rebel Life Hacks – How to Save Money

Do you struggle to save money? Many people get a second job when there’s a shortfall of money. But increasing income isn’t the only way you can free up your budget – reducing spending works just as well, without using up extra time. In this article I’ve compiled a myriad of things that you can do to reduce spending on common expenditures.

Eating out

One of the most common overlooked expenses is the daily lunch break – although $8 might not seem much compared to what you make in a day, this adds up to $40 per work week and $160 per month. If there are 5 weeks in the month, then this increases to $200 per month – which can be more than the cost of multiple bills. This doesn’t include any dinners either. This expense can be eliminated by packing your lunch and making meals at home.

Shopping 

Piggybacking on the last point, shopping for your groceries can greatly reduce or eliminate your eating out expense, but there’s potential for saving here as well. Store brand, despite any negative stigma, can actually have great products and save quite a chunk of change. Shopping at different stores can also yield a significant savings, which leads into the next point.

Gas

Depending on the store your shop at, utilizing fuel points can be an excellent way to save on gas. Earning points while shopping and then filling up can yield significant savings, even up to $1.00 per gallon! Syncing your grocery store with your gas station is a viable dual-saving strategy.

Electricity

This goes without saying, but maybe people overlook the simple concept of turning off lights when not in the room. Energy-efficient lightbulbs, although more expensive, last a lot longer and can save a good amount over time on your electric bill. If your air conditioning or heating is electric, changing the thermostat is one of the biggest things you can do to reduce your electric bill. In the winter, wear sweaters and use blankets to save on heating costs, and in the summer, dress cool so you don’t need to turn your AC down as much, and you’ll witness your bill decrease.

Water

Two common ways to save money on water are dishes and laundry. This goes hand-in-hand with electricity as many dishwashers use electricity as well. Handwashing is a great way to save on both and it’s simple to do after eating, so you never have any dirty dishes. On the laundry side of things, using cool or cold water instead of hot can yield great savings on the electricity used to heat the water.( As long as it doesn’t matter for the clothes in the wash.)

There are many ways to save money, and I’ve listed just a few common ones here. Remember, your Cash Flow is your Income – Expenses, and reducing expenses can work just as well and increasing your income!