27 Saving Money Hacks, Tips, and Tricks in 2025 (Save $500/Month!)

Expenses growing faster than your paycheck? Here are the saving money hacks, tips, and tricks you need to save money this year.

Guys: let’s be real.

Expenses are a bit out of control.

We’ve got to get smarter and better at saving our money – whether it’s to be able to put some aside in an actual savings account, or just to make it to the next paycheck.

For most of us, it’s probably a little of both.

Here’s my promise to you: if you take action on these saving money hacks, tips, and tricks, I guarantee you will spend less money in the coming months than you did last year.

And doing that? Means you’ll open up breathing space where you can begin to save.

Some will even be able to save an extra $500/month by taking action on the steps below!

Saving Money Hacks, Tips, and Tricks

There are 27 different ideas below, so don’t worry if a few are things you don’t want to do.

But I DO encourage you to stretch yourself and really take action on several of these. Pin the ones you want to take action on later and choose ONE to take action on before you close this article.

You got this!

1. Get Your Dollar Tree Meal Down

Grocery prices are pretty out of control right now.

I started creating yummy, and simple meals from ingredients just from the Dollar Tree – and I now routinely include a meal a week or so from DT into our rotation.

It makes a difference.

Our favorites are:

• Chicken and Black Bean Taquitos with a Homemade Cheesy Tex-Mex Dip
• Sausage-Stuffed Garlic Bread (with Peppers & Onions)
• Fish Stick Tacos with Sweet Chili Aioli

2. Schedule ONE Day Per Month to Shop Online

Set a new rule in your household that you will only shop online one day per month.

Nuts, I know.

But just like going into stores less often results in less impulse spending, clicking into shops online will do the same.

Plus, you’ll have fewer requests from kids to shop with their allowance money on Amazon (is this just in our household?) – just tell them that “we are shopping online on X day this month – have your wishes/orders and money ready for then.”

AND, you can cut Amazon Prime, but still get the free shipping (since you'll likely meet the minimum $35 spending threshold).

In the meantime, keep a list of things that pop into your mind to buy online (and show your kids so that they can do the same).

Bonus points: this gives you a cooling off period – once online shopping day comes around for the household, you might just cross a thing or two off that you no longer want or need.  

3. Squeeze the Most Out of Your Health Insurance Company

I’ve been surprised over the years with how little we actually know of our health insurance plan. Every time I find out something new, I’m always like “Why don’t they advertise this so that people can actually find it?!?”

You might have similar benefits that put cash back into your pocket, and not even know it.

Things like:

• Ability to submit claims from people who don’t take your insurance, and get some of your money back (we’ve done this with a therapist, and a doctor, both with success)
• Wellness programs that give you cash incentives for healthy behaviors and taking surveys on the state of your health (we’ve gotten up to $450/year/person using this!)
• Included gym memberships to replace the gym membership fee we were paying

Call your health insurance company, and ask to talk to someone about wellness programs – you might be surprised what you find.

4. Choose Two Streaming Services to Chop

Recently, I calculated that we’re paying a total of $80 extra per month for streaming services.

Yikes!

We decided to cut down our services by two, saving us a total of $17.98/month (that’s $215.76 over the next year!).

You can ALSO do the following…

5. Cut Cable and Go with Free Streaming Services ONLY

You could also just get rid of your cable, and survive on the free stuff.

We’re talking:

• Sling Freestream
• Pluto
• Tubi
• Etc.

Hint: need to realllllly cut spending and save more? Check out how to cut expenses to the bone.

6. Frontload an Amazon 30-Day Free Prime Trial

I’ve never had an Amazon Prime membership, and I don’t intend to.

But there are some benefits to them!

In fact, you can use the free trial sign-up to strategically save yourself some money.

• Cancel a different streaming service (like Netflix) and only watch things on Amazon Prime for the next month.
• Sign up right before Prime Big Deals Day, and get all of your birthday and Christmas shopping done at a discount.
• Read that hot new book on Kindle that you are 112^th in line for at your local library.
• Etc.

Remember, you can only use the free trial once. So try to be strategic about it.

Oh, and if you have an Amazon Prime membership?

7. Cut Amazon Prime Out of Your Life

I’ve never had Amazon Prime (I know…gasp!). Except for the free trial that I frontloaded above.

And you know what? I’m amazed at how fast my packages arrive (some, within two days!).

I can’t justify spending $139/year for it.

Not only that, but it entices people (like me!) to buy. Because…why not? Shipping is free. There’s a dopamine hit from getting a package at the door quickly.

