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Money can be one of the biggest hurdles when it comes to pursuing your dreams and keeping your budget on track. That’s why we’ve highlighted simple ways to put aside extra cash and stay within your budget, so you can save a little money each day.
Get to work bulking up your wallet with these money-saving tips that don’t require a lot of changes to your lifestyle — they can reap big rewards:
If you often hit up the local café for your daily latte, that daily jolt of caffeine can be a real shock to your wallet over time. Same goes for lunch! Instead of shelling out cash for a subpar burger and side salad, whip up your own recipe and bring that to work all week. Mark your calendar and splurge once a month on dining out and getting that fancy cup of coffee.
With the amount of online streaming services out there, cable is quickly turning into a thing of the past. If you find yourself only watching a handful of channels or shows, why pay the full price for cable every month? Instead, choose a cheaper streaming plan that allows you to pick the shows you like.
Be careful with this one, because multiple streaming services can add up to more than your former cable subscription.
One of the quickest ways to save money is to stop spending money in ways that often get overlooked. Hidden fees and other small charges hiding in the background are a great place to start. Savings can also be achieved by lowering your personal debt. Although that can be a more in-depth process, the payoff can be huge.
Shop around for a lower or zero-interest rate credit card to save money every month. With all the great deals out there today, you have a lot of options. Take advantage of special offers by other credit providers and bank those extra bucks.
Overdraft charges and late fees can get costly — but they can be avoided. Set up recurring bill payments and checking account protection to reduce or eliminate those pesky fees.
Let’s be real — ATM fees are a waste of your money. Try to find an ATM that doesn’t have a fee, or use an ATM that’s in your bank’s network. If you can’t find a nearby free ATM, opt for cash back at stores when you have the option. Some banks charge $3 to $5 for getting cash out of network. Remember to look online for in-network ATMs if you need to withdraw cash.
Before you toss your old stuff to the curb, try selling some of it to make a little extra money. You can list gently-used clothing, jewelry, collectibles, electronics and antiques on resale sites like craigslist or eBay. Or, if it’s too heavy to ship, you can sell locally with online forums like Facebook Marketplace.
Don’t let a great deal pass you by. Here are some fast and easy ways to save money when you’re shopping online and in stores:
While you don’t have to go to Extreme Couponing levels to save money, check to see if there are coupons or coupon codes out there before you buy. Want to start clipping? Keep your coupons in a labeled envelope, visible where you’ll see it before you start shopping.
Other options for coupons include individual retailers’ apps, like Target’s Circle, or coupon blogs like Hip2Save.
Set up an email account to use just for deals. That way, you can do a quick search for the store coupon you’d like when you’re about to buy something.
On sites that allow you to use more than one coupon code for the same purchase, take care to use your coupons strategically. If you’ve got a 15 percent discount coupon code and another one for $20 off, apply the 15 percent one first and then use the one for $20 off. You’ll get a bigger discount.
You can even sign up for a free online coupon services like Honey to do the work for you. These services find the best online discount codes and combinations and input them for you at checkout to save you money and time.
Figuring out the best time to buy something used to require constantly checking prices and clipping coupons. Luckily, now you don’t have to do it all yourself. There are great price-tracking tools and deal sites that do the work for you—and it can add up to big savings.
New is nice, but it’s not everything. You can save hundreds of dollars buying refurbished electronics. Both Apple and Samsung offer certified refurbished phones, hand-held devices and computers on their websites.
Since these items are certified by the manufacturer, they'll replace defective parts before re-selling and most items come with one-year warranties. But be careful buying refurbished – not every retailer defines it the same way.
Most retailers will roll out online deals and promotions on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. But an even better way to know when something is at its lowest is to use a price comparison website, like Camelcamelcamel, which tracks products’ prices on Amazon day-to-day. Set up alerts for the items you want so you know exactly when they’ve dropped to a price reasonable enough to buy.
At American Family, we offer a variety of discounts — from setting up automatic payments to going paperless. Take advantage of programs like these to keep more money in your wallet. And be sure to connect with your agent today to find out what discounts you qualify for.
By trying out even a few of these tips you can save money, grow your funds and build a better path to accomplish your goals. Saving money doesn’t need to be complex, you just need to know how to manage your money well. Don’t forget to reward yourself along the way — you deserve it!
Related Topics: Saving Money , Finance
