10 Easy & Creative Ways to Stop Wasting Money This Year
Check out these ways to stop wasting money in 2022!
New year, new savings!
It doesn’t matter the reason or the season, budgeting and saving money will never go out of style. That’s why Hip2Save is dedicated to bringing you deals, steals, and the best ways to save all year round. We’ve compiled a list of ways to stop wasting money and manage your hard-earned money.
1. Cook more of your meals.
It may be more convenient to order out but not so much on your wallet! Cooking the meals you order may take more time but will likely cut the price in half. Plus, you have the satisfaction of knowing what exactly you’re putting into your body and how to portion it correctly/have leftovers!
We have tons of delicious recipes here at Hip2Save, including a bunch of your favorite copycat recipes like Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches, Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, or Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup!
2. Try using cash.
Sure, this may be “old-fashion”, but cash can be beneficial to set aside a budget and not exceed it. You can even make cash envelopes for different budgets in your life such as groceries, clothes, and activities with friends.
3. Don’t buy outside your grocery list.
The grocery store is FILLED with temptation everywhere you look, but you need to stick to that list! As simple as it sounds, this will save you so much money that you can use on essentials.
4. Skip your temptation and brew your own coffee.
According to Yahoo, the average woman spends $2,327 on coffee, and the average man spends $1,934 per year on coffee. As much as we love a morning run to Starbucks, it does add up super quickly. Consider brewing your own cup and only buying on special occasions!
Check out 5 of these official Starbucks recipes you can try making at home.
5. Ditch your gym membership.
Yes, actually making a trip to the gym can keep you a bit more honest about your workout rather than heading down to the treadmill in the basement. But think of it this way: If you got rid of your $20 per month membership to your local fitness studio (and you may be paying even more than that!), you’re saving $240 a year, not to mention the time spent driving to and from the gym.
With that money, you can buy yourself a set of weights, a new outfit, and a reasonably-priced cardio machine – and save even more years to come.
If you’re looking to really outfit your home gym, we have tons of recommendations for the best exercise bikes, best treadmills, and how one of our team members has a tiny gym in her living room! To go the ultra-cheap or free route, check out these ways to work out for free or the latest promo on Get Healthy U TV!
6. Be smarter with travel plans.
When you’re planning any vacation, there are always ways to cut costs. We’ve even outlined some ways to save when booking your vacation for the best deals or getting creative with RV family trip ideas. Either pocket that extra money saved or splurge on other parts of your vacay!
Hip Tip: Are you a Costco member? Check out why we LOVE Costco Travel!
7. Get rid of unnecessary retail email subscriptions.
Out of sight really is out of mind, and retail email subscriptions tend to be a temptation our wallets don’t need. Unless the sale is really good (which is why you should subscribe for emails from Hip2Save 😉), it’s likely going to result in unnecessary purchases.
8. Cancel your cable provider or unused streaming services.
You most likely complain about how much money your cable is taking and how you probably either barely watch it or don’t even have all the channels you like. According to Business Wire, the average American household spends approximately $1,141 annually on cable and internet.
If you’re looking to replace your cable with a TV streaming service and save up to $500 annually, check out these options for aspiring cord-cutters.
9. Turn off and unplug.
Leaving the lights on or your charging plugs in the wall can suck energy you don’t need to pay for. On average, the typical American household spends $100 per year on power devices that aren’t even turned on!
Be mindful when leaving the house or when going to bed of what lights can be turned off, as well as any electronics that don’t need to stay plugged in. In the short term, it may not seem like a huge saver, but over time your wallet will surely take notice.
10. Compare prices when shopping.
If there’s anything to learn from Hip2Save it’s that tons of brands sell the same products for tons of different prices per store! Take the time to research and compare pricing at various online retailers to see which has the same price. From shipping costs to actual price tags, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save with just a little comparison research!
Want to learn more ways to keep some extra cash in your pocket?
Check out our 10-Week Financial Boot Camp! In this series, you’ll receive weekly emails featuring money-saving challenges, helpful tips, and even budget-friendly meal ideas to keep a little more cash in your pocket.
Now that you have ways to stop wasting money, make money from home with these surveys!
