2020 was going to be MY money year. I was going to learn how to actually understand my money. Where it is going, save, have big goals, not spend emotionally. ALL THE THINGS. Then COVID hit. I lost sight of my goals for a few months. But then I realized even in a pandemic, I needed to be better about my money. In this spirit I wrote this a while ago, before we were in the state we’re in now. Things will probably feel a little bit different now (I haven’t been in a store in months) but the principles remain the same.
It’s 2020 and I’ve begun to focus on my financial habits as I prepare for some big plans I have. The worst part of a financial review? You have to look at your money, a lot. And turns out I’m the idiot that is making all those dumb purchases and I can’t blame anyone for them. As I’ve tightened up my spending, I’ve realized five of my favorite convenient ways to save money that don’t *feel* like I’m having to adult.
Grocery Pick Up
STOP GOING INTO STORES WHEN YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY! Yes, Aldi is probably the #1 pick to save money when it comes to food. (and you know I LIVE for ALDI when it comes to entertaining.) But is it convenient? Can you drive up and pick it up? No. So the next best thing is grocery pick up at Walmart, Target or in Wichita, Dillons. (Some may charge a fee but I typically am able to find a code to make it free.)
Doing grocery pick up has legitimately saved me so much money. I even ordered a console in my grocery run but managed to NOT buy anything else that I wanted. It’s so much more efficient! I can do my grocery order from the plane as I fly back on Friday and pick it up when I get back into town on my way home. This has been essential to me being able to stay organized and on task with all my roles, as well as knowing the total as I shop instead of doing mental math.
Keep the Change
This one is so easy. My bank lets me round up ever purchase to the next dollar and sends that change to my savings. This is the epitome of every penny counts because the other day I saw I’ve managed to save OVER $1,700 from it in just a few years! I think that most banks have this offering so check out if yours does. It’s so easy and truly worth it.
Use the Library for Audiobooks
You know how millions of us have Audible credits because we thought we were going to just blow through a bunch of books? If you don’t, we know who we are. One of my friends gave me the most brilliant DUH moment when she was like, why don’t you use use the library’s audiobook system? “Uh, I don’t know maybe I just like spending money?” Anyway, try this instead of buying a subscription service!
Bring Your Drink(s) to Work
Guys. I am just not going to be someone who packs a lunch. I’ve tried and it just doesn’t work with my life/travel schedule. So I just plan on that in my estimated budget and focus on eating at home more at night or on the weekend. Anyway, the one thing that I CAN save money on is bringing in my own drinks. My coworkers and I went in on a mini-fridge for our area (the main fridge is grooossss) and I need to also get the $25 I put into it.
Sure, I look like a real addict when I bring in a box of Bubbly or Waterloo, but its SO convenient, saves me money and keeps me hydrated! I just go to the mini fridge in my area. It’s a great $4 spent instead of 5-7 trips a week costing $1.50 each time.
Edit Your Subscriptions
Do you actually need the three boxes that show up on your doorstep or in your inbox? Do you REALLY NEED them? I edited down some digital subscriptions I had and I even paused some physical shipments to save money until I could use them again. I saved $120 a month and then I realized I legitimately didn’t need one of them and got rid of it completely!
Saving money is hard, but there truly are ways to make it less so. And honestly a lot of them are sustainable and reduce consumerism which is a win-win! I hope you enjoy these convenient ways to save money and they help you adult even better.
Karly
I’m not sure by you, but our Aldi does online ordering/pick up now! Something worth checking since you love it there. These all are great tips! I need to see if my bank does the rounding up thing – genius!
Karly
https://www.whatkarlysaid.com
Meg @ Closet Fashionista
These are all great tips!
I do still go into the grocery store myself but that’s because I’m super picky about what we get and I like to browse the clearance cart (hello .72 bread!) But I do try really hard to stick to my list, sometimes I break down but we have a tight grocery budget so that usually keeps me in line!
And yes, the keep the change concept (or investing apps that round up your CC purchases) are so great! I’ve yet to try one myself but I do save all my change from cash purchases and then convert it to an amazon gift card at the end of the year.
Pretty smart to at least bring your own drinks for work lunches even though you don’t bring your lunch. When I worked in an office I was the weirdo who brought a lunch. At one point I was working in NYC and everyone thought it was so strange that I brought a sandwich instead of going out to one of the many restaurants nearby. But I was all about saving that money! Eventually a couple girls started following my lead, haha (and I still had the option of grabbing lunch out if I didn’t feel like eating my sandwich)
Lydia
I do hate being locked into subscription services, they have really accumulated too! Netflix, hulu, icloud, creative cloud, new york times… it’s gotten to the point where I don’t know what I can cut. bringing your own drink is definitely a good idea. Not that I’ve been going to work in an office, but even just making sure I’ve got my waterbottle with me when I leave the house can save me from buying a bottle of water, the one thing I hate buying the most.
Emily
I’ve been using Acorns and I legitimately do not notice it anymore. I invest $10/week and round up my purchases to the nearest dollar and it gets invested automatically.
My bank has a super easy to navigate app. So once I finished paying off a loan, I set up an automatic transfer for the same amount to go out on the same day as my previous payments to go to my high interest savings account.
I’m so, um, spendy that I need these automatic things that have already been worked into my budget so I don’t have to think about it. 100% the move.