Did you know there are ways you can save money without giving much thought to it on a daily basis? It’s true. If you choose to live with these impulses that require zero brain function, you’ll have more money left in the bank account than where you’re currently at financially. Sounds too good to be true. Take a look at a few of these tips that we’ve found that actually work while saving you money.
How to Save Money without Trying
Use Cash Only
Using cash is another way of saving money. Seriously. For some reason, people that purchase things with cash are more careful to limit their spending. When the money is out, that’s it. This also keeps you from withdrawal fees when you’re not fully aware of how much money is actually in your bank account. It’s a proven psychological method that will help you save money.
Set Up Automatic Transfers
First off, setting up an automatic transfer in your savings account will help you save money without having to think about it. All you have to do is determine how much of your check you want to be put away into savings each week and it takes care of it for you.
You can also have your bank account save you money with every purchase that you make. Your bank will round up your purchase to the nearest dollar and take the difference and put it in your savings. For example: If you buy gas for $25.50, 50 cents will be put aside into your savings account.
Set Up Spending Limits
Did you know that you can set up a spending limit on your credit cards? For many people that have a spending problem, this is good news. Setting up a spending limit will keep you responsible and from getting into a huge mess in a hurry. Before setting up a limit, be sure to look at your spending patterns to also make sure you don’t cut yourself to tight.
Save Your Change
While there’s nothing wrong with getting rid of your change for a cause, you’d be surprised how quickly your change turns into bucks. Put your change in a jar and take it to the bank every month or two to have it converted to bills.
Use Store Savings Cards
If you’re trying to save money even while shopping, be sure to go after the deals. This might mean cherry-picking at multiple grocery stores. But what about each store’s savings cards that you can apply for. It’s literally free money that will be taken off at the end of your transaction. Besides scanning your card during every visit, there’s no thinking to it, and you’ll still save money.
Eat Out Less
You might not realize how much money you’ve been spending while grabbing a cup of coffee every morning and scarfing down a quick lunch through the fast-food drive through. After work, you don’t feel like cooking for the family, so you find yourself heading back out for a sit-down meal. While all of these things are fine occasionally, living this lifestyle constantly is going to cost a lot of money.
Make it a habit of eating food that you bought at the grocery store, by sticking to meal plans on your list. You will be surprised how much money you’ve been wasting by eating out.
These are a few ways of saving money when you’re not even trying. Now that sounds great to everyone, especially when we are trying to stay on budget and reaching some financial goals!
