Small Ways to Save Money: How I Saved $637.80 Using Soda, Clothes & Coupons!

So with your ten dollars you go off to the supermarket and buy a few items, but before you go, you clip your coupons, this we all know. In this case instead of just using your coupons, going home and putting up your groceries, you also put up your coupon savings aside.

An example would be you save 25 cents on a coffee, 15 cents on jelly and a dollar on a frozen pizza. You then put up in a piggy bank $1.40.

Next shopping trip you do the same. Don’t touch or even count that money for a set time.

If you save an average of the dollar and forty a week, in a year you will have accumulated seventy two dollars and eighty cents.

$72.80 isn’t a lot in a year. But it’s not money you’re going to miss if you are only buying what you’d normally buy. Plus, some weeks you may be able to save more because you have better coupons.

2. Hand Wash / Air Dry Your Clothes

Average yearly saving: $200.00

Next is a little thing I learned while I was living on my own and taking my clothes to the laundry mat.

It costs money to wash clothes, and not only for the washing powders and softener, but for the machines themselves.

So I started putting up $2 for every washer/dryer load I washed and dried.

If you wash an average of two loads a week, you can put up over $200 in a year’s time. Then you can either put that into a savings account, or even buy washing powders to stock up for later.

3. Buy Soft Drinks in Bulk

Average yearly saving: $365.00

Here’s a great saver I’ve found for those who have to have soft drinks.

I remember trying to get my nephew and his wife into this habit, but for some reason they just couldn’t understand the facts of it.

When sodas are on sale, I buy a couple of extra twelve packs. I usually put on in the back floor board of my car and when I want one I grab it. In the winter they are usually cold enough to drink without ice or having to chill them.

I’ve never had one to burst open from cold or freezing weather, although I have heard it’s possible.

The reason I do this is because to buy a soda at the local gas station or convenient store is a good buck fifty, if not higher. So the savings here can be as much as a dollar per drink.

If you add it up for a year at one dollar per drink, per day, for seven days, you’ll have saved a good $365.

Of course, you need to be sure to put that dollar a day into your piggy bank.

4. Always Check to See If You Can Your Item(s) Cheaper Online

This one can be a bit complicated and can back fire on you if you are not careful.

Buying online can be a very good way to save money, but you have to watch out for shipping charges.

I’ve found a lot of times that I can buy items and if there is free shipping for a certain amount that I can actually buy more items and get it for less once the shipping charges are off the table.

Recently I bought some books from a website, it was going to be $49 with shipping. $9 of it was for the shipping. And it would be free shipping should I buy $45 worth of merchandise.

What did I do?

I bought two more books, got the free shipping and only had to pay forty six dollars for the whole thing.

If you shop on Amazon.com it will be worth it to pay the $90 a year Prime fee to become a Prime member to get free shipping on almost anything you buy.

For 10 ways to save on Amazon, read this post.

5. Sign up with Websites for Deals

Another good savings tip online is to sign up for things.

I joined a website, and for my birthday I got a free sandwich and chips, plus coupons for dollars off.

Speaking of birthday freebies, checkout MoneyPantry’s list of 150 places to get birthday freebies.

If you don’t like your email box full of stuff, just dedicate a certain email address just to get this kind of stuff. Then when you use the coupons you put the money into the piggy bank.

You can also follow some of the companies you buy stuff from, on your social media accounts. Some companies give out deals and capons excursively to their followers on Twitters and Facebook.

The Smart Thing to Do with Your Small Savings

By now Ms. Piggy should be starting to feel a bit fuller.

When you get to a cutoff point be sure to take your money and put it into either a savings account, or a CD (certificate of deposit).

The latter usually gives a better rate than a regular savings account.

Either way you are on your way to saving.

The Bottom Line

This might sound like it’s just small change, but you’ll be surprised how much you can save over a few years’ time.

And the great thing about saving like this is that you’re not going to miss this small amount. And that makes it possible for almost anyone to save a little.

Once you get started like this you can move on to bigger savings, and that’s what we all want, some money at the end of our pay week.

Guest Writer Bio: Audrey Messer has always taken care of family, and in doing so she has learned to save money in unexpected ways. She lives in South Carolina with her brother.