Saving money is no easy task. Sometimes it can be hard to do when you’re on a tight budget, but it is possible! These are some of our favorite tips and ways to save money that you might not have thought of yet – so keep reading!
5 Unique Ways To Save Money
1. Skip the restaurant!
If you’re trying to find ways to save money, dining out should probably be kept to a minimum anyway. However, if you want to go out for food one night, consider hitting a food truck or a local cafe instead of a fancy restaurant. Food trucks and small cafes can sometimes have meals for a fraction of the price!
2. Use everything in your pantry!
It can be easy to buy food and never end up using it causing the dreaded pantry build up! Instead of just forgetting about what’s in there, keep it to a minimum. Use as much as you can every week and don’t leave anything behind if you have the option! By cooking more at home and trying to utilize all the ingredients in your pantry, you’ll be cutting down on food waste and saving money every week!
3. Use gift cards!
Have you ever seen the deals at grocery stores where you can earn double points for buying gift cards? Take advantage of those! You already know you’re going to be shopping at the store for groceries anyway so rack up those points by buying gift cards for money you’d planned on spending anyway! Whether those points translate into gas savings or rewards, you’ll be saving money and this is a unique trick to help you save!
4. Visit your local beauty school.
If you’re due for a haircut or want to get a style, consider stopping by your local beauty school. The prices are extremely cheap in comparison to salons and the students could use the experience as well! If you’re really particular about your hair, this might not be one of your favorite ways to save money, but in a pinch, it is a lot better to spend less on something like a haircut. After all, it grows back!
5. Avoid ATMs.
ATMs can come with hefty fees for withdrawing money, so avoid them when you can! Instead, consider getting cash back when depositing your check and keeping cash on hand every month just in case you end up needing it. Of course, you likely won’t always be able to avoid ATMs, but any chance you can is money saved!
These are some of our favorite unique ways to save money. What are your favorites? Let’s discuss this in the comments!
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Louise Bishop says
Penny pinching can be pretty tough sometimes. This is a great list of ways to save money on some necessary and not necessary things. Love the post!
Kiwi says
Growing up my mom had a problem not using everything in the pantry and fridge. She would buy double food and it would be extra money she could of saved.
Our Family World says
Learning a new skill like doing your own haircut or make up is something you can really save. And I guess avoiding using credit cards all the time, haha. It’s a temptation!
Myrah Duque says
Love your tips. We too try not to use the ATM too much since we get hit with that fee. Instead we get cash when we go to supermarkets or drugstores that offer it for free.
Shannon Gurnee says
These are some great ideas for ways to save money. It’s amazing how much money ATMs charge!
Jeanine says
These are some really great tips! I LOVE the idea of using gift cards. I think thats a great one I’m going to start doing!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
Awesome tips! It’s always great save some money! Will remember these things!
Seattle Travel Blogger says
We combine a few of these, but we do use restaurants – we simply like the pampering of going occasionally to them. But, we use gift cards and other earned-points cards to do so.
Saving money and learning how to do so is such an important topic for any age.
Amanda Love says
This is such a good guide especially for people who are just starting out with budgeting. Eating out can really do damage to your bank account besides, homecooked meals will always be so much better.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
These are all great tips to save money. Some of these tips are really easy to follow which can help build up our savings in no time. I still keep a piggy bank at home where I drop all spare change I have at the end of each day.
Ann Bacciaglia says
We have a great beauty school in our area. I love to go there and have services done. In September they learn massage and offer them at a discount.
Liz Mays says
These are some ideas I should definitely consider. We love going to restaurants on the weekend so it’s hard to cut back!
Meagan says
I love the use everything in your pantry. So much food goes to waste because it is forgotten.
robin Rue says
I love this! We eat out way too much and need to stop! I love all your tips!
MJ. L says
Great tips for sure! We try to save as much as we can in our house!
Jen Rattie says
These are great tips. One of my biggest tips is to make sure you have a plan for all of your fresh produce and perishable foods. It is awful how much money you lose if you waste your food.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
These are awesome tips. I make sure I use everything in the pantry, and I only buy things I need.
Pam Wattenbarger says
These are great tips for saving money. I have always heard good things about checking out a local beauty school.
Darice T says
My favorite way to SAVE money is whenever I come across a $5 bill I stash it away. I have over $200 in “mad money”. It’s been painless to save.
Rain says
Hi Karrie 🙂
You got the gist of it, money is HARD to save, because we love our “things” lol…our problem is my bf and I LOVE to eat and drink…we stopped going to restaurants because we now have 6 pets. But I have to admit we spend most of the budget on food and drinks. Though I’m slowly adopting a more frugal lifestyle, it’s baby steps for us!
Another tip? If you have a credit card that offers any type of reward…mine gives 2% cash back…use it for everything as long as you pay it all back the same month!
Also, USE REWARD CARDS. Twice a year, I get a $10 reward from Air Miles. Three times a year I get a $20 voucher at one of my favourite grocery stores. I get lots of discounts and free stuff from all the reward cards I use, it’s so worth it!
By the way…I froze 2 dozen eggs today, following your post I saw on Pinterest, thank you!!! I just saved them from spoiling!!! 🙂
Rain