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41 Ways to Save $1000 a Month
Now that you have set your Savings Target it’s time to come up with some ways to reach your goal.
We often think we need big dramatic changes in our finances to make a difference but actually making small changes in our habits and actions can afford real improvement in our financial situation. I will talk more about some of these ideas in future posts but today I am sharing 41 simple changes that can save you $1000 a month. (Estimated savings per month listed below.)
Save on Food and Beverages
Skip the soda. Drink water instead of a fizzy beverage and improve your health as well as your savings account. Savings: $10 – $20.
Take your lunch to work. Pack your lunch every night with leftovers from dinner and avoid restaurants. Savings: $15 – $200.
Make coffee at home. You can find recipes online for every coffee shop concoction available. Spend a few minutes and save big. Savings: $20 – $50.
Make a meal plan and grocery list. Save money by purchasing food for specific meals. Knowing what’s for dinner also prevents you from ordering pizza because you have no idea what to cook. Click here for tips to make meal planning easier. Savings: $100 – $300.
Eat at home. Once you have a meal plan it will be much easier to stay away from restaurant meals which can take a huge bite out of the budget. Savings: $30 – $200.
Eat cheaply for a week. To save even more on groceries institute a “cheap week” once a month. Click here for recipe ideas. Savings $50 – $100.
Limit alcohol consumption. One beer or glass of wine a day can quickly inflate your budget. Limit drinks to once a week or less and save the money you would have spent. Savings $20-$75.
Save on Household Needs
Simplify your cleaners. I use 3 basic cleaners in my home. Click here to see what I use. Savings: $20 – $30.
Use less. By using smaller amounts of every day toiletries and household products you can save money by having to purchase them less often. Click here for helpful strategies to use less. Savings: $10 – $30.
Make your own. I have personally tried DIY laundry detergent and Citrus All Purpose Cleaner. Find instructions for other cleaners on my Homemade Cleaners Pinterest Board here. Savings: $10- $20.
Institute a “no spending” month. For the next 30 days make do with what you have and purchase absolute necessities only. Savings: $30 – $200.
Save on Services
Put a hold on dry cleaning. Wear only wash-and-wear items this month to skip the dry cleaning costs. Savings $20-$50.
Drop the gym. Buy a set of used weights or use free online workouts and stop paying for your gym membership. Savings $50-$100.
Lower your cable bill. Use a website like WhiteFence to compare rates on cable and internet (or drop cable all together). Savings $50 – $300.
Compare cell phone plans. We found a family plan that cut our bill in half. Savings $20-$100.
DIY your pest control. You can purchase chemicals at your local home improvement store. Savings $35 – $100.
Save on Utilities
Hang your laundry. Purchase a drying rack for $10 – $15 and slash your power bill by air drying your clothes. Savings $50 – $100.
Adjust the temperature. Turn the thermostat up a couple of degrees in the summer and down in the winter. Savings $30 – $100.
Take shorter showers. Save money on your water bill by timing your showers. Savings: $10 – $30.
Unplug. Turn off all electronics at night to save electricity. Savings $5 – $10.
Lose your landline. If you rarely use your home phone consider dropping the service and using your cell phone only. Savings: $10 – $40.
Save on Insurance
Compare rates. You may be surprised at the difference in rates between insurance companies. Check for discounts like military, safe driver, etc. Savings: $30 – $100.
Raise deductibles. If you have an emergency fund of at least $1000 you can raise your auto and home insurance deductibles and save on your monthly insurance rates. Savings $30 – $100.
Drive older vehicles. Insuring older vehicles is much cheaper than insuring newer models. Savings $50 – $100.
Save on Entertainment
Find free events. Check your local newspaper or online sources to find free festivals, concerts and other events to attend for free. Savings: $20-$100.
Watch a movie at home. Borrow a DVD from the library or watch Netflix. Is seeing a movie in the theater really worth a $12 – $15 ticket? Savings: $20-$50.
Host dinner. Invite friends over for dinner instead of going to a restaurant. Make it even cheaper by having them bring a side dish or dessert. Savings: $30-$300.
Start a hobby. Spend your free time to create a side income by painting and refinishing furniture or creating other products to sell. Earnings: unlimited.
Sell Something
Sell books. Read 4 Online Sites to Sell Your Books here. Average Earnings: $2 – $4 per book.
Sell electronics. Read about the Amazon Trade-In Program here. Average Earnings: $10 – $20.
