Painless Money-Saving Tweaks You Might Not Know

With life becoming more expensive every year, penny pinching is a must for many. Thankfully, reducing expenses doesn’t always require sacrifices. Try these tested frugal tips to painlessly shave a few dollars off of your expenses:

Check your car insurance details and add-ons

With work-from-home options and virtual entertainment, you may be driving fewer miles than in the past. Lowering your reported annual miles driven on your car insurance policy may save a few dollars each month. Also, if your policy includes a rental car option in the event of an accident, downgrade your rental car preference to “basic economy” to save a few dollars.

Turn down your water heater temperature

If you’ve never looked at your water heater, check the temperature setting. If it appears to be a high setting, try turning it down to save a little on your energy bill.

Turn up your refrigerator temperature

Do you notice that your produce occasionally has ice crystals? Try turning your refrigerator to a warmer setting to save a few dollars on your electric bill.

Set your car’s gas mileage display to show continuous fluctuation, not the average.

If your vehicle’s display shows live gas mileage fluctuations, keep this up while driving to encourage gentler driving habits. Better gas mileage will lower fuel costs.

If you pay for a trash service, consider a smaller bin

A consistently half-full garbage bin on trash day probably means you’re paying for a bin size you don’t need. Opting for a size down or less frequent pickups may save a few dollars each month.

Pay per visit rather than a monthly membership for the gym

If you only visit the gym a few times per month, a day pass or pay-per-class might be more wallet-friendly than the standard monthly membership fee.

Reduce the amount of meat in meals by 25%

Cutting back the amount of meat in recipes by a quarter still provides the satisfying flavor and texture while giving your grocery budget a break. For even bigger savings, cut the amount of meat in half and treat meat as a flavor enhancer for your meals rather than the primary ingredient.

Share retail rewards accounts with your partner or trusted family member

Reward accounts with expiring points (think Starbucks, PetSmart, fuel rewards, etc.) are easier to take advantage of with one shared account.

Change your car’s cabin air filter yourself

Replacing a cabin air filter is surprisingly easy, and YouTube is full of DIY tutorials. I felt pretty silly when I discovered that it takes one hook, two clips, zero tools, and five minutes to change my cabin air filter. Doing it myself is 70% cheaper than paying a maintenance shop.

Final thoughts

Trying these sacrifice-free tweaks may shave $50 or more off monthly bills, leaving extra cash to pay down debt, treat yourself, or save for the future.