Charlotte Gomez / Getty / BuzzFeed / Via gettyimages.com
We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their best tips for saving money. Here are some of the most helpful tips they shared:
Note: Not all submissions are from Community users.
1. Pay yourself first.
"I always put away $50 into savings from every paycheck as if it were another bill to pay, like electricity or gas. If you look at saving money as if it were a bill, then you don’t give yourself the option to not save. It has become part of our monthly budget. And if that means we don’t get to go out to eat or buy a new fun thing that month then we don’t." —txmommy
2. Feel like you're spending too much for cable, phone, or internet? You might be.
Relativity Media
Don't be afraid to call and threaten to CANCEL YOUR SERVICE in order to get a better deal. Most cable and internet service providers will do ANYTHING to keep you as a customer, including reducing your monthly charges and revising your plan.
3. If you're in the market for a credit card, use NerdWallet to find a card that makes the most sense for you.
Do you care about travel points? Cash back? A 0% APR? Whatever it is, NerdWallet takes your credit score and your priorities into account to find you the right card.
4. Avoid spending your money on processed junk food by sticking to the outer ring of the grocery store.
FilmDistrict
"Avoid the aisles in the middle of the store — that's where they keep the overpriced garbage like chips and candy and boxed dinners that really aren't worth it. Stick to the outer ring of the store, where the fresh meat, vegetables, and dairy are usually kept." —Melanie Schneiderman, Facebook
5. And while you're at it, plan your meals for the week ahead of time.
Lauren Zaser / Alice Mongkongllite / BuzzFeed
"Meal planning is an awesome money saver. Go though your fridge/cupboard/freezer and think of meals you can make with what you have. Plan for the entire week, including lunches. Do this prior to leaving for the grocery store. Also only grocery shop once a week at the most." —rebeccap4ea0dd044
6. Join ALL the rewards programs you can!
Lucas Film, Ltd
Subscribe to EVERY grocery store and pharmacy's rewards program. It's surprising how much money you can save on your bill.
7. Be like Terry Crews and carry a photo to discourage spending.
Terry Crews carries a pic of Terry Crews, he wrote on Instagram, "so I can see it when I'm about to waste money on things I don't need lol." He started doing it after a college kid admitted he was carrying a pic of Crews around to discourage his spending. Maybe for you, it's a pic of your mom, or your intimidating professor. Whoever it is, it should be someone that says "YOU DO NOT NEED THAT EXTRA SHIRT FROM FOREVER 21, FOOL."
8. Stop! Before you buy that fresh new thing online, download the free Google Chrome extension Honey. It works by scanning the 'net for tons of great deals, coupons, and discounts, and applies them directly to your items at checkout.
Find out more about Honey, and its awesome bonus deals, here.
9. SAVE YO' RECEIPTS!
Disney
If you've bought something and see that it's gone on sale, you can often negotiate a partial refund by speaking with a customer service rep online or in-store.
10. Use the Acorns app to save money every time you spend.
BBC
"It takes the spare change from all your debit/credit purchases and invests it into your Acorns account for you. For example, if a meal was $7.55, it would take out 45 cents. I've saved a couple hundred dollars the past few months and have honestly not even noticed it leaving! And since it invests it for you, you can even end up making a few bucks." —Khalan Middleton, Facebook
11. Or use Digit.co to save tiny amounts of money each day.
AE
"Every few days it takes money from your checking account and puts it into your Digit savings account. The amount they take out is based off of how much is in your account, so they only take small amounts here and there, but it really adds up!…and you don’t even notice the money is gone. The best part is that once you get the account set up you literally don’t have to do anything. You can withdraw the money at anytime and they have a no overdraft guarantee, so they’ll never take out too much." —whittygolden
12. Your credit is important! If you get a ding on your credit, you can challege it by filing a dispute with TransUnion.
Fox
Says one user: "I had a small blip on mine I didn't understand, and so I filed a dispute through TransUnion. Even though I can't say I 100% understood their findings report, they did remove it and my score shot up 60 points immediately."
13. Create a weekly or monthly cash-based budget for yourself — and stick to it.
HBO
"I take out $250 in cash a month for going out for food, drinks, and movies. When the cash is gone, I'm done going out till the next month." —Cassie Jenis, Facebook
14. Unsubscribe from retail store sale emails!
Fox
"When I get emails for sales or new items I am always tempted to buy things. When I unsubscribed from all store emails I noticed I had way more money in my bank account." —maggieannw
15. If you're still in college (or you have a student ID that's still somehow valid), USE THAT SHIZ.
Universal Pictures
There are literally HUNDREDS OF STORES that will give you discounts for your school learnin'.
16. Continue to pay yourself, even after you've paid off your debt.
ABC
"When you're done paying something off (car payment, credit card, loans, etc.), keep 'paying' yourself that amount into a separate savings account! By the time you need a new car or need a mortgage instead of student loans you'll have a solid down payment built up!" —Michele Pinkham, Facebook
17. Buy in bulk when it makes sense — and if you have the storage space.
Getty Images
"Buy the bulk one-gallon shampoo from a beauty supply store like Sally Beauty. One of these will last well over a year or two, and they only cost around 10 bucks!" —Casey Marie, Facebook
18. Keep your savings and checking accounts WAYYYYY separate.
Universal Pictures
"Have your savings account at a different bank than your checking account. Then you have to physically move your money over to savings but you are way less likely to spend savings account money on something you don't need when you can't just transfer the money between accounts." —Misty Loeffelholz, Facebook
Some entries were condensed for length or clarity.
