11 Ways to Spend Less Right NOW.

Things can get tight when you have a family and a lot of bills. I used to feel overrun. The income and bills seemed to align well enough, but there was no wiggle room, no savings and credit cards needed to be used sometimes. Then in March of this year, covid reared its ugly head and we found ourselves a single income family. I dabbled in grocery delivery apart from my job, but being asthmatic, I had to stop abruptly for fear of serious health consequences. Lots of people wouldn’t wear masks or distance, so I couldn’t do that. 

I found another income source… Save that for another post, but I had to reign in some of the more basic spending. The best things I did to spend less were:

1. I gave myself a tight budget. I dropped a grand on a credit card to get a small chest freezer and then spent another $800 at Costco on bulk purchases that would cut overall costs. 

*Not everything is cheaper at Costco, but I have always logged pricing trends for different stores to curb overspending. I’ll make a printable to download where you can log prices easily. 

After that big expense I barely spent much at all apart from milk and bananas. I used unemployment to pay down credit card balances that blew up while waiting on unemployment, which took a solid 3.5 weeks to get approval for. 

2. I plan meals. Meal planning is the best, and I’ve always done it, but planning out of the fridge and pantry stock you already have on hand cuts waste and replacement costs for produce and any other number of items that can go bad. 

3. Use Cash. I don’t use cash much now, mostly the debit card so I can easily get in and get out if I go to an actual store…. Most things I order online, but when the cooties are at bay, an excellent way to save is to take cash out of the bank and commit to only using that cash, and not toughing credit cards.

4. Potty Train! If your kids are at an age where its appropriate to start potty training, do it! Diapers cost a fortune, and potty training even one kid could save you big on diapers and wipes. 

5. Coupon. I used to coupon seriously years ago and largely stopped apart from some digital couponing, but I picked it up again and we have again largely stopped paying for wipes, diapers, toothpaste, razors, soaps, lotions, granola bars, yogurts, soups…. Just so much stuff. I don’t even need to shop in-person for most stores, I link my store accounts to cashback apps and use digital coupons still and I have a cushion of staples. It takes time, but if you’re home and cannot work, couponing can be an excellent opportunity to curb spending. 

6. Drive less. Don’t make unnecessary trips. This can be easy during this pandemic, especially if you’re able to work from home, but just generally speaking…. Don’t drive for a discount without accounting for the gas expense, the trip may not be worth it. Driving less can also cut wear-and-tear on your car. If you’re inside of two or three miles from work, bike it or walk it if the weather permits… the gas ads up…. The wear and tear and extra oil changes add up. The vehicle depreciation ads up, not to mention, there are health benefits to getting the exercise instead. 

7. Upgrade health insurance to one with fewer out-of-pocket expenses. This may seem counterintuitive, but cutting the risks of out-of-pocket expenses can be of the biggest opportunities to spend less. If you have options for insurance, choose to pay more up front for the insurance if it cuts expenses later. 

8. Get on a new plan. If your cable bill/ internet/ phone bills are higher now that the current promotions, and you’re not locked into a contract, you have so ability to make some big money making changes.  The promotional rate for our internet was over and the default rate is three times more expensive than the current promotion. They wouldn’t give us special pricing, so out option was just to have my fiancé cancel his service and to have service put in my name…. is it a hassle? Of course… will it save us $50 a month? Yup.. AND we’ll have better internet speed. Phone service was a similar situation, but everything can be changed online if your contract is up. Sign a new contract with a lower price. Added bonus money if you keep your old phone(s)…. You could easily save $150 a month if you keep phones when you change service and you sign up for lower contract prices.  Side note: I also saw that if you meet certain income criteria, there’s discount internet… I’ll add a link for that below. 

9. Ask for assistance. I know this is taboo, though not sure why, but if you don’t have a lot of income, and you have small children, contact your WIC office and get some grocery help. I don’t think that WIC is a lot of food assistance necessarily, and its only for kids under five, but if you have a huge grocery bill, get the help you need. Food banks could also be helpful, and its why they exist. Food stamps and cash assistance are also available and I will add links to that. 

10. Make food from scratch! Staple foods tend to run pretty inexpensive. We have gluten free items like almond flour and gluten free panko and even those things that are more expensive than conventional counterparts, will save you money over buying processed foods, and then you don’t have the additives either. Win Win 

11. Insulate windows, use draft guards. If you live in a cold climate, especially, Cover your window in plastic and block the drafts at the bottom of the door (I sew draft snakes that are just spare fabric and rice, I’ll post how I do this with crafts)… this can save you a small fortune on utility bills. Upgrading appliances can also safe you on energy and water bills, but insulating windows and covering drafts can cost virtually nothing.