If you’ve got it? Consider saving that $139/year, and instead just make sure you put in orders that reach the threshold for free shipping (probably better for the environment anyway, since they tend to ship in fewer cardboard boxes).

8. Use the Half Rule

Take something you’re using regularly right now – shampoo, cat treats, cooking oil/Pam, cleaning solution, etc. – and immediately start using half the amount you were.

I know, I know. Sounds a bit bonkers…

But trust me. You’ll likely find it still works just as well.

And now you’ll be spending half of what you used to on these products (over time).

9. Take a Freezer Inventory & Make a 3-Meal Plan

You’ve likely accumulated a bunch of stuff in your freezer…and haven’t looked at it for a while.

That’s kinda what freezers are for.

Take a free printable kitchen inventory sheet, and write down 7-10 items in your freezer. Now, base your coming weeks’ meals off of these items.

Not only will you spend less grocery shopping (adjust accordingly – don’t just buy the exact same amount of food, or you won’t bank any extra cash!), but you’ll open up room and stop good food from going bad.

Not buying all the ingredients needed for 3 family meals this week? With today’s grocery prices, that could save you upwards of $50-$70!

10. Switch to Cash-Only for ONE WEEK

So much of personal money management comes down to psychology.

Like, more than we’d all like to admit.

And one psychological trick I’ve found to work anytime I want to reign in my spending?

Is taking out the amount I’ve been spending in cash for a week, and then trying not to let it go.

Because parting with cash is HARD. Much harder than just zipping or tapping a plastic card to a machine.

If I see the cash drain from my wallet, I’m about 50% less likely to spend it.

See how long you can go with this one week’s worth of spending for things like groceries, household supplies, clothes, and other categories where you have some control.

You might just amaze yourself.

11. Change up Gift-Giving in Your Family

Be the person who suggests an alternative way to gift this holiday season.

You could suggest:

• White elephant gift exchange at the holiday party
• Pick names out of a hat for buying for kids (relatives), instead of purchasing for each child
• “Buy Nothing” Christmas where everyone exchanges homemade gifts
• Thrift store challenge where you and your friends hunt for the best gift possible under $10 (my friend and I did this one year! So fun.)
• Purchase something for each other in the after-holiday clearance sales

12. Scan Your Shopping Receipts for Cash

I scan all of my receipts, all year long, into these two cashback apps: Ibotta, and Fetch. I keep the cash and points tallying all year long, then cash out around the end of the year to put towards my holiday budget.

Last year, I withdrew $218.89 in actual cash from Ibotta alone in October!

13. Grow Your Savings through Internet Search Earnings

You can sign up for Swagbucks.com, and search the internet through them.

Periodically, you win Swagbucks, which you can then redeem for actual cash (by PayPal).

For every 5,000 points, you can get $50 in PayPal cash, or you can cash in at 2,500, or 10,000 points. 

14. Buy from Meats Clearance Section, Only

Discovering our grocery store’s clearance meat section two decades or so ago changed our spending forever.

Not only has it cut our meat costs (chicken, beef, etc.) by 30%-40%, but we’ve been able to score expensive organic meats most of the time, too.

Just remember to freeze it when you get home, and use it the day that you defrost it!

I’m always able to find meats at 40%-60% off (and lots of time, organic ones!) that I can either use that evening or freeze and use the day I dethaw it (which is how we use our meats anyway).

I can’t even estimate how much we’ve saved over the years with this one savings hack. Could it be $1,000 by now?

15. Strategically Use Your Grocery Store’s Prepared Foods Section

When I had an office job in my previous life, and packing lunches fell through the cracks, I wouldn’t spend $10-$15 to eat out.

Instead, I’d go to the grocery store and shop in their prepared foods section.

Pair a salad-by-weight with a bowl of soup, and a yogurt, or anything else I could find.

They’ve become even more robust with options, now.

My favorite thing? Was getting the manager’s specials that were going to expire in a day or so anyway.

16. “Shop” Buy Nothing Facebook Groups

Feeling an impulse to shop online? I get it. I like to buy from Amazon, too.

Instead, sign up for a local Buy Nothing group on Facebook.

Offer some things you’re finished with. Browse what others are giving away for free.

It’s a win-win-win (one for the environment, too!).

17. Incentivize Spending Less

Rosemarie from the Busy Budgeter has an awesome idea that's helped her to save money each week: she gives herself an incentive to do so.

She sets a budget, and then 20% of whatever she doesn't spend from that budget becomes hers to spend on what she likes. She calls it her blow money.

She even keeps a list of things she wants so that she knows what her reward will be.

The other 80% of the money she saved from their budget? Gets to be applied toward her family's savings or debt goals.

