Looking for ways to cut back and save money? You can do it with this list of 15 things to easily cut from your budget to save money.
What You Need To Cut From Your Budget
Another paycheck comes and within minutes of it hitting your account, it’s almost back to nothing after paying all the bills.
I know this feeling all too well. Living paycheck to paycheck is never fun. But you can break the cycle with these 15 things to easily cut from your budget.
Have you been spending too much money? Are you not saving enough… or not saving at all? Or maybe you just want to save up for a nice vacation.
Creating and sticking to a budget may not always be easy, but there are some simple ways you can make an impact on your finances.
And who knows, that dream vacation where you get to hold a sloth may just come quicker then you think…
Cut these from your budget to save money every month
1 – Dining out
Pretty obvious but always a tough one. We all know dining out can cost an arm and a leg.
It cost me $1.75 to add avocado to my eggs the other day and I got maybe an eighth of the actual avocado.
But you don’t need to give up eating out entirely. Take a look at how often you go and try to cut that in half. Start small and work your way down.
Or better yet, experiment with some copycat recipes you can easily find on Pinterest. And who knows, maybe you won’t feel the need to go out as often.
2 – Prepackaged Food
Cutting money from your grocery bills can save you a ton of money. And the nice thing is, you can do it without even noticing.
Start buying generic branded items and stop buying pre-made meals. If you can buy the ingredients and make things yourself, you would save a lot of money.
3 – Cable TV (Or Sattelite)
Cable prices keep going up and up and up. If you’ve been a cable customer, you know all too well that the longer you are a customer, the more your bill goes up… what’s up with that?!?
Cut the cable bill and stick to Netflix and Hulu. Or buy a Firestick and get Amazon Prime. Then you have shows AND movies.
4 – Target Visits
I, for one, cringe at even having to write this. But it’s so true. You’ve heard the saying “You don’t go to Target because you need something, you go to Target and let Target tell you what you need.”
It’s impossible to go there without buying something pretty. So do yourself a favor, and just don’t go at all. I know if I cut Target out of my budget, I’d save hundreds every month.
5 – Club Memberships
Is that Gym membership really getting used? Maybe it is and maybe you go to the gym hours a day, every day of the week. But even if you did, think to yourself… do you really need it?
You can pretty much find anything on YouTube these days so if you need a good yoga class, or weight lifting routine, then find it online for FREE! And hey, running outdoors never cost a dime.
6 – Bottled Water
Another one I am totally guilty of. I just haven’t found any tap water or filters that I like the taste of. But buying bottled water is such a huge waste of money.
If you can use filtered water, do it! Even buying yourself a nice Hydro flask and using it over and over will save you money in the long run.
Or, if you really need bottled water, buy the jugs (generic brand) from the grocery store. A gallon of drinking water is only $0.99 where I shop. It’s a HUGE saving over the Dasani I usually drink.
7 – Paper Towels
Yes, I know, paper towels are so convenient. But when you really add up how many you use for every little thing… the cost adds up too. Not to mention the waste! You and mother nature don’t need that.
Buy some hand towels and use those. There’s nothing a paper towel can do that a cheap hand towel can’t.
8 – Entertainment
How mean am I? First I told you not to dine out. Then I told you to cut your cable bill. And now I’m telling you to cut your entertainment! Agghhh!!
Well, don’t get too carried away. You can still go out and do fun things. Just try to cut back on what you do and how often you do it.
Want to see a movie? Skip the popcorn. Going out with friends? Order an appetizer for your meal and skip the cocktails.
9 – Salon Services
Every girl knows it’s not cheap to get your hair done. Cut and colors can run you anywhere from $100 and way up!
Try to find services on Groupon where you can get a discount. Or even try to stretch out how often you get services done.
10 – Magazines
Seriously, do people still read magazines anymore? Ok ok, I do enjoy my copy of US Weekly. Until I realized they have literally the same stories online FOR FREE.
You still really want that issue of Good Housekeeping or Cosmo? Find a friend who gets a subscription and see if they will give you past months’ issues.
Cause let’s be honest, the material they write doesn’t vary many months to month.
11 – Cleaning Products
Paper towels could potentially fall into this category but really there are so many ways to save money on cleaning supplies and cleaning products.
Most of your home could be cleaned with vinegar and baking soda… and it usually does the job better then anything I’ve paid for!
Or invest in some really good cleaning cloths like the Norwex line. Where you don’t need any cleaning products or harsh chemicals and you never have to buy another paper towel again.
12 – New Clothes
Put a dagger right through my heart! Buying new clothes can soak up a ton of money. Instead, try going through stuff you already have and see if it can be updated with the right accessory.
13 – Home Services
I know the comfort of having your lawn maintained, or having a housekeeper come once a month. But oftentimes, these services are not cheap and can easily be done on your own.
You don’t need to be an expert to deep clean your house or mow your lawn. It may not be fun, but it’s doable.
14 – Coffee
Yeah yeah. You hear it all the time. Starbucks is expensive. A $5 cup of coffee a day really adds up.
But even if you only have it 2-3 times a week, it still adds up to be way more then anything you can make at home. So cut the designer coffee.
You not only help the budget but you help the waistline too. Those drinks are high in calories!
15 – Landline
I listed this one last because not too many people still use a landline. But if for some odd reason you do, cut that from your budget now.
They are so expensive and seriously who doesn’t have a cell phone?
I got tired of paying $50 a month just to have telemarketers call me all night long. I cut my landline years ago and haven’t missed it for a second.
You can do it!
Just like going on a diet, start small. Reduce things slowly. Don’t just go cold turkey all at once or you’ll be doomed to fail.
Although some of these suggestions may seem hard at first, if you start slow and stick to a plan, you will see a huge difference in your monthly budget. Sometimes things take sacrifice.
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