10 Little Ways to Save Big

If you have bad credit and have found yourself struggling to pay off your debts, there are lots of little things that you can do to save money. Here’s a list of ten little things that’ll save you a few bucks – and remember, however few they are now, they all add up in the end!

1. Pack your own lunch.

Packing your own lunch can not only be more nutritious for you than grabbing a quick bite at the closest burger shack, but can save you lots of money – eating out is expensive! You could probably buy all the fixings for a week’s worth of sack lunches for what it costs you to have lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s. If you eat out because of the social aspect, consider organizing a pot-luck where everyone brings food from home.

2. Coupons.

Before you go shopping, you should check out the newspaper for coupons that are relevant to you. Many stores even have their coupons online, which you can print from the comfort of home. I just got a coupon the other day for a free 24 pack of bottled water! If you don’t look for the coupons, you won’t know they’re there and you won’t be able to get those savings.

3. Buy store brands – not name brands.

Sometimes store brands are not quite as good as name brands, but often times I’ve found that they work just as well if not better; especially in the case of store brand medicines which contain the same ingredients as the name brands, but cost a lot less.

4. Turn off the air.

When no one’s home, it’s a good bet that the a/c doesn’t need to be on. It might take a few minutes to heat up or cool down the place when you get home, but it’s a simple way to save some money on the electric bill.

5. Turn off the lights.

Much like #4, keeping the lights off when you’re not in a room means less money for electricity at the end of the month. Every little bit counts, and at the end of the month those little bits will add up to a nice chunk of change!

6. Public transport.

If you have a good public transportation in your area, consider using it. It might take longer to get what you’re going, but at least you’re saving money on gas – and as an added bonus, helping the environment by not contributing as many chemicals to the air we breathe.

7. Budget.

Make yourself a budget. For a month, keep a diary of everything that you buy, even movie tickets or that $1.50 in change that you spent on a bottle of coke from the vending machine. At the end of the month, review your diary and cross out all the things you didn’t need – keep in mind that we do need time to relax, so if you go to dinner and a movie once a week, you might consider that a need. (But if you do this every day, cut back.) Now that you have an idea of what you spend every month, you can compare that to how much money you make every month, and this is your budget. You can go even further and subdivide your list and figure out a budget for specific things – like groceries, outings, and bills.

8. Make lists.

Now that you have a budget, you know how much you can spend on things like groceries. So, before you even go shopping, make a list of the things you need to buy. Stick to your list. If you need a new shirt for work, go and buy a shirt. Do not buy two shirts and a new pair of pants. These impulse purchases seem like small potatoes at first, but after looking at your budget, you can see how they add up at the end.

9. Don’t buy things you don’t need.

Hopefully, if you have a list, you won’t have to worry about this one. But, as we all know, there are things that we forget that don’t make it on our lists and we end up throwing it in our cart with everything else. But, often times these impulse buys aren’t things we actually need, and things we may not even use. Unless you really need it, put it back.

10. Think.

Before you check out, re-evaluate everything you’re about the purchase. Ask yourself “do I need all these things?” and check yourself against the list you made. The more often you question yourself, the easier it will get to make the right choices.

A lot of these tips are small things, and seem inconsequential at the time, but if you’re vigilant about doing them, they’ll help you save money – which you can then invest in a high interest savings account, like the one discussed in our previous article, which can be used later for the really important things, like college or emergency car repairs.

Do you have any money saving tips or suggestions? Feel free to share them!