100 Savvy Ways to Save Money

You know you need a budget, right? Yeah. Me too. I don’t want a budget, but when it comes to saving money, it’s time to do a little adulting. And when the budget is in place, you are going to have to find some savvy ways to save money in order to stick to that budget and tighten your belt so to speak.

Little decisions throughout your day add up to big savings that can help you pay off debt, build a solid savings account, and give more to your favorite charities. Those are all big goals, and they all start with little actions like the ones detailed our huge list of 100 Savvy Ways to Save Money. You can do this mama!

General Tips for Savvy Ways to Save Money

1. Take advantage of credit cards that have free reward programs.
2. Avoid late fees by setting up autopay for your bills.
3. Pay down your credit cards to eliminate interest fees or better yet keep a zero balance.
4. Quit your gym and use free YouTube workout videos.
5. Really love your yoga studio but looking to cut some expenses? Ask if they have work exchanges. Work the desk and phone and earn free yoga classes.
6. Reduce or eliminate subscription services and apps. Why pay for multiple streaming movie and music services? Why pay a premium for convenience services?  
7. Do you still have cable? You’re probably paying too much. Call the company and negotiate a lower rate.  
8. Better yet, ditch cable. There are lots of streaming options, even for sports, these days. Our family buys all of the series we want, usually at the rate of $30 to $40 per month, and don’t come anywhere near the cost of cable but still have *plenty* of television to watch. You can also find so much television content for free!
9. Do you garden? Use leftover water from your pasta pot or steamed veggies to water your garden.
10. Keep your garden lush and healthy by making your own compost instead of buying compost and fertilizer. BONUS: Your kitchen trash won’t stink anymore!
11. Learn to cut your kids’ hair. If you’re adventurous, cut your husband’s hair too!
12. Do your own manicures and pedicures.
13. Dye your hair at home.
14. Or better yet, stop dying your hair and join the Grombre trend while saving money.
15. Are you KonMari’ing your house? Use Facebook Marketplace or Craig’s List to sell those items that no longer spark joy.
16. Sell clothing items to ThreadUp then recycle that money into “new” clothes from the site.
17. Re-think gift giving–use your gifts and talents to make something special and personal (and cheaper than buying something).
18. Reduce or eliminate your consumption of alcohol. Especially if you are eating out at a restaurant.
19. Keep a loose change jar and periodically take it to the bank for cash. My mom always had a jar for coins on the kitchen counter, and so do I!
20. Wash your own car.
21. Mow your own grass.

Savvy Ways to Save Money when Buying things

22. Join your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook.
23. Shop consignment sales or thrift shops, especially for kids clothes since they grow out of them so quickly.
24. Instead of buying new appliances when one breaks, fix it! Call a repairman or check out YouTube and try it yourself. My husband has saved us an incredible amount of money just because he knows how to use tools and YouTube and can fix almost anything.
25. Take advantage of seasonal and holiday sales to stock up on items like clothing and big ticket items like electronics, tools, and appliances.
26. Never buy the extended warranty on appliances and electronics.
27. Increase your gas rewards from your grocery store by purchasing Amazon gift cards for your own use. Don’t forget to upload the card right away so you don’t lose it or forget to use it!
28. Buy discounted gift cards for places you already shop using giftcardgranny.com or cardpool.com.
29. Before buying something online or in stores, check for coupon codes with Retailmenot.
30. Sign up for Ibotta and get easy cash back on grocery items you are already buying.
31. Sign up for Ebates and receive cash back for your online purchases.
32. Save up to 20% with Amazon subscriptions–do your homework to confirm the unit price is cheaper than alternatives and manage your subscriptions to prevent overbuying.

Savvy Ways to Save Money on Entertainment

33. Brainstorm ideas for No-Spend Weekend activities and do them!! Don’t be tempted to spend money for entertainment when you’re bored. 
34. Take advantage of your public library. Often libraries have so much more than books these days–e-books, audiobooks, DVDs, lectures, classes, book clubs–all for free.
35. Really need a date night but can’t stomach the expense of the date plus a babysitter? Coordinate a babysitting swap with a friend or check out these ideas for date night at home.
36. When eating out at a restaurant, order water. With a family of eight and even without alcohol this can save us as much as $20 on our bill!
37. Want to have friends over but dread the expense of hosting a dinner party? Bring back the potluck!
38. Book your next vacation using AirBnB or VRBO rather than a hotel.
39. When on vacation, go to the grocery store to stock up on a few breakfast, lunch, and snack staples to save on food expenses.

