Guest post from Amy of Deliberately Here
Do you find it nearly impossible to save money?
Your budget might be stretched to the limit or maybe you tend to spend any extra money you have before it gets to your savings account.
Either way, you’ve come to the right place!
There are countless money-saving tips, tricks, hacks and ideas all around us. With seemingly endless information available on the internet these days, how do you know which ideas to implement into your life? And how do you even know if it will work for you?
Although I can’t guarantee every single one of these money-saving ideas is going to work for you, I am pretty certain you will be able to pick at least one or two out of the list to implement into your life.
Here are 4 smart ways to save money even on a tight budget…
1. Stop paying late fees.
Do you find yourself forking extra money over at the end of every month just for late fees?
Everything from credit cards to libraries charge late fees. Late fees are often overlooked because the fee isn’t usually outstanding, so it can feel like you’re just paying a few dollars. But over time that few dollars adds up to a significant amount, especially if you are paying late fees on a variety of things every month.
How can you stop paying late fees? The first thing you’ll want to do is create a bill tracker. This is something that you write down all of your monthly bills and their due dates on.
You can write down who the payee is, the amount due, and the due date. Then add a section where you can check off when you pay it, so with a quick glance, you can see when your bill is due, how much it is, and whether you’ve paid it or not.
2. Do all that you can do, then keep going.
If you’re stuck feeling like you’ve tried every money-saving trick out there and still nothing is working, keep going.
With perseverance comes growth. If you keep pushing through the hard times, keep searching for deals, keep cutting costs, and keep finding more ways to live frugally, you will start to see growth in your bank account.
It won’t be instant, and it might not even be very much, but it will be a start. If you decide to stay committed and stick with it your savings will soon start to grow, slow and steady.
If you find yourself feeling discouraged, like you will never be able to save up money, read these 3 Things to Do When You’re Discouraged About Your Finances.
3. Create a budget.
Creating a budget for your family allows you to see exactly how much of your money is being spent on different things.
With just a quick glance you can see how much money goes towards specific bills, how much money should be going into your savings account each month, and how much money you can spend on fun things like movies and treats.
4. Start meal planning.
Meal planning is a great way to save money on groceries and eliminate food waste.
When I first started meal planning, I didn’t like it. I tried really hard to get into the groove of things, but as someone who loves to cook and bake, I felt like my meal plan was restraining my creativity in the kitchen.
After a failed week of meal planning, I gave up.
About a month after giving up meal planning, I created a budget for my husband and I, and I quickly realized just how much money we were truly spending on groceries. We were spending more on groceries per month than we were on rent — for just two people!
When I saw the numbers in front of my eyes, I knew something had to change. So I gave meal planning another shot.
This time, I was determined to do whatever I had to do to make it work, while still getting creative in the kitchen.
Now, a year down the road, we’re still meal planning and we’ve even managed to cut our monthly grocery bill in half from sticking to our meal plan and eliminating the food that goes to waste.
I hope that equipping yourself with these simple and effective money-saving ideas will help you and your family save money and give you the encouragement to stick with it through the tough times — you know, the times when all you want to do is splurge and spend money.
Rest assured knowing this: Saving money doesn’t have to be complicated or complex; it is practical and just requires that you have the self-control to keep going even when you’re discouraged.
Hi, my name is Amy. I blog at Deliberately Here, where I enjoy helping people navigate a frugal and fulfilling life. My husband and I live off of one income, and I have a passion for helping wives and moms who long to stay home find ways to make it possible.
Heather says
These are such great ideas! You are so right that saving money does not need to be as difficult as we make it out to be!!
I love your point about not paying late fees. I’ve found that if I pay my bills on time most of the time, companies are usually willing to remove late fees from your bill. Just call them up, mention that you’ve always paid your bill on time, and explain why you missed it this time. They’re usually happy to help.
Great post!!
Amy @ Deliberately Here says
Thanks so much, Heather! Yes – having to spend hard earned money on late fees is NOT fun, so being sure to pay bills on time is vital! That is a great tip in case something happens that causes someone to acquire a late fee.
Archie says
Thanks for sharing. I believe it is important to plan meals do a plan on ways to save money on anything. One thing that helps me is paying double on the bills that I have.
Amy @ Deliberately Here says
I agree with you – planning, whether it be meals or planning for your finances is a very good habit to create.
Micah | Home Faith Family says
My family thrives off of meal planning to help cut costs. I completely understand the feeling of drudgery when you feel limited by what you can afford at the grocery store. One of the things that’s helped us is including everyone in the meal planning process and if a meal is cheap enough to make, cook a double batch and freeze for later. Also, handmaking foods, such as rolls, pumpkin bread, cookies, etc instead of store buying them has saved us money as well.
Amy @ Deliberately Here says
Including the whole family in the meal planning process is a GREAT idea, Micah! I also love your tips about making a double batch to freeze for later and making your own bread, rolls, and such. 🙂
Amy @ Deliberately Here says
Including the whole family in the meal planning process is a GREAT idea, Micah! Cooking a double batch and freezing it for later, and baking your own bread and treats are both great tips to help save money, too. Thanks for sharing!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
“With perseverance comes growth.” Yes! So true!! What a great read. AND meal planning makes my world go round. Everything seems to fall apart when I don’t have meals already planned for the week!
Amy @ Deliberately Here says
I couldn’t agree more, Krystal! When I start my week without a meal plan it feels like I am extremely disorganized!
Rory Pitts says
We have been religiously attacking our bills this year to make sure we are not paying any more late fees. Sure, Comcast can go 2-3 months without getting too upset about the late payment. However, when we did that for a whole year we threw away almost $120!! No more!!!
Amy @ Deliberately Here says
It’s incredible how late fees can sneak up on you, hey?! Deciding to attack your bills head-on from the start to eliminate late fees is a great idea. 🙂