40 Easy Ways To Cut Back On Spending

6. Cut Back On Eating Meat

Meat is often the most expensive part of a meal. There are some people who feel that they need several servings of meat if they want to eat a healthy, balanced diet. In reality, you don’t need a lot of protein in your diet, unless you’re trying to be a bodybuilder. Eating too much red meat will cause high cholesterol, and it also means you are consuming more fat.  If you can cut back to only eating meat once a day instead of 3 times a day, you are likely to save money, and your wallet (and waistline) will thank you.

5. Keep Your Credit Cards at Home

In #22, we suggest cutting up your credit cards to resist the temptation. But a lot of people still like to keep their cards intact, just in case they run into an emergency situation. If this is the case in your situation, try keeping your credit cards at home, and only use them in actual emergencies.

4. Consider Converting to Solar Energy or a Hybrid Car

If you own a home, you should consider getting solar panels installed. Many states have grants and programs that will help pay for the up-front costs. While it’s usually not free, it’s like paying up-front so that you can get free and discounted electricity for the rest of your life.

And while they may not be the sexiest cars in the world, hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius gets an average of 50 MPG. If you research how to optimize your mileage, you can even make trips that average 80 to 100 MPG. Electric cars like Tesla might be more stylish and great for the environment, but the amount of money you are paying for the energy and monthly payments actually makes it far more expensive than a normal car, and you won’t really be saving any money at all.

3. Stop Using Shopping as a Form of Entertainment

So many people go shopping with their friends and family as something to do when they are bored, and they end up spending money simply because they are in a mall. When you go a store, you should have a goal in mind of why you want to be there in the first place.

For example, Target is one of those stores where they are constantly changing their interior design, which makes it new and exciting. They even have a place to sit down and have a cup of Starbucks coffee. It’s genuinely enjoyable to be there, because their brilliant marketers designed it to feel that way. But if you go in without any actual reason to be there, you are almost guaranteed to waste money, because they sell almost anything you could possibly want or need.

2. Pack a Bag Lunch to School or Work

This sounds like a no-brainer, but making a sandwich at home costs just a few cents, and it will cost a few dollars at a shop. If you have a microwave at work, you can also bring leftovers from last night’s dinner in a glass container. Stick with easy meals you genuinely enjoy so that you are looking forward to your bag lunch, instead of feeling like it’s a burden or that you are somehow missing out on something. If you hate doing it, you won’t stick with the habit.

1. Meet Friends for Lunch Instead of Dinner

Generally speaking, dinner is way more expensive than lunch. Not only is the food lighter, but most restaurants have great prices on lunch specials, because they are trying to attract more people to come in earlier in the day. It also takes away the temptation to drink alcohol, since it’s before 5PM.