Does anyone else feel like cutting cable/dish can be more expensive with all the streaming services? My cable company charges around $30 for 200 channels when added to our internet package. For us to have the probably 10 channels we watch, including local; it would be more expensive to subscribe to multiple streaming services to get those channels. I think some cable companies are lowering their rates to be more competitive and might be worth looking into!
Actually my husband and I were just talking about this and now we have so many streaming services it adds up to about what our cable bill used to be. Years ago when we first cut the cord it was worth it, back when Netflix used to be $7 a month but you add up Hulu, Netflix, And a few other premium channels and it gets pricey. We just cancelled showtime, STARZ, and HBO so we only have Hulu and Netflix now plus Prime video. Of course with Disney starting their own streaming service all their content will be pulled and that will be another service we may need but I’m going to stick to just one or two.
Disney is only pulling their content from Netflix.
Disney bought 21st Century Fox, so they now own 21st Century Fox’s stake in Hulu. In April AT&T sold its stake back to Hulu. On May 14th, Disney bought Comcast’s stake in Hulu. Disney owns all of Hulu now.
Disney+ will have the family-friendly content and Hulu will have the adult-oriented content.
Comcast agreed to extend the licensing agreement for NBCUniversal’s content on Hulu and their channels on Hulu Live at least until late 2024. In one year, NBCUniversal has the right to put their content on their own service, even if it is exclusive to Hulu. In three years, NBCUniversal will have the right to terminate most of its licensing agreements with Hulu.
In April, a Disney chairman said that they will likely offer a bundle discount for Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.
Great info!
I have cut the cable more than 2 years ago. First I am lucky to get Netflix for free from T-Mobile. If I had to pay I wouldn’t because we don’t watch it often. My advice to you is to keep one subscription at a time. You can always rotate subscriptions – let’s say you have HBO, you catch up with all the shows you wanted to see – cancel it. Get another subscription. Then rinse and repeat. Also watch for deals, free trials that are longer than usual and go for them. Nobody says that you have to have every single subscription. My personal opinion is that there are many monkeys on that branch and it will break soon. For example NBC is coming up with its own subscription, on top of Disney and who knows who else. People cannot pay and will not pay for every single subscription. Something’s got to give.
How do you get Netflix thru T mobile?
You have to have qualifying plan. It’s usually a plan with 2+ people. Except the plan called essential and the 55+ plan. Once you are on the correct plan you have a link to redeem through the t-mobile site. If you are thinking of switching hurry up because they are introducing new plans called magenta and you get only the basics plan for free. You can pay the difference ($4 I think). Otherwise once the new plans are introduced the current plans become grandfathered and we are going to pay $2. This is to offset the recent increase by Netflix.
One subscription at a time…that’s so smart!
Don’t forget about all the free DVD rentals from your local library.
I forgot about the library DVD’S. They also have free CD that you can download onto your home computer and then your phone and mp3 players!
Hubs HAS to watch his sports channels. I would’ve cut cable years ago. Big waste, imo.😅
Checkout Sling Tv streaming service they have a ton of sports channels.
Direct TV now has a ton of sports channels also. My husband loves his sports channels and hasn’t complained at all since we switched to direct tv now
My husband too! Youtube TV has all live games and many other past ones!!!! So we have YouTube TV and it covers my kids’ favorite cartoon show too!
When my bill for phone, cable and internet went up to $200 last year,I did cut cable for 6 months. My bill went down to $150. I shared my bf Netflix subscription that he gets for free from his cable subscriber and I get free hulu from Sprint. I also got an indoor antenna to get local channels. After 6 months, Comcast gave me an offer to get my cable back and still only pay $150 per month. So I guess every time they jack up my bill I will just have to cut the cord for a few months.
We dropped dish a couple of months ago and went to sling tv we upped our internet for better streaming and it still freezes and locks up!!! We are not happy with it but I refuse to go back to dish!! Also have Netflix and Hulu(trial for 1 month) and don’t have any streaming issues so I guess it’s just sling tv.
I also don’t have issues with Hulu it Netflix but sling is always buffering!!!
I had this issue when I first got sling. Upgraded my router for about $130 and have never had an issue since! the live tv takes alot more “strength” to stream than the pre recorded shows.
