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This post is all about budgeting tips and how to start saving and stop wasting your money.

Do you ever find yourself thinking “where the heck did all of my money go this month?” If so, this post about the best budgeting tips is just for you! Trust me, I totally understand how hard it can be to start saving and stop wasting money – especially if you have little girls like me and are a sucker for all pink things with bows hehe 😉 So take notes and remember these budgeting tips for how to start saving and stop wasting your money.

No matter how hard it might feel, it’s totally possible and you CAN do it! Whether you’re wanting to save for your first home, a vacation, or just to start being more mindful about where your money is going, having money saved gives you such a sense of security.

 

BUDGETING TIPS | HOW TO START SAVING AND STOP WASTING

 

CREATE A BUDGET

It might be surprising, but a lot of people (including me up until recently) don’t actually know how to create a budget that actually works. It is soo easy to say “I am going to stick to my budget this week” but then make a spontaneous trip to target and find yourself buying things that definitely were not within your budget for the week, ha. Some people do a monthly budget but for me personally, a weekly budget is easier.

If I budget for the whole month, it is a lot harder (for me atleast) to keep track of what I am spending my money on vs. me saying on a monday “ok, this is my budget for the week”. It makes it much easier for me to stick to one weekly budget a time than do a whole monthly budget at once. Does that make sense?? But everyone is different, and some people do great with a monthly vs. weekly budget so if that’s you, do what works best!

If you are like me when it comes to budgeting and have no idea where to start, check out my digital budget planner that is available for purchase for only $9! It is an awesome digital tool to help you keep track of where your money is going and when you should be spending vs. saving. Creating a budget is the best budgeting tip I could have ever gotten when trying to save money!

 

CANCEL SUBSCRIPTIONS YOU DONT USE

It’s actually crazy how easy it is to get on a subscription these days. Wanna watch a game but it’s only on this one specific app? I’m super guilty of doing the “free trial” to watch what I want to watch but then forgetting all about canceling it and then it just adding onto my list of subscriptions I’m unaware that I’m still paying for!

There are lots of ways to check what exact things you are currently subscribed to and paying for, so I really suggest doing that and cancelling the things that you don’t really use or didn’t even know you were paying for, ha. Even though most subscriptions are under $15-$20 a month, that SERIOUSLY adds up when trying to budget so this is a really good budgeting tip!!

 

START MEAL PLANNING FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

Maybe it’s just me, but the difference in how much I spend in weekly groceries when I meal plan vs. when I don’t is actually BIG. When I have a grocery list specifically for a week of planned meals, I spend much less than when I go into the store not having any clue what I’ll be making for dinner that week.

Planning your meals out for the week ahead might not seem like it, but it’s seriously a great budgeting tip when trying to save money. I totally recommend sitting down the day before (or the morning of) you usually do your weekly grocery haul and making a meal plan of the entire week. After you have your meals planned for the week, make a list of the things you need for the meals so that you go into the store getting exactly the things you need!

 

 

FOCUS ON YOUR NEEDS RATHER THAN YOUR WANTS

Trust me, I know this one is a hard one but it is so important when trying to budget and save more money. You might feel suuuch the urge to grab that cute bag at TJmaxx or one more basket at Homegoods but you must fight the urge haha! If you are trying to break a habit of buying something you don’t need every time you go into a store, start doing pick up orders so that you don’t even have to go inside. It works!

If it’s too hard to completely cut back from buying things you want, allow yourself a small monthly budget for wants and do NOT go over that budget.

 

PUT EVEN THE SMALLEST AMOUNT INTO SAVINGS

I’m sure you have heard of this budgeting tip before, because it really does work! Every time you get paid, take out a set amount (whether that is $10, $20 $50 or more) and put it into a savings or checking account that you do not use as your regular account. Even if you can only afford to put $20 into the account, that is so much better than none!! If you can afford more, put more but do not allow yourself to spend from this account.

Try it for 6 months and see how much money you have saved just by doing this!

 

LOOK FOR A SIDE HUSTLE (my fave budgeting tip!)

Finding a side hustle is a great budgeting tip to save money quicker! There are sooo many ways to earn money from your computer (or even your phone) at home if you find one. Do a google search, find a side hustle you feel interested in, put in the work and save all the profit that comes in from it! Even selling things you no longer use in your home online or on Facebook marketplace is totally possible! IF you have kids, go through their closets and sell the things that no longer fit them. There are endless ways to make a little extra money on the side, you just have to search for it 🙂

 

It might seem impossible to you to start saving and stop wasting all your money, but these budgeting tips WILL help you make it possible. I didn’t come from a family who knew how to save, so saving money is something I have had to learn how to do and it definitely hasn’t been easy. But if I can do it, YOU can do it too! Even if you only have a couple hundred dollars saved in an account, that is a great start and is better than having $0 saved. Keep implementing these budgeting tips and you will be so proud of yourself for how much you can save!! 😉