When it comes to saving money, there’s no need to complicate things. Mostly, it’s a matter of being aware of how and when you spend—and then figuring out a way to scale back or avoid spending entirely. The solutions are usually quite simple, but because they involve sacrifice, a little more time, or little more effort, simple doesn’t necessarily equate to easy.
Some examples I’ve run across recently:
Save Money By Not Eating Out for an Entire Month. Well, of course this would save you money. It may also very well cause you to lose weight. One couple blogged about their no-restaurant month, which wasn’t as difficult as they’d imagined:
By the end of the month we both had lost weight, felt better and our budget was healthier. Interestingly enough, restaurant food didn’t even sound appealing any more. I’m sure some of the fast food restaurants, though, are going through economic hard times since we’ve stopped our frequent visits.
More than a week after the month had passed, we finally went out to eat. You know what? It was a disappointment. I think I would have rather had something at home.
How to Eat Healthy & Inexpensively. Start by not eating out at restaurants. And when you cook, make things with inexpensive ingredients, like rice and beans or soup. Also, when shopping, buy stuff that’s on sale. Doesn’t get more obvious than this, but many consumers just buy what they want—and pay for it.
Save Money By Carrying a Water Bottle. This way, you don’t wind up always paying—overpaying, really—for soda or bottles of water whenever you get thirsty. In the course of a year, you could save a couple hundred bucks by carrying your own bottle and refilling it regularly.
Shop Like a Pedestrian: 7 Ways Walking Saves You Money. For one thing, if you’re on foot you can’t overdo it with groceries, clothes, or anything else that’s too difficult to carry with you. Also, if you’re walking, you’re more organized and tend to plan your shopping excursions better—because “running out” to the store is way more time-consuming on foot than it is with a car. Surprisingly, saving on gas you would have spent in a car is not one of the 7 ways to save listed here.
Bike Wherever and Whenever You Can and Wear Whatever You Want. Well, duh, right? Cheaper than driving, and if you’re on the bike all the time you can probably stop paying that monthly gym membership. A Boston Globe story reports on how cyclists commuting to work or doing errands are foregoing the spandex and other bike-wear. Instead, they’re wearing whatever they want—business suits, jeans, whatever. They’re saving the money they otherwise would have spent on “bike fashion,” and they’re more likely to use their bikes because they don’t feel the need to change clothes first.