise! Especially when you go to places like Target where there are SO many fun things you could buy. I really try to stick to my list as much as possible! This helps limit impulse purchases – it will make me think twice if I just grab something that looks cute or yummy. If it isn’t on the list I probably don’t really need it.
Wait When Online Shopping
- I love love love shopping online. I love getting mail, and I love trying clothes on at home instead of in a store. I refuse to shop anywhere that doesn’t do free shipping and returns, so there is really no cost downside to shopping online in most instances! Since it’s so easy and convenient it can be hard to not buy everything I find online. So I am a firm believer in adding pieces I want to my shopping cart and then waiting at least a day. Items will stay in your shopping cart online if you don’t clear your browser cache, so you don’t have to worry about it disappearing. This is a good way to be sure you really want something!
A few resources for budgeting:
- The Everygirl has a great finance section!
- This post shares how to create a budget – if you don’t have a budget, you need one! I record every purchase we make (super OCD, I know), but if you don’t know what you’re spending every month you can’t plan.
- Quick takeaway: Spend 50% of your post-tax income on essentials, 30% on discretionary spending, and 20% on saving
- Apps to use: Mint, YNAB
- Use a calendar to write down what you’re going to eat and keep notes for what you’re running out of! I love this calendar.
