20 Easy Ways To Cut Down Monthly Expenses (2024)
Monthly expenses can have a huge effect on your financial goals. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck or struggling to save up for your future, then you have probably given a lot of thought to your bills. Even those small ones add up, so it’s important to find ways to cut down on your monthly expenses.
Whether it’s meal planning, grocery budget, cell phone bills, home insurance etc. cut expenses as much as you can. Remember spending a lot of money can influence your personal finance and paying off debt can get tough. Hence, cutting the budget is necessary. Here are 20 ways to cut cable of your monthly budget expenditure.
1. Write down all of your expenses
How to cut expenses on the family budget? More often than you realize, you hand over a dollar or two for something and think “it’s only a dollar.” But those dollars add up more than you think.
To be more mindful of what you’re spending, write down everything you spend for a month and you can then see where to cut costs in the future. This will work, trust me. All you need is a pocket-sized notebook to keep in your purse. You don’t know what you’re actually spending until you see it all in front of you.
If you want to really get into it, read our article Why You Need To Create A Money Saving Chart Now to learn how to organize your spending and saving habits.
2. Cut out the takeaway coffees
If you’re like me, then coffee is a part of your daily routine. While coffee is fantastic, it can be pricey. Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks will empty your wallet pretty quickly, so the best way to cut back is to switch over to take away coffee.
Find a nice to-go mug and a homebrew coffee that you like and start making your coffee in the morning. Not only will you save money, but you will also save time and cut down monthly expenses.
3. Cycle or walk to work
This one can be trickier if you have a long commute, but cars are money guzzling machines, so it may be worth it to work out how to get to work with a cheaper route. Buses, bikes, trains, carpooling, and walking are all good ways to get around driving to work. You might even find yourself getting some exercise in at the same time.
4. Shop in thrift stores
You can find designer items for way less than normal prices in thrift stores. You probably won’t want to get everything at thrift stores (intimates and shoes are a little questionable), but you can find some nicer things or a cheaper alternative for Halloween costumes.
5. Buy unbranded products
How to reduce expenses and save money? This one might not feel like it is making a difference, but it really helps! You may only be saving a couple of cents on each item, but all those pennies add up over time. And sometimes, the savings are even more.
There may be some groceries that you can’t change out, but read the label and see for yourself. Brand name and generic almost always have the exact same ingredients. Not to mention, there usually isn’t much difference in the product’s quality.
6. Take your own lunch to work
Thinking about how to drastically cut expenses? This takes a little more time than some people want with bare bones budget because you have to prepare your own meal before you leave your home. But wouldn’t you prefer to have an extra couple of bucks (up to $100) at the end of each month instead? That can be pretty large savings by the end of the year!
Invest in a nice lunch box and start cooking!
7. Meal prep
Set aside a few hours on Sunday night and make a load of different 25 pm (wink wink) dishes to prepare you for the whole week. You can make cooking at home exciting that way. Pop them in the freezer and you won’t be tempted to head out for lunch during the week.
8. Cut out the pricey drinks
Perhaps you don’t drink much, but for a lot of people, spending a good proportion of their monthly salary on expensive boozy nights out as part of their monthly regime. If this rings true, try cutting back or going alcohol-free for a month to see how much you save.
9. Buy nonperishable items in bulk (and use coupons)
A lot of people never think to buy the “club” sizes of products. They think they don’t need that much or they don’t have the space to store it.
However, ut the price of some of those foods per unit can be real savings for you.
You should also keep an eye out for coupons and codes of food or other items that you use a lot. Whenever you shop online, use Honey to have the best coupons at your fingertips.
Using Honey is simple. When you shop online, fill up your cart as normal. Then, click on the Honey extension and it will automatically search the web for available coupon codes.
Once it’s done searching, it will apply the coupon that saves you the most money. How amazing is that?
Sign up with Honey for free today!
