Lately, people are way more open about budgeting and saving money. Let me tell you, this is a trend I can get behind! So it made sense for me to share this Reddit thread I recently came across about unusual or surprising ways people are saving money. Here is what people had to say:
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1. "My car battery died, and I didn’t want to pay to have my car towed. I found out that AAA lets you do a monthly membership for $6. I called and asked when I could use it after signing up, and the guy said the next day. So I signed up for $6 and waited until the next morning and got a new car battery installed on my driveway."
2. "Stop exchanging gifts for every niece or nephew's birthday or Christmas."
3. "Learn to fix things rather than just replacing them or paying someone to get it fixed. YouTube is a good way to learn these things."
4. "I own an older home. Before putting new siding on it, I decided to put plastic sheeting over the entire thing. Cutting out the windows, doors, and vents. I did this a few months before putting up the new siding. I noticed a dramatic reduction in my monthly heating and cooling (electric) bill by nearly $60. I used the 4mil sheeting I got from Lowe's. Cost was about $55 for a 10'x100' roll."
5. "Having more staycations. I got to the point where I looked forward to being at home relaxing instead of running around pretending I was enjoying myself."
6. "I quit tobacco two years ago. Big saver, to say the least. I reviewed all my streaming services and removed all of them, and even got a refund for a few."
7. "I changed my music streaming plan from a high-quality family plan to a single-user plan. It saves me a couple of bucks every month."
8. "I make budgets for the stupid shit I want to spend money on. Like, for example, we have an 'I don't feel up to cooking; let's get something thrown at us through a window' budget. Once the budget is gone, that's it. This works for me because it was the impulse purchases that were killing my savings."
9. "Attending everything I’m invited to is now more carefully thought out. If I need to pay to eat or drink at a party at a restaurant or bar, then I will say yes only sparingly. I prefer potlucks. I like hosting them, too, and it makes it easier for everyone’s wallets, actually."
10. "I saved on unnecessary extras by learning how to do my own lash extensions, gel nails, hair color, and waxing."
11. "Take pictures of that place or thing you want. Save it to your phone. Look into it until your desire to buy that disappears. Works for me!"
12. "Grocery shop via Walmart delivery. I save so much money just getting things I need and am not tempted by all the other goodies in the store that I just have to have."
13. "I got a second job. If I want something, I now think of it in terms of the hours I need to work at my second job, cutting into my free time. My primary job is survival. My second job is wants. I just spent two hours doing this for work. That's $62. Is that item worth two hours with an angry junkie?"
Learn more about some of the second jobs people have taken on to help them earn extra cash.