Smart Ways to Save Your Money This Year as a Family

Sometimes you look at your bills and make the OMG emoji face. Sometimes you wonder where all your hard-earned money is going.

Does this resonate with you? If it does, you might be looking for ways to save more money. You might be looking for creative ways to save money, but budgeting doesn’t always have to be creative. Some simple changes can also make a big impact! So if you’re looking for how to save money tips, keep reading!

Ideas to help you save money this year

 

Make a budget

If you don’t already have a budget, now is the time to make one. You can read my post teaching you how to make a monthly budget like a boss, and grab the free printable! The act of making the budget helps you look at what you’re earning, and most importantly, what you’re spending it on. It can be really eye-opening to see where your money goes, and that helps you trim it down. Getting a good budget in place is a great way to help you learn how to save your money.

 

Cut Cable

One huge way we have started saving money is by dropping our huge monthly bundled subscription! That’s right, we cut Cable. We never even used our home phone line and it was an extra $50 a month! So we just have internet and a few streaming options.

Hulu and Netflix have us covered for what we want to watch, and we upgraded to the no commercials version of Hulu so we can just sit and watch what we want. Since these services are available when we want it, it’s like having a DVR. It’s not like we really watched live TV anyway with a toddler.

Try Hulu

You can stream live TV with Fubo TV! Sign up and receive a FREE Trial of Fubo TV. Watch 7 days for FREE. No commitment. Cancel anytime.

Try Fubo TV

If missing out on live sports is an issue, you can watch sports live with Pickaflick Sports Streaming! Watch your favorite sports live wherever you are, with no limits.
Here’s a great streaming comparison so you can figure out what services you need and how to stream them.

 

Unsubscribe

Little subscriptions here and there really add up. Are you really reading all those magazines? Are you using those monthly services? Take a detailed look at your bank account or credit card statement to see what you’re paying for and whether you actually need or use those programs. If you can do without, cancel those monthly subscriptions.

 

Use Coupons

If you’re already shopping for certain things, always look to see if you can find a coupon. There are lots of coupon sites available.

Ibotta is a coupon app, where you can scan your receipt and get cashback on products you purchased.

WHY IBOTTA?

• Ibotta money-saving app is free and easy to use
• Earn cash rewards at over 500,000 brands and retailers
• Save money and earn real cash back
• No coupons, mail-in rebates, or promo codes

Try Ibotta

I also have the browser extension Honey, which searches for coupons for me as I browse.

Another way to find deals is the 3 PM shop Chrome extension. It tells you if the same product you’re shopping for is available at a lower price.

 

 

Reduce your Grocery Bill

Slash Your Grocery Bill is an eBook that will teach you 25 ways to cut your grocery budget.
From how to plan a menu on a budget, how to strategically shop, how to use digital couponing apps, some family favorite low-budget meal ideas, the author’s specific system for planning and shopping, and so much more, this ebook will inspire you and motivate you with realistic ways to save on groceries.

Grab Slash Your Grocery Bill ebook

 

 

Rewards on your Groceries with Fetch

Fetch Rewards is a free grocery savings app that rewards you just for snapping pictures of your receipts. That’s really it. Free rewards on groceries on thousands of products every day, no matter where you get your groceries. Just scan your receipts and let us do all the work

• Fetch Rewards works anywhere you buy groceries – Scan receipts from big box stores, mom and pop corner shops, drugstores, liquor stores, and hardware stores – it’s all fair game.
• No hoops to jump through. No pre-selecting offers, no scanning barcodes, no surveys, no ads – you scan your receipts and you’ll earn points!
• You can cash out rewards as low as $3. Now that’s immediate gratification.
• Use your points to redeem “rewards” — e-gift cards from Target, Amazon, Kohl’s, Sephora, and hundreds more.
  Use code “APREWARDS” to redeem 3K points!

