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It’s no secret that I enjoy saving money and finding creative ways to lower our monthly expenses. I think I’ve probably tried every money saving tip at some point or another. It’s not that I’m cheap, I just rather spend our hard earned dollars on the things we truly enjoy. Today I’m sharing my favorites tips that have helped our family save hundreds of dollars. From meal planning to lowest priced unlimited plans, there’s at least one tip that you can put into action to yield big savings.
7 Actions That Will Save You Hundreds
1. Create a meal plan.
Creating a meal plan is a great way to save money on groceries. I like to base my meals plan on the things we already have in our pantry and on grocery sales. However, even if you’re tight on time you should still create a meal plan before grocery shopping. It will at least ensure that you won’t be overspending on items you don’t need.
2. Shop around.
Don’t settle for the first quote a company offers. Instead shop around by checking out various insurance or utility providers to secure the best rate. I also shop around when I’m purchasing clothes, electronics and other household items. Many stores match competing store’s prices and will honor the lowest price as long as you can prove it. A little bit of extra time that can yield hundreds of dollars in savings.
3. Cut the cable line.
I know, easier said than done. However, it’s not impossible and your family will survive without it. There are many free or lower priced options on the market that there’s truly no need to pay hundreds of dollars to watch TV. I’ve found full episodes of some my toddler’s favorite shows on YouTube. Perfect for the days I need some peace and quiet while I work.
4. Consign and swap clothes.
This is my favorite way to get free or inexpensive clothing for my family. The other day I found a beautiful brand new dress with tags that originally cost $40 for only $8.00 at a local consignment store. I was also able to purchase several clothing articles for my kids for a fraction of the cost.
5. Negotiate your utility bills.
Did you know that you can negotiate some of your utility bills? Most people don’t know that or feel it’s too complicated, but the reality is that all you need to do is call and ask. You may not get a yes the first time, but don’t give up and try again. Utility companies don’t want to lose customers, so they will offer special rates that are typically reserved for new customers to current customers in order to keep them.
6. Save on gas.
Saving on gas can be as simple as walking more and driving less. However, that’s not always possible depending on where you live. I have a vehicle that is not gas efficient, so in order to save money on gas I have to plan my trips. I schedule several errands on the same day, so that I’m not driving unnecessarily throughout the week. I also like to use a mobile app called Gas Buddy that shows me the lowest gas prices in my area.
7. Switch to an inexpensive mobile plan.
Mobile plans can be very expensive when you start to add extras such as 4G data or text. However, there are plans out there that offer these perks for excellent monthly rates. As I’ve mentioned in the past, our family uses Walmart Family Mobile and we absolutely love it. The monthly plans are very affordable and the service is great. Currently Walmart Family Mobile service is $29.88/month for the first line with Unlimited Talk, Text & Data service plan which includes up to 500MB of 4G LTE data. Trust me, the 4G LTE data service alone makes this plan worthwhile.
You can purchase the phone shown in this post which is the Samsung Galaxy Avant at your local Walmart.
How does your family save money each month? I would love to hear your tips and tricks!
Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/aafid or your local Walmart for current pricing.
It is definitely worth calling service providers to see what they can offer. I did that with our telephone/internet/mobile provider and ended up with more calls and data for a lot less than we were paying. Probably saved about $50 a month. It all adds up!
That’s awesome Diane! I’m amazed with how much a person can save by simply making a call. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been looking into Ting and the Walmart plans for phones for a while now, but the coverage map just isn’t in it for me. We go into areas quite often that are just without coverage on those maps – and that scares me, because I sort of know my way there and back, but anything to happen in between? I would be out of phone service, with who knows what going on.
Any suggestions in that light? I need my coverage map, ha!
Not sure if you already tried this, but here’s the link where you can enter an address to find out the type of coverage you would have: https://www.myfamilymobile.com/support/pcc.aspx If your area is not covered I can understand why you wouldn’t be able to switch, but keep checking since I’m sure they continue to expand! We love our coverage and it feels so good to not have to pay hundreds each month for our mobile plans.
These are all great tips! I just called and had some bills lowered. It took less than an hour and will save me $500 this year. It was easy and pain free, I just pointed out to the companies that new customers would be paying much less than I would.
That’s awesome Julie! I love your approach and thanks for sharing here so others can read how you did it. 🙂