As much as I love the phrase “time is money,” there’s no substitute for the value of your time. That’s why I think everyone needs to make their life — and finances — as simple as possible. Luckily, in the day and age of technology, there are so many tasks we can automate. So free up a bit more of your time and save money with these life hacks.
Automatic Bill Pay
This is one automation that everyone should be doing. Electricity, internet, garbage — take all your recurring monthly bills and put them on an automatic payment. This will eliminate the chances of a late fee, and remove multiple items from your to-do list every month. If your utility company doesn’t allow automatic payments, you may be able to set up a monthly recurring payment through your bank or credit union instead.
Along with your monthly bills, you should also set up automatic payments for your loan payments. Most lenders will give you a small discount on your interest rate when you automate your payments. Save yourself the money and just automate already!
Meal Delivery
You might think meal delivery services like Blue Apron or Plated are an unnecessary expense, but I beg to differ. Buying a recurring meal delivery subscription saves me tons of time each week by eliminating my meal planning, grocery shopping, and a lot of cooking prep time. Plus, cooking at home means saving money by not eating takeout every night of the week. Not only is this type of delivery super easy to automate, it’s also flexible to your life; you can skip a week or adjust your menu with just the click of a button.
Also Read: Are Meal Delivery Kits Really Worth It?
No Worry Retirement Savings
Most employers offer the option of an automatic payroll deduction for retirement savings, like a 401(k). When you automate your contributions, you’re more likely to stick with your savings goals. That’s super important because over one-third of Americans don’t have any type of retirement savings. Retirement may seem like a million years away, but you’ll miss out on years of compounding interest if you don’t start early. So even if you can’t contribute a lot, start by making your contribution automatic. That way, you’ll never miss a chance to pay yourself first.
Rack up the Rewards
Using a rewards credit card is a fabulous way to make money without having to do anything extra. Setting up an automatic credit card payment is a great way to maximize your rewards while cutting your risks of missing a month. Simply pick a day of the month that you want to pay your credit card bill, and boom, you’ve automated a process that can actually make you money. All the purchases you make on your card earn you rewards, and then you’ll pay your bill in full each month to avoid costly interest. This is literally the definition of automation domination.
Use Travel Alert Tools
If you’re planning a trip, the easiest way to save on airfare is to use a travel alert tool. Apps like Hopper and Skyscanner can tell you whether to book your flight now, or whether prices are likely to drop in the upcoming weeks. Create a free account to set up a travel alert. That way, you can automate the process of searching for the cheapest flight. Just plug in your desired destination and wait for the app to send you a notification that it’s time to book. These apps have saved me hundreds of dollars and made travel planning super simple.
Invest Automatically
Yes, it is possible to automate even the task of investing. For example, with the Stash app, you can set up automatic withdrawals from your checking or savings account to invest in a variety of different funds. Betterment is another great tool that features automatic withdrawals as well as automatic investing and re-balancing of your portfolio. When you automate your investing, it’s like setting up an autopilot for your future.
Worry-Free Restock
It’s possible to have nearly anything in the world packaged up and delivered to your doorstep. While it may sound boring, automatic shipments for your essentials — toilet paper, toothpaste, dish soap — can save you a lot of time. Plus, with a program like Amazon’s Subscribe and Save, you can actually save money on the things you order on a regular basis. Restocking your essentials will make you feel like you’ve got your entire life under control while being easy on your bank account.
