How to Save Money & Still Have a Life

12 Sneaky Ways to Save Money While Still Having an Awesome Social Life less money and still see your friends — without earning the permanent label of.
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• How to Save Money on a Low Income and Still Enjoy Life
• 5 Secrets to Saving for the Future While Enjoying Life Now | Money
• 5 Secrets to Saving for the Future While Enjoying Life Now
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You just paid off your credit card bill well done! Hang out with your crew and stick to your savings goals by being sneakily frugal. Here are 10 ways to be cheap on the sly. Consider your socializing budget in the long run: Keep the social aspect intact by inviting friends over for a cocktail hour before the main event rather than meeting up at a restaurant. For cinema nights, bring your own snacks and plan in advance. Screen movies you already own, rented movies or a brand new release — even at full price, a recently released DVD will cost a fraction of the ticket price for a few friends to hit the theaters.

Instead of paying full price to attend major events and festivals, look into group volunteer opportunities to score a free ticket and goodies. Just plan it out in advance and get creative with your choices and your wallet and reputation will both thank you! Here are four ideas for enjoying shopping without needing a less-enjoyable part-time job to pay for it:. If you like to shop as a form of stress release, make it an adventure. Grab a friend and head to the outskirts of the nearest city — or for more random finds, try the nearest small town.

Investigate flea markets, outlet malls, thrift shops and antique malls to find one-of-a-kind, discount items. All neighborhoods are not equal when it comes to secondhand shops like Goodwill and Salvation Army. Take a longer drive to check out a consignment or thrift shop in a more affluent neighborhood where the donated goods are likely to be of higher quality. They take a while to warm up to full brightness, and they also contain a small amount of mercury. They light up instantly, are efficient as CFLs, produce a warm glow without getting hot to the touch, and can last for decades.

When you need to buy an appliance, do research: Start with back issues of Consumer Reports at the library. If yours is beyond help, also consider changing it out for a new one. If you have a habit of getting into trouble with credit cards, hide your credit cards and keep them in a safe place in your home, not in your wallet. Look at the biggest sales, then plan recipes based on those ingredients and what you have on hand. Just keep track of the 20 or so things you buy most often, then shop for these items at a variety of stores. Before I tried it myself, I thought making homemade bread would just be a complicated waste of time.

But after I tried it, I found that it was pretty easy and it was actually much cheaper, healthier, and tastier than buying a loaf from the store. We rarely ever buy bread at the store these days, mainly because the bread I make is not only cheaper, but much better too. Figuring out what you can make it home is a great way to save some money — and learn new skills along the way.

Exercise is always a good option, as is meditation and even a good old-fashioned nap. This seems like an odd way to save money, but think about it.

If you spend time with the people you love the most and come to some consensus about your dreams, it becomes easy for you all to plan for it. Look behind the appliances, and use your vacuum to gently clear away dust. Check all of the vents, especially on refrigerators, dryers, and heating and cooling units.

Are you paying dues at a club that you never use? Like, for instance, a gym membership or a country club membership? Remember, you can always renew the membership at a later date if it turns out that you actually do miss it. You can often find the exact item you want with a bit of clever shopping at used equipment stores, used game stores, consignment shops, and so on.

Just make these shops a part of your normal routine — go there first when looking for potential items and you will save money. Clothes, for example, often cost pennies on the dollar when bought used — even if they were only worn once. By buying used most of the time, you can save a ton of cash. The best way to break this habit is to simply delete your card from the account.

For new parents, give an evening of babysitting as a gift. If you know pet owners, offer to take care of their pets when they travel. Offer up some lawn care as a gift to a new homeowner. Most people use this technique for Christmas , but it works for every holiday. Wait until about two days after a holiday, then go out shopping for items you need that are themed for that day. Get Easter egg decorating kits the day after Easter, and Halloween decorations on Nov. Get wrapping paper, cards, bows, and gift bags the day after Christmas. The discounts are tremendous, and you can just put this stuff in the closet until next year.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, get some exercise, and involve yourself in a positive project that can lift your spirit. It is hands-down the best thing I have ever done. Go into a room and go through every single item in it. Do you really need that item? If you can find stuff to get rid of, get rid of it — it just creates clutter and it might have some value to others.

Instead of just picking up the ordinary brand of an item you buy, try out the store brand or generic version of the item. Even better, you can easily prepare meals in advance — even handy fast-food type meals. Universal and whole-life policies are much more expensive and offer a subpar investment opportunity. Enter your zip code below and be sure to click at least companies to find the very best rate. A reliable and fuel-efficient car will save you thousands over the long haul.

Reliability can pay the same dividends. It will pay off for you. Learning some simple strategies for fuel-efficient driving can also help.

The mall might be a fun place to people watch, but it can also be packed with temptation. Unburden yourself and find something else to do when you need some entertainment. A walk outdoors, a fun puzzle, or a good movie can easily replace your regular mall shopping adventures. This keeps me from making impulse buys on a regular basis. Rent it out on a site like Airbnb. If you live near a popular or tourist area, doing so could bring in a lot of extra money.

