Recently, u/librarysquarian asked people on Reddit to share the lifestyle changes that ended up helping them save money, and in response, people shared tons of really practical ideas. Here are some of the top comments:
1. "I started getting cash out each month instead of using my debit card. It was SO easy for me to just swipe my card and not really pay attention to what I was spending. With physical cash in my wallet, I keep much better track of my spending and don’t go over budget. I also don’t spend coins. All my change goes into a jar, and I turn it in every few months. Easy way to save up an extra $40–$50 each month that I barely notice, and it becomes my vacation fund."
2. "I stopped drinking due to poor choices that kept me in a perpetual cycle of regret and anxiety. I was floored by the amount of money I didn’t even realize was being lit on fire all in the name of booze. When drinks are involved, so, too, are shitty food and bad choices. No booze = way more money."
3. "Not being worried about getting the best or perfect item and living with what I have until it breaks or wears out. While I’m a relative minimalist, I’ve wasted a lot of money on multiple items looking for the perfect thing that doesn’t exist."
4. "Joining a buy nothing group. I joined it because I became unemployed while pregnant, and I also needed to declutter to make room for said baby. I created a spreadsheet of all the stuff I got for free (mostly baby things), and it was well over $2k. As an aside, I've also decluttered over 200 items, which was a really handy way to really evaluate my past impulse purchases so that I am more mindful in the future."
5. "I stopped trying to be a hot girl. Paying less for hair appointments, expensive/excessive skincare and beauty products, not buying new outfits all the time to fit an image."
"Same, LOL. The cost of skincare/haircare/makeup products really add up. Then you have mani/pedicures, hair removal, haircuts/styling etc. Time consuming, tedious, and costly."
6. "I stopped being the friend that pays for everything."
"I never Venmo requested people because I was embarrassed (they should be embarrassed for 'forgetting'), and now I just straight up say, 'Split?'"
7. "When I started using pen and paper to track my spending, and started collecting 'buy nothing days' like it is a game. The pen and paper tracking method forces me to take a quiet moment to reflect on all of my spending each day. Seeing and holding the physical record of everything I’ve spent makes it so much easier for me to take it seriously."
8. "For us, avoiding restaurants in favor of cooking at home as much as possible is the biggest thing. The second biggest thing is having a budget for fun money and date money so we don’t spend just whatever we want."
"Beyond that, we have dramatically changed our shopping habits also over the years. We’re not strictly anti-consumption, but we definitely question whether we need a thing, or need as expensive of a version, whether we can get it used, etc. We buy much less stuff than we once did."
9. "The old adage 'Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without' has always served me best, especially high-dollar items like phones and cars (though doing without a car and phone is not feasible for most). It also works great for things like using what you already have in the pantry or closet instead of buying more food and clothes. It is just about really evaluating what you need, and 'need' is defined differently by each of us."
10. "Vegetarianism. Meat prices just keep climbing up and up. Sure, all prices do that, but dried beans and tofu are still cheap and delicious. I also have a freezer and stock it up with berries and mushrooms during the summer and autumn, and buy other groceries when I can get them cheap, like a loaf of bread that gets sold on a discount price."
11. "Take your lunch to work."
"Packing lunches saves me so much money."
12. "I stopped comparing myself to friends and coworkers. Once I started making decent money, I got caught in this trap for a couple of years. Everyone my age, or with whom I worked, seemed to live a better life than me — they had more expensive homes, newer cars, or went out to eat at restaurants every day for lunch. I kept thinking I needed to catch up and keep up."
"I figured out that many of them were making these decisions against their best financial interests. Example: The coworker who spent three times as much money on his house was spending more than he earned, quickly building up credit card debt, had no savings for a rainy day, and wasn't saving for retirement.
I also realized that spending three times as much money on a house doesn't get you three times as much day-to-day value. There are diminishing returns. The right balance for me will probably change with time and with my income, but I probably wouldn't get much more joy out of living in a bigger or fancier home."
13. "Goodwill stores in the 'ritzy' areas are goldmines. Because of my job, I have to buy clothing often. I find $100+ shirts with tags still on them for $10 or less."
14. "Doing things to take care of my health. I'm a recovering workaholic. The fuel, time, and insurance costs of medicine are way less than those of hospitalization and education gaps. I hate it, but it's true. I'm trying to learn how actually resting works."
15. "Taking advantage of free-to-me things: work snacks and drinks, conference and work freebies like logo hats, shirts, and bags; expense lunches and dinners; free neighborhood groups; swaps with friends. Not being so picky."
16. "I think the biggest change is just how much planning I do. I shop for summer items in the winter and sweaters in March or April. I create spreadsheets and documents for comparison shopping, want lists split into categories (clothing wants, household wants, etc.), upcoming birthdays, and whatever. I can't afford to YOLO in life, LOL."
17. "Buying the nicer or more expensive item upfront. I come from a family where money was super tight. We lived way below our means to stay out of debt, and growing up, I was forced to get the off brand for everything. Yes, off brand for a lot of things is the way to go, but things like shoes and certain clothing items for example is cheaper in the long run. I remember wanting a pair of Vans growing up. I even saved up for my own pair and being told not to buy them and just get two pairs of knock-offs instead. I ended up never wearing the knock-offs and eventually buying the Vans I wanted anyways. Could have just saved my money to begin with."
"Absolutely. Buy cheap, buy twice, or more. Quality is worth saving up for as long as there's no emergency."