Sell used clothing and household items. For tips read How to Sell on eBay and Craigslist here. Average Earnings: $2 – 10 per item.
Use your skills to make money. Offer services like alterations, cake decorating and tutoring to friends and neighbors. Average Earnings: $10 – $20 per hour.
Use Online Surveys. Make a little extra money by using my recommended online survey sites. Click here for more info. Average Earnings: $2- $5 per survey.
Other Ways to Save
Use FreeCycle.org. Rather than rushing to the store to find items you need look for used options.
Reduce fees. Move to free checking accounts, avoid ATM fees and late fees on credit cards.
Cut your taxes. Contact your county tax office and ask them to re-assess your home’s value and potentially lower your property taxes.
Plan your errands. Save gas and time by planning errands on the way home from work to avoid an extra trip. Plan your route on errand day to avoid back-tracking.
Track your spending. Record all of your spending for a month to find budget leaks. Knowing that you have to write down everything you spend can help you to prevent impulse buys.
Consider downsizing. If you need significant savings consider selling your car and buying a cheaper, paid for vehicle or find a way to live with only one vehicle.
Plan a staycation. Save on travel and hotel expenses by planning your summer vacation in your own hometown.
Make DIY gifts for upcoming events. Check out my DIY Gifts on a Budget Pinboard here for ideas.
Today’s Money Mission: Choose 3-5 tips that you will implement this week.
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You don’t need cleaners as water and rag are enough to clean your house.You will save much more money.
Great ideas
Thanks Glenda!
Will be implementing several of these. Already do some … but not all of them. Great ideas.
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
We already do quite a few of these things. Some things that I will start doing (and will encourage my husband to follow through, also!) is making a meal plan, eating at home, and have a no-spend month. We have a large amount of food in the pantry and in the deep freezer that needs to be eaten. We are older and retired, and it’s so easy to “treat” ourselves to picking up something already prepared or get something from a fast-food drive-through. Wish me luck in convincing my husband to play along with me!
Yes! I do wish you luck Faith. 🙂
We do every single one of these, except the drying rack, and the no spend month! We just got married, and I just moved out of my parents’ house and had a very rude wakeup call about adult life and bills! Haha. So we have been very frugal! While reading this on the couch, I just looked up at my husband and said “Hey, we should buy a drying rack, and do a no spend month!” Thanks for the great ideas!
Jessica LaPinta
http://www.mypeacelovelife.com
Good for you Jessica! How exciting to start out your life with such great habits.
I live in Australia. The yearly car registration for an older car here is a hundred dollars more not cheaper. They figure that it’s more likely to break down or cause an accident so charge you more road registration. Also when it come to Insurance age is a determining factor to the cost. Under 25 yrs old is also $100 more.
Thanks for giving me a perspective from your side of the world Juliet. Auto insurance for those under 25 is extremely expensive here in the U.S. so an extra $100 a year sounds like a bit of a deal. Everyone’s circumstances are different and it’s really interesting to hear the differences in Australia.
We do a lot of these. The one that I noticed a really big difference is meal planning which involves eating at home more often. Huge savings!
I agree Monique! Meal planning saves me several hundred dollars a month.
These are great tips! The one that works for us is the thermostat, although we are more concerned about keeping the heat low in the winter than turning on a/c in the summer – since we don’t have a/c 🙂
You obviously don’t live in the South, right Heather? 🙂
We do most of these things. The one thing I am nervous about this summer is having to keep the thermostat lower bc of humidity concerns. I can tolerate the higher temps but the humidity is very hard to bear. In order to keep it from building up we have to keep it closer to 72-73. The few years we did manage 76-78 led to mold growth in the basement! I will just have to keep thinking of other ways to save on electricity so we are not hit too hard by the increase. Might need to give up the dryer again…
Rachel – have you considered purchasing a de-humidifier for your basement? You might do some research into alternatives for keeping your basement mold-free that won’t cost you as much as keeping the temperature so low in your home.
I love and do most of these! I just can’t take shorter showers! Its the one “extravagant” thing that I love to do, hot, long showers with no kids interrupting are simply the best!!
I also did a no-spend period during lent where I didn’t spend any money on myself except for food (from a grocery store). It was really eye opening to see how many stupid little things I buy myself.
I know what you mean about showers Elise. A long shower is definitely cheaper than a counseling visit. 🙂
Great tips!!!
Thanks Katy!