18 Tips To Help You Save Some Cash Everyday
By: Gal Mux
Tags: Money, Saving Money, Money Management, Savings Tips, Self

18 Tips To Help You Save Some Cash Everyday

Some people loathe frugal living as they associate it with poverty and lacking. But in all honesty, there is always more to do with money than the money that is available, and that is where frugal living comes in. It helps us save up some cash that can be channeled into the core expenses such as food, housing, clothing, education, savings and investments for individuals. If there is some left over, we can use it to entertain or treat ourselves.

Companies and businesses also need to audit their spending to maximize their profits and ensure they have more finances to plough back into their business to grow them. Saving also applies to them.

I admire the Dutch for their frugality among other things and I am very frugal myself.

Of course there has to be healthy boundaries between living frugally and being a miser. No one wants to be a real life Ebenezer Scrooge. It’s not a good colour on anyone and it’s not a way to live a fun, healthy and fulfilling life.

Here are some tips to help you save some extra coins.

Buy in bulk

Buying in bulk is always cheaper than buying items in singles. Rather than buy one bar of soap, if you can, buy the whole carton.

A big packet of salt will always be cheaper than five smaller packets in the same quantities.

Buying in bulk saves you from poverty tax where you are charged for every extra quantity you consume. Poor people end up paying more for goods because they cannot afford to buy them in larger quantities at one go.

There are several wholesale shops in many localities that sell goods in bulk and in wholesale prices too. Remember to buy commodities in bulk in the quantities that can serve you for stipulated time periods. Never buy perishables in bulk if you do not have appropriate places to store them as they will go bad and that will beat the whole purpose of buying in bulk in the first place.

Buy Quality

Rather than buy one item that will serve you but last for a shorter time period forcing you to purchase another one, you’d rather buy an item that will be expensive to begin with but will save you subsequent visits to the shops to purchase others.

Buy high quality clothes, handbags or shoes that will last you longer. Buy heavy duty high quality tires for your car or cooking pots that will take time before they wear and tear for your home.

This will also also save you on poverty tax and will be value for your money.

Wait for sale season

There are usually a lot of sale seasons throughout the year. It maybe Christmas or end of year sales, Mother’s Day sales, Easter or black Friday sales etc.

Plan to purchase items (if they can wait) during these periods because you will land on a good deal for the same price had you bought the item at other times in the year.

Book holidays when companies are giving offers and buy items when there is a buy one, get one free offer.

Buying in sale seasons requires a lot of patience though as during other times you may see an item that you like and maybe unable to wait for a few weeks or months to get it.

Sometimes the items on sale during these seasons may also not be the items you fancy and this can be frustrating making this tip not very reliable at all times.

Different shops also give out shop sales at their own timings too so look out for these. They could be celebrating some wins, anniversaries, opening new branches or closing old ones or even rewarding their customers.

Be careful here too as some of these items may be factory rejects, have dents or those that have been left on the shelves for too long by other customers. Make sure you inspect such items properly before purchasing.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Non branded items

Employees in packaging companies always let us in on some company secrets. The quality of products in some branded and non branded items is sometimes the same but retailers will charge you more for the branded items.

Some products such as sugar, rice, pasta etc fall in this category. Ask around for such items in your locality and buy the non branded items to avoid paying a higher price for the same quality of product inside the package.

Do make sure that what you are getting is still good quality for that price though.

Buy straight from the source

Avoid middle men as much as possible as they are in the supply chain to make a cut for themselves. Go straight to the source. Order supplies straight from the manufacturer or producer if they offer a good deal and avoid paying a higher price.

Rather than buy food stuffs or fruit and vegetables from the supermarket that have marked up their prices, go straight to the producer- the farmer. Visit local farmer’s markets where the prices are going to be lower for fresh and quality produce.

Photo by Shelley Pauls on Unsplash

Research

The ultimate way of ensuring that you are getting good deals is by doing research. This is particularly used when purchasing high value commodities such as property, houses, cars, home appliances etc. With the internet and with business adopting online systems, it is very easy to seek out the information you need in regards to quality, quantity and prices of commodities.

After doing thorough research on the internet, visit the shops you intend to purchase the products from to ascertain the information you got from the internet to avoid any last minute surprises. In the shops inspect the products thoroughly and ask as many questions as you can to the attendants to your satisfaction. After all, they are there to serve you.

Bargain

A lot of commodities are sold at fixed prices. But if you can get a shop that would be in for a haggle, don’t lose that chance to bargain for a lower price. It could save you up some extra change for fuel or a bag of groceries.

Some shops set their prices higher to allow customers room to bargain before settling on a final price.

Look out for after sale services

To avoid some of installation and maintenance costs associated with some purchases, buy from sellers that offer after sale services.

Do they offer free delivery, free installation, give free consultancy services, give a warranty if the product breaks down within a certain time period, etc. After sale services are very useful especially for high value or expensive commodities such as cars or home appliances.

Live within your means

One of the best tips for saving a coin is living within your means. Some people have called this bullshit advice as living above your means tends to push people to work harder in order to meet the short, but I disagree.

I’d rather have some extra money saved up for a rainy day or for investment projects, than to be able to ‘comfortably' pay all my expensive bills.

