The BIG THIRTEEN Ways to Save Money

No matter where you are on your financial journey, you need to know that it’s possible for anyone to turn their financial life around. Sometimes all it takes is that first step in the right direction to get things moving in your favor. But, as with most things, sometimes that very first step is the hardest part.

That’s why I have created this list of 13 ways to start saving money today. None of these tactics will be life-changing on their own, but they can make quite a difference over time if you’re able to implement more than one. Some of these suggestions take just a few minutes, while others require a bit of regular effort. Still, they’re all incredibly simple – anyone can do them.

Obviously, not all of these tips will apply to everyone. Just go through the list and find 5 or 10 that do apply to you and use them in your life. When you do, you may quickly find that you’re saving more money than you ever thought possible'.

Use these money-saving tips to generate ideas about the best ways to save money in your day-to-day life.

1. Eliminate Your Debt

If you're trying to save money through budgeting but still carrying a large debt burden, start with the debt. Not convinced? Add up how much you spend servicing your debt each month, and you'll quickly see. Once you're free from paying interest on your debt, that money can easily be put into savings. A personal line of credit is just one option for consolidating debt so you can better pay it off. 

2. Set Savings Goals

One of the best ways to save money is by visualizing what you are saving for. If you need motivation, set saving targets along with a timeline to make it easier to save. Want to buy a house in three years with a 20 percent down payment? Now you have a target and know what you will need to save each month to achieve your goal. Use Regions savings calculators to make your goal!

3. Pay Yourself First

Set up an auto debit from your checking account to your savings account each payday. Whether it's $50 every two weeks or $500, don't cheat yourself out of a healthy long-term savings plan.

4. Stop Smoking

No, it's certainly not easy to quit, but if you smoke a pack and a half every day, that amounts to nearly $3,000 a year you can realize in savings if you quit. 

5. Take a "Staycation"

Though the term may be trendy, the thought behind it is solid: instead of dropping several thousand on airline tickets overseas, look in your own backyard for fun vacations close to home. If you can't drive the distance, look for cheap flights in your region.

Instead of going on a big, extravagant trip, pack up the car and see some of the sights in your surrounding area. Another strategy is to look into travel rewards credit cards for ways to earn free hotel stays and airfare.

6. Spend to Save

Energy-efficient light bulbs might cost a bit more initially, but they have a much longer life than normal incandescent bulbs and use far less electricity. It might be hard to decide which type to use, but either type of bulb will probably be an upgrade from whatever you’re using now.

CFLs, which use a quarter of the energy of incandescent bulbs and last for years, are the next cheapest option after traditional bulbs. But they also have some drawbacks: They take a while to warm up to full brightness, and they also contain a small amount of mercury.

Meanwhile, LEDs are more expensive. However, they’re getting cheaper all the time, and they are easily the best lighting option available: They light up instantly, are efficient as CFLs, produce a warm glow without getting hot to the touch, and can last for decades.

You don’t even need to replace every bulb in the house at once. Even swapping just your four or five most-used light bulbs can save you $45 or more a year.

Let's face it, utility costs seldom go down over time, so take charge now and weatherize your home. Call your utility company and ask for an energy audit or find a certified contractor who can give you a whole-home energy efficiency review. This will range from easy improvements like sealing windows and doors all the way to installing new insulation, siding or energy star high-efficiency appliances and products. You could save thousands in utility costs over time.

7. Turn off the lights.

Keeping the lights on in your home may not be expensive on a per-watt basis, but it sure does cost money over time. To save as much as you can, turn off lights any time you leave your house – or even when you leave the room. Turning off lights when you have plenty of natural sunlight can also help keep your electric bill down over time. The bottom line: If you aren’t using a light, turn it off.

8. Pack Your Lunch

An obvious money-saving tip is finding everyday savings. If buying lunch at work costs $7, but bringing lunch from home costs only $2, then over the course of a year, you can create a $1250 emergency fund or make a significant contribution to a college plan or retirement fund. 

9. Annualize Your Spending

Do you pay $20 a week for snacks at the vending machine at your office? That's $1,000 you're removing from your budget for soda and snacks each year. Suddenly, that habit adds up to a substantial sum.

10. Turn off the television.

One big way to save money is to drastically cut down on the amount of television you watch. There are a lot of financial benefits to this: less exposure to spending-inducing ads, a lower electric bill (and perhaps a lower cable bill if you downgrade your subscription), more time to focus on other things in life — such as a side business — and so on.

Want to take things a step further? Consider cutting the cord to cable TV altogether.

Many people with cable services often are paying for a premium package that they don’t really need. For the longest time, I was subscribed to HBO, Starz, and Cinemax, yet I would only tune in once a month at best. It was worth it because we could watch a movie or a great drama whenever I wanted, but it would have been far cheaper just to rent a movie. Get rid of the channels you don’t need and put that cash back in your pocket.

11. Quit using credit cards.

If you have a habit of getting into trouble with credit cards, hide your credit cards and keep them in a safe place in your home, not in your wallet. If you need to keep a card for emergencies, that’s okay. Just don’t carry it around with you. If you’re often tempted to use it, keeping your card “out of sight and out of mind” might help.

12. Try to fix things yourself.

Years ago, it was far more difficult to find ways to fix everyday items we have in our homes. But today, it should be a piece of cake. You can find online tutorials and videos that show you how to fix almost anything, and all for free. No matter what you’re trying to fix, it’s always worth a shot. Learning a new skill never hurts either.

13. Buy staples in bulk.

With items we use a lot of, we buy them in bulk, and that’s particularly true when it comes to items that don’t perish. For example, we buy trash bags, laundry detergent, and diapers in the largest packages we can find. This cuts down on their cost per usage by quite a bit and, over the long haul, adds up to significant savings.