18. Cut Down the Number of Times You Enter a Store

It’s no secret that going into stores more often – upping the number of products, ads, and discounts we’re exposed to – increases the amount of money we spend.

SO, track the number of stores you enter. Do this for a week.

You can use a free app like the Done app (available for iOS), which will help you track the number of times you enter a store. It’ll even give you a chart of times of day/week so that you can start to see patterns and break them.

Hint: online store browsing sessions count, too!

Then next week? Cut it in half.

19. Commit to Save 50% of Pay Increases

Make a new household rule: each pay increase you or your partner receive? You’ll automatically save 50% of it.

Whether that’s manually sending ½ of bonuses to your savings, or increasing your automatic monthly savings withdraws each time you get a cost of living increase.

Commit!

20. Invest in a Good Stain Remover

Do you have children of various ages?

One of the best ways to save money with large families is by taking care of the clothes from the eldest and passing them down.

And to do that, you don’t want to cheapen out on a clothes stain remover. Sure, it’ll cost a bit more upfront for a really good one. But you’ll be saving loads of money when you can reuse clothes for another 1-3 years.

21. Do a Staycation with a Coupon Book or CityPass

Buy one of those coupon books for your area or a CityPass to the nearest city from you (within driving distance).

Instead of going on a big, expensive vacation next summer, plan a staycation with several big-hit attractions in your own area.

Hint: base your decisions around the coupons you have in the book to save even more.

Here are even more staycation ideas, plus winter staycation ideas.

22. Shop Amazon’s Outlet Store First

Did you know Amazon has an Outlet Store (I’ve got loads more online shopping hacks, here)?

I didn’t know until several years ago! Now, I try to tell everyone I know about it.

Just go to the click down in the upper lefthand, scroll wayyyyy down, and click on “Amazon Outlet”.

You’ll find deals of up to 70% on out-of-season and excess warehouse products in lots of different categories.

Hint: need to stop a bad online shopping habit? Check out how to stop spending money online.

23. Create a Money Roadblock

Any roadblock you can put between yourself and your money makes it more likely that you won't spend it.

We're going to call these “money roadblocks”.

Money roadblocks could be something that physically hides the money from yourself, or it could mean putting into place things that make it a bit more difficult or annoying to access your funds so that you're less tempted to overspend.

Choose one of these money roadblocks, and set it up today.

Psst: my favorite one? Is to opt out of your bank’s overdraft protection. That’s a hard spending stop, if I ever saw one!

24. Price Shop 2 Ingredients You Use Often

Knowing that you need to cut down your grocery bill but having no plan to do so is:

a) overwhelming
b) the most surefire way I know of continuing to spend the same amount

So, I’ve got a new plan for you.

First, you’re going to price shop TWO ingredients/supplies that you use a lot of. The point here is to choose something you consume often and frequently and lots of – because that will yield the most savings to your overall spending.

In our household? That would be things like tortilla chips, Tums, and almond milk chocolate milk for school.

Price shop by:

• Find What You’re Paying Now: Look up your old receipts, look up the online price at the store you typically shop, look into your cash-back Ibotta or Fetch apps on past receipts, etc., and write down how much you are paying right now for these 2 items.
• Find a Lower Price Somewhere Else: For example, I looked in Costco for tortilla chips and Tums, and it turns out both are INSANELY cheaper by buying in bulk ($0.034/generic Tum at Walmart Vs. $0.016/generic Tum at Costco – that’s like half the price!). SO, we switched.

Next, do the following two steps: choose a weekly Dollar Tree meal to put into your rotation and a weekly pantry meal to include in your meal rotation.

Do these three things, and watch your grocery spending go down, down, down.

25. Do a Mini-Savings Challenge for Small Budgets

Some of the bigger savings challenges seem out of reach.

But mini-savings challenges?

Those are the sweet spot. You can really do something with small amounts of yours. Money, and you start to pay attention to daily spending habits more.

It’s a win all around.

26. Shop Grocery Outlet Stores

Growing up, we sourced probably 30% of our groceries from a grocery outlet near us.

They exist, and they can really save on your grocery spending. You can locate one near you, here.

Just ensure you check the expiration dates and that you can reasonably use the item before it expires.

27. Eat from Your Pantry One Meal/Week

Another way you can take the pressure off your grocery store budget is by planning in one Pantry Meal/week (meaning, you need to buy food for one less meal/week).

Here are 17 non-perishable meal ideas for you.

That's it: 27 saving money tips, tricks, and hacks with the power to increase that precious gap between your pay and your spending (which means you can save money!). Which one(s) are you going to try first? I challenge you to choose four, and to complete one each week for the next month.