"The Savings Have Really Stacked Up": People Are Sharing The Lifestyle Changes That Helped Them Spend Less Money
Recently, u/librarysquarian asked people on Reddit to share the lifestyle changes that ended up helping them save money, and in response, people shared tons of really practical ideas. Here are some of the top comments:
1."I started getting cash out each month instead of using my debit card. It was SO easy for me to just swipe my card and not really pay attention to what I was spending. With physical cash in my wallet, I keep much better track of my spending and don’t go over budget. I also don’t spend coins. All my change goes into a jar, and I turn it in every few months. Easy way to save up an extra $40–$50 each month that I barely notice, and it becomes my vacation fund."
2."I stopped drinking due to poor choices that kept me in a perpetual cycle of regret and anxiety. I was floored by the amount of money I didn’t even realize was being lit on fire all in the name of booze. When drinks are involved, so, too, are shitty food and bad choices. No booze = way more money."
3."Not being worried about getting the best or perfect item and living with what I have until it breaks or wears out. While I’m a relative minimalist, I’ve wasted a lot of money on multiple items looking for the perfect thing that doesn’t exist."
4."Joining a buy nothing group. I joined it because I became unemployed while pregnant, and I also needed to declutter to make room for said baby. I created a spreadsheet of all the stuff I got for free (mostly baby things), and it was well over $2k. As an aside, I've also decluttered over 200 items, which was a really handy way to really evaluate my past impulse purchases so that I am more mindful in the future."
"Now whenever I want something I see online, I pop it into my shopping cart and let it sit for a couple of days. If I have decided I do actually need it, I will ask the buy nothing group if anyone has it. Nine out of ten times, I've been able to get the item for free.
Also, borrowing big items that I'll only need once or rarely instead of buying. That takes a bit of getting to know your community, which takes time. But getting to know my community has been a massive net positive to my life."
5."I stopped trying to be a hot girl. Paying less for hair appointments, expensive/excessive skincare and beauty products, not buying new outfits all the time to fit an image."
"Same, LOL. The cost of skincare/haircare/makeup products really add up. Then you have mani/pedicures, hair removal, haircuts/styling etc. Time consuming, tedious, and costly."
6."I stopped being the friend that pays for everything."
"I never Venmo requested people because I was embarrassed (they should be embarrassed for 'forgetting'), and now I just straight up say, 'Split?'"
7."When I started using pen and paper to track my spending, and started collecting 'buy nothing days' like it is a game. The pen and paper tracking method forces me to take a quiet moment to reflect on all of my spending each day. Seeing and holding the physical record of everything I’ve spent makes it so much easier for me to take it seriously."
"And for the buy nothing days, that’s kind of self explanatory. I just try to see how many lines in my spending notebook I can write, 'nothing, $0,' next to the date. I currently have a $10/day 'spending budget' after paying rent, so if I have three buy nothing days, I could theoretically spend $40 on the fourth day and still be on budget."
8."For us, avoiding restaurants in favor of cooking at home as much as possible is the biggest thing. The second biggest thing is having a budget for fun money and date money so we don’t spend just whatever we want."
"Beyond that, we have dramatically changed our shopping habits also over the years. We’re not strictly anti-consumption, but we definitely question whether we need a thing, or need as expensive of a version, whether we can get it used, etc. We buy much less stuff than we once did."
9."The old adage 'Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without' has always served me best, especially high-dollar items like phones and cars (though doing without a car and phone is not feasible for most). It also works great for things like using what you already have in the pantry or closet instead of buying more food and clothes. It is just about really evaluating what you need, and 'need' is defined differently by each of us."
10."Vegetarianism. Meat prices just keep climbing up and up. Sure, all prices do that, but dried beans and tofu are still cheap and delicious. I also have a freezer and stock it up with berries and mushrooms during the summer and autumn, and buy other groceries when I can get them cheap, like a loaf of bread that gets sold on a discount price."
11."Take your lunch to work."
"Packing lunches saves me so much money."
12."I stopped comparing myself to friends and coworkers. Once I started making decent money, I got caught in this trap for a couple of years. Everyone my age, or with whom I worked, seemed to live a better life than me — they had more expensive homes, newer cars, or went out to eat at restaurants every day for lunch. I kept thinking I needed to catch up and keep up."
"I figured out that many of them were making these decisions against their best financial interests. Example: The coworker who spent three times as much money on his house was spending more than he earned, quickly building up credit card debt, had no savings for a rainy day, and wasn't saving for retirement.
I also realized that spending three times as much money on a house doesn't get you three times as much day-to-day value. There are diminishing returns. The right balance for me will probably change with time and with my income, but I probably wouldn't get much more joy out of living in a bigger or fancier home."
13."Goodwill stores in the 'ritzy' areas are goldmines. Because of my job, I have to buy clothing often. I find $100+ shirts with tags still on them for $10 or less."
14."Doing things to take care of my health. I'm a recovering workaholic. The fuel, time, and insurance costs of medicine are way less than those of hospitalization and education gaps. I hate it, but it's true. I'm trying to learn how actually resting works."
