30 Clever Money Saving Hacks That People Tend To Overlook, As Shared By Folks Online

This will get lost but hopefully it will help the one person who reads to the bottom:

Carry with you the knowledge that your parents and grandparents didn't magically start out with a house full of bathrooms, stainless appliances, multiple TV's and other electronics. Granite.

Its OK to not have everything, to accumulate your stuff over time.
Don't get suckered in by the lifestyle TV shows or articles online or from your peer group.

Its OK and financially responsible to defer gratification...it will come.

On every payday, I move half of what I had leftover from last pay period over into my savings account. (Paying yourself). Sometimes it's not a lot but it has added up quickly. I also add 5$ to each of my kids savings accounts every payday. They each have over $1,000 and my personal savings has just reached 5 figures. As a single mom, who has always lived paycheck to paycheck, I have surprised myself.

Whenever you feel the urge to buy a non necessity, give yourself a couple of days before you buy it. Often times, the impulse will have passed and you'll be glad to still have the money.

Rice. That son of a b***h goes with everything.

Even rice.

- If you are a student - Learn to cook.

- If you are working - Bring lunch to work every day. You'll save a lot of money.

- When you go shopping, especially grocery shopping: make a list and stick to it. And never grocery shop on an empty stomach. Or after a busy day or week. You'll be more inclined to buy bad food and make poorer purchasing decisions

People waste a ton of money ordering food and prepared stuff. Just look up some tutorials and save some real money.

A trick that always works for me is to think about how many hours wages I am spending on something. As someone who previously had a huge spending problem, this has helped me realise that I've worked hard for my money, and I'd rather be working my a*s off for a stress free life financially than living pay day to pay day buying meaningless s**t.

Make as much food as you can. Buying lunch every day at work adds up.

Counterintuitive but buy the best you can afford and take good care of your stuff. Since you know you have the best you can afford you don't have the constant itch to replace and upgrade.

For example, buy quality clothes, get them tailored so that they fit (no stretching to wear them out) and then clean them correctly. Rather then constantly buying/replacing cheap stuff keep good stuff long-term. Same thing with cars, appliances, etc.

Good quality has higher upfront costs but can have long term savings.

I pay with credit card for everything I buy. I get points from my credit card. I pay off my credit card in full each month and there are no fees for the card. Essentially MasterCard pays me several hundred dollars a year for using their card

If you are actually good with money and credit

Pay your credit card off completely every month. Don't let it accumulate interest. Don't purchase things you don't have the cash for. Too many people get over their heads in credit card debt and its hard to dig yourself out at 18% interest.

Quit drinking alcohol and cigarettes. Theyre both money suckers that make you unhealthy.

Make a game of going as many days as you can without spending a penny. Excluding absolute necessities like gas/groceries/bills. Works like a charm for me.

You don't have to pay for the basic necessities if you go to prison for Tax Evasion

Buy greeting cards at the Dollar Store.

I get greeting cards for 99 cents that are as good - or better - than ones selling for $4.99+ elsewhere.

Buy store brands

buy in quantity when stuff on sale. i like a particular toothpaste but it is expensive, except every few months it goes on sale for like 1/3 off. when that happens i buy 6 or 8 tubes, then i've got a supply until it goes on sale again.

i do that with a lot of stuff, even cheap stuff. like soda. 2 liter bottles are usually between $1.00 and $1.50 each. i just bought a dozen bottles of my favorites for $0.88 each. yeah, my average savings is maybe $0.25 each but it adds up. I do the same with cereals, sometimes the $4.00/box is on sale for $1.75 so i buy six of them.

Look at your bank statement. Actually look at where your money goes.

Don't waste money buying water in jugs. Instead, buy powdered water. Comes in boxes. Cheaper. Just add water.

Cook. For f***s sakes cook. Take out, drive thru and delivery adds up.

Every month or so I make a batch of 15-18 meat balls ($12 of lean ground beef) and sauce and freeze them in old yogurt tubs. A tub can hold 2 portions which I thaw in a small pot over low heat. Boil up some spaghettini once the sauce is almost thawed (about 45 minutes), load up some glassware and you've got lunch figured out for tomorrow and the next day. Delicious, cheap, filling and microwavable.

Pro tip: good spaghetti sauce doesn't come from a glass jar.

Ask yourself if you need it or only want it.

If you want it, but don't need it. Give yourself 24 hours to decide whether it's worth purchasing.

Drink at home, alone. No buying drinks, no tipping, and nobody will judge you for drinking the cheapest stuff you can.