Are you looking for a few ingenious ways to save money this summer and avoid going over your budget?
Who doesn’t want to save money right?
We all tell ourselves that we’re going to start saving money and create a spending budget but when it comes down to actually following through with these plans we fall short.
I’m sure that many of you guys can relate to what I’m talking about and if you have been struggling to save money then you’ll definitely want to stick around and continue reading.
With summertime quickly approaching many of us are eager to get out there and have some fun, do some traveling, and explore the world.
However in order to do that you to have money and stay within your spending budget right?
Well, within the following post, I’ll be sharing 10 ways that I’ve come up with for you to save money and even a few ways for you to make some extra cash while saving some greenbacks.
Are you guys ready to get started?
1) Buying Food In Bulk
One of the things that I have personally started doing to cut back on my personal expenses and how much money I spend on food each month is by buying in bulk.
Not only is this one of the most cost-effective things that you can do to save money and make your paycheck stretch out further, but it’s also healthier for you.
Before you start thinking that you’ll need to join some membership club like Costco or Sam’s club, think again.
I’m not a member of either one of these places and I have been doing this for close to 6 months now and it has saved me a tremendous amount of money.
Instead of buying food like you normally would you need to look for the bigger packages of meat that comes with anywhere from 8 to 10 chicken breasts.
This may a little more out of pocket right now, but it will end up lasting you longer and you’ll end up spending a whole lot less than if you were to buy this in smaller packages.
I typically buy chicken, pork, & ground turkey this way and I noticed that my food bill has been cut in half each month.
Instead of paying upwards of $200 or more each month, I only pay around $80 to $100 which is absolutely insane.
Also, I have done a great amount of research on meal preparation and have found a plethora of meals I can make for half the price I was paying before.
I can get a huge package of chicken breasts for around $11 that I can get at least 9 or 10 meals out of and the sides usually only cost less than $10.
2) Don’t Go Out To Eat As Often
This goes hand in hand with tip #1 that I listed above and this can save you money year round, not just during the summer months.
However, it seems like when the weather is nicer and it’s hot out that people don’t feel like slaving over a hot oven and cooking for a family of starving kids.
Trust me, I get like this all the time and think that it’s a whole lot more convenient & time-saving to grab something from Arby’s or Taco Bell instead of fixing a meal.
Due to my personal experience working in the fast food industry for close to 7 years or more, I have seen people spend anywhere from $50 to $60 to feed a family of 4 or 5 people at once.
This is just for fairly inexpensive fast food.
If you were to go to a higher quality sit down restaurant you could pay upwards of $100 or more just for 1 meal depending on the size of your family.
Pretty crazy if you ask me, wouldn’t you guys, agree?
For this amount of money, you could buy groceries for 2 weeks and save a ton of money preparing meals at home.
Also, summertime is the perfect time to grill out & if you’re anything like me, I’m always on the lookout for the best deal on the latest Grilling Accessories And Outdoor Cooking Utensils.
Actually, I just picked up a nice stainless steel 16 piece BBQ complete home grilling kit from Amazon for under $30 which is only a fraction of what you would pay if you were to go out to a fancy restaurant.
You could put this money in a jar and save it for one of the many summer getaways that you have been planning or use it to pay a bill.
It’s totally up to you.
3) Switch To Energy Efficient Appliances
This is something that can save you a ton of money & 1 of the best decisions that I have made to help me save money over the long term.
There are actually ways for you to get a refund on switching appliances over to energy efficient from your utility companies and other places if you do a good amount of research on this.
Also, this doesn’t just apply to your appliances, but also lightbulbs and many other things within your home as well.
Here is the complete list of everything you can do to make your home more energy efficient below
- Dishwasher
- Clothes Washer
- Clothes Dryer
- Thermostat
- Hot Water Heater
- Refrigerators
While the price to switch your appliances out is significantly higher than if you were to keep your original non-energy efficient models, over the long term you will see the savings start to add up.
However, it really depends on the name brand and whether or not it has the official “Energy Star” certified stamp on the appliance.
The old style type of washers & dryers uses up to 50% less water and energy for each load of laundry, while the front load style of washers uses a whopping 64% less water and 75% less energy.
It really depends on the make & model of the particular unit that you purchase.
4) Fill Your Gas Tank Up Completely
This is another one of the best ways for you to save money when filling up your gas tank.
I’m actually guilty of not filling up my gas tank all the way on several occasions thinking that I’ll save money if I only put $20 or $30 in instead of spending that extra $10 or $15 for a full tank.
This especially holds true in the summertime when running your AC if you have the luxury of having a car that has air conditioning.
It’s a known fact that running your AC in the summertime will eat up a whole lot of your gas and if you don’t have a full tank you’ll find yourself making more trips to the gas station than you normally would.
Don’t be a cheap ass and try to get by on a partial tank.
Like I said earlier, it may seem like a good idea at the time but in the long run, you’ll end up spending more than you would if you would just put in that extra $10 or $15 in the first place.
Trust me, you’ll be coming back to this post & thanking me later for this tip.
5) Avoid Making Small Trips To The Grocery Store
This is yet another tip that goes hand in hand with the one I listed above and this alone can use up a great deal of your gas.
I think we can all agree that gas isn’t cheap especially in the summer months as this is when most people do the most amount of traveling.
