Five sneaky ways to trick yourself into saving money
Stop spending all of your money on Netflix and cable. Brad's Deals writer Mark Jackson has five ways to trick yourself into saving money.
Stop spending all of your money on Netflix and cable. Instead of spending all of your money on books and DVDs, get a library card.
Jacob Turcotte/Staff/File
Saving money is tough for聽many people--I know I have trouble resisting the occasional聽splurge聽on my聽favorite beverage or a vacation away. But there are plenty of ways for you to save without even noticing! Here are a few tips that I use on a daily basis:
1. 聽No More Netflix
While this has become harder in recent months due to聽their great original programming (check out Daredevil if you haven't!), it's still a good idea to ask yourself this one, simple question: Do you watch Netflix every month? Many people don't, but still聽let that $7.99 per month recurring payment roll each billing period. 聽That's almost a $100 a year to watch TV and movies you might already have in your home library!
If you don't have an expansive movie collection at home, the library (you know, the place聽people used to rent books from)聽, and聽聽comes with streaming movies, many of which overlap with Netflix's selection.
2.聽Stop Buying Bottled Water
Guess what? That bottled water that you buy in the store is coming from the municipal water supply of a city near you. Yes, you're buying tap water at $1-$2 a pop. Get a reusable Nalgene and refill that puppy all day, it's聽virtually free! If you can't resist that soda buzz, buy聽a SodaStream and save yourself some big money in the long run by making your own sodas at home.
The great thing about water is that it actually keeps you hydrated, but soda聽does聽opposite, wiping your body of crucial nutrients to function correctly. Sports drinks are high in sugar and聽aren't necessary聽a non-athlete to get through the day, so the best option for your health--and your wallet--is to聽quench your thirst with the tap.
3. Ditch Amazon
If you're constantly buying books,聽? You'll save $10-$20 per new book if you grab a used one from the library, and many libraries now allow you to rent e-books straight to your Kindle or other reading device, enabling you to get new material for free--without ever leaving home!
4. 聽Change Your Lightbulbs
The聽lightbulbs you grew up with are wasteful, but replacing them with new聽CFL bulbs will save you a ton on electric bills, and won't need to replace them as often. It's a win-win for you and the environment! Longer term, if you live in a sunny environment, try to find a house with lots of natural light--during the daytime you'll never have to turn on the lights!
For more tips on how聽to save money聽while giving Mother Earth a helping hand, check out our聽.
5. 聽Cut the Cable Cord
This is my favorite money-saving tip. Many people keep cable because it's convenient and comes bundled together with phone and internet, but I'm telling you right now: DITCH THE BUNDLE! They're tacking on things you think you need and you're getting charged like crazy in the process.
Like ESPN? Go watch it at a friend's house. The money you save will cover your beer costs. Enjoy HBO? Buy HBO Now, which is the first of what will soon be聽many pay-per-channel options.
If all else fails, you can call up your cable company and threaten to quit, but聽if they don't give you a compelling deal, just go ahead and drop聽the services altogether. Who needs a phone line today anyway? Everyone's got a cell phone, and most families can make do with聽a basic internet package.
If you're apprehensive about cutting the cord, check out our editor Rebecca's聽. She's a major TV buff, and she not only survived this life change, she thrived because of it.
Just think:聽if you save $100 a month for a year, you've got $1,200, more than enough for a cheap weekend away for a family of four.
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