I upgraded my Roku to a wired model instead of a WiFi and no longer have issues.
Number 1 should be stop looking at this website 🤣
😂 sometimes you don’t need something until you see it advertised at a decent price. Lol i have those little finger toys, unopened and sitting around. An instant pot I have never used. I plan to though. 🤨. I’ve gotten better now though only purchasing actual needed items.
Really? I use my instant pot almost daily. I love it!
What do you make on it daily? I just got mine and have only used it twice.
Everything! Dinners mostly. I don’t use it for lunch or desserts. Haven’t figured that one out yet. But I cook chicken, spaghetti, sausage and potatoes, Mac and cheese. So many things! Just throw it all in. I only pre sauté if I’m not super tired.
Beans! If you forget to soak dry beans, you can still make them pretty quickly in an IP. I stopped buying canned beans ages ago and have never looked back — less BPA in our lives, better beans, and way cheaper. Slightly over cook the pintos and mash them with your preferred spices for refried/bean dip style. If you don’t know how to make beans from scratch, it’s SO worth learning how — experiment with different kinds of heirloom beans and pulses. They’re one of the cheapest, healthiest foods on the planet. Add a 1″ piece of kombu seaweed to the cooking water if you have family members who have trouble digesting them — it makes the beans softer and more digestible, adding some iodine to the nutritional profile too.
Whole grains! Brown rice takes 18 minutes of high pressure in an IP or stovetop pressure cooker. Other whole grains cook even faster (quinoa, etc.). I have a Mexi-Millet recipe that I absolutely love as an alternative to Spanish rice — way healthier and better tasting too.
Potatoes! Big chunks cook in 7 minutes and are ready for mashing. Sometimes I throw in a turnip with the potatoes before cooking and mashing to boost the nutrition of the mashed potatoes.
Chili and soup — use the saute function for the onions and peppers (or meat, if you use it), and then dump in the tomatoes and whatever else, and program it as needed to finish up. I’ve made a pot of veggie chili in less than half an hour when the beans were already cooked, as it only took about 7 minutes at pressure.
That was my first thought! 🤣🤣
Right? You really have to be disciplined not
buy anything that you don’t need, or potentially will need 😉. Just because it’s on sale or hugely discounted does not mean it’s a good deal if you don’t need it. You still pay for it after all.
If I stop following Hip2Save and buying all these things that I didn’t know I needed until they found a great deal on them…I’d save THOUSANDS! 🤣🤣🤣🙌🏼my husband hates this site as much as he hates seeing packages from amazon . Whoops 🤷🏼♀️ #sorrynotsorry
I hear you I’ve been couponing and deal shopping for so long, it takes a lot of discipline to only buy things you need or were gonna buy anyway. I have a gift closet also and my rule of thumb is anything 80-90% off that I can use of gift eventually I buy.
I like that thinking 😊. Purchase as needed or on extreme discounts for later use such as birthdays & Christmas gifts.
Lol truth. I tried to break about by not downloading the app.
The gift closet didn’t work for me since kids weren’t having parties or we just weren’t invited to them 😂
Yep…I had to remove the Hip2Save bookmark from my browser and take the app off my phone’s home screen. I know it’s my own shortcoming, not the site’s, but that is what it took!
I switched our insurance last year and fixed the fact that our house was dramatically over-insured. It saved us about $300/yr.
Oh wow! Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Lauren! That’s awesome!
I love the IDEA of booking Airbnb/VRBO/Homeaway but just last night I discovered they can charge outrageous security deposits (which I understand for their own safety) which make it impossible. I looked at a $35/night studio apartment whose owner wanted a $500(!!!!) refundable deposit. YIKES!!! And not all accept credit. So unless you have that much $ to spare for 5-8 days after your stay, you may be better off booking a cheap hotel room 🙁
I find the cleaning fee to be the crazy part. Turns the cheap room to I might as well book the nice hotel with a pool
The fees can vary drastically. For instance I have never seen a crazy fee like that on a cheap room. I wouldn’t let that deter you from finding a cheap room on Air B&B.
Agree! I just move right on past those listings with exorbitant fees/deposits. There are always others.
