Marvelous Money: 26 Ways to Save Money

One of my pet peeves about personal finance is when experts make blanket suggestions on how to save money. I think the way you spend (and save!) should be based on what you value. If you do this, you’ll not only find it easier to stick to your budget, but you’ll get greater pleasure out of the money you DO spend.

Though I dislike one-size-fits-all suggestions, I love being inspired by how others are finding ways to save. I asked six of my savviest friends for their favorite ways they shave their budgets, and added in a few myself — I hope they get your wheels turning!

Saving money on food:

I don’t eat meat during the week. I have a pretty consistent rotation of small and inexpensive meals that I eat for weekday lunches and dinners. Not only does it save me money, but I don’t get decision fatigue over deciding “what’s for dinner?” — Jess Metcalf, Content Manager and newly-engaged gal

We shop almost exclusively at Aldi, which cuts our grocery bill almost in half (compared to name-brand grocery stores). I make a dinner plan based on their weekly specials, which helps us eat in for the majority of the week with plenty of leftovers for lunches. — Samantha Ray, hair and makeup artist and blogger

Food spending has been a challenge for us (to put it lightly) but we’ve made significant progress by switching to getting vegetables from a CSA box and buying meat from Costco (organic meat at normal prices). We get the box twice a month and plan our meals based on what vegetables we receive. This has challenged us to think outside our recipe box/cookbooks and has significantly cut down on the number of ingredients we buy per recipe. — Dave Kirk, finance guy and husband

I can’t even imagine how much we’ve saved over the years by almost never buying alcohol. We don’t hate drinking, but it’s just not something that’s important to us, and therefore doesn’t make sense for us to spend money on! – Em

I use cash and a calculator at the grocery store! It’s our foolproof way to not blow the grocery budget. — Valerie Keinsley, stay at home mama and online stationery shop owner

Saving money on entertainment:

I solely order water at restaurants, unless I’m celebrating something, in which case I’ll treat myself to a glass of wine or a cocktail. My mother used to own a restaurant, so I know the markup on sodas and my beloved sweet tea, and I consistently choose water instead. Unless I’m at Merritt’s, in which case, a glass bottle Cheerwine is calling my name! — Jess

We haven’t had cable for a few years after switching to an HD antenna (works for football and the Bachelor franchise) and Netflix. We recently cut Netflix as well, because you can only re-watch The Office so many times. We’ve replaced watching TV with porch date nights and reading before bed. — Dave

I stopped buying books on Amazon, and I wait for library books now. It’s an exercise in patience, especially for popular titles, but I’m saving money and learning my bookshelves. — Jess

Saving money in your relationships:

We have gotten creative with ideas on how to spend quality time together without dropping so much dough – things such as trying out a new recipe at home, sitting on the porch swing with a bottle of wine, or going out for a beer at a new brewery. These all cost around $10, which enables us to have more date nights since we aren’t dropping $50+ on a dinner out. — Elizabeth Burns, eCommerce gal and house flipper

My love language is gift giving, and I save a ton of money by shopping at the Dollar Tree for all my wrapping paper, tissue paper, and extra giftable goodies like candy, small personal care items, cards, and balloons. — Samantha

Since having our son, we’ve realized how expensive getting a babysitter AND going out to eat is, so now, most of our “date nights” are on our porch with a bottle of wine. It gets us out of the house (if only to the outside of our house), and the only thing we’re buying is a $6 bottle of Trader Joe’s wine, rather than spending $25-30 on a bottle at a restaurant. But, my city-loving wife would be crushed if that’s all we did, so we also plan out special monthly date nights when we do hire a babysitter and actually head out. Scheduling them once a month gives us something really fun to look forward to, and keeps us from being tempted to go out on a whim and spend more than we had planned. — Dave

Since having June, we’ve been very open to borrowing, buying secondhand, or accepting hand-me-downs whenever possible. I think sometimes, especially if folks plan to have multiple kids, they justify buying everything new, but we’ve found it’s just as easy to swap back and forth with friends. We’ve borrowed clothes, a crib, a bathtub, a hiking pack, and so much more! – Em

Saving money on your home:

Target is my budget Kryptonite. I go in for toothpaste and come out with a new duvet, kitchen canisters, boots, and no toothpaste. One thing that has helped me save money is that instead of going into a Target for basics like toiletries, cleaning supplies, pet products, and some food items, I signed up for Target subscriptions. I can have all of these everyday items delivered to my house regularly (free delivery!) and subscription items are discounted by an additional 5%. This way I can still get my favorite Target items without having to actually go into a store and potentially blow my budget on all of the cute stuff I don’t need. — Elizabeth