Resources in the universe are scarce and we should try to consume only what we need. Competition for and control of these resources is what leads to conflict. We can help ensure there is enough for everyone if we only consume what we need.

One of my life’s philosophies is to reduce consumption and never pile up things that I do not necessarily need.

You might disagree with me here, but don’t buy a car you can’t afford to fuel, a phone you can’t afford to fix in case it breaks down, a house who’s payments you can’t meet etc. Also never rent a house where you are always late to pay the bills. Never take your kids to schools you can’t comfortably afford to pay for. What’s the point of all that stress?

Cut your cloth according to your size.

Better on this one still, if you can, live below your means.

Avoid Debt Like The Plague

Debts are like quicksand. They stealthily suck you in. You will only realise how far deep you are when you can’t get yourself out.

And debts come together with their desolate relatives and their whole clan of misery. They also grow consistently burying you deeper into their clan of desolation.

Never take out debt to buy luxurious goods, or other stuff that you don’t really need. Starting a business with a debt can be tricky too as lots of business never make it to their second year which leaves lots of entrepreneurs in debt.

We live in an economic situation where having some debts is inevitable. Just be smart about what you do with the money that you have borrowed. The best situation is to put it in an income generating project to earn you money and to help you clear that debt.

Pay your debts too if you have to, to improve your financial situation and to avoid the pain and hustle of swimming in drowning debts.

Unplug unnecessary cords

Cut out unnecessary bills.

Do you have a subscription to a service that you don’t use on the regular? Cancel it. It could be a streaming service for entertainment, a membership to a gym or a club etc.

Do you pay for delivery for a product that you can pick on your way home? Cut that out too.

Also unplug cords in your house whose appliances are not in use to help save on electricity. It may be an empty freezer or fridge, a computer or television not in use etc. Also close your taps when you are not using them.

Fix broken stuff immediately

Fix the stuff that has broken down immediately to avoid the problem getting worse which might require you to incur bigger expenses fixing them.

Fix leaking taps, squeaky doors or broken cords immediately when you first notice the leaks or squeaks.

Go to the dentist when your tooth first chips or to the doctor immediately when you notice something is wrong.

Don’t procrastinate fixing stuff.

Cook at home

Buying food from restaurants is an expensive affair. For the price of a cup of tea of coffee, you could make three at home.

A plate of potatoes fries in a restaurant costs the same as a whole kilogram of them raw. These could feed you and your family for more than one meal.

Treat yourselves once in a while though, but make cooking at home a habit to help save up on food costs.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Carry from home

Are you going on a trip? Pack lunch, snacks or sandwiches from home to avoid the exaggerated prices of the same items while on the road.

Carrying lunch to work on the regular is also cheaper. When going to a movie, you can sneak in some snacks in your bag from home to avoid the highly marked up snacks available at the shops at the movies.

Grow what you can

You can keep chickens safely in your backyard to provide you with a regular supply of eggs.

You can also place a beehive in your garden or front yard to attract bees that will make honey for your personal consumption.

Why maintain a lawn in your front yard or backyard while you can grow some fruits and vegetables to help sustain your food needs?

Gardening is also very relaxing, and there is so much joy to be derived in seeing your plants grow that eventually end up on your plate.

If you grow excess food, you can store it to consume it later, or you can sell the surplus to your friends or neighbours.

Due to the high usage of chemicals in commercial agriculture these days, growing your own food could help you reduce your intake of these harmful chemicals, which in the long run will translate to better health for yourself and your family.

Buy in season

Many commodities, particularly some fruits and vegetables, are seasonal crops whose supply peaks at certain points in the year. And when their supply is high, their prices tend to go down.

Buy such goods while in season as it will save you some cash and store them appropriately so that you will be able to consume them when the prices go up later.

It can also help feed your cravings for certain items. If you love mangoes very much, enjoy lots of them during mango season when they are cheaper.

Buy second-hand

Some second-hand products do function as well as new products. Consider buying second-hand items to save on costs. Watch out for quality, though, as poor quality, second-hand products can be a true pain and may end up costing you the same or even more than a new product.

Second-hand products such as cars, furniture or household appliances may give you good service, especially if in good condition.

Buy them from credible sellers and ask the sellers, especially if they are the previous owners, questions on why they are selling the items.

Factors such as relocations or upgrades are good reasons for selling products. Avoid buying products that are too old models unless you are buying them as collectables.

Also, avoid buying items such as clothing or furniture if they look dirty or unkempt as they may contain pests such as bedbugs that are a complete nuisance, a health hazard, and are hard to get rid of.

After buying second-hand items, make sure you clean and disinfect them thoroughly before bringing them into your home.

Also, make sure that you do not purchase stolen items as it could land you in trouble with the law. Be vigilant. Ask for proof of ownership when buying items such as cars, electronics, or other larger items so as to be in the clear.

Loyalty points

Several retail outlets and companies do offer loyalty point programs that help customers receive cash backs and free or discounted products.

Register for such programs to help save up cash when you redeem your points from such systems. Also, purchase consistently from outlets that offer loyalty point programs to help save some extra cash in the future.