5 Ways To Spend Less Money

Having a family of five with one income is extremely tough. Sometimes it is hard to spend less.

Especially with convenience at every turn, and telling the kids no is no easy task either, lol.

After a while, you have to find a way, so let us get into my five ways to spend less money. 

Write Out a Grocery List Before Going to the Grocery Store 

I won’t tell you how many times I went to the grocery store to get XYZ and promised myself that I would get what I needed.

Of course, I ended up leaving with all ten items from under the for sale sign or, better yet, “let’s just take a walk down the clearance aisle” it’s for clearance; I’ll “save on money.”

When I started making a list, I got what was on my list and walked out. It’s hard at first, but after you decide to find a way to spend less, you make the change too.  

Stop Spending Money on Alcohol and Tobacco! 

The average American smoker spends $2,292 a year!!

That’s a whole extra mortgage or rent payment for some parts of the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend about 1% of their income on alcohol (I’m convinced it’s more than that).

At least for me, it was; I decided not to buy alcohol at all, especially not at bars or clubs.

It has saved me a lot of money and forced me to be the DD, so saving my friends money on a rideshare company. 

Track Your Expenses 

Yes, I get it who has time to track expenses.

You must keep track of what you spend if you want to spend less money. When I was checking my mint account, I saw that I spent $1,500 on fast food for that month!! I knew I spent a lot on food but not that much.

Since then, I have constantly checked my Mint account daily, even if I didn’t pay anything.

As Robin Sharm once said, “What gets measured gets improved” that goes for everything, especially finances.  

Buy Generic (If you can) 

Usually, the difference between generic and the “name brand” is the label.

Sometimes, both are made in the same factory.

Granted, this won’t make you a millionaire, but this post is not about becoming a millionaire.

It’s about a millionaire habit, aka spending less money, and sometimes buying generic is cheaper and taste just as good.  

Pay Everything On Time 

One of the things I hate most in this world is wasting my money on late fees; geez!

That $25 late fee or $30 reconnection fee is just a drag and can be avoided sometimes.

I finally was able to stop doing this by having a month’s worth of bills in our family bills account and having all of our bills come out automatically so that I won’t get that stinking fee again. 

Yes, I get it, most people don’t have $1,000 in their checking account. A good way to pay your bills are to have them scheduled. Not automatic but a weekly reminder or bi-weekly remainder.

That way you will at least check to make sure you are not late.

I hope these tips help you spend less money, if you have any tips or tricks please comment below!