Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to help cut expenses, meaning if you purchase from my links, I get a small commission.
In times of financial uncertainty, we look around for ways to save money or cut back on our spending. It can be overwhelming to think of all the options and things we spend money on, so I have condensed some easy ways you can cut expenses this month in the following blog post. These are all things my family is PERSONALLY doing, so it’s not just random tips that “might” work. Happy saving!
Health Insurance- This has been a huge expense for us, as of course it typically is for most people. Bobby has his health insurance covered by his employer, but it was actually very pricy to add Emma Kate and myself onto his plan, so we went the out of pocket Blue Cross route to the tune of nearly $700 a month! This is one adult in their mid 30’s and one child. Mind-blowing. Anyway, we found out about health share programs and decided to go for it. Now we pay $450 a month, and we have no deductible! (Before our deductible was $4000!) If you have questions about which one we are using and why I would love to chat with you, just shoot me an email at heather@heatherslookingglass.com. So not only are we saving money every month but if something big WERE to happen to us, we wouldn’t be out $4K PLUS 20% of the bill (Blue Cross only covered 80% after the deductible was met.)
Television- We cut cable well over a year ago, and instead opted to stream. We have had at different time periods Hulu, Hulu Live TV, Netflix, and most recently YouTube TV. We also got an amazing deal on Disney+ by paying upfront for 3 years’ worth, and we also have Amazon Prime Video free with our prime subscription. We mainly only used YouTube TV for Football and an occasional show here and there, so after football season we canceled it, saving us over $50 a month. We will start it back up in September but will save about $350 a year only having the service during football season. There is plenty to watch on Prime Video and Disney+, plus a lot of shows stream free on network sites the day after their air live. We have realized it’s really not the end of the world and we don’t watch a ton of TV to begin with.
Blog related stuff- Having a blog can be very costly. I pay a big chunk for my hosting fees, and then there are dozens of other services you can pay for which really adds up. I decided to take a hard look at what I really “needed” and chose to cancel Tailwind and one or two other services that were, of course, very convenient, but not necessary to have a blog.
Utilities- This one is a no brainer and something that hopefully a lot of people are doing anyway to cut expenses, but I have always been very aware of how much water and electricity I use. I don’t leave water running when brushing my teeth, I turn on fans, close curtains, and wear light, breathable clothing so I don’t have to run the air conditioning as much, and I never turn lights on during the day, and we mainly use lamps at night except in the kitchen. Pay attention to the weather so you aren’t watering grass that doesn’t need it in the summer. I know it seems like a small amount of savings, but it can add up big time over the course of a year.
Groceries- Again, I have been doing a lot of this already, but it’s a good reminder and I have even stepped it up further. I download digital coupons wherever I can, clip coupons that are sent in the mail, and have recently signed up for Ibotta, which is a cashback app. I have heard about it for years and wish I had started using it sooner! It’s super easy to use. You click which store you are shopping at, and add items to your account that you are going to buy. Then after you shop, you scan your barcode on your receipt and get cashback on purchases. After you collect enough money they will send your amount to Paypal. Also, anytime you make purchases at tons of other places you get cashback as well. I shop on Amazon a LOT, and all I have to do is click to Amazon from the Ibotta app and after I check out I get cashback on my purchases. SO EASY. I hate thinking about all the money I have lost out on over the years not using this! I have been doing it for about five weeks and have already cashed out $40! Just for buying things I was going to buy anyway!
Gym- My husband is switching to a cheaper gym, and I am considering doing the same. The one my husband is switching to is very very similar to his current one, but a little cheaper per month and closer to his office. As long as he has the same equipment, he doesn’t care about the bells and whistles. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I may just spend my time outside on my own running, walking, and doing bodyweight exercises or YouTube videos.
Gas- We shop at Kroger a lot and get fuel points to use on gas purchases to cut expenses. It’s amazing how much we can save per gallon! Also, you can download the GasBuddy app, it tells you the prices of all the gas in your area. Sometimes a station will be several cents a gallon cheaper right across the street from another one!
Clothing- I have been buying and selling Emma Kate’s clothes at local consignment shops and online for years. Locally, when I sell her stuff, I get credit at their store that I can then use to buy more stuff for new seasons or sizes that she needs. I also sell her stuff and my own stuff on Poshmark. I love how easy it is to just print a label at my house and have our mailman pick up a box to be delivered to someone else. Then the money shows up in my account, perfect! Use code HEATHERSLG to get $10 when you sign up at Poshmark.com!
What is your best tip to cut expenses or making a little extra money?
Related: Top 10 tips to save money in Walt Disney World