15."Taking advantage of free-to-me things: work snacks and drinks, conference and work freebies like logo hats, shirts, and bags; expense lunches and dinners; free neighborhood groups; swaps with friends. Not being so picky."
16."I think the biggest change is just how much planning I do. I shop for summer items in the winter and sweaters in March or April. I create spreadsheets and documents for comparison shopping, want lists split into categories (clothing wants, household wants, etc.), upcoming birthdays, and whatever. I can't afford to YOLO in life, LOL."
"The other change is much harder, and that's being patient. Once I learned how to be patient and live life on a longer timeline than just this month, it got a lot easier. Frugality for me was a whole mindset shift. The buy-now mentality must be eliminated in favor of patience. But then you develop this amazing self-discipline, and you can use that in so many ways to reach other goals, too. It's a lot of work for an extraordinary reward."
17."Buying the nicer or more expensive item upfront. I come from a family where money was super tight. We lived way below our means to stay out of debt, and growing up, I was forced to get the off brand for everything. Yes, off brand for a lot of things is the way to go, but things like shoes and certain clothing items for example is cheaper in the long run. I remember wanting a pair of Vans growing up. I even saved up for my own pair and being told not to buy them and just get two pairs of knock-offs instead. I ended up never wearing the knock-offs and eventually buying the Vans I wanted anyways. Could have just saved my money to begin with."
"Absolutely. Buy cheap, buy twice, or more. Quality is worth saving up for as long as there's no emergency."
18."I had been researching and buying random things I thought I wanted every week. After a while, I realized none of it made me happy. So I stopped."
19."I am not sure if this qualifies as a 'lifestyle' change, but I had to unsubscribe from all the sale emails from all my favorite brands/stores/restaurants. It is keeping me accountable to not spend just because something is on sale. If I don't see it, I don't get that FOMO."
20."Learning to say 'no.' I'm not suggesting taking precious time with friends and family for granted. Spend time with them. Just don't fill up every week and/or weekend schedule with activities that end up costing money, gas, and all of your time. It's also exhausting."
21."I keep the heat in the house to a minimum. I have a heated mattress pad and a heated throw blanket for the couch. Paired with slippers, socks, and hoodies, I save $50 a month."
22."A very specific change I can recommend for both health and wealth is to get in the habit of making overnight oats. I do not have the price per meal calculations handy, but suffice it to say, it is a very cheap yet filling and healthy meal. You can customize them in all sorts of ways with nuts and berries, seeds, etc. We can make six of these (three each for two people) in ten minutes and have breakfast done for the next three days. I love this change because it simplifies breakfast, saves money, and is easy, delicious, and healthy."
23."When my employer couldn't give me the full raise I requested during the pandemic, I negotiated full-time work from home. Shortly after that, I switched from a truck with a six-year loan to a 2007 Prius bought in cash. I went from a rough monthly cost of $375 loan, $180 insurance, $200 fuel, and $100 maintenance to something like $200 into savings for eventual replacement, $90 insurance, $40 fuel, and $100 maintenance."
24."I took a look at my fixed costs to see what I could reduce or eliminate. These are costs like car insurance, cellphone, streaming services, and other subscriptions. I cut hundreds from my monthly budget by shopping for new insurance, changing my phone and my daughter’s phone plans to Mint Mobile, and getting rid of Netflix."
25."Meal planning based on weekly sales flyers has saved a lot. Many grocery stores offer free order pickup with a large enough purchase. It cuts out impulse purchases."
26."Making home versions of chain-restaurant foods. Especially if they can be made ahead of time and frozen. Because let's face it, cravings happen! And I don't know about you, but half the time, if I resist a craving, it just gets stronger, until it drives me nuts. So, having something like a formed pizza crust in the freezer or a package of fried chicken strips means I can satisfy the craving without spending restaurant or take-out prices."
27."Avoiding buying individual drinks. This includes not grabbing a beer after work, not having a soda with your McD's order, not buying sodas for the house, not grabbing a latte. The savings have really stacked up."
28."For me, it was quitting smoking. You never realize how much you're spending on it until you're not."
29."I changed the personal care products I bought. I used to buy a bunch of different lotions and body washes and always tried new skin care stuff and makeup, but I switched to just bulk bar soap, CeraVe face wash and moisturizer, one normal lotion, sunscreen, and cheaper shampoo and conditioner. I also started washing my hair once or twice a week instead of every day. Because I’m going to Target much less often for less things, I’m also not getting sucked into the money spending pit that every trip there used to be."
30."We were gifted an Instant Pot and and Instant Vortex air fryer. Since we started using them, we use our gas stove a lot less. Our gas bill went from $150 a month down to $35/month, and our electric bill didn’t go up at all."
31.And finally, "I quit social media. I curved so many eating out cravings, junk food, alcohol, and impulse buys. It also helps curb FOMO, which usually leads to expensive nights out."
Is there a lifestyle change or habit that's helped you save more money? Tell us about it in the comments!