Just make sure you know the risks and are willing to take the steps required to protect your family and your possessions.

To put your debt into terms that are easy to understand, make a giant progress bar that starts with the amount of debt you have and ends with zero. Each time you pay down a little bit, fill in a little more of that progress bar. It can help keep your eye on the prize and lead you straight to debt freedom.

Do you have a pile of unread magazines sitting around your house? Not only should you not renew that magazine, but you should give their subscription department a call and try to cancel for a refund. You never know — they might even give you the prorated amount back. Eating a healthy breakfast fills you up with energy for the day while also curbing your desire for a big, expensive lunch. Meanwhile, breakfast can be very healthy, quick, and inexpensive. A bowl of oatmeal in the morning is often the one thing that keeps me from running out to eat an expensive lunch later in the day.

We live in a neighborhood with dozens of families with young children. Because of that, there are a lot of parents out there willing to swap babysitting nights with us, saving us the money of hiring one for an evening out. A few families even take this to incredible extremes. Try to find another set of parents or two that you trust, and swap nights of babysitting with them. Many people feel as if leftovers are just inferior rehashes of regular meals.

Chaining — using the leftovers as a basis for an all-new dish. If you have a regular urge to buy clothes, go through everything that you have and see what you might find. Take the clothes buried in your dresser and pull them to the top. Instead of going out to eat at work, take your own lunch — if not every day, then at least a couple of times a week. With some thoughtful preparation and just a few minutes of time , you can create something quite enjoyable for your brown bag lunch — and save a fistful of cash each time you do.

If you have five pants, seven shirts, and seven ties that all go together, you basically have an endless number of options already. This is exactly what I do in order to minimize clothing purchases and still look professional — I just mix and remix what I wear by using timeless, simple pieces that go well together. Then, pay attention to what they tell you. They might have some personal insights for your situation that will really help. At the very least, they might understand your situation better. Years ago, it was far more difficult to find ways to fix everyday items we have in our homes.

But today, it should be a piece of cake.

You can find online tutorials and videos that show you how to fix almost anything, and all for free. Learning a new skill never hurts either. Nowadays, I keep a small notebook with me to jot down ideas so that I never forget anything important. Often, having some extra freezer space allows you to buy in bulk and pay lower prices overall.

Even better, you can store lots of meals prepared in advance, enabling you to just go home and pop something homemade and cheap in the oven. Read this post if you need help determining whether a deep freezer is worth it. If you live in a truly expensive area, take some time to decide if the extra expense is really worth it. You may find that a move could mean the difference between having plenty of money and barely scraping by. My town has several wonderful parks, free basketball and tennis courts, free disc golf, trails, and lots of other stuff just there waiting to be used.

All you have to do is discover it.

Ask the attendant inside if they have a tire air gauge you can borrow most of them do, both in urban and rural settings , then stop over by the air pump. Check your tires, then use the pump to fill them up to where they should be. Gardening can be an inexpensive hobby if you have a yard. I like planting a bunch of tomato plants, keeping them cared for, then enjoying the huge flood of tomatoes at the end of each summer. We like to eat them fresh, can them, and make tomato juice, sauce, paste, ketchup, pasta sauce, and pizza sauce.

Most communities have a ton of free events, although you may not know about them at the time. When I lived in a larger city, I bought an annual transit pass that actually paid for itself after less than two months of use compared to using an automobile. This may not be a popular idea, but it works if you have a simple hairstyle. I cut my own hair with a pair of clippers , for example.

Just put a garbage bag over the bathroom sink, bust out the clippers and scissors, and get it done.

With a bit of practice, you can make it look good, too. If you live near anyone you work with, you might both be able to benefit by carpooling to work. Doing so could save money and wear and tear on both of your vehicles. You can just dump in your ingredients before work, put it on simmer, and dinner is done when you get home. Maintaining your home can also keep it in better shape and improve the value of your property over time.

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For example, we buy trash bags, laundry detergent, and diapers in the largest packages we can find. This cuts down on their cost per usage by quite a bit and, over the long haul, adds up to significant savings. That way, instead of stopping in the middle of the trip, driving around looking for a place to eat, spending a bunch of time there, and then paying a hefty bill, you can just eat on the road or, better yet, stop at a nice park and stretch for a bit.

Not only do they drop in value the moment you drive off the lot, but they continue dropping in value with each year that goes by. If you want to save as much as possible on transportation, look only at used cars in relatively good condition. If you focus on cars that are only a few years old, you may also be able to find one within its warranty period. Look at it as a free place to do all sorts of things. The real moral of the story? You can get a very good shave with some practice and save a lot of money over the long haul. Find something that makes you want to make positive changes, then use that person or thing as a constant reminder.

Keep a picture of it in your wallet, in your vehicle, and on your bathroom mirror.

Keep it in your mind as much as you possibly can.