61 Ultimate Money Saving Tips List

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Ultimate Money Saving Tips List? Let’s face it – 2020 sucked. Food shortages. Covid-19. Social Distancing. Distance Learning. Political Unrest. Job Insecurity. Layoffs. I could go on and on… but they all boil down to money saving tips being needed for the average American family. Here is our list of ideas that might not seem so fantastic individually, but added together? they have a lot of power to change your budget for the better.

Money Saving Tips and Ideas

1. Ask your self any time you are getting ready to spend ANY money “Is this a need or a want?” There are a lot of things we WANT, not not as many that we NEED. This one tip alone can cause you to pause long enough to rethink your purchase and see if you really should be spending that money.
2. Only buy the store brand / generic brand. This is only if you don’t want to do the coupon clipping thing.
3. Only buy things on sale. Grocery stores repeat their sales – there is a selling cycle for everything. Every six weeks or so, dried pasta will be on sale. The next week? General Mills cereals. Just start saving your ad circulars to see the cycle at your store.
4. Get rid of cable TV. Stream something like Netflix for additional channels and you still come out way ahead money-wise. Should I Cut The Cable Cord
5. Get an antenna. Seriously – you can pick up an antenna for under $50 and get a lot of HD channels FREE.
6. No soft drinks. It is just sugar water – so this is a health tip too!
7. No junk food. Skip the expensive stuff like chips, Oreos, and more. Those add up faster than you think and don’t really fill your hunger needs.
8. Pack your own lunches for work – including beverages. I have talked about the $1,000 lunch bag before – read it HERE
9. Consider homesteading. Create your own garden, get a few chickens, and raise your own eggs, plant a few fruit trees. There is a lot more to it than that, but this is a good book to get you started:
10. Reuse and recycle. Just because a shirt has a hole in it, doesn’t mean you can’t turn it into a dust rag or quilt piece.
11. Meal Plan – this will not only save you money, but time!
12. Buy a used car with cash (no auto loan). Did you know you can get a micro-savings account – all you have to do is talk to your banker. It is a smaller, sub-account in your savings account that can be set for certain items – one would be great for a car!
13. Shop around for car insurance. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples though – with the same deductibles and limits.
14. Sell things you don’t need or use on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. It isn’t really saving you money, but turning your stash into cash!
15. Check out your local Dollar Tree store – like I got a canned pumpkin for $1 and it was $1.89 at the grocery store. Not everything is a good deal – they occasionally have smaller-sized items than you would find in the grocery store so the cost per ounce isn’t a bargain. Spices are a GREAT buy here!
16. Use window plastic in the colder season – even if you have insulated windows.
17. Reduce portion size for meals. Let’s face it, America is Super-Sized. We can really do with smaller portions and eating a little slower. Take time to sit together around the table and talk over dinner.
18. Add beans to meat mixes for tacos, burritos, etc. Beans a high protein and low fat – they are also a lot less expensive than meat – so it adds a more traditional flair to your meal and is better than your budget.
19. Buy in Bulk. You don’t have to splurge for the Costco membership but you can get the larger bags of rice, bigger packages of meat, etc. 7 Items To Buy In Bulk & Save Money
20. Eat more meatless meals. Better for your waistline, but great for the pocketbook! Spaghetti with garlic toast – and marinara sauce. French Toast. Red beans and rice with cornbread. Grilled cheese with tomato soup – you get the idea.
21. Don’t buy pre-portioned snacks. All those little bags have you paying for their convenience. Buy the large bag and put smaller portions into your Tupperware containers.
22. Make coffee at home. Let’s face it: $6 for Starbucks or $4 for McDonald’s. If you get a coffee five days a week, that is $20-30 a week instead of that $4 package of K-cups.
23. Turn your thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter. A few degrees either way can make a difference. You either need to grab a sweater and fuzzy socks, or strip down to your t-shirt. Ways To Beat The Heat Without High Utility Bills
24. Buy your clothes from second hand/thrift stores. One thing people have had time to do during the pandemic – was to clean out their closets. There are a lot of GREAT and practically new items inside your local Goodwill.
25. Replace all you can with reusable products (paper towels with microfiber towels, etc). I talk about it here: Why Investing in Microfiber Towels Saves Money!
26. Make your own cleaners. Not only do you avoid a lot of the toxic ingredients, but you save a lot of money off that name-brand recognition. 15 Homemade Cleaning Recipes to Clean Everything in Your Home
