Budgeting can be a time consuming but worthy task if you are trying to cut costs, save for a vacation or work towards paying off debts. For some, it’s really easy to cut out coffee shop visits and fast food and see instant savings in their bank account. For others, it takes some serious planning to learn what they spend, where they can cut, and how they will save effectively.
Regardless of the approach you take, you can easily do a few things to save money on everyday expenses.
Cook and eat at home more.
This is one that we have been doing and have seen it immediately reflected on our bank statements. Breaking the fast food and pizza delivery habit is TOUGH, no doubt about it, but it’s been really worth it. We let the kids decide on easy dinners, we’ve tried a few new recipes, we’ve even invested in an Instant Pot to make cooking at home more enjoyable. The Instant Pot lets us throw in some frozen ground turkey and it will thaw it out for browning in less than 30 minutes. That is a HUGE benefit because I can make up burgers, pasta, tacos, meatballs, chili all at home even if I forget to thaw the meat first.
Cut back on entertainment or find alternatives.
We cut cable/satellite a LONG time ago and went completely streaming with HULU, Playstation Vue, and Netflix. It’s been great! We’ve cut our bill and found new shows that we love to watch as a family. If you want to see a movie at a theater, go when ticket prices are lower (matinees) and eat before you go so you don’t buy overpriced snacks and popcorn. Or just wait for it to come out on Redbox and have a much cheaper movie night at home.
If you’ve been with the same utility companies for years, such as your cable company, then it’s typically worth looking for TV providers near you. In most cases, loyalty doesn’t pay. Not only might you find cheaper deals elsewhere, but you can typically benefit from new customer discounts and bonuses that can make the switch more worthwhile.
Shop consignment and clearance for clothing.
Clothing is another big expense, and with kids, it seems like they always need the next size up. I’ve been checking the sale and clearance racks more since they outgrow clothes so quickly. We have a great consignment store that I recently visited to load up on clothes at, and the prices were great. Consider the consignment and mom-to-mom sales in your area and don’t discredit them, huge savings can be found there!
Research options for saving money on prescription medications.
If your family has any prescriptions, use something like SearchRX or their mobile app to help find the best prices on medications near you. Don’t forget that some pharmacies offer coupons and savings (like a gift card) when you switch your prescriptions to them, so if you do find a lower price, be sure to check out what bonus you might get by switching! SearchRX is a great find when you are trying to lower your expenses on health care and medications.
With SearchRX you simply enter the medications name you need and they show you the lowest prices and let you print a coupon to give to the pharmacist. They are accepted at over 62,000 pharmacies, so you won’t run into an issue there! You can save up to 75% regardless of your coverage (cannot be used with insurance, but the savings can sometimes mean medications cost less than your copay).
You can download their app on iTunes and in the Google Play store.
How else can you save on everyday and common expenses? What have you done that has been successful and helped you save money?
This is a sponsored post with SearchRX. All opinions are my own.