See How We Saved Over $10,000

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Are you satisfied with the amount your family earns each month? Do you buy extra things with your money or are you stuck because you don’t have anything extra to spend? Are you living paycheck to paycheck and never able to save any money? Do you have debt that you can’t seem to get ahead of?

According to Dave Ramsey, 8 out of 10 Americans are in debt. That’s about 260 million people living in the United States who have some sort of debt.

Why is that? Because so many of us overspend our money. And when we do, it’s so hard to get ahead of our debt. It’s a vicious cycle.

If this is you and you’re trying to get ahead, I have listed below things we have done to save $10,376 as well as other ideas to consider to save. Try a handful of these ideas or try all of them. The more you act to change your spending could have you saving an average yearly salary in a year or two. I think that’s worth entertaining, don’t you?

Here’s how we’ve been able to save money, and although we didn’t save this all in one year, you could if you’re dedicated to save money.

Steps We’ve Taken to Save $10,376

• Get rid of cable. Households spend upwards of $100 or more each month on cable. With other options these days, you can usually find what you like to watch for much cheaper. Before, we were spending $150/month on cable and internet. So, we switched to Hulu for $7.99/month and bought a digital antenna for $40 so we could still get our local stations. We also have internet at $49.99/month.
  • $1800 ($150 x 12) – $696 ($58 x 12) = $1104 – $40 = Saving $1064/year.
• Pack your work lunches. This could mean huge savings. My husband stopped buying lunches at work a couple of years ago as he was spending about $60/week. Since he’s stopped eating out, our grocery bill has gone up slightly, about $75/month.
  • $3120 ($60 x 52) – $900 ($75 x 12) = Saving $2220/year.
• Meal Plan. We used to eat out a lot and spend upwards of $500/month. Now, we meal plan and spend about $100/month eating out. In changing this, we also saw an increase in our groceries for about $150/month.
  • $6000 ($500 x 12) – $3000 ($250 x 12) = Saving $3000/year

• Related: 5 Ways to Eat More at Home

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• Shop around. Not only did we reduce our eating out but we also reduced our grocery expenses. Now, we shop at 5 different stores (instead of previously only shopping at one store, Wegmans) and found that we were able to save about $200/month. Our most notable savings came from shopping at Aldi’s.
  • $2400 ($200 x 12) – 0 = Saving $2400/year

• Related: Over 20 Tips and Tricks to Save Money at Grocery Stores

• Clip coupons. I’ve always used coupons so I couldn’t save anything extra. But if you don’t, I highly recommend it. You can get coupons from your local Sunday newspaper, look for store coupons that might come in the mail or in the store, scour the internet for things you’re buying to see if there’s a coupon, and even contact the company to see if they have any coupons they can send you. Saving apps can also save you even more. It takes planning before you shop but I’ve saved upwards of $10 in coupons when I’m only spending about $40 – $50 on groceries. But, on average, I’d say we save $5/week in coupons. If you’re serious about doing the work to maximize your savings, you could save this too.
  • $260 ($5 x 52) – 0 = Saving $260/year.
• Gym membership. I was spending $64/month at my fitness gym. I decided on stopping that and doing an 8-week fitness class through my township that’s only $45/2 months.
  • $768 ($64 x 12) – $270 ($45 x 6) = Saving $498/year.
• Swap babysitting with a friend. Trade babysitting and going out for a night each month. Our friends watch our kids one night a month while we go out, and then the next month, we watch their kids while they go out. It’s a win-win! Before, we used to go out for one night every other month and it would cost us about $40 for a babysitter.
  • $240 ($40 x 6) – 0 = Saving $240/year.
• Make your own coffee. My husband used to buy coffee at Dunkin Donuts every day. At $3 each, it adds up quick. Now, he buys a big container of coffee at our local grocery store for only $5.50 and it lasts him for a month (and usually longer than that). He also bought a thermos for $20 to take his coffee to work every day.
  • $780 ($15 x 52) – $66 ($5.50 x 12) = $714 – $20 = Saving $694/year

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More Ways to Save Money

• Use YouTube to do various fixes and how-to”s:
  • Change engine and cabin air filters in vehicles yourself (this is a quick and easy job and cost upwards of $80 when done for you by a mechanic).
  • Do preventative maintenance on your home and your vehicle(s) to help things last longer.
  • If your home utilities are high, consider weatherizing your home. You could have a home energy audit done on your home to see where your home could be losing a lot of air. Most times, you can fix some of the issues yourself that they recommend.
• Buy a glass water bottle to refill instead of buying disposable water bottles.
• Stop any conveniences you have like a house cleaner or a person that takes care of your lawn as doing these yourself saves a fortune.
• Use the library instead of buying books and DVDs. If you have an e-reader or a tablet, use Overdrive.com to find e-books and audiobooks from your local library.
• Look at getting prescriptions through the mail with your insurance company.
• Shop at Aldi’s if you have one around you. You can save a bunch of money on groceries if you watch what you’re buying. Produce is a great deal there. Be careful with brand name products though as they can be pricier.
• Do a no spend challenge for a week or two. ONLY buy necessities.
• Make your own cleaners. You can make your own cleaners using vinegar, dish soap, borax, and many other household items.
• Buy frozen vegetables instead of fresh for cooking when it’s cheaper (most times it is).
• Buy produce in season. If it’s on sale, it’s usually in season.
• Turn heat down 2 degrees. Use blankets and warmer clothes to keep warm. Turn air conditioning up 2 degrees in the summertime.

Use these ideas to help you save money. Look at things in your home and your life that you can cut to help too. Anything you can do to change your spending will help you save money.

What other ways have you been able to save money?

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