27. Cook at home. Eating out can be expensive – one family meal out is almost the same cost as my weekly grocery bill.
28. Have breakfast for dinner once a week. Did you know an egg has 10 grams of protein in it? That makes it a power horse and with the budget price of a dozen for around $0.80? Beyond thrifty! Fried egg sandwiches, quiche, even hard-boiled eggs are a great thought – for egg salad!
29. Casseroles and Soups go a long way at mealtime. Using pasta, beans, and rice, along with broth makes for great budget-friendly fillers!
30. Ask your grocery store manager what day the price down their meats. I love how my local store discounts meat the closer it gets to the “use by” date – it really makes a difference when you save an additional 25-50% off! I scored ground beef for under a buck a pound before, then cooked it off for the freezer.
31. If a recipe calls for a pound of ground beef, use only 3/4 pound. That means your three-pound ground beef package can be used for four meals instead of three!
32. Fall in love with egg salad sandwiches. This goes back to #28 – with eggs being just $0.07 each? Bargain! Love it!
33. Lower your hot water heater by just a few degrees. You will still enjoy your hot shower but save on the water/electric bill.
34. Puy a gallon-sized baggie of water into your toilet tank – you will use less water every time you flush. This only works if you don’t already have a low-flow/flush toilet.
35. Water down juice. I would buy V8 Fusion and cut it 50/50 with water. They already do it for us – and add fake sugar, then call it “diet”.
36. Make your own popsicles with #36. Get a set of reusable popsicle makers and fill them with your juice. You can try one of my other recipes too: 32 Fun Popsicle Recipes!
37. Use your library! Check out Why the Public Library is so Awesome Books, craft days, storytime, reading program, movie rentals, etc
38. Check out YouTube for $50 grocery hauls – interesting ideas.
39. Shop at the discount brand store. Some people call these “scratch and dent” stores or “Bent ”n Dent”.
40. Line dry your clothes instead of using the dryer. HUGE electric savings plus your sheets will smell amazing when you snuggle into them.
41. Limit shower time – a 5-minute shower IS doable.
42. Add rice to meal planning.
43. Try cooking with 5 ingredients or less – 25 Recipes: 5 Ingredients or Less!
44. Look into carpooling.
45. Follow a frugal blogger 😉
46. Hit Costco for Rice, Beans, Flour, and eggs if you want to get serious about buying in larger quantities.
47. Make your own Instant Oatmeal packets: Instant Oatmeal !!
48. Are the home rates cheap enough for you to come out ahead if you refinance your home? Talk to your banker.
49. Make your own laundry detergent. No matter how good of a deal you get on it with sales and coupons, unless it was free, it is much cheaper to make your own. You are paying around 18 cents a load when you buy laundry soap, even in the large bulk containers, on average. Making your own only costs around 3 cents a load. Look around online and you will find easy to follow recipes for both liquid and powder versions that take easy to find ingredients and less than 15 minutes to make.
50. Don’t buy frozen waffles or pancakes. Making your own and freezing them will not take more than 20 minutes of your time and will cost way less than buying in boxes in the freezer section. The same is true for frozen burritos. You also get to skip the added preservatives and chemicals.
51. Bake your own bread – this recipe is super easy: Tupperware Bread is Super Easy to Make
52. 5 Things You Should Reuse To Save Money:  We throw so many items away without thinking about how they can be used alternately.  This list is perfect for helping you learn to reuse items to save money.  It’s a great way to helping you save money on just about everything just by reusing items you already have.
53. Shop at Aldi. Tips for Saving Money at Aldis: A great store but it doesn’t take coupons…no problem! Read how you can still save big!
54. Cut unnecessary Bills. Unnecessary Bills To Cut During Job Loss: If you find yourself without a job (either temporary or permanent) these tips are for you!
55. Get your books FREE! How to Get Free Books Without Going to the Library: We love to read, but hate paying full price for anything, like books!
56. Buy your produce locally: Shop for Local Produce and Save Big
57. Know when to shop for that produce: When to Buy Seasonal Fruits and Veggies by Month: A Guide
58. Give tortillas more of a try: What to Make with Tortillas
59. Take advantage of Amazon Prime offers: 5 Ways to Save Money on Personal Grooming
60. Cut a few corners on your personal grooming expenses: 5 Ways to Save Money on Personal Grooming
61. Get our : Savings Tracker – Free Printable

Other posts you may find helpful:

• Frugal Meal Ideas for When You’re Broke
• Grocery Shopping Habits that Cost you MORE Money
• MUST Buy Items at Aldi
• How to Get the Best Deals at Costco
• Tips for Saving Money at Aldis
• How To Eat Out And Save Money
• Secrets to Get FREE Stuff On Amazon
• 1000 Recipes For Meal Planning
• Tips for Saving Money on Gas
• Tips from the Pros on How to Get the Best Deals at Target