40 Ways to Save When You’re

Terrible at Saving

Let us be honest with you: some of us used to be terrible at

saving money. We knew we had to save for the future and
knew the importance of having that extra money there
for those unforeseeable circumstances, but couldn’t seem
to put money aside. We’d get sidetracked each month
with things we just had to have now or we’d see the “extra
spending money” sitting in our checking account, so our
savings account would never grow.

The good thing about being terrible at saving is that it’s

easier to find extra ways to save money that you would
usually spend. We’ve found plenty of ways to save money
on shopping, food, entertainment and even monthly bills!
Even if you absolutely can’t set aside extra money each
month, this book will give you ways to save some extra
money in almost every part of your life.
 Saving Through Organization
1. Start a Budget
If you want to get started on the right track,
getting yourself on a budget is the first thing
you should do. Talk to a credit counselor
or start one yourself by using our budget
worksheet. You can see how much your
necessities cost and how much money you
have leftover at the end of each month to
put aside.
2. Track Your Spending
Do you use your checkbook or a checkbook app to track your daily,
weekly and monthly spending? It might take a little extra time out of
your day to track your spending, but it is well worth the effort! Over
time, you can start to see where you waste your money and start
cutting back. You’d be amazed to see how much those $4 trips to
your favorite coffee shop actually cost you each year!
3. Separate Savings and Checking Accounts
Seeing money in your savings account can make you think it’s
available to spend. This makes it hard to keep money in there if you
leave it linked to your checking account to easily transfer. Try setting
up a separate savings account at a different credit union or bank
to make it harder to take money out of it. That’ll have you second-
guessing some of those purchases that you don’t really need.
4. Set a Savings Goal
Don’t you love setting and achieving goals for yourself? It’s a great feeling
to meet and even exceed your own expectations. Set yourself a savings
goal, like having $5,000 in your savings account, saving up to buy a new
car with cash or putting a down payment on a house. Setting your own
goals will help you to visualize your money for the future.
5. Pay Yourself First
Who doesn’t like getting paid? After your bills are paid for, the next
thing you should do is pay yourself! Deposit some money into your
savings account each month and budget the rest of your money for
non-necessities. This will make you
rethink how you use and budget
your money.
6. Set Up Automatic Deposits
If you’d like to start saving more and not have to think about it,
setting up automatic deposits is the right choice for you. If your
budget is set and you want to save money without having to make
an effort to do it, set it up to go into your savings automatically. Then
you’ll watch your savings account grow on its own!
7. Start a Change Jar
We all end up using cash at some point, but sometimes we just toss
the change aside, tell the cashiers to “keep the change” or end up
dropping it on the ground. Some people even throw their change in
the trash! They’re literally throwing money away! To save some extra
money, start a change jar in your house where you drop your coins.
Bring the change to your financial institution for some extra money in
your savings account.
 Saving on Shopping
8. Replace Your “Fun Shopping Hobby”
We’ve all experienced a boredom that can only be made better by
a trip to the mall. It’s one of the most expensive hobbies out there
(for those of us on a budget, at least). Find something fun to do that
doesn’t focus on going out and spending your hard-earned money.
Replace your shopping hobby and your checking account will thank
you.
9. Try Shopping at Outlet Centers
Don’t you hate it when you really want to buy a new pair of shoes,
but it’s almost $200 and you know that money could be put to better
use elsewhere? Us, too. Instead of spending over $200 for that pair of
shoes, head over to an outlet center. You’ve got a pretty good chance
at finding that pair or one even better for just a fraction of the price! If
you were willing to pay the full amount in the first place, you can put
the difference into your savings account.
10. Shop on Clearance
Looking for a new frying pan or curtain set,
but don’t want to pay full price? Take a trip
down the clearance aisle! Most of these items
are there because of overstock or simply
because they haven’t been able to sell them,
which means you get to save money on your
purchase! You can regularly save up to 80% off
on clearance items, which is money you can set aside!
11. Set Up an Automatic Christmas Budget
Instead of waiting until the last minute to do your Christmas
shopping, which can cause you to spend way more than you
expected, try setting up a Christmas budget. Get a Christmas Club
account and set your budget to have your funds automatically
 transferred to this account each month. Once it’s released to you in
November, you can start shopping early and on a budget!
12. Switch to a Rewards Card
Do you get money back with your credit card? If not, take the time to get
a card that does. Having a rewards card, like the Pelican Points credit card,
lets you earn points for your purchases and redeem them for cash back
or other rewards! Without a rewards card, you’re just paying for things
without getting anything extra in return.
13. Set Up Deal Alerts for Big Purchases
That big screen TV or state of the art grill may be calling your name, but
