7 Unexpected Ways To Save On Everyday Expenses

7 Unexpected Ways To Save On Everyday Expenses

None of us like to spend money when we don’t have to. Yet we have to spend it every day on things we both need and want. From gas to groceries, movies to dining out, prescriptions to cleaning supplies and toiletries, there are expenses we have every day. Here are seven unexpected ways to save on those expenses.

Coupons

Believe it or not, when your mom used to clip coupons from the Sunday paper, she had the right idea. Brands will often offer coupons to entice buyers to purchase their product rather than that of their competition.

This includes coupons from prescription services on drugs like Eliquis and other prescriptions that do not yet offer generic equivalents and can be very expensive for the average person to afford to a buy one get one free coupon for snack foods or soda.

Using coupons to save on everyday expenses does not have to come from the newspaper on Sundays? There are many electronic coupons and those found on the web that can save you at least some money every week.

Savings Programs

Not specifically a way to save on everyday expenses but a way to save toward them is online savings programs. These programs use a variety of methods to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar above the cost, and deposit the change in a savings account of some sort.

These can help you save toward everyday purchases by putting money away in a place where it is not too easily accessible.

Gas Rewards Plans

If you drive, you buy gas, and often the cost can seem daunting. The prices vary so much from week to week, this is a hard expense to budget for. One way to help save at the pump is to get a gas rewards card. These are often combined with grocery stores or other retailers, but companies like Shell and Chevron offer standalone programs too.

You don’t have to get a credit card to use these rewards. You can tie your debit or another card to your rewards account, and simply use your phone number at the pump to activate discounts. This can save you from 15 to 25 cents per gallon, and even more through special promotions.

Shopping Cards

Many companies will offer you shopping cards, often tied to your phone number or a little card that you scan before you make your purchases. It is important to understand the reason they do this. The company is studying shopper behavior and gathering data. Although typically this data is anonymized, it is still being used to inform the company how shoppers shop, what they buy, and when.

Still, these cards can offer savings that are significant, including special member pricing and sales. Take advantage of these cards to save money every day.

Buy in Bulk

Typically buying larger quantities of specific things will save you money. For instance, purchasing a larger jar of peanut butter usually means the cost per ounce is lower than smaller quantities.

The downfall to buying in bulk comes in two parts: storage and using up perishable or semi-perishable items before they expire or spoil. This means that while buying toilet paper and paper towels in bulk will save you money, you need to have a place to store them. Buying milk in larger quantities might not be such a great idea, unless you freeze it or your family goes through it quickly.

Membership Stores

While you have to watch your costs, often membership stores can offer you big benefit savings especially on large ticket purchases and bulk items. Buying tires at a Sam’s Club or Costco can be much cheaper than at your local chain tire store. The same is true of TV’s and other items.

These stores also often offer cash back through higher membership tiers, and you can use that cash to pay for your membership the next year or toward other items you wish to purchase there.

If you shop around carefully, these membership stores can often be worth the cost of membership and then some, but just be sure to figure in the cost of your membership when you are looking at the savings you receive.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are about more than just magazines and newspapers. A large percentage of households have a subscription to Netflix or another movie service which not only offers you savings on movie rentals but offers original programming and entertainment as well. Even combining Netflix with other streaming services, the amount you save over cable can be more than enough to pay for itself.

What are some other great ways to save everyday? Leave us a comment with your best tips in the section below.

There are other types of subscriptions as well. The Dollar Shave Club, Stitch Fix and Bombfell cover clothing and personal hygiene, where others provide products and services delivered to your door regularly  with no need to think about it or go shopping.

These subscriptions can save you a great deal of money over buying the same items in the grocery store or at the mall.

There are a lot of ways to trim your budget and save money. Use these seven to save a little or a lot on your everyday expenses.

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