We stay at Airbnb all the time. As a family of 5 it’s hard to find a hotel room to accommodate us unless it’s a suite. I also love the freedom of having a full kitchen and extra space for the kids to play. We are in one right now up in Niagara, came home and cooked a hot lunch for $15 instead of eating out. The cleaning fee isn’t as bad if you have a longer stay-same price no matter how long your stay is. Definitely something for families to do, my kids prefer staying in houses instead of hotels.
Also agree! I always plan on getting an air bnb but then when I compare to a SUITE hotel room the hotel is always cheaper due to crazy fees. Candlewood is great. There’s a kitchen and pets are allowed.
We ditched cable years ago. We have Netflix through T-Mobile and my husband put up an antenna. To save money when we were first married, I started cutting my husband’s hair. 26 years later I’m still doing it! You can buy a decent hair cutting kit for around $20 so after about 2 haircuts it pays for itself and it’s easy to learn how to do. I also meal plan based on what’s on sale for the week at my local grocery store. If bell peppers are on sale for .77 each I’ll make fajitas or stir fry or something like that. When grapes are on sale for. 88 lb everyone takes grapes in their lunch. Little changes add up to big savings and this site helps SO much!
Great tips, Michelle! I cut my husband’s hair too! The savings sure does add up! Thanks so much for the sweet comment! Glad you have enjoyed the deals with us!
I also cut my husbands hair and I think I’ve gotten quite good at it if I do say so myself! 😂 it’s amazing what you can find on YouTube!
Already did 1, 3, 5, 9, 10. Cut cable last month. What a relief
That’s awesome, Lase! Way to save!
For sports check out YouTube TV – they now have live sports!!!
Cutting cable was a great decision. We were paying $150 for DirecTV with no premium channels. We have Hulu Live now and already had Netflix and save a ton!
So glad cutting cable worked out for you, Raquel!
Ditching cable was the BEST feeling EVER!!!!
I would only ditch my morning Starbucks if I never had to deal with anyone at all during the day. 😈
Maybe you could make your own. I can get a huge bag of Starbucks coffee from Costco for $12. That is such a big savings even if you buy the creamers and sweeteners it still works out to be cheaper. That is what we do. Then twice a month we splurge and go to Starbucks.
Mine has espresso in it & I find it’s too much of a hassle with the machine in the morning. Add in the cost of the “k-type” cups and the savings goes way down.
We use an American Express card to earn hotel points. We put every purchase/bill we can on American Express and transfer the balance to a separate account daily which we use to pay the card off every week. It has worked great for us but you have to be disciplined about it! We have been to Memphis, New Orleans, and several other towns on vacation for free. We also use savings apps to save for our kids college and for trips.
Rewards programs can be awesome for vacation savings and even cash back! I’ve very diligent about following which credit cards have the best rewards, and I’ve made it a point that I won’t buy anything on credit if I don’t have the money to pay it off immediately. It keeps me in check and I still get those rewards points!
I’m supposed to cut cable AND my subscription tv? What the heck am I supposed to watch?
Maybe the gym membership isn’t worth it if your attendance is spotty but I go at least twice a week and they watch both my kids for the 2 hours I’m there each day. Totally worth $20 for at least 16 hours of childcare a month while I work out.
Agree! Small fitness groups/classes are totally worth it. It encourages you to get out of the house, have 1-hour fitness fun, and make friends. I started joining Zumba class 5 years ago, and decided to become an instructor 2 years ago. I now teaches 2 times/week and attend 1 additional class/week just for fun. Trust me! Before joining the gym, I tried dancing with youtube videos but it was just not the same as in person with people dancing around you. More motivation. And it’s true about childcare option, but it depends on which gym you go to.
I am having trouble finding a Zumba class in my area. Have any suggestions on how I can find a class taught locally?
I keep my membership. I go to LA fitness, it’s $31, i wish it was $20. I currently have a personal trainer that i have now reduce to 2x a week instead of 3x. I know he has to go eventually, but not yet. I spend $ on health (organic food and gym). I am trying to make some savings in that department, but i am thrifty in everything else.
Savings tip re: gym membership
Check to see if a membership is covered by your health insurance (ours is, and it is becoming more popular).
If not, you may be able to use your FSA pre-tax $ to pay for the membership (if you have an FSA).