you should really consider putting them on hold. There are a number of
deal alert websites and apps out there where you can put the type of
purchase you’re looking to make and set it up to email you when it hits
your price point! This will help you make less impulsive purchases and
save you money in the long run.
14. Get Cash Back on Purchases
Does your checking account pay you for purchases you make every
month? If not, it might be time to consider changing how you bank.
Some accounts, like Pelican’s free Kasasa Cash Back checking account,
will reward you for doing banking basics like using your debit card and
using eStatements! When you get cash back on your purchases, it’s like
you’re getting paid to buy things you were already going to buy!
 Saving on Food
15. Start a Meal Plan
Tired of being confused about what you’re going to eat for dinner?
Start a meal plan! Not only will this help keep your breakfasts, lunches
and dinners scheduled for the week, but you’ll also have a specific
grocery list for your next shopping trip! Sticking to your meal plan will
help you save money on your groceries! That will free up extra money
for your savings account!
16. Brown Bag Your Lunch
Grabbing lunch with your co-workers is a lot of fun, but it can also
be a very expensive habit when it becomes a normal routine. $15-
$20 per week adds up to almost $1,000 a year on going out to eat.
If you’re looking to save some extra money, see if your co-workers
would want to brown bag lunch outside the workplace by going to
a local park together. This way, you still get that much-needed time
away from the office with your friends while saving money on
your lunch break!
17. Switch to a Water Filter
If you’re like most people, you go through a
couple of cases of water each month. Instead
of spending money on all of those cases of
water, buy a water filter instead! If your family
of four drinks eight glasses of water per day,
you’re probably spending a couple thousand
dollars every year, whereas a water filter would cost you a little over
$100. That’s a lot of savings on something you already pay for!
18. Eat Before Your Grocery Trip
Have you ever noticed that you buy a lot more food at the grocery
store when you’re hungry? That’s because you end up buying a lot
more “now” foods or foods you wouldn’t normally get but would
 definitely eat right now. If you eat before you go grocery shopping,
you’re much less likely to grab extra food and snacks while you’re
there, saving you from wasting your money.
19. Make Your Coffee or Tea at Home
The average American spends $21 per week on coffee and tea as part
of their daily routine. Those $4 lattes add up pretty quickly and can
total over $1,000 per year! By making your coffee or tea at home, you
can be saving some serious extra money in your savings account!
20. Forget the Fast Food
Fast food is relatively cheap, readily
available and a welcomed dinner savior for
parents on the go. It can be hard to say
no on those weeks where you just can’t
seem to gather up the energy or patience for a
home-cooked meal. Most families are spending hundreds per month
on fast food meals. Take the extra time to cook the food you already
bought on your grocery trip and you’ll not only be saving your
money, but you’ll be healthier as well.
21. Start a Garden
Gardening can be an extremely relaxing and rewarding hobby.
It’s also a hobby that pays you back! Seeds will cost you anywhere
from $0.50-$2.50 per pack, but you can haul 20 or more pounds of
fruits and vegetables for each plant! You’ll be saving money on your
groceries and you can feel great knowing you grew it yourself!
22. Cook More Meals from Scratch
Did you know that many convenient boxed and freezer meals
actually cost you much more than you’d pay to cook the meal from
scratch? Instead of paying $2.50 for a small box of mashed potato
flakes, grab a five pound bag for the same price! This will make a large
pot of food, and you’ll have enough to freeze. On top of the money
 you’re saving, you’ll also be eating a lot healthier by adding fresh fruit
and veggies to your diet!
23. Get Creative With Leftovers
A lot of us never enjoyed leftovers as a kid and that followed us into
life as an adult. In an effort to be able to save more money, we must
get pretty creative with leftover food. Leftover turkey or chicken
works great in fried rice, gumbo or spaghetti! Leftover roast from
Sunday’s lunch makes amazing open-faced sandwiches the next
night, too! Getting in this creative mindset will help you reuse food
that would have been thrown out and give you an extra meal, which
means more money for your savings account!
24. Grocery Shop by Yourself
Some of us rarely ever stick to a shopping list when shopping with a
partner, but when we shop by ourselves we’re in and out in no time.
If you can’t go shopping by yourself, split up the grocery list and
shop separately!
25. Don’t Forget the Coupons
Have you ever gotten a coupon in the mail
and said, “Who cares about saving 40 cents?!”
Well, we should care more about those small
savings. Each of those separate coupons can add up
over time, saving you hundreds of dollars each year on
groceries you were going to buy anyway!
26. Get Rid of Paper Towels
Here’s a bit of truth for you: paper towels are addicting. We use them
to wash our hands, clean up spills and just about everything else. The
sad part is that we know we could be using a cloth towel instead. The
average household uses 2-3 rolls a week, spending up to $300 a year
for paper towels! Switching to from paper to cloth towels can save
you up to $1,500 in five years!
 Saving on Entertainment
27. Switch to Slower Internet
You’d be surprised to know that your internet speed isn’t that
