Children are often told by their parents, teachers and other adults that they can achieve any dream if they just focus and try hard enough and never give up. Young adults learn quickly once they’re out in the world that success is typically tied to who you know and the amount of money available to you on a daily basis. After all, it’s far more difficult to chase dreams when you’re busy chasing money to pay for essentials like shelter and food or emergencies.
Yet, many people could probably do both if they were just willing to reconsider their relationship with money. In this guide, we do more than provide top tips for saving money. We show you smart strategies that you can apply to all areas of your life.
Cut the Unnecessary Extras
Before we discuss everyday essentials, let’s talk about entertainment. Many people feel pressure to stay connected to everyone and everything these days. Some experience extreme loneliness that they treat with various distractions. As a result, you might spend a lot of money on services you don’t need. Even if you feel you need a service, you’re likely spending too much for it and can usually negotiate lower costs for the same or similar ones at lower or no cost.
For example, if you love to watch movies and television shows, plenty of free and ad-supported sites exist, like Internet Archive, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi and Xumo. Libraries also offer access to older free content.
If you feel like you need to keep up with the latest entertainment to remain up to speed with friends, classmates or colleagues, then it’s time to consider the various ways you can lower subscription prices. For example, you might be able to negotiate a lower price by simply calling the platform’s customer service. Some major platforms that offer multiple services also have special bundle deals. If you have an EBT or Medicaid card, you can often find or negotiate lower prices as well.
Of course, entertainment subscriptions aren’t the only unnecessary extra expenses you might face. If you eat out or enjoy food delivery on a regular basis, it’s time to compare your weekly non-grocery budget costs to potential cook-at-home savings. Even if you’re often on the go and think you don’t have time to cook, large grocery stores usually sell low-cost precooked or otherwise prepared meats, fruits, vegetables and herbs that you can quickly toss together for meals. If you absolutely must have restaurant offerings, then pick places that you know provide the best deals with larger servings that always leave leftovers that you can freeze and use another day.
Seek Other Food Saving Options
Instead of wasting money on name-brand products, consider inexpensive similar ones sold under store and other off-brand labels. Save the name brands for occasional treats. Additionally, always prepare a list before heading to a store or ordering online and then stick closely to it to prevent impulse buys.
Whenever possible, sign up for store loyalty programs. You might only save $5 to $10 from a loyalty points program during a grocery run, for example, but that’s money you can then put toward another essential bill. Additionally, you can save a lot of money by activating and using online coupons for products that you often buy or would love to buy but can’t usually afford. Other types of savings and passive income options, such as cashback rebates and debit or credit card transaction rewards, are also a great way to lower food-related costs.
That said, if you’re struggling a lot to pay bills or worried about having enough food at the end of a month, between paychecks or during emergencies, then reach out to local churches, community outreach organizations and food pantries to ask about fresh produce and shelf-stable food donations. This type of help isn’t a regular source of food for someone who can pay their bills, but it’s definitely a resource if you’re having a tough time in life. Websites like 211.org, FeedingAmerica.org, and FindHelp.org can help you locate these and other money-saving and emergency financial resources.
Invest in Smart Utility Solutions
You might have heard a lot of talk about investing in technologies that can save you money on utility bills, such as long-lasting light bulbs, lamp and outlet timers, and smart thermostats that reduce the electricity drain. Yet, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to reduce energy-related costs. In fact, the best solutions are sometimes the most simple and inexpensive ones.
For example, energy loss during heating and cooling often occurs because people have inadequately sealed homes and office buildings. You can purchase a door draft sweep for less than $10 that can prevent air from seeping under an exterior door. A tube of caulk can make all the difference around window frames.
That said, sealing gaps goes well beyond checking near doors and windows or inside of basements and attics. In many structures, air also flows from the walls in and out through the electrical outlets. If a contractor installed an outlet box that has holes in it without appropriately sealing behind it, hot or cold air can flow in from outside effortlessly.
These simple changes can save you hundreds of dollars a year. And, if you want to save additional money, you can also negotiate better pricing with your utility provider. For example, if you do happen to invest in green solutions, such as low-energy appliances, smart technologies and water-saving equipment, many electricity and water companies offer green discounts. If you compare prices across suppliers in your region and then discuss switching companies with customer service, you might also be able to negotiate a lower bill based on company loyalty.
Become a Practical Emergency Prepper
Many people don’t consider how a single emergency can drastically empty their wallets and deplete their bank accounts. If you suddenly suffer a power outage with no backup plan, you might lose all cold or frozen groceries or cold-stored medications. You might even need temporary housing at an extended stay or other type of hotel or motel. If you experience a car accident, you might suddenly need backup transportation in the form of a rental car or public bus and face steep repair or medical bills and income losses.
Practical prepping isn’t the same as end-of-days prepping. You don’t have to prepare for an apocalypse. Instead, you should always be ready for the extra expenses that might suddenly pop up because of a normal emergency. A practical prepper does more than set up an emergency savings account. In fact, plenty of people throughout the country can go without a huge emergency safety net, as long as they’ve prepared in other ways.
For example, whether you’re a home or business owner or renter, you should invest in some sort of backup generator that can handle at least a three-day power outage. If you use a computer or phone a lot, then you should have an inexpensive backup that can keep you going to complete work related to school or a job for as long as necessary until you can repair your primary device. In terms of groceries, you should have a pantry filled with enough food, water, batteries and hygiene products to last two to four weeks. Lastly, you should have a list of the least expensive, reliable vehicle lockout, repair and towing and alternative transportation options in your purse or wallet at all times.
As you can see, you don’t have to pay a lot to both handle essentials and pursue dreams. You merely need to use smart savings strategies.
