Five bucks might not sound like a lot of money, but over time, saving $5 here and there can add up.
Think about it – if you saved $5 every day for a month, that’s $150. You could buy yourself a new outfit, pay for a trip to the grocery store, or get your hair done.
If you saved $5 every day for just six months – you’d have $900. That could be a new piece of furniture that you wanted, a fun weekend getaway, or a couple plane tickets somewhere new.
If you saved $5 every day for a year – that’s $1,825! That’s enough money for a down payment on a car or that plane ticket to Paris you’ve always wanted to buy.
So, although five bucks doesn’t sound like much – over time, it really does add up.
Here are 20 awesome and easy ways to save money every single day.
You’ll wonder why you didn’t think of these sooner!
1. Avoid ATM fees. ATM withdrawals, especially when they aren’t from your bank, can come with hefty ATM fees, sometimes up to $5. If you make multiple withdrawals a day, you could be throwing lots of money down the drain. Instead, just get cash back when you’re paying for groceries.
2. Check your receipts for surveys. After making purchases at the mall or grocery store, check the receipts for surveys at the bottom. Stores will often offer rewards, discounts, or free items for filling them out.
3. Walk more, drive less. How often do you find yourself driving your car to places within a mile or so of your home? With gas prices soaring, these short trips turn out to be pretty expensive over time. If the weather is nice, and you’re able, why not walk instead? Plus, exercise is always a good thing.
4. Make extra casseroles. Casseroles are great dishes for an easy family meal. Next time you’re preparing a casserole, make one, two, or three extra. You can freeze them and heat them up the next time you need a quick meal for the family.
5. Consolidate errands into just one or two outings per week. Instead of going out on daily errands, try and consolidate them to one or two longer outing during the week. This way, you’ll save money on gas and also the meals and snacks you might have purchased on shorter runs.
6. Look for weekly discounts. Does your local movie theater have a discounted night during the week? Maybe your favorite restaurant has a Taco Tuesday special. Check to see if your favorite places that you go to offer special discounts during certain days of the week to avoid paying full price and saving a couple bucks.
7. Check the pressure in your tires. Did you know that if your tires are 2 PSI below their recommended inflation you’ll lose 1% of your gas mileage? Most people aren’t aware that their tires could be 5-10 PSI under. So, make sure you’re properly inflated and you could increase your gas mileage by 5%, saving you lots of gas money.
8. Scour your junk mail for coupons. Most of us just toss junk mail right in the garbage, but there could be some big savings in there! Take a minute to browse through those colorful, waxy pieces of junk mail to see if there are coupons for anything you regularly purchase or places you frequently visit.
9. Move to generic brands. Just because it’s a name brand item, doesn’t mean it’s superior to the store brand or generic version. In fact, these ‘cheaper’ versions are just as good! Making the switch to these brands can save you lots of money over time.
10. Make DIY cleaning solutions. Cleaning products and solutions can be really expensive, so why not make your own? Here is a tutorial on how to make a homemade cleaner with just a few simple ingredients.
11. Buy discounted gift cards for places you frequently visit. Let’s say that you shop at Kroger frequently, you could purchase a $50 Kroger card for $45, then transfer $5 into your savings account. Then, just use the gift card like you would cash until it’s gone. sites like Raise.com have discounted gift cards, as well as at Costco.
12. Find free or low-cost entertainment. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average family spends $2,482 on entertainment like admission prices, toys, and movies. That’s nearly $7 per day, and $7 you could easily save instead,” One Good Thing by Jillee says. So, break out that deck of cards and board game for free!
13. Use a reusable bottle for drinks. Think about how much money you would save if you didn’t purchase that soda, coffee, or water at the convenience store every day. By using a reusable bottle for your favorite drinks, you could easily save $5 regularly.
14. Install a money-saving plug-in on your browser. If you like to do a lot of shopping online, save money by installing a plug-in like Honey on your internet browser. It will automatically check for discount codes for you before you make a purchase. Pretty great, right?
15. Sign up for your favorite restaurant’s email list. Not only will you get special coupons and discounts that you might have missed, but lots of times they’ll offer you a free dessert or appetizer just for signing up.
16. Before shopping, check for digital coupons. Before stepping into a store to shop for food, clothing, or other goods, check their website for digital coupons. There might be a great deal that is only good for that specific day or location.
17. Make your shopping list around your grocery store’s weekly ad. If you plan your family’s shopping list and meals around what’s on sale can save you lots of money.
18. Opt for generic medication. Just like food brands or cleaning products, buying the generic or store version can save you money. The same goes for medication. Many common generic drugs can cost as little as $4 at places like Costco, Target, Walmart, and other stores.
19. Eat less meat. You might not realize it, but by eliminating meat from most of your meals can really help you save money. Instead of buying expensive meat, plan vegetarian meals using more affordable fruits, veggies, and beans.
20. Simply place $5 away every day. An easy way to save money is to literally put a $5 bill away every single day. If you don’t carry cash, you can download an app like Digit that analyzes your spending, finds out where you can save a few dollars, then moves it into a secure account.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