Household Tips for Savvy Ways to Save Money

40. Adjusting your thermostat by one degree will reduce your energy costs.
41. Turn your thermostat down/up even further while you’re out of the house for 4 or more hours.
42. Invest in a programmable thermostat to turn the heat down before you go to sleep and back up automatically in the morning.
43. Unplug chargers and devices when not in use.
44. If you own your home, invest in energy efficient windows or block drafty windows and doors with old towels or blankets.
45. Also consider adding insulation to your attic to improve energy efficiency.
46. Keep your garage door closed otherwise you’re draining the heat or air from your home.
47. Use reusable cleaning pads for your stick cleaner spray mop of choice.
48. Ditch the detergent pods for dishes and clothes. They are almost 3X as expensive as the liquid or powder alternative and don’t really save you time.
49. Refill your hand soap bottles instead of buying new ones. You can even get the foaming soap refills.
50. Turn off the heated dry setting on your dishwasher.
51. Did you know many dish soaps are considered highly concentrated? Check to see if yours is concentrated and remember you’ve probably paid extra for that concentrated formula that is supposed to go further.  
52. Ditch the sponge and use old rags or washcloths instead.
53. Ditch paper towels and use old rags instead.
54. Use cloth napkins.
55. Reduce the amount of product you use–we tend to use too much shampoo, conditioner, tooth paste, toilet paper, styling products, and more. Chances are, if you’re like me, you’re using way more than actually needed.
56. Wash your hair every other day. Worried your hair might look greasy? Just use some baby powder or foot powder to absorb any grease. Your scalp will adapt to the new routine.
57. Use every last drop of your shampoo, conditioner, soaps, and makeup with the Spatty Daddy.
58. Avoid the “pink tax” and sign up for the cheaper subscription razor services like the Dollar Shave Club.
59. Make your own foaming shower wash and use a fraction of the product. 
60. How many cotton balls and cotton rounds do you use every day to take off eye make up or apply facial products? Help the environment and your wallet by choosing a reusable option.
61. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth.
62. Have a dog? Don’t buy special plastic bags for waste pick up–save the free plastic grocery bags.
63. Wash your pet yourself.
64. Just had a baby? Use reusable breast pads, especially if you think you’ll use them for more than one baby.
65. Make your own baby food. Bonus! You know exactly what is in your baby’s food. I loved the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron, and my kids ate better too.
66. Make your own on-the-go food pouches for your little one. Much cheaper and better for the environment.

Savvy Ways to Save Money Doing Laundry

67. Wash your clothes using cold water and watch your electric bill drop. 
68. Similarly, hang some or all of your clothes to dry.
69. Use wool dryer balls to dry your clothes faster and eliminate buying dryer sheets. Good for your wallet and the environment.
70. If you still use dryer sheets–reuse them! Store used dryer sheets in an empty tissue box. You can get at least 2 or 3 uses per sheet. You can also use them in drawers and suitcases to keep things smelling fresh.

