Wouldn’t it be great to open your wallet and find a few extra twenties in there? Turns out it’s surprisingly easy to manage, and you can do it by improving your life instead of making huge sacrifices.
Here are eight things you can do today to ensure your greenery sticks around.
Put a few extra twenties in your wallet
I know, I know, the title. But I’m not going for sarcasm– carrying cash can save you money!
Sometimes, you’re walking down the street and a burrito mojado just calls out your name. Or maybe it’s the bartender telling you cash only. Well, who wants to buy their cash from a cheap ATM in the corner? $3 and $4 ATM fees add up quick. Keep a twenty or two handy, and save yourself from choosing between the fees and a long hike to your bank’s nearest ATM.
You don’t even need to make an extra trip to get those twenties. Next time you use your card in a store, use the cash back option. Fee-free twenties? Check.
Clean out your closet
Unless you’re Marie Kondo (in which case, thanks for helping me clean my room!), you’ve probably accumulated things that you don’t need. Clothes are an easy target. Pick a day to go through your clothes and gather the ones you don’t like or wear anymore. Then trade them in for cash or store credit at a fashion resale retailer like Buffalo Exchange. Voila! You’ve got a cleaner closet and a fatter wallet.
Cancel subscriptions you don’t use
Have you ever signed up for in-flight wifi only to find out six months later that you never stopped paying for it? Some companies out there try to trap customers into recurring charges, but it’s also easy to simply forget to cancel services when you no longer need them.
Truebill’s easy-to-use tool instantly shows you your recurring charges and lets you cancel anything you don’t want with a single click. Over 25% of users cancel a subscription through the service, saving an average of $512 per year. Not bad for a free service.
Hit the library
Libraries are dedicated to providing as much value as possible for free, from books and academic databases to magazines and more. The New Yorker is $7.99 an issue and the Wall Street Journal is $3.00, but you can read them and many more in the quiet of your well-lit local library any time.
These days, you don’t even have to leave your bed to reap library benefits. Netflix costs $8.99 a month to stream videos and Audible’s audiobooks will run you $14.95 a month, but your library account won’t charge a dime for videos, audiobooks, comics, books, and more accessible right on your phone, tablet, or computer.
Get fit
Whether you’re young or old, outgoing or shy, you have affordable options for getting and staying fit. The adventurous set have their open water swims and bouldering clubs, but there’s also gentle water aerobics and free tai chi by the beach. Bored by routine? Triathlon clubs like Golden Gate TC are high value and a great way to mix it up while meeting people. Can’t take things so seriously? Join a hash run. They’re a boisterous good time… participants sometimes refer to as “a drinking club with a running problem.”
However you do it, exercising is a great way to spend time instead of money. The New York Times just featured a vast British study that called exercise a “miracle cure,” pointing to study after study that shows even small amounts of exercise bring “global improvements in health across a range of conditions.” In the long-term, you’re gaining a lot more than a few twenties in your wallet.
Cook for a crowd
Home cooking is easy! It’s healthier, less expensive, and (with practice) tastier than eating out. And as long as you’re making a dinner, why not make a bunch extra and freeze portions for later? You’ll be much less likely to eat out once you’ve given yourself the option of a scrumptious, heat-and-serve meal.
Invite your friends over
And now that you’ve cooked a bunch extra, why not invite some of your favorite people over to eat it with you? Going out for dinner or a show and drinks can decimate your “fun” budget in no time, but when you have people over, you minimize expenses and share the savings.
And there you have it.
With some exercise, your local library, and a little help from your friends, you’ll be putting some extra twenties in your wallet in no time. Saving money isn’t so bad after all!