When our grocery store offers 4x the fuel points on gift cards, we buy gift cards for upcoming projects/gifts – i.e. if we’re planning a home project, we get a gift card to Lowe’s in the amount we budgeted for the project. That way we earn 4x the points, and often get up to $1 off per gallon of gas! It takes some planning, but is well worth it in the end. — Valerie

Many products come in a generic brand version, a refurbished version, or a lightly-used version that’s practically the same for a fraction of the cost. You can often buy floor models for a highly discounted price, too, which we’ve been doing a lot recently as we furnish our new home. And remember, almost everything in life is negotiable – you’ll never know if you don’t at least ask! :) — Robyn Van Dyke, photographer, blogger, and co-owner of a dental practice (with her husband!)

We utilize the Habitat Restore. Since flipping houses is one of our side hustles, we visit the Restore often for anything from exterior doors, shutters, furniture, lighting, and faucets. A lot of big box stores will give donations so you can buy new items for a fraction of the cost while contributing to a good cause. There are also neat antique finds like gorgeous vintage chandeliers and clawfoot tubs. It’s definitely worth checking out if you are sprucing up your home on a budget! – Elizabeth

Saving money on purchases:

Starting around the midpoint of the year, I begin hoarding planned purchases like a fevered squirrel until I unleash them all on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I keep a list of things I’d like to buy and that might go sale (so far this year’s includes Winter Water Factory dresses for June, her Salt Water Sandals for next year, and Walk in Love tees for the family for next Valentine’s Day). I also, of course, include as many Christmas gifts as I can! To make so many purchases in one weekend is always a bit of a shock to my system, but it’s totally worth it for the savings. – Em

ReceiptPal! My husband found this app where you take photos of your receipts and earn cash back for them, redeemable as gift cards (including Amazon!). We’ve earned over $100 in Amazon gift cards, which we then use for household purchases to save money. He spends roughly 10 minutes a week putting in receipts. It’s slow going — you usually only earn a gift card every four months or so — but totally worth it. — Valerie

Whenever we need or want to buy anything, we wait. This does two things: it gives us time to consider if we really need or want it, and it gives us time to find the best deal. Almost everything has a sale or coupon — it’s just a matter of waiting until the sale, googling for coupons, or even buying a coupon on Ebay! Better yet, wait for the sale AND stack the coupon AND use Ebates! — Robyn

We use a credit card with 2% cash back for almost every purchase, and pay it off twice a month, every single month. I know this might be controversial to some, but for us it’s a no-brainer. We’ve earned hundreds of dollars over the years this way! – Em

Saving money on everything else:

This has been a hard lesson to come by this year, but we’ve learned there are no “sacred cows” in our budget. To accomplish our savings goals, we’ve had to take a hard look at every single budget line and readjust our perspective (and add a heaping dose of contentment and gratitude). We might not be traveling to an international destination every third year like we had hoped, for example, but we still get to spend a week with our beloved families on the beautiful Connecticut shoreline. – Em

We worked to get the “big three” — house, car, and education — right. If you choose to buy these three things below (or well below, or not at all) your means and be content, you’ll have so much more financial margin and freedom. Our first home was tiny and it was subsidized by a non-profit for $115K, and then we recently purchased our current fixer-upper home after lots of negotiation for $200K. Our first car was $5K, and we were a one-car family for a couple years until we bought two new Toyotas for a killer deal by negotiating in cash and utilizing the TrueCar App. Education is a bit harder since much of it is outside our control, but we both chose to go to an in-state university and applied for as many scholarships and grants as we could. — Robyn

I get my hair cut twice a year, and I just get it cut – no dyeing, no fancy treatments. I LOVE my stylist, but she is quite expensive, so I compromise by extending my cut as much as I can. – Em

We keep our recurring bills low and cut where possible. We’ve never had a car payment and we’ve also never had cable. We also have never had an individual phone plan, because it’s so much more cost effective to add lines to an existing plan with a sibling, parent, cousin, or friend. You all save, so it’s a win-win! — Robyn

One big way we save money is by make a monthly budget and using cash only for things like groceries, gas, and household items. It is totally worth the extra time, intentional conversation, and planning – I’d say it has improved our marriage as much as our savings! — Samantha

We intentionally fill our evenings and weekends with everyday adventures so that we’re not tempted to mindlessly browse – either in a brick and mortar or online. I only go to a mall with a specific mission, and being outdoors and together helps keep us grateful, content, and in awe of the world around us. – Em

Friends, please join the conversation: I would LOVE to hear your favorite ways to save money! And thanks to all of the folks above for sharing their wisdom! :)

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