Buy real estate with less than $200 (no credit need)
Save $100s of dollars this month!
These saving challenges are not only going to help you build better habits, but they're going to put more money back in your pocket each month.
1) Paying with cash
Whenever you have actual cash, it’s easier to be more conscious of the money leaving your hand. We need to keep cash alive; we don’t want to move entirely away from it in our society. So, I just had to throw that out there.
For this first challenge, try paying cash for your monthly expenses, focusing specifically on groceries. Start by shopping your pantry and freezer first to use up what you already have. After that, if you’re shopping at Walmart, visit walmart.com to search for every item you need. Add them to your cart and note the total amount. This will be the cash amount you should take with you. You might want to bring an extra $10 just in case, but aim to stick to that planned total. This approach helps eliminate impulse purchases for items you didn’t plan to buy.
At first, it might feel a little strange, but you’ll find it becomes easy over time. The website will often indicate which aisle each item is in, so when you write your shopping list, group items by aisle. This way, you won’t forget anything and can avoid wandering down unnecessary aisles, which saves time and reduces the temptation to buy unplanned items.
Be sure to save your receipts and document all your purchases. The best money tracker in my opinion i called: Budget App - Spending Tracker by LightByte Co., Ltd. Also click here to download my free spending plan template. simplyabundante.net/spending-plan. This will help you maximize the dollars you already have coming in.
2) No online shopping.
For this challenge, start by removing all payment methods from your Amazon account or any other online shopping sites you use. Delete your credit cards and saved addresses so that the one-click purchase option is no longer available.
Next, implement a waiting period of at least two weeks before making any purchases. After this time, you’ll often find that you no longer want or need the item. Of course, if it’s something essential for work or other necessities, that’s a different situation. But for items that are purely wants or desires, this technique can be very effective.
Many people enjoy browsing online and often fill their carts without actually buying anything. While window shopping can be tempting, it’s better to stay away from those sites altogether if you can. This will help you resist the urge to make impulse purchases.
3) Free entertainment.
There’s a fantastic website called Eventbrite.com where you can enter your zip code and select the free option. This will display all the free events happening in your town and surrounding areas. Learning about this was a game changer for me! You’d be surprised by how many festivals and events are going on locally that you might not even know about.
This is a great way to get involved, meet local people, and best of all, it’s free! Many of these events are kid-friendly, making it a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with your family without breaking the bank.
4) Try to lower at least one bill.
Most people don’t realize that many bills are actually negotiable. You can definitely call your cable company, internet provider, and insurance company to negotiate your rates. You might say something like, “This monthly payment isn’t working for me, and I’ve been looking at other options. Since I’ve been with you for a while, I was wondering if there’s any way you could work with me.” Feel free to rephrase this in your own style, but the key is to let them know you’re exploring alternatives. Often, they’d prefer to keep a current customer rather than lose you to a competitor, so they’re likely to be open to negotiation.
I remember doing this about a year ago, and I managed to lower several bills. I also discovered a phone service provider called Visible, which is affiliated with Verizon. Their monthly plan is around $25 to $30 for unlimited service, and there are no contracts. If I hadn’t done that research, I would never have found them! You’d be surprised by what you can discover when you take the initiative to reduce your bills.
5) Cooking at home
The challenge here is to avoid eating out for 30 days. I know this can be tough, especially for those who frequently dine out, so let’s make it a bit easier: you can have one "freebie" meal out during this month. Can you do it? We’ll see!
If you’re someone who buys coffee every day, consider making your coffee at home instead. You’ll save so much money—you might be surprised!
I’ll link some videos below with simple meal recipes and meal planning tips so you don’t have to cook every single day. This will also help you create a shopping list of ingredients to buy before your grocery trip, all of which you can pay for in cash.
Meal plan inspirations :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKcdJcC8nPA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa81zHsbC44
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6V_bDGRVoA&t=60s
Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell icon, because I’ll soon be posting a new video about different savings priorities and funds we should all have, along with suggested amounts and more great tips. https://tinyurl.com/sa-sub
I hope that you're able to complete all of these challenges or some of them. I feel like you're going to be able to save a lot of money by implementing these things. Talk to you later!
Watch the video here!
