“The 72-Hour Rule”: 26 Surprising Life Hacks To Save Money That People Swear By

Buy secondhand!

Today I have secured myself a solid pine desk for my daughters room, no marks or damage, for £10, and a worn-once, three piece navy suit for my son to wear at our wedding next year, also for £10.

I buy maybe 80% of my stuff secondhand. I bide my time, wait for a bargain, and I have saved sooooo much money over the years.

learn to cook! 4 or 5 reliably delicious recipes will go a loooooong way.

If you can avoid it, never take out a payday loan.

Don't have kids

Don’t buy something that you normally wouldn’t buy just because you have a coupon.

Try buying reusable objects in place of single use ones. It's better for your wallet and environment. Steel water bottles, reusable K cups, dish towels instead of paper towels, etc. Over time the costs of little things really add up.

Always eat before going food shopping

When at the grocery, look at the price/oz or whatever unit it is instead of the total price. It's usually posted in one corner. It's not going to save you tons of money, but it does add up. Plus it takes out the guess work when comparing similar items.

Making one extra payment on your mortgage per year will reduce a 30 year mortgage to roughly 17 years.

Don't buy the cheapest option. Often the middle priced option will be the best value. Things that are too cheap are worth what you paid for them.

I don't smoke but live my financial life as a smoker. Meaning every Monday I transfer the sum of one weeks worth of cigarettes to my savings account. If people that earn less than me can afford smoking, so can I.

I have a friend who, at the end of each pay period, moves whatever she has in checking into savings. It doesn't matter if she's got $5 or $50 in the account, it goes into savings the night before payday.

Acting broke. Trust me. Nothing helps you save more than acting broke. And there is a way to do that without becoming a mooch. Eat at home if your friends have a dinner plan at an expensive place. Pregame if you're going clubbing. And if anyone asks you why aren't you eating/drinking/coming for that vacation just say you're broke. I learnt this the hard way. Because I remember becoming a recluse and slowly stopped socializing just because my friends always had these extravagant and expensive plans and I realized it really started weighing down on me. But eventually I learnt that there was no shame in wanting to save money/being broke and definitely none in saying so.

Only drinking water is a solid one. Soda at restaurants or other drinks add up a lot.

If you can buy a tool to complete a repair for the same price as the repair itself, buy the tool and repair it for free next time.

When buying online, leave items in the shopping cart for awhile. There is a good chance that the website is tracking this, and will lower the price overtime to entice you into buying.

I've saved a lot by being patient. Like when I got a surround sound amp for $350 that was listed everywhere for $450 to $500, just by leaving it in the online shopping cart for a week.

Learn how to login to your online banking system and review your statement regularly. You'll see how quickly money flows out for coffee...snacks.... and unnecessary purchase. Also set a budget and STICK TO IT.

If you are getting married, send out wedding invitations to every billionaires address you can find. You have a 50/50 chance that their assistants will just send you a perfunctory gift without ever wondering who the hell you are. Free gifts!

I try to cost things as portions of better, or more fulfilling things i.e.

A coffee is 1/10 of a new game. Ten meals out is a weekend away etc.

I don't spend $1 bills. I collect them in a box and at the end of the year I usually have a few hundred dollars