After many years of perfecting how to live a rich life on a budget, I’ve learned that the best money-saving tips are the easiest ones.
Do you want to have more money for what you really want this year? Then you’ll definitely want to implement these five easy ways to save money in 2019!
#1: Get Money Into Your Savings Account Automatically
I’ve learned that the ONLY way I can actually put money aside is to have the money automatically transferred to my savings account every month. If I try to remember to put money into my savings account myself, it just doesn’t happen.
The money just disappears every month (like I am paying another bill) and stays out of sight until I need it.
Get the details on this excellent free savings account and how to get a free $25 to get started saving here. Won’t it be nice to have money sitting there when you need it?
#2: Earn Cash Back on Groceries & Gas
There are things you are definitely going to buy this year – food is the first thing that comes to mind!
If you have a solid history of using credit cards responsibly, then you should absolutely be earning cashback on your everyday purchases.
I earn cash back on groceries and gas with the no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express.
This is my #1 recommended cash back credit card for everyday purchases because it doesn’t have an annual fee and you can easily earn a high percentage of cashback on what you are buying anyway.
#3: Earn Additional Cash Back With Dosh
I’ve tried lots of apps that promise to help me save money on everyday purchases. But most require that I do things that I a) forget to do OR b) don’t have the patience to do.
Dosh is the easiest way to earn cash back I have found and it actually works. You just link the credit card you use and then automatically earn cashback on qualifying purchases.
After you sign up you can also earn money by referring your friends. Learn more about the Dosh app here.
#4: Try A No Spend Weekend Challenge
I’ve noticed that money seems to fly out of my pockets on the weekend. If you’ve experienced the same increased spending, then you might want to try having a no spend weekend in the new year.
You create the rules but the goal is to spend as little money as possible over the weekend. I shared 17 fun ideas for a family no spend weekend in this post.
You can definitely have TONS of fun without spending any money!
#5: Get Onboard With Meal Planning
Did you know that after their housing payment, the second biggest expense for families is their food budget?
You can potentially save THOUSANDS of dollars this year by making affordable dinner at home. I need help in this department, so I go to the expert – The $5 Dinner Mom.
You can steal her recipes and get a weekly meal plan delivered to your inbox for only $5 per month when you sign up here. You’ll even get the first two weeks free!
I predict you will save hundreds of dollars in the first month alone, plus you won’t be wondering “what are we going to have for dinner???” at 3 pm.
In addition to saving money, you’ll experience less stress when it comes to dinner time.
I hope you got some easy tips for saving money this year in this post.
Any questions? Please leave a comment below or send me a message on The Frugal South’s Facebook page!