Pexels/Allie Smith
For a lot of people, saving money is an afterthought. Before they even get their paycheck, it’s already spent. But don’t be discouraged. There are plenty of money saving strategies that you can implement even when it seems that you have no money left after you pay all of your bills. Check out these five!
The $5 Challenge
The $5 dollar challenge is personally my favorite, but you can do whatever dollar amount works best for your situation. The strategy is simple. Every time you come across a $5 bill, or whatever bill you choose, you save it for a certain period of time. You can try 6 months or even a year. Store your bills in a wine bottle or long-neck liquor bottle. Nothing deters you from wanting to dig into your stash like having to go through the trouble of breaking a glass bottle.
Money-saving apps – Qapital
One of the best money saving apps that I have encountered is Qapital. With Qapital, you set your own rules that will help you save a little money here and there. You can set it to set aside money with the roundup rule, if you meet your fitness goals for the day, if you stay under budget, or even if you make a purchase somewhere that you’re supposed to avoiding, and more! This app can be customized to fit you. You can also have different categories that you’re saving for. You can set a goal to save for a trip, save for a specific item that you’ve been eyeing, and/or just save for a rainy day. The best part is that it is free! Also, the money that it sets aside is accessible to you whenever you need it.
Money-saving apps – Digit
Digit is another one of my favorite money-saving apps. With Digit, there are no rules to set. Instead, the algorithm in the app will evaluate your spending and will automatically withdraw a little money here and there and set it aside. Don’t worry, this app is legit. It even offers overdraft protection in the event that they take out more money than you have in your account. The only downfall is that Digit does charge a $2.99 monthly fee. However, there are many reviews from users saying that it has helped them save hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars making the fee is totally worth it.
Save your change
We all have loose coins lying around. A lot of people don’t realize that change can add up! Get a large container, like a five-gallon water jug, and start filling that bad boy up. Empty your pockets every night and dump every quarter, penny, dime, and nickel into the container. I suggest taking it to a coin counting machine when it’s about halfway full so that it won’t be too heavy for you to carry. Check to see if any of the local banks have a coin counting machine also. They’re usually free to use, unlike the ones that are in grocery stores that charge a fee.
Stop eating out
It’s actually scary once you realize how much you eat out every month. Save money by taking off a month or two from eating out at all. Meal prep your breakfast and lunch, and find cool new recipes to try for dinner. After you get a chance to gauge about how much money you save by not eating out, start putting some of that money into your savings.