I do a lot more of my workouts at home with popsugar youtube videos since going to the gym can be tricky when you are working full time.
Love that tip! I know the fitness studio I work at actually takes certain insurance spending cards. Definitely makes the cost worth it since it’s covered by your health care!
Thank you for your tips 😊
Many YMCAs scale membership dues to income, so if you’re unable to afford membership, they generally will reduce their monthly fee and/or waive the sign up. (Proof of income may be required.) Also, many Ys will also offer membership privileges in exchange for volunteering a certain number of hours per week where needed, so those who have more time than money may be able to work out a volunteer-exchange with the club management. Many Ys offer free child care while working out, several personal training sessions per year, unlimited workout and self-improvement classes, etc. so there’s a lot of value in their nonprofit, inclusive, community-based fitness model.
Not just that, but $20 a month is a drop in the bucket for improved long-term quality of life. If you maintain your health, you can save huge on doctor, hospital, and prescription costs! You can get a decent workout in at home if need be in a pinch, but the equipment, childcare, motivation, classes, and community are well worth it in my opinion!
I am at the gym 6 x a week, plus child care for 2 hours. Even if I don’t feel like working out I head down there leave the kids and relax in the steam room, shower and get ready for the day. It’s worth the 70 dollar a month.
I save money every month by plucking my own eyebrows. At first they looked a little crazy but nothing a brow pencil can’t fix 😂😂
I just started plucking my eyebrows after an initial wax to keep the shape. Now I got the hang of it I’ll never go back unless time escapes me. But I figure I few plucks a morning at my desk should suffice.
Me too!
Your Netflix account can have up to 5 users, but only two devices can be watching something at the same time unless you pay to upgrade. Something to keep in mind if you are considering the suggestion to share an account!
Honestly, one of the best ways to save money, is to change your mindset: you aren’t saving money, you’re spending money. Yes, there are purchases that are essential that we should try to buy at a discount, but more often we buy to “save” money on things we never knew we wanted until we saw it on sale.
Love this, Brittany! So spot on. I currently have a goal in mind for saving for a house, but I know if I didn’t, I would probably be throwing my money around without thinking twice.
True, but in order for me to find deals on things I need and normally buy I have to constantly be looking. I scan clearance clothes at Walmart each time I shop and it’s probably one in ten trips I find $1 clothing but when I do I load up.
i honestly don’t mind paying for cable, for 200$ including my fast internet i think that’s a steal compared to going out and watching all the movies we watch on it, what i hate paying for is our verizon bill. 6 of us on it, 374 a month….a car payment a month for cell phones. we have switched to other companies before and have had to switch back because of poor service. we are grandfathered in for unlimited data, which we have to have for my husbands job and my daughters school work she uses hot spots from her phone onto her laptop. love verizon service, hate they overcharge for it by a long way
Try Xfinity mobile I pay $48 for 2 lines
Cut the cellphone bill by using same phone and subscribing to such as pay as you go. That does not charge rediculous amount of government surcharge. I always use WiFi at home and outside minimizing data usage. I pay $25 a month for my phone.
You can save a ton using Ting (if you get decent Sprint coverage since it runs off their towers). You sign up online and provide a payment method they can bill each month. I was skeptical, but we’ve been with them for about 5 years now. We aren’t huge data users since we’re on wifi most of the time. We have 7 lines and pay around $100 month for them total. With Ting, you pay $6 per line and then pay for what you use in data, talk and text. You can purchase their phones or bring your own ( you can enter info to see if yours is compatible). There is also no contract, so you aren’t locked into anything. If you use a referral link to sign up, you get a $25 credit and so does the referring person. We have saved tons of money over the years by using them!
Even better than a beachbody trial, check out Fitness Blender. Tons of free workout videos with a wide range of intensities, types of works, lengths, etc. I have been using them for the last six months and every workout has been great!
Thanks for sharing that site, Annie! I’ll have to check that out. 😊
I honestly love my gym membership. Where my family goes we pay 38 per month for a family which is much cheaper than the YMCA.
I will pay $389.83 less on my four prescriptions this year by not using insurance, filling 90-day scripts instead of 30-day scripts, switching to a cheaper medication and filling it at Costco instead of Walmart, filling another script at Sam’s Club instead of Walmart, and dropping a medication that was no longer needed.
