So many of us want to save money. So why don’t we? Because we’ve gotten used to spending money the way we always have. We like our afternoon Starbucks pick-me-up. We love our streaming channels. And we don’t want to give up our avocado toast.
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The question is, do we really have to? Isn’t there a way to save and maintain our existing lifestyle? Yes, of course there is. You can have your cake and eat it, too.
Here are some practical tips on how to save money each month without entirely changing your lifestyle.
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Get a Side Hustle
You had to know this one was coming. What’s more: it had to be first. If you want your lifestyle to stay exactly the way it is, with all your spending and even more savings, the only answer is to bring in more money.
How do you do that? Get a side hustle.
You can do anything from driving an Uber after hours to walking people’s dogs on the weekends. We live in a gig economy. There’s a side hustle for almost everything.
If you make even a few hundred extra bucks each month and throw it into your savings, you’ll never notice it. Before you know it, you’ll be that much richer.
Don’t want to get a side hustle? Ask for a raise at work. You’d be surprised how many people don’t make more money in their current jobs simply because they don’t ask for it.
Just be sure you don’t make the mistake of spending every extra dollar you make.
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Track Your Spending
It sounds crazy, but people often spend way more than they think they do. Gone are the days of writing down every expense in a checkbook and then balancing that checkbook against a bank statement each month.
Many people have no idea what they actually spend their money on. And if they did, they wouldn’t spend what they do on what they do.
Finding out you spend over $100 on takeout coffees every month may encourage you to drink coffee at home. You could buy gourmet coffee and a nice coffee maker and still come out ahead at the end of the year if you just drank coffee at home.
The same goes for eating takeout food and so many other mindless expenses.
Being more mindful doesn’t mean you necessarily have to change your lifestyle. It just means adjusting your perspective on what you want your lifestyle to be.
Negotiate
Okay, let’s say you love everything the way it is, you’ve tracked your spending, and you’re happy with it. One way you can save more each month is to negotiate for what you spend.
You can call your utility providers and get your bills cut down. Many cell phone, cable, and even power companies are willing to bring your bill down with a single phone call.
You could save $100 or more just by being willing to negotiate.
If you rent, you might even be able to negotiate your rent through some sort of agreement to help care for your building or provide your own landscaping and repairs. It can’t hurt to ask.
Shop Smarter
Along those same lines, consider shopping smarter. Mindless shopping for food, clothes, and even gas may be costing you hundreds of dollars you could be saving each month. Make sure to keep these three tips in mind:
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Shop around for the best gas prices and you could save up to a dollar per gallon all within your city limits.
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Shop at big box stores like Costco and buy in volume rather than single packages. You might spend a lot upfront, but you’ll save over the length of the month.
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Look at online apps for your grocery stores and see which ones have sales, and decide to only buy items on sale.
These tips can have all that money going right to your savings account, and you never even have to sacrifice your lifestyle.
Cut Waste
You’ve likely heard the jokes about all the people who let their fruit go bad on the countertop — only to go buy more fruit.
If this is you, stop it! Wasting food or any other items through buying and not using them is costing you money that could be going into your savings account.
Find out where you might be wasting and stop now.
Automate It
Of course, one great way to force yourself to save is to simply set up an automatic transfer from your paycheck or your checking account each month.
Try to schedule this payment on the same day you get your income, so you can’t spend it. Also, be sure to transfer the money to an account you can’t easily access.
Then, act as though you never got that money.
You’ll quickly learn to live within your new means, and if your lifestyle is that important to you, you’ll find a way to maintain it without those extra dollars.
Find Free Stuff
There are so many free (or cheap) alternatives to lifestyle choices people spend money on.
Find free concerts or movies in the park. Go to clothing swaps. Shop at second-hand stores. Get books from the library instead of the bookstore. Have a picnic lunch instead of a fancy restaurant meal. You can live and love your life without splurging on every single aspect of life.
You might even find you enjoy the free stuff even more than the expensive stuff.
Wait
Finally, when you want to buy something, especially a big-ticket item, wait.
The general rule is to wait at least 24 hours before spending your money on something that might break the bank.
This way, you can give yourself time to figure out if it’s worth not saving money, spending more than you planned, or buying something you don’t need.
Just wait. If you still want it tomorrow, go get it.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 8 Practical Tips To Save Money Every Month Without Sacrificing Your Lifestyle
