If you aren’t actively saving money, there’s a good chance you used to be good at it. You think you’ve done the hard work, and now you get to spend your hard-earned cash however you see fit. That’s always been the case, but being financially stable doesn’t mean you can ignore your money-saving skills — that’s a one-way ticket to financial instability. Here are four classic money-saving skills to pick back up if you’ve put them down.
Be Mindful About Your Spending
Mindful spending is just a fancy way of taking a beat before you swipe your credit card. It’s classic because it’s truly the only way you’ll ever save money.
People who don’t think before they buy are destined to pour over their budgets, wondering where it all went wrong. Maybe mindful spending was something you were good at, but you’ve noticed it getting harder and harder — that’s not a bug; that’s a feature, as they say. It’s up to you to be vigilant about your impulse purchases when the world is begging you to part with your cash every time you open your phone.
Think Time Versus Money, Not Equals
You can argue about whether or not time is money until you’re blue in the face. But it’s inarguably true that the two are related. Frugality often means saving money, but it’s important to understand the value of your time with how much you’d spend on something.
For example, if it costs only slightly more to do something yourself than to have a professional do it, true frugal people might consider spending it to save themselves the time. This isn’t a one-for-one money-saving skill, but it’s still something that every consumer needs to do: ask yourself if it’s worth more of your money or your time.
Love Free Stuff
Everyone says they like free stuff, but how many people go out of their way to find freebies? Most people would much rather spend in ignorance of how much they could save if they did their research. And by research, we literally mean a quick internet search of “free things in my area.” Queue up a few things that sound like fun, add them to your calendar, and you’ll realize that you don’t always have to spend $50 on a movie to have a good time on the weekend.
Walk and Bike More Often
Cars are convenient and expensive. There are many scenarios where you would (and maybe even should) gleefully pay for this convenience.
But what about the trip to the store that’s only a ten-minute walk versus a three-minute drive?
Many people would climb into their driver’s seat just because they can.
Fighting that urge and stretching your legs is a much more frugal alternative. Not to mention, walking and biking are both healthier modes of transportation. Even public transportation is healthier if you throw the planet into the mix. It’s unrealistic to get rid of the car, but it’s incredibly vital to your bottom line that you don’t overdo it, lest your retirement funds trickle into the atmosphere at every green light.
Read More:
- 9 Top Games That Pay Real Cash | Apps That Can Pay Real Money
- 12 Best Cash Back Apps To Earn Rewards in 2025
- How To Get Free Baby Stuff: Free Baby Samples & More