Get Fetch Rewards

 

 

Saving Money Apps and Services

 

Trim Financial Manager

Trim is a perfect app to go along with some of the suggestions above. Trim’s mission is to solve your financial problems so that you can live the life you want.  Trim tracks your spending and alerts you if your spending is increased from the previous month. It helps you identify and cancel an old subscription. It checks whether your cable provider overcharging you and can automatically resolve that for you by negotiating a lower bill. And it saves you from having to argue with the Cable company! You can even turn on an automated savings program to move money into your savings account for you.

I like using Trim because it takes the guesswork out of everything and takes care of things on your behalf. It even messages me on Facebook messenger to alert me if we’ve had a spendy month.

Try Trim Financial Manager

 

 

Credit Sesame 

There are many reasons you need to track your credit score. If you’re planning on a large purchase, like a car or a house, knowing your credit score (especially if it’s high) can help you negotiate better rates.

Not only does this service help you to know and track your credit score Credit Sesame also helps you understand your next steps in improving your credit score. A better score means a lower interest rate which saves you money.

Try Credit Sesame 

 

Tally App

Tally monitors your balances, interest rates, and payment due dates for each of your credit cards so you don’t have to. Tally gives you a line of credit with a lower interest rate and helps you find savings on interest to pay down your credit card debt faster. Also, Tally’s late fee protection ensures you’ll never miss a credit card payment again.

So if you’re struggling with credit card debt, Tally can help!

Try Tally

 

Long Game Savings App

What Is Long Game Savings & How Does It Work? 

The Long Game Savings app provides a totally new experience, offering incentive-based saving to help you meet your financial goals. As you save, earn chances to win big in a weekly lotto with cash prizes of up to $1,000,000. Accounts are secure; all funds are FDIC-insured, held securely by Blue Ridge Bank.

How Much Does It Cost?

The Long Game Savings app is free to use and your money is always accessible. How does this work? When traditional banks offer savings accounts, they typically earn 3% interest off the funds in that account. Of that, only about 0.1% goes to you. With a Long Game Savings account, you still earn 0.1% interest, but also the chance to win real money.

How Do You Set Up an Account?

After linking your account, make an initial $5 deposit to activate your rewards. For every $ you deposit, earn coins to play in-app games. One game is a lottery-style drawing where you can use coins for more chances to win. The other is an adventure-style game that incentivizes good saving practices with in-game rewards.

Earn rewards for meeting your financial goals. Download the Long Game Savings app today and discover a new way to save.

Try Long Game Savings app 

Digit

Boost your savings with Digit. Digit analyzes your spending and automatically saves the perfect amount every day, so you don’t have to think about it.

Digit uses algorithms to learn how you spend, so you don’t have to change your lifestyle. Digit knows when to take a break and when to save. It also has you set goals and save up for a specific event or activity, which is super motivating.

Here’s what is in a Digit subscription today:

• Automated Saving – Digit analyzes your spending and saves the perfect amount every day.
• Unlimited Goals – Save for a vacation, an emergency fund, or anything you can think of. Set as many goals as you like, and Digit will get to work.
• Automated Debt Payments – Digit will save for and automatically pay down your credit card debt.
• Overdraft Prevention – Digit sends money to your checking if your balance dips below a certain amount.
• 1% Savings Bonus – Digit automatically rewards you for saving.
• Unlimited Withdrawals – There’s no limit to how many times you can pull from Digit, and you can upgrade the instant when you need it.
• Overdraft Reimbursement – The fee is on us if Digit saves too much.
• No Account Minimums – You can leave as little or as much as you want in Digit.

Try Digit

 

 

ways to save your money

 credit: themoneymanual.com

 

Bill Shark

See How Everyone Is Saving Money on their Cell Phone, Cable and Internet Bills

BillShark is an innovative service that can dramatically save money and reduce your monthly bills. You’ll enjoy lowered rates for the same level of service, without all the research and phone calls.

Common Ways To Save Money

These are just some of the many bills that you can have successfully reduced. Typically, you won’t have to alter your plans or change any settings. You’ll enjoy the same channels, the same data and the same excellent level of service from these areas:

• Phone plan
• Cable or satellite TV
• Home security system
• Monthly bottled water delivery
• Internet

If you use any of these services or if you have debt from credit cards, mortgages or leases, you may be overpaying each month without knowing it.

