5 ways to cut costs and save money in 10 minutes or less (2024)
Sometimes a little change makes a big difference.
Don't think that because you can't cut your grocery bill or your utility bill is just high this time of year, you cannot save money.
There are other effective ways to make a difference in your budget and you can start right now. Here are five ways to save money in 10 minutes or less:
1. Set up automatic transfers to pay yourself first
When you receive your income, pay yourself first by setting up an automatic transfer to your savings account to make sure that you are prioritizing saving money over spending it. Shift your mindset: Look at your savings account as a bill to be paid. It's just as important to pay yourself as it is to pay your household bills.
2. Take out cash for your weekly spending
If you are trying to stick to spending a certain amount of money per week, withdraw that amount in cash at the beginning of the week. If I budget an amount of $100 for the week, I make a quick trip to the ATM to withdraw that amount from my account, and that helps me stay on track with my spending.
It's easier to overspend when you are swiping a card, but taking 10 minutes to get cash and committing to only spending that amount means you can't spend more than you have.
3. Call your monthly bill providers
Set aside a few minutes to call your cell phone or internet provider and see if they can reduce your monthly bill. This is why paper statements are so important. I got an email from my cable TV provider that my bill was $272. For what?!
I called my cable provider immediately and asked why my cable bill was so high. We went through my bill and by the time I was done, my monthly bill was $185. This is also why none of my household bills are on autopay. I need to see and know what I am paying every month.
4. Replace an app that encourages spending with one that helps you save
You can choose any app that makes it easy for you to spend money. For me it was Ubereats. Because my credit card was hooked to this app, it was easy to spend money ordering food, especially on Friday nights at the end of the work week when I didn't feel like cooking.
Delete a shopping, ride-share, or food app and replace it with a savings app or budgeting app. That way you can see in real time where your money is going — and it just might change how you spend.
5. If you want to take drastic measures: Freeze your credit card
If you feel like your spending is out of control, or you're carrying credit card debt, you can literally take a cup of water and freeze your credit card for a month, or two months, or however long it takes to get your credit card spending in line.
Remember that if you do this, you also need to remove the card details from any apps or websites where it's saved. The idea is to make your credit card almost impossible to access — not just to create a credit card popsicle. Once you're feeling better about your spending, you can defrost.
Jennifer Streaks
Senior Personal Finance Reporter and Spokesperson
Jennifer is a Senior Personal Finance Reporter and Spokesperson for the Personal Finance vertical at Business Insider.She started her career covering personal finance at Black Enterprise Magazine, went on to CNBC where she covered personal finance, women and money and tech and then Forbes, where she reported on personal finance, business, tech and money matters related to the economy, investing, credit and entrepreneurship.Jennifer is also the author of Thrive!...Affordably: Your Month to Month Guide to living your Best Life without breaking the bank. The book offers advice, tips and financial management lessons geared towards helping the reader highlight strengths, identify missteps and take control of their finances.In addition, she has extensive experience as an on-air financial commentator and has been a featured expert discussing credit and savings, investing and retirement, mortgages and all things money and personal finance. She has an ability to discuss and simplify complex financial issues and make them easier to understand.Follow her on Twitter @jstreaks.
50 - Consider allocating no more than 50 percent of take-home pay to essential expenses. 15 - Try to save 15 percent of pretax income (including employer contributions) for retirement. 5 - Save for the unexpected by keeping 5 percent of take-home pay in short-term savings for unplanned expenses.
50 - Consider allocating no more than 50 percent of take-home pay to essential expenses. 15 - Try to save 15 percent of pretax income (including employer contributions) for retirement. 5 - Save for the unexpected by keeping 5 percent of take-home pay in short-term savings for unplanned expenses.
We recommend the popular 50/30/20 budget to maximize your money. In it, you spend roughly 50% of your after-tax dollars on necessities, including debt minimum payments. No more than 30% goes to wants, and at least 20% goes to savings and additional debt payments beyond minimums. We like the simplicity of this plan.
Here are some tips for getting into the habit of saving.
Set goals. Set savings goals that motivate you, like saving up for a house or going on a dream vacation, and give yourself timelines for reaching them.
The 10% rule of investing states that you must save 10% of your income in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle during retirement. This strategy, of course, isn't meant for everyone as it doesn't account for age, needs, lifestyle, and location.
All it requires is that you save every $5 bill you get as change. If you're paying for something at the register with cash and the cashier hands you a $5 bill, put it directly into your savings account and pretend it's not even there. Five dollars can add up quickly.
The 50/15/5 rule for spending and saving provides guidelines that could make budgeting a little easier. It allocates 50% of your income to essential expenses, 15% to retirement and 5% to short-term savings.
The money advice that resonated with Shaq is geared toward savings: “It's not about how much you make, it's about how much you keep,” Shaq says. “Save 75% of your earnings and put it away.Use the other 25% as you please.” After all, more money doesn't necessarily equal more wealth.
Canceling unnecessary subscriptions and automating your savings are a couple of simple ways to save money quickly. Switching banks, opening a short-term CD, and signing up for rewards programs can also help you save money. Making a budget and eliminating a spending habit each day can help lead to long-term savings.
How about this instead—the 50/15/5 rule? It's our simple guideline for saving and spending: Aim to allocate no more than 50% of take-home pay to essential expenses, save 15% of pretax income for retirement savings, and keep 5% of take-home pay for short-term savings.
The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.
Key Takeaways. The 50/30/20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should be split between savings and debt repayment (20%) and everything else that you might want (30%).
This model suggests allocating 50% of your income to essential expenses, 15% to retirement savings and 5% to an emergency fund. This plan allows you to meet your immediate needs and plan for the future before you spend on anything else.
This challenge works the same as the 52 week challenge, but you go up in multiples of £5 rather than £1. So week one = £5, week two = £10, all the way up to week 52 at £260. Alternatively, if you're not in the position to save these larger amounts, you could save £5 every week instead.
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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