10. Refinance your loans
10. Refinance your loansIf you think you might be eligible to refinance your home at a lower rate, contact some lending institutions and inquire. Even if you’re underwater on your mortgage, you may still be able to consolidate all or some of them. Locking in a lower interest rate can not only save you money over the life of the loan but can also lower your monthly payment and increase your monthly cash flow.
11. Consolidate your student loans
This can be a big one if you have a lot of student debt.
If your loans are locked at a high-interest rate, figure out whether it makes sense to consolidate all or some of them. This isn’t really an upfront saving, but it would make your money go further in the long run since you will pay off your loans quicker.
If you want to save more money, you should also consider refinancing your student loans. Read our article Is It Worth It To Refinance A Student Loan? to learn more about this.
12. Install CFL or LED light bulbs
You might want to consider switching your lights to either CFLs or, better yet, LEDs. These different bulbs are way more energy efficient than the regular bulbs you probably have in your house. On average, an LED bulb will save you 66 cents a month in one bulb, so if you change all of them in your house, you could be looking at roughly $50 of savings a year, which is not bad considering those bulbs will last for years.
13. Install a programmable thermostat
We’ve got the technology now that allows us to have programmable thermostats. With these, you can automatically change the heating and cooling of your home when you’re not at home when you’re asleep, and so on, saving significantly on your heating and cooling bills. You can also set it to heat or cool your home right before you arrive home from work. This is especially useful for people with erratic schedules or anyone worried about their pets at home during the day.
14. Unplug all unused electronics
My mom started doing this a few years back, and it initially drove me insane. However, it has ended up saving on electricity, so I can’t argue with her on it. Everything that is plugged in draws us electricity, even if it’s not in use. Now, it obviously doesn’t pull out as much, but it still has a tiny amount going through, so unplugging things can actually lower your bill.
15. Utilize timers and power strips
Along those lines, consider using power strips and power timers to turn electrical devices on and off. These things can help control the tiny amount of electricity that plugs draw out. They have switches or timers that will shut down the plugs access to electricity. This way you won’t have to unplug all your things to save extra money.
16. Lower the temperature on your water heater
THIS IS A MAJOR ONE!
If you are thinking, “how do I drastically cut my budget?” You might not know, but your water heater is a major drain on your money. Hot water heaters use roughly 15% of your energy on your bill, and it doesn’t need to.
People typically have their water temperature up higher than they need it. If you turn down your temperature to 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit, you can save a portion of your energy bill per month.
17. Cancel unused memberships
People hold on to gym memberships a lot longer than necessary. They might try to convince themselves that they will eventually get back to the gym and use it, so it’s worth keeping.
The reality is that you may not need it, and you shouldn’t pay for it if you’re not actually using it.
If you need help managing your monthly membership fees, sign up with Trim. This service will analyze your monthly bills and report back to you where you can save money. This might mean downgrading your gym membership or canceling it all together. Regardless of the outcome, you will save money with this amazing tool!
If you aren’t going at least once a week, you should cancel your membership. It’ll save you anywhere from $10 – $80 a month.
18. Reduce or eliminate your cable bill
Netflix and Amazon Prime may end up replacing cable television in the next few years. There’s a good chance you find a cheaper way to gain access to your favorite shows if you try hard enough. Consider downgrading or canceling your cable altogether if you are already using streaming services.
Again, Trim is here to help you with this process. They will negotiate with companies on your behalf to reduce your cable, Internet, electricity, and other bills.
Start saving with Trim today!
19. Request a credit card rate reduction
If you have a lot of credit card debt, try calling your card company and see if you can get a rate reduction.
Paying less on your interest can make a big change in your monthly budget. This is usually only something you can do if you pay your bill on time all the time.
The key here, though, is to stop buying on credit until your financial situation is healthy.
20. Bundle your insurance plans
Most insurance companies also offer a good discount if you bundle your homeowners and auto policies together. If you currently use two separate insurers, ask what kind of discount each would offer if you bundled the plans together. Additionally, make sure you check every so often with other companies about their rates. They may be able to give you a better offer, and your company might even try to match other offers if you get them.
