Top 14 ways to save money this week
If you鈥檙e like me, you thrive on to-do lists and a carefully planned schedule.
I find that having a few things each day on my to-do list at the start of the week helps me to keep moving forward on the things I want to achieve.
In that spirit, here鈥檚 a list of fourteen things worth taking care of this week that will save you money. I鈥檝e split them up into a pair of tasks per day so each day isn鈥檛 overwhelmed with tasks, but by the end of the week you can be really proud of what you鈥檝e accomplished.
Monday 鈥� Start of the Work Week
The start of a fresh work week is full of opportunity 鈥� but also full of getting back in the routine after a weekend off.
Check up on your benefits.聽Take a quick peek at your company鈥檚 HR website or your employee鈥檚 handbook and make sure there aren鈥檛 any benefits you might want to sign up for. Most employers have programs of some kind for their employees, but it鈥檚 usually up to the active employees to find out about them.
Do some household maintenance.聽Clean out the dust behind the fridge. Make sure you have a fresh filter in your home heating and cooling system. Clean out the trap on your dishwasher. Every little thing like this that you handle means that your major home appliances will live a little longer.
Tuesday 鈥� In the Groove
The week is bumping along and so are you. I find that Tuesdays are often my most productive day.
Examine your retirement savings.聽Are you in a 401(k) plan or a Roth IRA? If not, now鈥檚 the time to sign up. If you are, make sure you鈥檙e saving enough by using a retirement calculator and make sure your investments are sensibly balanced.
Go on a long walk.聽It鈥檚 free. It鈥檚 a good way to get more familiar with your neighborhood and your neighbors. It鈥檚 exercise that will help improve your health. If you turn off your lights before you go, you鈥檒l probably save some money, too.
Wednesday 鈥� Hump Day
Halfway between the weekends, Wednesday can feel like the part of the week where the work week will never end.
Review your budget.聽If you don鈥檛 have one, get a budgeting program like聽聽and get started. If you do, go through the line items and make sure they鈥檙e actually in line with reality and that the overall budget is moving you toward your goals.
Write a passionate note to your spouse.聽A healthy marriage is a huge money saver, and doing little things like putting a passionate note in your spouse鈥檚 work bag is a great way to keep that marriage healthy and exciting for both of you. A little bit of love makes you both feel better and it also helps keep the divorce lawyers far away.
Thursday 鈥� Anticipation
Thursday is often the day where I make plans for the coming weekend: inviting friends over, planning activities, and so on. It鈥檚 an exciting day.
Brown bag your lunch.聽Take a lunch to work today instead of eating out or getting delivery. Use whatever you have on hand 鈥� leftovers make a great brown bag, as do sandwiches. If you turn a $10 lunch into a $2 one, that鈥檚 money in your pocket.
Plan a potluck dinner.聽Make a main course for several people, then invite some people over and have them bring side dishes. Thursday is a great day to plan such an event for Saturday evening. If it goes well, maybe this will launch a routine where you鈥檒l all save money by making collective meals.
Friday 鈥� The End of the Work Week
The work week鈥檚 end is in sight! Make it count by taking care of a few important things!
Check your car鈥檚 maintenance schedule.聽It鈥檚 in your owner鈥檚 manual. Sticking to a car鈥檚 maintenance schedule will do wonders for lowering your repair bill. It鈥檚 far better to spend $50 now than $500 later on.
Clean out your closet.聽Go through your storage spaces and see if there are any items that ought to be listed on聽. Not only will this free up some space in your home, it can put some cash in your pocket.
Saturday 鈥� The Day of Fun
Saturday is usually the day that our family fills with fun activities.
Make some meals in advance.聽If you can spend a couple hours making a quadruple batch of, say, homemade lasagna, not only have you taken care of dinner for the evening, you鈥檝e also got incredibly simple and delicious dinners that can be used throughout the next month or two. Plus, you can then buy the ingredients you need in bulk, saving you some money.
Check out your town鈥檚 parks and rec services.聽Most towns have a parks and recreation service that provides a lot of facilities and activities that many people in the community rarely take advantage of. Look up what they have on offer and see what鈥檚 worth doing.
Sunday 鈥� The Day of Rest
We usually end the week by taking care of household chores and preparation for the week to come.
Plan meals for the coming week.聽Pull out your grocery store鈥檚 flyer, make a meal plan involving the items on sale at the store, then make a grocery list from that meal plan. You鈥檒l go to the store and your list will not only be loaded with sale items, but it will already have the specific things you need for meals for the week聽and聽you鈥檒l get out of the store way faster because you have a list.
Read a book.聽If you don鈥檛 have one on hand to read, now鈥檚 the perfect time to visit your local library. Pick up a book on a topic that鈥檚 always interested you but you鈥檝e never known much about and dig in. If you got it from the library, the book is essentially free 鈥� if you鈥檙e sitting in a room with the lights on, it鈥檚 free to read, too, since no extra electricity is needed.
Frugality isn鈥檛 something you jam into one day. It鈥檚 something that pops up again in drips and drops throughout your week.
first appeared on .