Gas stations raise the price of gas for this reason alone and if you take a good amount of small trips where you only buy a few items then you’ll notice that you’ll end up filling up a whole lot more than if you were to get everything you need in 1 trip.
I’m actually guilty of doing this because I seem to be really forgetful when I’m making out my grocery list and no matter how hard I try and remember everything, I always seem to forget something.
Make your grocery list, check it several times before leaving the house, and if you still end up forgetting something make note of it and pick it up the next time you are out somewhere.
Also, if you don’t live that far from the grocery store you might want to consider walking or riding your bike so that you save on fuel and cut down on any unnecessary trips.
This leads me up to my next money saving tip that I’ll be discussing next so you’ll definitely want to stick around and continue reading so you don’t miss out on any of this.
6) Walk Or Ride Your Bike Instead Of Driving
One of the best ways for you to save money this summer and save on gasoline is by either riding your bike or using your 2 feet that God gave you.
Not only is this a great way to save money this summer, but it’s also an excellent way for you to get in shape, lose weight, and even earn some money while you’re at it.
If you have been following me online for any amount of time and reading my posts then you’ll know that I particularly love to get out and take a walk whenever it’s nice out.
With gas prices constantly on the rise, you need to do whatever you can to save money and cut corners if you want to have a fun-filled summer and be able to take that trip you have been planning.
I particularly like to try and keep a perfect balance of walking, riding my bike, and driving myself and you wouldn’t believe how many people ask me why I’m walking.
They say, Scott, what happened to your car?
Is it broken down or got a flat tire?
I simply reply, No I’m getting some exercise & saving on gas while I’m at it.
7) Keep Your Thermostat At One Setting
As the temperature starts to get warmer outside your air conditioner is naturally going to have to work harder to keep your apartment or house cool.
You guys know what this means, don’t you?
Yes, you guessed it, you’re going to have a higher electric bill each month as a result.
If you’re looking to keep your place cool without having to pay a ginormous bill each month then why not keep your thermostat at one setting and leave it there?
I leave mine at around 73 degrees and don’t touch it for the entire summer.
Not only has this lowered my electric bill each month but my central air doesn’t run nearly as much as it did when I was constantly turning it up & down all the damn time.
This is one of the best tips that has helped me save a great deal of money in the summertime and something I would highly recommend to anyone that is looking to save money this summer.
8) Make Sacrifices
With the summer months ahead and most TV shows going on summer break, now is a great time for you to cut the cord on cable TV or give your Netflix subscription a break for a while.
Cutting your cable or streaming TV service off for the summer months is only 1 way for you to make sacrifices to save some money this summer.
After doing some research on this topic I have come up with a few other ways for you guys to save money & they are as follows.
- Your daily Starbucks coffee
- Your gym membership
- Your Landline
- Unnecessary shopping sprees
Let’s face it, it’s nice to treat yourself to that nice latte or have a cappuccino every once in a while.
However, if you’re spending upwards of $6 a day or more on them then you need to cut back to only 1 or 2 a week.
If you were to sit down and calculate how much you’re spending on coffee alone over a months time this equates to nearly $200 a month.
WOW!!
Can you guys believe that?
Also, if you’re looking to save even more money you could cut out things like your gym membership, your landline which you don’t need in 2019, and unnecessary shopping sprees.
This equates to another couple hundred bucks a month and you could put this money towards a family vacation or that cruise that you have always wanted to go on but could never afford it before.
Little things like this eventually add up and could end up saving you a tremendous amount of money over the long term.
9) Hang Your Clothes Up To Dry
Now that the weather is warmer out and we are having plenty of sunny days you could start hanging your clothes up to dry outside and save a ton of money on your energy bill.
This is something that I actually look forward to every summer as it nearly cuts my electric bill in half and gives my clothes dryer a much-needed break.
I guess this all depends on your particular living situation and if you live in an apartment then this obviously won’t work for you.
However, if you have a finished basement or an area that is big enough for you to do this then this could be an alternative for you.
You won’t be able to dry these out in the sun on a beautiful sunny day, but they will still naturally dry, it will just take a little longer.
10) Keep Your Curtains Closed During The Day
When it’s a nice sunny day you may want to open the curtains and let the sunshine in but doing so will also warm up your apartment/ house and make your air conditioner work harder to keep your place cool.
This is something that I struggled with at first cause I enjoy the sunshine and I look forward to sunny days.
However, I found that by closing my curtains during the day and opening after the sunset lowered my bill quite a bit.
You would be quite surprised at how much little things like this can help you save a little here and there by doing something as simple as this.
Conclusion
These are just a small handful of things that I have done to save money during the summer months for activities that I have planned over the next 4 to 5 months.
Like I said earlier, these tips were designed to save you money over the long term and you won’t see the savings overnight.
However, if you follow this list and use it as a guide to saving money this summer than you will slowly start to see these savings add up.
I really hope this post has helped you guys out and has given you some insights into how much money you could potentially save.
Have you personally saved money from the tips I listed above?
Perhaps you have something that you would like to add that I failed to include within this list?
I would love to hear all about it and answer any questions that you may have about this within the comments section below.
I look forward to hearing from you guys and seeing how you save money over the summer months.
Talk Soon
~Your Friend, Scott~