The importance of money in our lives cannot be understated. It is what keeps a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs and lets us lives our lives.
Having a savings cushion is as important as earning money.
Build a Habit of Saving Money
To mitigate the effects of such uncertainties, people must build a habit of saving money. The problem is we often ignore such simple acts as a Reddit user puts it this way:
“What’s something very simple that people could be doing to save money but don’t?”
Here are some of the best responses underneath this post that tell users what they can do to save money. These responses provide great insights into how simple it is to save money, with some anecdotal and funny responses.
1. Stop Entering Shops When Hungry
One user exclaimed, “Never enter a shop when you are hungry.”
This user hits home with valid and often overlooked side effects of being thrifty when hungry. People often think differently and order a lot of food or spend on snacks when hungry, thus wasting resources. It is better to plan your meals and eat other filler materials to satiate your hunger.
Another user agreeing with the above comment responded, “And write a list! I buy a lot less when I have a list to stick to.” Another useful way to stop wasting money is to stick to a list of things for the things you need rather than things you want.
2. Home-cooked Food
EdZbarzhyvetsky via DepositPhotos.com.
A user wrote about this as a good way to save money, “Cook at home 98% of the month“
Another user added about the benefits of cooking food in smaller quantities, “I’d like to add on to this, for me it helps to shop more often in smaller quantities and only get what I need for a few days (for fresh food). I am a single person, cooking for one.”
One user finds the comment spot on and responds, “Probably the #1 wallet hack for so many people.”
3. Using Free Public Resources
For this user, this is a simple hack that saves a lot of money, “Make use of free services. Mostly, the local library. Sometimes there’s a feeling that just because it’s free it’s trashy or peasant-like. I don’t need to pay to see something in order to feel good about it. And libraries are amazing! Free books! Audiobooks! So many things.”
One user adds his own experience as follows, “Yes!! I just got a Library card yesterday and checked out books that were in my Amazon cart instead of buying them!! It’s so nice.”
Another user finds the library more useful than just boring books, “My library has tools and equipment available to borrow. Before going to big orange to rent a pressure washer, floor sander, paint sprayer, or post auger, I always check the library first lol”.
4. Good Hygiene Saves Huge Bucks
A user tells us a simple way to save money: “Take care of your teeth: brush and floss everyday – preventative care now will save you THOUSANDS later if you need major dental work.”
Another user explains his life experiences and tells the audience to follow the above tip, “Yup. This is often overlooked advice. My mom had lost most of her teeth by the time she was my age (40). She always said that this was her biggest regret in life. Because of this, my siblings and I have always been pretty good about taking care of our teeth. Right now my mom has dentures that don’t fit well because she lost another of her remaining teeth but can’t afford new dentures.”
Users continue to express in unison, “Can confirm! Just spent 20,000 on my teeth. Talk about eye opening!!!”
5. Stop Using Door Dash!
One of the simplest ways to save money, as expressed by a user, “Stop using door dash.”
Another user seconded this by saying,’ This. Your meal is easily 50% more expensive when you factor in delivery fees and a tip, and some restaurants charge more on door dash than they do in-person.”
This user explains a pickle related to the service, “And to make it worse, I tell myself that I have to order more food to justify the delivery fee!
So now just paying more and overeating.”
6. Thrift Shopping
One user talks about the idea of buying second-hand items, “Shop secondhand. You can buy most everything in pretty good condition.”
Another user agrees with this sentiment and says, “Honestly, quality of new clothes nowadays is such garbage. Fabric and stitching come apart in the wash before it’s even worn. I find better quality in second hand stores/thrifting than new. If an item has made it to the shelves of a thrift store, I figure it’s lasted long enough to get there.”
7. Stop Drinking!!
A user observed this to be a simple yet effective way to save money,
“Stop drinking soda
Stop drinking alcohol
Cook your own meals.”
This user followed this advice and doesn’t regret it, “The amount of money I spent on cocktails in my early twenties makes me cringe every time I think about it. I’m so glad I don’t drink anymore (my wallet’s glad too)”
8. Stop Driving Fast
A user shares a simple piece of advice, “Drive the speed limit.”
Another person explains this simple advice by saying, “For those that don’t get this: driving the speed limit avoids citations but also saves you gas, extends oil life and tires some, extends brakes quite a bit, and just generally lowers the wear and tear on your vehicle.”
One user is amazed this advice is not more popular already, “This is so underrated, I don’t think enough people realize the extra cost of driving fast.”
9. Stop Updating Your Phone Each Year
A Reddit user said, “Don’t buy a new phone every d*** year. There’s no point.”
