People Are Revealing The Life Hacks That Saved Them Serious Money And I'm Literally Taking Notes

"I love to cook every night, it’s part of my family’s wind down routine, so I don’t like cooking everything in advanced. However, prepping for meals has allowed me to feed my family of four for about $200 a week with three healthy meals a day, plus snacks and desserts."

It's no question that things have become PRICEY pricey. Literally everything from housing to eggs have spiked in price (I would cry, but tissues are not in the budget this week).

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Because the price of literally everything is outrageous, Redditor u/Just-Juggernaut-5305 asked "What's a life hack that saved you a ton of money?" And here are 19 of the best responses:

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1. "Google for coupon codes before buying anything online."

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"It takes a lot of trial & error, but sometimes you find gems. I once found a code for 60% off, and it worked!"

-u/paper_wavements

2. "Never, EVER carry any kind of balance on a credit card."

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"Use your cards for whatever points they give, but pay them off every month WITHOUT exception.

If you can't afford to pay it off before the next statement, DON'T BUY IT."

-u/Racklefrack

3. "Every time I want something frivolous, I question how long would I have to work to have it."

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"Is it worth an hour of my time? 10 hours of my time? Would I be happy if I worked at my job and they told me this is what I’m getting instead of a paycheck for that amount of time? Most times the answer is no."

-u/duckysmomma

4. "Not me, but I have friends who decided to go to county college to start and then transferred to a university once they actually knew what degree they wanna pursue."

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"Saved them a lot on student loan debt."

-u/TnT54321

5. "Basically quit using paper towels."

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"We have an elderly dog who pees in the house a lot and we were going through a ton of paper towels each month (like a large 12 roll bag). I bought a large bag of white kitchen towels from Costco (I think I got 65 for like 50 bucks). We have bought one bag of paper towels since, and have saved about $300. Not to mention the environmental impact. It causes me to have to do a bit more laundry, but it’s worth it"

-u/wilkerws34

6. "Pre-paid cell plans."

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"We own all three of our phones and pay $75 a month plus sales tax."

-u/PrisonerV

7. "Learning to cut my own hair, especially fading the sides."

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"Clippers, guards, a hand mirror, and a wall mirror…save me, what, $60–70 bucks every two to three weeks?"

-u/mywaytilpayday

8. "Creating a list of meals every Sunday for the week."

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"I love to cook every night, it’s part of my family’s wind down routine, so I don’t like cooking everything in advanced. However, prepping for meals has allowed me to feed my family of four for about $200 a week with three healthy meals a day, plus snacks and desserts. Also, take advantage of the coupon list at your local grocery store!"

-u/que_am_i

9. "Drinking water has saved me so much money!"

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"Not only is it better for your body, but you’d be surprised how quickly the cost of a soda adds up over time."

-u/Elmnt65

10. "Don’t be afraid to make a return when something doesn’t work out."

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"Even food...of course within reason. Please don’t be that guy and don’t be a jerk about it, but if you buy something and don’t like it, won’t use it — try to take it back. Worst they’ll say is no. And always initiate it through customer service chat online first. Sometimes they’ll refund you and tell you to just keep the product or donate it.

I never made returns until just a couple of months ago and I’m blown away how much money I’ve gotten back on stuff I would have just tossed or never used."

-u/smashier

11. "Buy a reasonably priced house on a 15 year mortgage instead of a 30."

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"No, it doesn't double your monthly payment, just saves a huge amount of interest over the years.

I have owned outright for the last 10-ish years now. Just have paid property tax and maintenance for it at this point and it has appreciated in value for when we want to sell.

Yes, I know prices have gone up, but it is still possible for many people if they don't try to buy too much house from the get-go."

-u/Reasonable-Bus-2187

12. "There is a YouTube video for everything."

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"I have fixed my own and my wife’s vehicles myself countless times by just looking it up on YouTube"

-u/supes420

13. "Open a savings account at a credit union as soon as you can."

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"Even if you’re a kid. Especially if you’re a kid. Like, parents, do this the instant the kid is eligible. It’s like $25 minimum deposit. You can forget about the money in there if you want. Then years later, when applying for a car or home loan, the nice person at the desk pulls up your account information, says something along the lines of, 'And I see you’ve been a member with us for…whoa' and you get a much better rate than someone who just came in for the first time, potentially saving thousands of dollars in the long run."

-u/TheCosmicJester

14. "Always open your mail."

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"Took me a while to figure this one out when I became an adult, but consistently making sure to open the mail has saved me from missing payments (especially late fees) and opportunities (even checks I wasn't expecting). I used to let it all pile up or assume it was junk and not open it at all when I was younger, and that cost me quite a bit on more than one occasion."

-u/abshetmonkey88

15. "When you buy household items, don't buy the cheap whatevers"

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"Buy good whatevers that will last. From kitchen to bathroom to bedrooms and living rooms, if you spend about 30% more on your initial purchase, you generally save having to buy new whatevers in a year or two."

-u/my_trout_is_killgore

16. "Before you make a big purchase, email/message the company and ask if they have any deals for the type of item you're looking to buy."

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"They'll almost always give you some sort of discount code just for asking or for being a new customer. Or they'll say something like, 'Not now, but for X holiday everything will be X% off.' I do this and typically save 10-30% or even get free shipping."

-u/InternalizedIsm

17. "Shop around for new insurance every time your current premium increases."

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"Been doing this for over 12 years and I've received better quotes elsewhere for the same amount or less than I would be paying if I just renewed. I've even returned back again to the same insurance companies on cheaper premiums that I had with them during the last stint. The competitive pricing war between insurance companies can be to our benefit if you take advantage of it."

-u/conscious_menace22

18. "Buy lightbulbs, staple receipt to box."

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"When they don’t last anywhere near the 7-14 years they advertise, you can call and they'll send you new lightbulbs.

It’s great. I use Phillips Hue bulbs throughout my house, which are admittedly expensive. But I haven’t had to pay to replace a single one yet thanks to a half decent warranty and having all the receipts."

-u/englishinseconds

19. Finally, "Track your spending. Every penny."

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"Once you know how much you actually spend, you'll learn to spot where you can cut. Literally down to the quarter in your parking meter."

-u/AnnArchist

What are your helpful tips on how you save money? Let us know in the comments below!