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All of us are saving money for something. Perhaps it’s your dream car or a vacation to some tropical destination. Maybe it’s even for a place of your own, so you can finally enjoy the heaven on earth that is living completely by yourself. Whatever you’re saving for, one thing’s for certain – pinching pennies isn’t easy.
Between the rent, your student loans, and, as Rachel Green would say “Who is FICA and why is he getting all my money?”, it’s hard to have any cash left over to stow away. While there are tons of lists on how to save your money, a lot of them are completely unrealistic. Like you’re really going to wait for Spectre to come out on demand or pass up that round of golf with your best bros just to squirrel away some ten-spots. Instead, here are some more reasonable ways for you to build up your savings.
Movies on the Cheap.
So obviously there are some movies that need to be seen on the big screen. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make some cutbacks. Ticket-wise, shows before six on certain days of the week are cheaper, plus if you still look (reasonably) like your student ID, you can use that for discounts too. Of course, anyone who buys soda and candy at the movies for double the price as opposed to sneaking it in is a moron, but I draw the line at popcorn. I don’t know if they sprinkle crack on that stuff, but there is no popcorn as great as movie theater popcorn.
Use Cash for Your Coffee and Keep the Change.
Cash? Who the hell carries cash anymore? No one, obviously. But if you just keep enough on you to pay for your daily morning caffeine fix and then throw the change in a bowl on your desk, you’ll likely save up over $100.00 in a year. Yeah, I know it’s a major pain in the ass to keep change jingling in your pocket instead of throwing it into the tip jar at the coffee place, but $100 bucks is a $100 bucks, and that lady at Starbucks never gets your order right anyway.
Buy Frozen Pizza.
DiGiorno – it’s just like delivery! Oh, fuck it, no it’s not. That’s a complete lie. But at the very least, get in your car and drive your lazy ass down to the pizza place (assuming you’re sober). At least then you can save a few bucks on delivery.
Floss.
Not only is no one going to want to make out with you if you don’t practice oral hygiene, but taking care of your teeth can also save you some big bucks in the end. Unless you have the Cadillac of dental insurances, there is always a co-pay for fillings, never mind the several hundred bucks a root canal or crown will run you. It’s definitely worth the few extra bucks and minutes in the bathroom to save later.
Brown Bag It.
Yes, I know all of the cool kids in the office go to Chipotle for lunch. So I’m not suggesting you bring your lunch every day and be the anti-social loser that eats a PB&J in your cube. But where I work, going to grab takeout is at least twelve bucks, and sitting down is double that. Bringing one lunch a week over the course of the year puts $520 in my Vegas vacation fund. Not bad for being a dork one day a week.
Cut Down On the Uber.
Uber is every drunk postgrad’s best friend, including mine. While Uber definitely makes sense at the end of the night – safety first! – you likely don’t really need to take it at the beginning of the night. Save yourself a few bucks, suck it up, and take public transportation to get to your drinking destination. I know it’s gross and a pain in the ass, but it will be worth it when you can get limo service for your birthday with the savings.
Stop The Bottled Water.
Seriously, just stop buying bottled water. It’s not any better for you, it’s bad for the environment, and, more importantly for our purposes here, it’s a waste of money. Odds are, your office has filtered water, so buy a reusable bottle and start filling it up. For home, you can either buy a filtered pitcher or a faucet filter. Or, you can be like me and fill up a gallon of water from the office filter before you go home. There’s no shame in my money-saving game.
Don’t Store The Number.
I shop online enough that me and the UPS guy are on a first name basis. In order to feed my addiction, I used to store my credit card info on my favorite sites so I could shop from wherever I happened to be in the moment – home, work, the train, church, wherever. Which was awesome…until my credit card bill came. So I deleted all of my saved credit card information so that I have to make the effort to go get my wallet before I go on a spending spree. As a result, sometimes I rethink a purchase….eh, sometimes may be a bit strong. Once in a while? Occasionally? Okay, it was only that one time that I decided I didn’t really need a vegetable noodler. But still, that’s $12.95 still in my pocket.
Ebay Your Old Stuff.
Despite that fact that I have a closet the size of a small bedroom, my aforementioned shopping addiction does mean I have limited space. So I try to practice the “buy something new, get rid of something old” philosophy. And while I generally tend to donate the stuff I purge, sometimes there is stuff that’s too good just to give away. While I may only sell that handbag I bought for $250 on ebay for $25, it’s better than nothing.
Hit Up Happy Hour.
Most of the advice you see about saving money and drinking say that you should just buy booze and drink at home, because bar drinks are too expensive. But where is there fun in that? How are you going to meet someone to bring home if you never leave your house? Instead, it’s time to broaden your bar horizons. Sure, you have your favorite places where you always have a good time and meet bangable randoms, but do they have dollar margarita night or three buck pitchers? Spread your wings, little butterfly..
Image via Shutterstock
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
@JennaLCrowley
@donttakeitfromus
Already doing all of these things and still being broke. PGP.
11. Steal toilet paper and paper towels from the office for your own personal use.
I tried the no credit card in Amazon thing, now I have them memorized.
The only benefit that came from having them memorized for me was when I was blackout on Beale St. in Memphis and downloaded uber for the first time.
Jackie Burkhart said it better: “Now, I don’t know who FICA is, but that bitch stole like 10% of my money.”
I also subscribe to something new in the closet in must equal something out. Consigning is easier than ever now with so many apps in addition to eBay. Hate shipping hassle? Do a search for consignment in your area. The better/more high end places have a “you get paid when we get paid” model and you tend to get more money as a result, but for quick cash check out Buffalo Exchange.
I also cut down on the water and Ubers ad pack my lunch (for one week now..)
A sleeper tip is Coinstar-ing loose change. You may be in line behind a homeless person, but popping in spare change and having the machine spit out cash or a useful gift card in return (Amazon, groceries) is well worth it.
Good tips!
Coinstar is highway robbery. Unless we’re talking a handful of change, a 9% fee is ridiculous. Most banks and credit unions have coin machines that are free for their members. I guess you could get a gift card because there isn’t a fee for that, but I prefer cash in hand.
Gift card to the grocery store you’re shopping at = way to go.
I showed up to the bank (Chase) with a year’s worth of spare change. They refused to accept it. They said the processing fee was too much. $10 of change wasted on the Coinstar machine.
Sell drugs and live your normal life. In the northeast the market share for opiates is trending upward in a huge way. Gotta capitalize on these business opportunities before the market becomes soft. I’m kidding but seriously shit up here is getting insane.
Hell I’m just trying to cook instead of buying nothing but lean cuisines
“Brown Bag It”–so true. I can’t say I practice what I preach but I’d imagine I’d have a lot more money if I didn’t eat out every single meal.
Now I’m just trying to make that my new years resolution.
I don’t understand why people waste so much money going to coffee shops. You can buy a coffee maker for $9. Take a thermos.
No happy hours in MA… drinks so expensive all the time that even my above average salary leaves me soberer than I’d like… #PGP