I love to find ways to save money every month as it means we have more of our money to apply towards our goals. Finding ways to save money each month gives you the power to reach any number of goals, such as:
- Paying off debt
- Going on vacation
- Saving for retirement
- Saving for a house, car, or other large expense
The struggle many people have is staying motivated to save money. It’s easy to think that saving an extra $2o or $30 per month won’t matter, and before you know it, you don’t have the funds you need to do something you want.
If you need motivation to save more money, or simply don’t know how to save money on a monthly basis, know that it is possible. In fact, you can save money easily with very little effort.
When you save money each month you help yourself financially. It allows you to accomplish numerous goals. When you combine it with making extra money, you instantly multiply your progress.
WAYS TO SAVE MONEY EVERY MONTH
Do you want to save more money this year, but don’t know where to start? This post is for you. Not each option on the below list will apply to everyone – and that’s fine. However, it’s possible to take a small handful of the options here and save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars this year alone.
If you’re looking for the best ways to save money every month, combine some of the below tips to put your savings game on the fast track.
TRY THE 52-WEEK CHALLENGE
If you want to know how to save money fast, one of the best options is through the 52-week challenge. If you’ve not heard of the 52-week challenge, it’s simple. You start out week 1 by saving $1. Week 2 you save $2, week 3 you save $3 and so on.
The plan is to add one extra dollar per week until you put away $52 the final week of the year. This alone will allow you to save $1,378 per year. Even if you don’t start at the beginning of the year you can harness a lot of power by making stashing money away in savings a regular habit.
Make it easy on yourself and automate the transfer so you don’t even feel it. You can do that with Chime Bank as they operate entirely online. The fee-free bank pays just .01 percent interest on your cash, but their checking account pays .10 percent plus rounds up each transaction to the nearest dollar and places it in your savings account.
Total savings = ~ $1,400
CUT CABLE
Cutting cable is the easiest way to save money every month. I’ve written about how we canceled DirecTV and are now saving almost $90 per month. The average cable bill is over $110 per month.
There is no reason to spend this much to get television content as there are so many cheaper options available.
We use our Amazon Fire TV Stick and Netflix to get the shows we want. Check out the Amazon Fire TV Stick channels list to see what kind of content you can expect with the dongle.
There are many other options from Hulu with Live TV to getting a digital antenna, that it just makes no sense to have a cable bill.
If you don’t know how to watch ESPN without cable, have no fear. Most of the streaming providers make it possible without a nasty contract. Losing sports was what held us back from cutting the cord. It’s relatively simple to replace it with a streaming service.
Total savings = $80+ per month
AXE THE GYM MEMBERSHIP
Should you keep your gym membership if you want to lose weight? In a word – NO! According to Statistic Brain, $40 per month is wasted on the cost of the average gym membership.
You can lose weight without paying to join a high-priced gym. I lost 100 pounds on Nutrisystem and didn’t step foot in a gym. I walked and used free videos on YouTube. I’m proof it can be done without paying a lot of money to exercise.
GET RID OF YOUR CELL PHONE CONTRACT
Like cutting the cord, this is another one of the best ways to save money each month. The average cell phone bill for Verizon and AT&T is almost $150. There is no need to spend that much every month.
We switched to a cheap cell phone plan and now save over $100 per month. You can get a plan with Tello for as low as $5 per month. You can customize your plan based on your specific needs and situation.
Total savings = $100+ per month
STOP SMOKING
I almost can’t believe this number, but the average person spends $190 per month (assuming a pack a day habit) on cigarettes. I’ve never been a smoker, but I just don’t see the appeal.
Not only is cutting smoking one of the best ways save money every month, but it will also help you save significant money in the long-term on medical bills by improving your health. That’s a win-win.
Total savings = $190 per month