Food Tips for Savvy Ways to Save Money

71. Make your own spice mixes–taco seasoning, poultry seasoning, cajun seasoning, curry. Chances are, you already have the base spices in your pantry. Take 2 minutes to google the ratios and voila you just saved money!
72. Cut your own fruits and vegetables rather than buying pre-chopped.
73. Shop your own pantry. Rather than grocery shopping this week, challenge yourself to plan a week’s worth of meals with what’s in the cupboard and freezer. It’s time to use that strange jar of chutney hiding in the back corner. Look out celebrity chefs!
74. Meatless Mondays are a pretty self explanatory and easy way to cut your grocery bill.
75. Along the same line, throughout the week adjust your meat-to-vegetable ratios. Not only are beans and veggies a healthier option, they are cheaper too.
76. Ditch the single serving foods–yogurt, chips, trail mix, oatmeal–buy a larger container and portion out as you need it.
77. Bonus if you use a reusable silicone bag for any on-the-go single serving needs.
78. Cut back or eliminate processed snack foods like chips and cookies–save money and get healthy!
79. Freeze extra tortilla shells. If you’re feeling extra motivated, separate them into serving sizes your family needs to make thawing the needed amount easy.
80. Freeze scraps from onions, garlic, and carrots to use later to make homemade stock.
81. Make your rotisserie chicken pull double duty and make your own stock with the carcass. Bonus: Some grocery stores deeply discount their rotisserie chickens later in the evening.
82. Cut down on food (and money) waste by storing your fruits and vegetables properly.
83. Only use half of the box of chicken stock? Use a sharpie to write the date you opened the box before you put it in the fridge. Now you’ll never throw away perfectly good stock because you’d “rather be safe than sorry.”
84. Have “clean out the fridge” meals–toward the end of the week, pull everything out of the fridge and make sure it gets eaten. Eliminate food (and money) waste!

Savvy Ways to Save Money on Meal Planning

85. Meal plan around the weekly grocery store sales.
86. Use the Flipp app or website to compare weekly sales offered by stores and available coupons.
87. Cut coupons–but only use coupons on items you already plan to buy. Saving $1 to buy something you otherwise wouldn’t didn’t actually save you any money.
88. Does your grocery store offer virtual coupons? Take 10 minutes before heading to the store to log on and see if there are additional coupons you can add to your account.
89. Find out which grocery stores double or triple coupons and on which days.
90. When weekly meal planning, plan meals that use similar ingredients so you can use all of an item and eliminate food waste. Or when possible, freeze leftover ingredients for later use.
91. Find cheap and delicious recipes using the website Budget Bytes.
92. Make double batches of meals. Freeze half to keep your freezer stocked with easy-to-thaw, ready-to-eat home cooked meals to avoid the carry-out temptation on those nights when you just don’t want to cook.
93. Make coffee at home. Can’t give up your morning latte? Make your own in less than 10 minutes with a Moki pot and hand held milk frother. Total cost is under $50, which you probably would spend at the coffee spot in just a few weeks.

Grocery Tips for Savvy Ways to Save Money

94. Shop at grocery stores that give you reward points toward cheaper gas.
95. If you have them, shop at Aldi or Lidl for consistently lower prices.
96. Make a grocery list and stick to it! No impulse buys (*with one exception)!
97. Stock up on meat when it’s on sale and freeze it. Make sure to store it appropriately! If it’s a large portion, separate it into usable quantities to make defrosting and using it easier.
98. Specifically after the holidays, check out the meat section and stock up on deeply discounted meats and freeze them. You can score a $100 leg of lamb for $25 after Easter!
99. Cheese freezes well so stock up when it’s on sale or you have a great coupon. 
100. When comparing prices, check the unit price. Often larger sizes will have a lower unit price even if the overall purchase cost is higher.
101. Did you know when grocery stores advertise sales like 10 for $10 you don’t actually have to buy 10 to get the sale price?
102. Buy seasonal produce. Sorry, no fresh strawberries in the winter. They don’t taste that good anyway.
103. Do the math to find out if joining a warehouse club makes sense for your family. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t.
104. Stop buying bottled water. Ouch.

Car Tips for Savvy Ways to Save Money

105. Use the Get Upside app to earn cash back on every gas purchase (and some grocery stores and restaurants).
106. Check the pressure of your car tires as the seasons change to make sure you’re getting the best mileage. Even though the sensor doesn’t go off, they still might need to be adjusted a bit.
107. Drive the speed limit–uses less gas and helps extend the life of your brakes and tires.
108. Fix your car. When you feel like your car is “always breaking” it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking for a new one. Guess what–a $1000 repair is cheaper than a $20,000 new car or even a $12,000 used car.
109. At some point, you will need a new car. Always buy used and give yourself time to shop around and wait for a low mileage used car. If you’re concerned about maintenance issues and want to buy a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle from a dealership, go at the end of the month. Salesmen have quotas to hit (even on their used inventory) and will be more likely to give you a good deal.