31 Clever Ways To Save Money And Live Better in 2024

In order to save money on your monthly bills you have two options:  increase your income or cut your spending.

While increasing your income may take time if it is even possible, lowering your outgoing cash is something you can control.

Not saying that it is fun but with these tricks for slashing your household expenditures, you may not even feel the pain.

Even just doing a few of the things on this list will make a huge difference to your heating, gas and other bills, meaning more money for your summer vacation!

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1. Costco sells $100 restaurant gift cards for $75, we save those up for special occasions and gifts.

2. Cut cable and get a Netflix subscription instead. You could save up to $100 a month.

3. Put a few drops of apple cider vinegar in the dog’s drinking water bowl (gradually introduce it). This is a natural flea repellent and helps keep their coats healthy.

Alternatively, you can add apple cider vinegar to the water when you give them a bath.  This natural treatment does not get rid of fleas but can help prevent the need for conventional flea treatments.

4. Question all unusual bills and contact the companies for an adjustment.

5. Open the window blinds every morning  It heats the main floor for free every afternoon.

6. Exercise at home or run in the park. Save the money on a gym membership. Only 30% of people actually use their memberships anyway!

7. Every few months, take a look at every line item of your budget and see ask if you can reduce any category. Auto insurance, homeowner’s insurance, groceries, are often easy pickings.

 5 Ways To Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half

8. Round up to the nearest hundred for mortgage and car payments. This saves a lot of interest in the long run and you won’t even miss the money.

9. Always google the drug name + rebate or drug name + savings card when you get a new prescription. There are many assistance plans and savings options for expensive drugs.

10. Another option is to appeal the classification of medication with your insurance company. If you have tried other medications and they didn’t work, you can often get the copay reduced.

11. Try to group EVERY single car-requiring errand into one trip. It will save so much gas.

12. Use a survey site like Swagbucks to earn gift cards and cash you can put towards essentials from Amazon or other stores. I normally make enough to pay for all my Christmas gifts each year plus diapers throughout the year.

Get $5 Just for signing up with Swagbucks here.

13. Negotiate.  For example, when our new vehicle 6-month plans with Sirius Radio expired, instead of paying the $129 that they offered, I googled and found a great deal for $29 a month and told them. Every year I haggle with my internet provider to get the new customer promotion. I’ve never been turned down!

14. Shop around for insurance, lawn care, and any other services you might need. It can’t hurt to ask.

15. Never place an online order before googling for a promo code for a discount or free shipping. Use Rakuten or another cash back app to get money back on every purchase you make.

16. Ride your bike as much as you can instead or driving.

17. Trade babysitting (or handyman services etc) with a friend.

18. If you get a doctor to write you a note that you need to belong to a gym for your medical condition, you can use FSA money towards it.

RELATED: 27 Genius Ways To Save Money At Home

19. Use the Dryel At-Home Dry Cleaner Kit for sweaters and other “dry-clean only” items.

20. Check your bills for life insurance premiums and other large expenses.  If you pay on an annual basis instead of monthly you can sometimes save up to 5%. That’s the case with my car insurance.

21. DIY as much as possible. Gardening, house cleaning, birthday cakes. Here are some tips for saving money on decorating your home.

22. Google it first! When my washer broke down last fall, it only took a couple of YouTube videos and a screwdriver to fix. That saved me the minimum $75 service call charge. Google the model number and brand plus the issue to find a solution.

23. Consider changing your working hours to avoid commuting in rush hour traffic. You can save up to a tank of gas a week just from not sitting on the freeway.

24. Close the doors to any rooms you don’t use regularly in the winter and turn the heat off in those rooms. You will save a lot in heating costs

25. Winterize your house by covering windows and doors with bubble wrap to stop drafts.

26. Use boiling water instead of weed killer, it works wonderfully and is much better for the environment.

More Tips: 21 Ways to Live A Simple Life & Save More

And Some Bonus Kid- Related Savings:

27. Use cotton wool and warm water instead of wipes at home. Fewer chemicals on delicate skin and much cheaper.

28. Have your kids join in to make birthday cards for friends and relatives. Cards are a huge waste of money.

29. Join the library and get free books, DVDs and more. You can get tons of free stuff from the library. 

30. “Pop” the ball from roll-on deodorants and fill the container with diluted paint. Replace ball let you kids paint with the roller. Less clean up from messy brushes and spilled water.

31. Use children’s artwork as  ‘handmade designer wrapping paper’.

If you are pregnant and getting ready for your little one’s arrival while worrying about expenses, make sure to check out my tips for having a baby on a budget. 

Even More Ways To Save Money:

5 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half

30 Tips For Saving on Groceries

 10 Things I Stopped Buying to Save Money