I’m saving $73.03 per month by cutting the cord and $12.27 per month by changing my cell phone plan.
Before: $199.98
$174(ish) Cox TV and internet
$13.99 Netflix Premium
$11.99 Hulu with no ads
Now: $126.95
$53.99 Cox internet
$34.99 Sling TV Blue with DVR and Lifestyle Extra
$9.99 CBS All Access with no ads
$15.99 Netflix Premium
$11.99 Hulu with no ads
$199.98 – $126.95 = $73.03 less per month
Before: $102.94
$40 2GB My Everything plan
$25 month-to-month smartphone line access charge
$7 Tech Coach
$20 basic phone line access charge
$10.94 surcharges, taxes, and fees
Now: $90.67
$40 5GB New Verizon plan
$20 smarphone line access charge
$20 basic phone line access charge
$10.67 surcharges, taxes, and fees
$102.94 – $90.67 = $12.27 less per month
I will likely be adding Disney+($6.99) when it launches November 12th.
That’s incredible, Sara!! 👏What a difference all of those simple switches made. Thank you for sharing!
Avoid late fees as they went up to $38 and pay your cc bills in full! Interest is the worst.
Simply don’t spend more then you can
I cut my husband’s and kids’ hair which saves me a lot of money. I use Ebates and Ibotta and am always surprised when those 10 and 25 cent savings here and there quickly add to a $20 deposit into my PayPal account. I also immediately eBay something once we are done with it, especially electronics. You’d be amazed at what people will pay for a used iPad or other tech gadgets. We homeschool and always take advantage of the local museums, science centers, etc during their “free/discounted homeschool days.”
I’ve been cutting the kids and hubby’s hair for years now! So easy and worth it. Was using the creaclip for the girls but I’ve been doing the pony tail method and haven’t looked back! I cut, color, hi light whatever they need and it always turns out great! Thanks for youtube right? Plus we get cuts trims every 6 weeks.
Great call with selling gently used tech on eBay! I’ve done trade-in programs in the past and those have worked well for me but I always forget to try selling online. May have to go that route with some of the older gaming consoles in our house. Thanks for sharing, Martha!
To save on prescriptions, download the Goodrx app. My son had a prescription that wasn’t covered. We were going to have to pay $90. The pharmacist told me about it and saved me $80!
Great tip, Erika! What a huge savings 🙌
on vacation go to the local grocery store for souvenirs. I’m in California right now and Ralph’s the local Kroger store has t-shirts for only $6. My kids were happy with those! Also local Walmarts usually have things also for the area you are visiting. Also we do Tello & tracfone for our cell phones. For four family members it only costs $38 a month for our phones! You can’t beat that! Kids just want texting anyways and internet is available everywhere if they need to plug in. I also have a home phone thru magic jack for only $35 a year! I rarely eat out because we always have regrets after either with the service we over paid for or the food. Lastly my biggest tip is when you buy a good used car with cash, drive it into the ground. It’s always cheaper to repair it and keep it running than to get something new.
While a lot of these ideas are great and worth noting, as a person who works with personal finance, budgeting is the best tool. It doesn’t have to be an Excel spreadsheet. I limit myself to one work lunch and one happy hour/dinner per week. A big one: MEDICAL. Mail order prescription when you can. Challenge hospital charges…I recently had $370 taken off. Go to clinics vs hospitals for non major appointments. Hospitals charge an additional facility fee for professional services (such as Dr. appt) and the lab work is more. If you don’t LOVE the item, then don’t buy it. There’s sales on everything when I ‘save for later’ in my Amazon cart, I know when the price drops (lots of savings on books and even 50% off on a rug). We must become a conscious consumer. And this site has saved me both time and money!
So true, Maria. I live by checking all of my budget, goals, and transactions on Mint. It’s even helped me catch fees and recurring charges that I had no idea were made, probably saving me hundreds in the long run. Thanks for the other helpful medical savings and shopping tips!
Don’t burn that Benjamin! Lol.
😂
We cut the cord and returned 3 cable boxes. A $1,800 annual savings!
Woah that’s awesome!!