Budgeting

8 Easy Ways to Save Money on a Tight Budget

When you are on a tight budget, you may feel as though there is no possible way you can save money. After all, every dollar is already accounted for, and it may seem impossible to stretch it any further! By following these tips, however, you can find ways to save more on your existing budget–no matter how tight it might feel.

1. Track your spending. Even the tightest budget usually has some room for “fun” money. Are you using it wisely, or do you find yourself frittering it away on things that don’t really matter in an effort to “stay under budget” and still feel like you have a little luxury in your life?

2. Save first. When the money comes out before any other expenses, you’re less likely to spend it before you send it to your savings account.

3. Find small ways to bring in extra money. Can you babysit for a friend or family member? Sell some crafts online? Mow a neighbour’s yard? Any extra money you can bring in is money saved.

4. Save the change. Any time you pay in cash, keep the change instead of spending it on your next purchase. Those small amounts add up fast!

5. Check the sales catalogues. Your grocery budget is a great way to shave a few dollars. Try and check the sales catalogues for the weekly specials.

6. Skip the small trips. Do you find yourself dashing out of the house for small things that could wait for another day? Save yourself some petrol–and the associated money–and make multiple trips at once.

7. Check your extras. Is your cable bill destroying your budget? What about your mobile phone data package? You can substantially increase your savings each month if you check your extras and look for better plans/rates.

8. Learn to make basic repairs yourself. From sewing up clothes instead of tossing them to completing basic home maintenance tasks instead of hiring someone to do it, you can save a lot of money by learning to fix things on your own! YouTube is a great resource for instructional videos.

Saving money on a tight budget is hard, but there are still plenty of ways you can shave a few dollars off of your budget – and those dollars add up fast. If you would like to save money on your credit card, check our top 8 tips!