We all want to have more money, but we aren’t all in the position to simply earn more money when we want to. However, even when we can’t earn it, we can have more money by making smarter use of the money we spend. Living more frugally, spending more intelligently, and making better financial choices are all great ways to make every dollar go further and do more.
Fortunately, living frugally doesn’t always mean depriving ourselves of the things we want and need. There are tons of smart ways to save money every day on things you already buy, like clothes, home goods, auto supplies, groceries, and even recurring expenses like your phone or internet service.
Here are some of our favorite frugal living tips to help save you money every month.
Ibotta
Ibotta gives you automatic cash back when you spend money with thousands of the biggest retailers in the world, taking advantage of special offers and getting real cash back. With Ibotta, you aren’t rewarded with points or coupons; you get actual cash rewards for every transaction.
Ibotta works with a free mobile app and browser extension. It then connects you with thousands of offers from your favorite retailers, partnering with more than 1,500 brands. When you shop online or in-person from a participating retailer, you get a cash back reward on your purchase.
Since 2012, Ibotta has paid out more than $980 million in cash rewards to over 35 million users. In addition, when you link your gift cards and loyalty accounts with Ibotta, you can also qualify for any additional rewards or points offered by your favorite reward programs.
You can also enable Nearby Offer Alerts and get a notification when you are near a participating retailer, so you can take advantage of special offers and earn cash back rewards no matter where you are.
Ibotta partners with some of the biggest brands in the world, so you can earn cash back when you shop at Gap, Target, Home Depot, Petco, Domino’s Pizza, Cabela’s, Sephora, REI, Lowe’s, Staples, Walmart, Expedia, and more.
In addition, you can earn cash back on groceries, travel, beauty, apparel, or anything else you buy. Ibotta also has exclusive deals with grocery suppliers like Instacart and Shipt, so you can get a great deal and earn cash back at the same time.
In addition, Ibotta is free to use and rewards new customers with $20 in welcome bonuses, so you start earning rewards right away.
BillCutterz
BillCutterz can help save you money every month on bills like insurance, utilities, auto loans, and more. The BillCutterz team of savings experts has been specially trained to help you find and pay the lowest possible rate for all kinds of expenses. After all, you have to pay bills, but why not make sure your bills are as low as possible?
Since 2009, BillCutterz has been saving people money and helping them achieve their financial goals. When you sign up for BillCutterz, you send them all your bills, including your mobile phone, cable or satellite TV, utilities, alarm and security, and more.
Experts at BillCutterz analyze and compare your expenses, looking for the best possible deal on your bills. BillCutterz then calls your providers and negotiates on your behalf, saving you time and hassle, and getting you a better rate. You benefit from having lower expenses on your bills every month, with savings you can see.
In fact, if BillCutterz can’t save you money on your bills, there’s no charge for their service. When BillCutterz does save you money, they split the savings with you: if they save you $100, they get $50. They don’t make money if you don’t save money.
Because BillCutterz earns money by sharing your savings with you, they work hard to get you the best rate on everything you pay. It’s absolutely free to sign up.
When BillCutterz negotiates a discount for you, they send you an invoice for half of the 12-month savings. For example, if they reduce your phone bill by $10, they invoice you for half the annual savings ($60). You can pay them in monthly installments or earn a 10% discount by paying the invoice in full the first month. So, it could cost you $54 to save $120 a year on your phone bill in this example.
If you move or change services after paying the invoice, they will refund the difference. BillCutterz also works with businesses, organizations, and non-profits to save them money. It’s free to try, easy to use, and has saved money for thousands of families.
Coupons.com
Can anything be more straightforward than simply finding coupons for your favorite products from your favorite brands and printing them at home to use at thousands of retailers? Coupons.com provides printable coupons for groceries and more, and includes discount codes for stores, restaurants, and online retailers.
Coupons.com can also help you find free samples of your favorite products or new things you want to try. It’s completely free to use, and you can search, find, and print coupons for nearly everything you buy.
While Coupons.com provides free coupons for everyone, it has extra benefits when you join and become a member. Members access higher value coupons specific to their location and interests and earn cash back from local stores and restaurants.
Members can also receive customizable New Coupon Alerts for their favorite products and brands, so they never miss a great deal. Over 2 million people have joined Coupons.com and benefit from savings on groceries, automotive, clothing, electronics, travel, and more.
Coupons.com is a fast, easy, free way to get coupons on items you use every day. Companies like Garnier, Lysol, Hormel, Sun-Maid, Breyers, Borden Cheese, Folgers, Sargento, and more partner with Coupons.com to provide coupons for their most popular products. Members can also access special deals and even earn cash back.
Grocery Budget Makeover
Food is essential for life, and everyone needs to take trips to the grocery store. But, unfortunately, the grocery store is one of the easiest places for extra money to ‘fall through the cracks,’ meaning that you spend more than you need to and can easily stray off-budget.
Grocery Budget Makeover is designed to help you cut your grocery budget in half. Erin Chase, known for her $5 dinners, shares her secrets for how she saves money on every trip to the grocery store. This workshop is a complete plan for saving money on food, from meal planning to grocery shopping to cooking your meals.
The step-by-step program is easy to follow and transforms your grocery shopping to save money every day. Erin’s years of planning and shopping experience will help you save thousands of dollars over time and connects you with a community of other Super Savers who support each other and share grocery savings tips.
Grocery Budget Makeover starts with a free workshop so you can choose whether the information is right for you and your family. After that, you can choose to pay $39 for a series of video lessons, printables, written exercises, and other tools to help you save money on groceries.
It’s informative, affordable, and easy to use the tools Erin teaches. It’s a great way to get started with frugal living to save money on every meal, even when feeding a family.
Saving even a little money on groceries, bills, or online shopping can significantly impact the long term. Use the money you save or the cash back you earn to pay down debt more quickly, save for a vacation or college fund, plan for retirement, or just splurge a bit on something nice for yourself.
When you get more value out of every dollar, you effectively give yourself more money every month, and you can enjoy more financial freedom now and into the future.
Conclusion
Frugal living doesn’t always mean putting yourself on a tight budget, going without your favorite foods, new clothes, or reducing the services you enjoy. However, there is a wide range of tools to help you enjoy all your favorite things at a lower cost and save money every month.
Using these tips and tools can help you save money, get discounts, or even cash back on items you buy every day, reducing the price every time you spend money. For the best results, combine several different methods, like using the Grocery Budget Makeover with Coupons.com and BillCutterz, for the best results and the most significant impact on your budget.
These methods are practical, easy to use, and low in cost, and many of them are even free to use, so there’s no reason to not start getting discounts and cash back rewards today.