How BillShark Works

To start, you send your account information to BillShark. Their dedicated team of negotiators will help you cut down on monthly bills that are outdated or overpriced. Some providers adjust their rates to keep up with the competition, without informing their loyal customers. Other services can allow for negotiation based on your payment history.

Their services can provide huge savings for nearly every household, but you’ll see the most savings if you’ve had the same bills for a long period of time. Homeowners who haven’t moved frequently also generally see more savings.

If you’re ready to reduce your bills fast, sign up for BillShark today. You’ll enjoy lower payments without the hassle or stress of contacting each provider to ask for better rates. It’s easy to get started and even easier to save thanks to our team of bill negotiators.

Try BillShark

 

 

 

Status Money

Use the wisdom of the crowd to manage your budget, track your interest rates, monitor your credit score, and maximize your net worth – for free!

• Earn cash for improving your finances.
• See how you compare with peers
• Get money-saving recommendations
• Earn cash rewards

Try Status Money

 

TrueBill

TrueBill is a personal finance app that makes it easy to optimize spending, manage subscriptions, lower bills, and give a complete picture of finances.

• Get a snapshot of your financial life: See your cash, credit, and investment balances at-a-glance. Keep track of what bills are coming up and stay on target for your monthly spending goals!
• Monitor & cancel unwanted subscriptions: 84% of people have subscriptions that they’ve forgotten about. We’ll help you easily find those and even help you cancel them!
• See where your money is going: We categorize your expenses for you so you’ll know where you’re spending your money, and keep track of your largest and most frequent expenses.
• Enjoy paying less for your cable and cell phone bills: Don’t overpay for your cell phone, cable, security, or other bills. Truebill will negotiate the lowest possible rate for you -no headaches, just savings! We even get you refunds when your internet goes down!
• Reach your savings goals with ease: We’ll help you automatically set aside funds for your savings goals while also making sure you still have the money you need on-hand.

Try TrueBill

 

 

 

Make smart financial choices with Finny

What’s Finny?
Finny is a finance education and coaching app. It provides simple tools, guides, and on-the-spot answers to give consumers insights into making smarter decisions with their money.

Try Finny

 
 

What else can you do to save money?

You can also start some side-hustles to earn extra money to save. This list gives you dozens of ideas!

Selling your old cellphones is another great way to boost your savings.

Here’s a fun infographic that shows examples of what people do to save money. Which of these have you tried?

Credit: www.wpdiamonds.com

 

 

What should you do with the money saved? 

Once you have figured out the best way to save money for the future, how could you or should you spend it? Well. if you’re reading my blog, you’re likely a parent. And the best way to use your savings is for your child’s college education!

CollegeBacker

You want the best for your children, and an important part of that means helping to provide an education. Setting aside college funds isn’t easy, but you don’t have to go it alone. Thanks to CollegeBacker, you can set up a savings program that you, friends and family can all build together.

CollegeBacker is devoted to helping parents organize a 529 College Savings Plan, a specialized account that builds over time. Using aggressive investment strategies at first to build a foundation, the plan gradually grows more conservative to create a solid account that your child can use towards any educational expenses, tax-free.

Investing isn’t the true beauty of this system. With the help of a personalized web page, your child can receive additional donations to the fund from family and friends. This interactive system lets those close to you see how your child’s account is growing and can contribute for birthdays, holidays or graduations.

The program allows you to send updates based on student progress and also quick reminders of upcoming special events. Because anyone can open a 529 plan for a child, you can even create an account for a nephew, grandchild or friend of the family, making it a perfect gift for a newborn.

Preparing your children for college is a daunting task that you don’t need to take on by yourself. Get your team of loved ones ready to save for the future. Contact CollegeBacker to learn more about college saving plans today!

Try CollegeBacker

 

 

There are so many ways to save your money and lots of different methods you can try. From canceling subscriptions to using special apps, there are lots of creative ways to save money and lots more easy tweaks we can make. How are you working on saving money?