Children are often told by their parents, teachers and other adults that they can achieve any dream if they just focus and try hard enough and never give up. Young adults learn quickly once they’re out in the world that success is typically tied to who you know and the amount of money available to you on a daily basis. After all, it’s far more difficult to chase dreams when you’re busy chasing money to pay for essentials like shelter and food or emergencies.
Yet, many people could probably do both if they were just willing to reconsider their relationship with money. In this guide, we do more than provide top tips for saving money. We show you smart strategies that you can apply to all areas of your life.
Cut the Unnecessary Extras
Before we discuss everyday essentials, let’s talk about entertainment. Many people feel pressure to stay connected to everyone and everything these days. Some experience extreme loneliness that they treat with various distractions. As a result, you might spend a lot of money on services you don’t need. Even if you feel you need a service, you’re likely spending too much for it and can usually negotiate lower costs for the same or similar ones at lower or no cost.
For example, if you love to watch movies and television shows, plenty of free and ad-supported sites exist, like Internet Archive, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi and Xumo. Libraries also offer access to older free content.
If you feel like you need to keep up with the latest entertainment to remain up to speed with friends, classmates or colleagues, then it’s time to consider the various ways you can lower subscription prices. For example, you might be able to negotiate a lower price by simply calling the platform’s customer service. Some major platforms that offer multiple services also have special bundle deals. If you have an EBT or Medicaid card, you can often find or negotiate lower prices as well.
Of course, entertainment subscriptions aren’t the only unnecessary extra expenses you might face. If you eat out or enjoy food delivery on a regular basis, it’s time to compare your weekly non-grocery budget costs to potential cook-at-home savings. Even if you’re often on the go and think you don’t have time to cook, large grocery stores usually sell low-cost precooked or otherwise prepared meats, fruits, vegetables and herbs that you can quickly toss together for meals. If you absolutely must have restaurant offerings, then pick places that you know provide the best deals with larger servings that always leave leftovers that you can freeze and use another day.
Seek Other Food Saving Options
Instead of wasting money on name-brand products, consider inexpensive similar ones sold under store and other off-brand labels. Save the name brands for occasional treats. Additionally, always prepare a list before heading to a store or ordering online and then stick closely to it to prevent impulse buys.
Whenever possible, sign up for store loyalty programs. You might only save $5 to $10 from a loyalty points program during a grocery run, for example, but that’s money you can then put toward another essential bill. Additionally, you can save a lot of money by activating and using online coupons for products that you often buy or would love to buy but can’t usually afford. Other types of savings and passive income options, such as cashback rebates and debit or credit card transaction rewards, are also a great way to lower food-related costs.
That said, if you’re struggling a lot to pay bills or worried about having enough food at the end of a month, between paychecks or during emergencies, then reach out to local churches, community outreach organizations and food pantries to ask about fresh produce and shelf-stable food donations. This type of help isn’t a regular source of food for someone who can pay their bills, but it’s definitely a resource if you’re having a tough time in life. Websites like 211.org, FeedingAmerica.org, and FindHelp.org can help you locate these and other money-saving and emergency financial resources.
Invest in Smart Utility Solutions
You might have heard a lot of talk about investing in technologies that can save you money on utility bills, such as long-lasting light bulbs, lamp and outlet timers, and smart thermostats that reduce the electricity drain. Yet, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to reduce energy-related costs. In fact, the best solutions are sometimes the most simple and inexpensive ones.
For example, energy loss during heating and cooling often occurs because people have inadequately sealed homes and office buildings. You can purchase a door draft sweep for less than $10 that can prevent air from seeping under an exterior door. A tube of caulk can make all the difference around window frames.
That said, sealing gaps goes well beyond checking near doors and windows or inside of basements and attics. In many structures, air also flows from the walls in and out through the electrical outlets. If a contractor installed an outlet box that has holes in it without appropriately sealing behind it, hot or cold air can flow in from outside effortlessly.
These simple changes can save you hundreds of dollars a year. And, if you want to save additional money, you can also negotiate better pricing with your utility provider. For example, if you do happen to invest in green solutions, such as low-energy appliances, smart technologies and water-saving equipment, many electricity and water companies offer green discounts. If you compare prices across suppliers in your region and then discuss switching companies with customer service, you might also be able to negotiate a lower bill based on company loyalty.
Become a Practical Emergency Prepper
Many people don’t consider how a single emergency can drastically empty their wallets and deplete their bank accounts. If you suddenly suffer a power outage with no backup plan, you might lose all cold or frozen groceries or cold-stored medications. You might even need temporary housing at an extended stay or other type of hotel or motel. If you experience a car accident, you might suddenly need backup transportation in the form of a rental car or public bus and face steep repair or medical bills and income losses.
Practical prepping isn’t the same as end-of-days prepping. You don’t have to prepare for an apocalypse. Instead, you should always be ready for the extra expenses that might suddenly pop up because of a normal emergency. A practical prepper does more than set up an emergency savings account. In fact, plenty of people throughout the country can go without a huge emergency safety net, as long as they’ve prepared in other ways.
For example, whether you’re a home or business owner or renter, you should invest in some sort of backup generator that can handle at least a three-day power outage. If you use a computer or phone a lot, then you should have an inexpensive backup that can keep you going to complete work related to school or a job for as long as necessary until you can repair your primary device. In terms of groceries, you should have a pantry filled with enough food, water, batteries and hygiene products to last two to four weeks. Lastly, you should have a list of the least expensive, reliable vehicle lockout, repair and towing and alternative transportation options in your purse or wallet at all times.
As you can see, you don’t have to pay a lot to both handle essentials and pursue dreams. You merely need to use smart savings strategies.
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