Another user in agreement replied, “Especially these days. Back when smartphones were new, yeah, maybe because the tech was significantly better for each generation. Now, not so much. I have a galaxy s20+ and my SO has an S21, there’s almost no noticeable difference in functionality aside from battery life just because mine has been used for 2 years longer (got mine when s20 was just released, got his just before s22 was released)”
10. Stopping Car Payment
One user shared this simple technique to save money, “Try to live without car payments.”
Another user commented, “Seconding this. My new car (w payments) was totaled and I got enough back to buy a new one completely cash and it has been nice having that extra 150-200 a month”
A third user seconded the above, “I was told by so many people that it’s better for your credit to have a car payment but after financing a Honda whose engine needed to be replaced after 6 months, I’m done. I will only ever buy outright”
11. Stop Accruing Debts
One person shared this as a warning, “Pay off your credit cards even if you have to take out a loan to do it. Afterwards, pay them off each month. Do NOT carry a balance on your credit cards.”
Another user summarized the above, “Or put another way: if you don’t have it, don’t spend it. Credit cards should be considered the same as cash spending”
12. Have Rich Parents
One Redditor said on a lighter note,” Have rich parents. A very simple trick to avoid money problems.”
Another user chimed in by saying, “Yep, it’s true what they say after all.
“The easiest way to become a Millionaire is to start as a Billionaire”
13. Having a DIY Attitude
One person shared this, “fix stuff by yourself.
You can’t imagine how many times I saved $$ cos i fix stuff by myself… repaired my 9yo desktop PC some days ago, a pair of trashy electrolytic capacitors, and BAMM!! it works like a charm again”
One user thought the above to be very underrated, “Such an underrated comment. I’ve saved thousands of dollars by repairing things myself following YouTube videos. Washer, dryer, automotive stuff, cell phone screen replacements, etc.”
14. Do Your Own Taxes
One Reddit user shared this as a valid way to save money: “For Americans, do your taxes. For most, it’s not difficult. The chain tax preparers charge way too much for basically 20 min of data entry.”
Another user agreed, ” For Americans, do your own taxes. For most, it’s not difficult. The chain tax preparers charge way too much for basically 20 min of data entry.”
15. Stop Wasting Money on Buying Extra Storage
One user advised the following, “More prevalent in the US, but get rid of your storage unit and most of the stuff in it. More often than not, you’re paying more to store things than it would cost to buy them all again.
If you can’t fit it in your home, re-evaluate if you really need it.”
One Redditor questioned the need for such extra storage, “There are so many huge storage unit buildings in my area and it makes no sense to me. How important can this stuff be if you can’t fit it in your home? I understand there are certain situations that require a short-term solution”
16. No Smoking!
A simple piece of advice by one Reddit user reads, “Quit smoking”
One user explained his journey: “Save money now and later when cigarettes inevitably start to cause health issues. Glad I quit.
17. Buying With Credit Cards To Get Bonus Points/Cashback
One user commented, “Buy everything with cashback/reward credit cards. It’s free money, I make around 200$ per month with it. It’s not much but it’s def better than nothing.”
Another user agrees with this technique, “I do this. It’s a premium card and has a $95 annual fee but it does bonus cash back at grocery stores and gas stations. I buy all my normal monthly needs, never carry a balance, and my cash back covers the fee. I get all the protections from shopping with a credit card plus I have excellent credit from regularly using and paying it. They keep raising the limit so my debt to available credit ratio is awesome.”
18. Get a Savings Account
A Redditor advises the following “Save money. In other words, earmark a percentage of your paycheck and put it into an account that is intentionally difficult from which to withdraw, and make sure it’s interest-bearing.”
One Redditor asked how it would work, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to make my savings account difficult to access. If you have any tips on this, I would love to hear them.”
To that, another user explained by saying, “Sure, make it a separate account or at a separate bank with no ATM card and no online access, so that you have to go to the bank to withdraw any money. Or you can open a restricted savings account or a CD.”
19. Home-made Dough/Pizza/Buns
One Redditor wants a home-cooking revolution, “Learn to make dough (pizza, buns), noodles, tortillas”
Another user replied with his own experience, “I make anything and everything I can from scratch. Attempting to establish a sourdough starter which has proven difficult, but I’m committed.”
20. Budgeting Your Expenses
One user has this important advice for fellow Redditors, “Make a budget to see where your money is going.”
Another Redditor agrees with the above, “This. Finding out that you are overspending can help so much. After a year, saving $50 a month is an extra $600 for emergencies.”
Save Money
Saving money can be a hard endeavor as we live in a world full of consumerism and goods being marketed to us like wildfire. With the rise of fast fashion and the need to replace items on a yearly basis, many people are spending more and saving less. To enjoy a fulfilling and sustainable life, saving money for the bad times is critical.
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