fast even though you’re on the “Blazingly-Fast Internet” package.
The download and upload speeds they claim are based off of the
maximum speed they’ve seen, not how fast your internet is going
to be. By switching to a slower package, you probably won’t notice
a difference.
28. Get DVDs from the Library
Can’t get enough of your favorite drama? Instead of spending extra
money buying DVDs or renting them from a kiosk, check out what
your library has to offer. Many have a variety of new and old favorites,
including movies and TV show seasons!
29. Read Magazines at the Library
Whether you’re paying for a subscription or buying the issues at the
grocery store, magazines are an unnecessary spend! Libraries offer
free access to hundreds of magazines for card holders to read. Check
out your library to see about accessing digital versions, too! You won’t
even need to leave your house to read your favorite publication.
30. Eliminate Some of Your Cable
How many of those hundreds
of channels do you actually
watch? See if your cable
provider offers a package
with less channels. You
won’t really miss the
channels you didn’t watch,
and you’ll be saving hundreds
each year on your cable bill! After all, do you really need 50 different
sports channels?
31. Take Advantage of Discount Days
Take a look at the websites for your local zoo, aquarium and movie
theater. Many of these places will have individual and family discount
days coming up for you to go out and have a good time. Many places
also offer bulk ticket discounts or season passes that will let you have
a lot of fun for a lot less!
32. Buy Pre-Owned When Possible
Buying brand new games and movies is great, until you realize you
are paying a lot of extra money just to get a sealed copy of the same
disc. Instead of $30 per movie and $60 per game, pre-owned copies
can be 50% cheaper or less for essentially the same item! Switching
to pre-owned copies can save you a good deal of money on your
entertainment each month.
 Saving on Monthly Bills
33. Shop for Better Rates
We’ve all seen the commercials claiming that we could be saving
20% or more on our insurance rates, but have you ever considered
shopping around for the best rate? Use an insurance comparison tool
like the one on [Link] to see if you could be saving money
on your monthly payment.
34. Get Rid of Checking Account Fees
You’re probably paying fees each month
for having a checking account at your
bank or financial institution. Switch your
checking account to a credit union for
no-fee banking. Many credit unions,
including Pelican, have no-fee checking
accounts that pay higher interest! To top
it off, they’ll pay you dividends just for
being a member!
35. Change Your Transportation
Instead of starting up your car to drive around the corner,
consider walking or riding a bike. Not only will you be saving
money on gas and normal vehicle wear, you’ll also be healthier,
which can lead to less money spent on health-related issues.
36. Change Your Lights
What kind of lightbulbs do you use? Chances are good that you’re
using incandescent light bulbs, which use most of their energy to
give off heat instead of light. By switching your light bulbs to new
energy-saving LED bulbs, you could be saving over $75 each year on
your electricity! Plus, the newer light bulbs last longer, so you’ll be
replacing them less often! All of this extra money can help pad your
already-growing savings account.
37. Learn to Do Minor Repairs
Many household repairs, like broken toilet
levers, clogged drains and leaky pipes, are
easy to do. Doing these yourself can save you
time and money that may have been wasted
by calling a plumber or handyman. Instead of
paying them an arm and a leg to fix it, buy the
parts yourself and fix it for a fraction of the cost.
38. Use the Dryer Less
Your dryer costs a good bit in electricity each year, and you don’t
even know it! If you find yourself doing 4-6 loads of clothes each
week, you could be saving up to $200 or more each year by hanging
your clothes outside to dry! If you like how clothes feel using a dryer,
try line-drying them until they’re almost done and then tossing them
in. You’ll be happy with your monthly savings!
39. Reduce Your Phone Bill
How much are you paying for your phone bill? Probably too much
if we had to guess. With the addition of smartphones and data
plans, cell phone plans have gotten to be hundreds of dollars each
month. Consider switching to a phone card or “pay as you go” plan.
Check your plan and you’ll probably see that you don’t use near as
many minutes or texts as you think. If you have Wi-Fi at your house
and work, you probably are using a lot less data, too. Switching to a
different plan can save you hundreds of dollars each month!
40. Unplug to Save
Most of your household devices are probably plugged into a power
strip or directly into the wall while you’re reading this. Did you know
that even though they may be off, they’re using electricity just by
being plugged in? This is called phantom power and each device
could be using up to $1 of phantom power by simply being plugged
in. It might not sound like much, but once you start counting the
 blender, the toaster, the gaming console(s) and unused chargers, you
can see just how expensive it can be to leave things plugged in. Turn
off power strips or unplug unused devices to start saving some extra
money each month.

Even if you can’t seem to set aside money, using any of these tips can
help you save lots of money each year! That’s enough to start a nice
little nest egg in your savings account. Use these 40 tips to help run
your finances and stop letting them run you—even if you’re terrible
at saving.

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