Here is a list of 94 everyday saving tips. Savings are possible and doable in everything we do: shopping, housing, transportation, gifts, hobbies! Read, form useful new habits, use them to save more.
These are all short tips that you will find useful. You don’t have to follow them all. If you take away just a couple of saving tips and put them to work, the purpose of this list has then been achieved! Let’s start saving.
FINANCIAL COSTS
1. Repay all of your credit card debt monthly.
2. Keep only one credit card for hotel reservations, Internet payments, and emergencies.
3. Plan for one percent savings with each major cash inflow.
4. Pay for your purchases in cash. This is the case for large acquisitions such as household appliances, televisions and even cars.
5. Don't travel on credit!
6. Plan to pay off your mortgage over a maximum period of 14-16 years.
7. If your bank does not give you multi-product discounts because you are below the minimum amount in your account, be sure not to go below this minimum.
8. If you have your bank account, your mortgage, your RRSP in the same bank, ask for a discount!
9. Don't write an NSF check.
TRANSPORTATION EXPENSES
10. Consider telecommuting where you can work from home, while remaining connected to your office by computer, modem, fax, telephone and, of course, by paycheque. This will allow you to save on public transport tickets or gas.
11. Get on your bike as often as possible and not just for weekend rides. You can also consider cycling to work and running errands.
12. Do your shopping on foot, as often as possible, it can become your daily exercise.
13. Use public transport, it works, saves you money, gives you time to relax.
14. Find out if you really need a (or a second) car. Think of the savings on purchases, gas, oil, maintenance, repairs, parking, insurance, permits and tickets that you could make if you did without (between $5,000 and $8 000$/year and per car).
15. Keep a logbook in which you record gas expenses (l/100 km) and other car costs.
16. Familiarize yourself with the basics of mechanics in order to do your repairs yourself or possibly better understand the explanations of your car mechanic.
17. Find an honest mechanic. Before you really need one, so you don't get caught off guard and trust your car to the first comer.
18. Explore the availability of parts for your car in order to combine quality and optimal cost. There is a very good network of auto parts dealers: a) new but made available by companies other than dealers b) reconditioned c) second-hand.
19. Maintain your car to prevent premature deterioration and sometimes costly breakdowns. Have your car rust proofed every fall.
20. If you are considering buying a new car, check which makes and models are reliable and less expensive. The vehicle chosen must be sized according to your usual needs (number of children, transport of goods, etc.).
21. Repair and keep your old car rather than buying a new one. It's a way to save money (insurance, monthly payment, etc.). Several brands of cars can be kept more than 10 years without exterior rust and can easily drive 250,000 km.
22. Carpooling is good for the environment, but it also allows you to socialize and save money while reducing traffic.
HEALTH
23. Check your family's drug expenses for a few months, then consider the benefits of participating in your employer's drug plan.
24. Compare drug prices with generic equivalents. You can sometimes make substantial savings.
26. Monitor your diet in terms of quality and quantity and try to reduce meat, sugar and fat.
27. Get a minimum of 30 minutes of physical exercise every day.
28. Adopt a positive attitude even in difficult times. Avoid letting stress overwhelm you.
29. Quit smoking and reduce or eliminate alcohol.
30. Get enough rest. A normal night's sleep is 8 hours!
31. If you are over "healthy weight", eat less and exercise more.
HOUSING EXPENSES
32. If you have a second home, or spare rooms in your house or apartment, rent these spaces when you are not using them.
33. Rent houses that are not for rent by informing you in the surroundings.
34. House sitting for people going on extended trips.
35. Consider the possibility of living in a community: with a roommate, sharing a house with acquaintances or family members, living in an eco-village, etc.
36. Move to a less expensive and/or less recent neighborhood. Often in new neighborhoods, there is a lot of competition for material possessions.
37. Do your own repairs around the house. In addition to being creative, it allows you to buy used materials and parts, which are therefore less expensive.
SHARE AND EXCHANGE
38. Exchange your clothes or those of your children with relatives, friends or neighbours, etc.
39. Participate in a neighbour-to-neighbour daycare network. It will give you respite without costing anything.
40. Reduce purchases of books and magazines by borrowing them from the library or from friends.
41. Share your newspaper and magazine subscriptions with neighbors, friends, etc.
42. Borrow objects from your neighbors such as: a ladder, a cauldron, a cup of sugar, etc. In addition to saving, you will nurture relationships.
43. Build your own sharing network. Inform relatives, friends, neighbours, etc. your needs and your offers.
44. Donate your leftovers to charity or put them by the side of the street with a little “donate” sign. You will be surprised to find that almost everything disappears quickly.
SHOPPING
45. Buy used products at flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores, etc. Monitor bulletin boards in public places, classified ads in newspapers, and on the Internet, etc. A good starting point is to peruse through the store flyers in your location to find the best deals.
46. Store clothes out of the way to bring them out a few months or years later. They will then have taken on the appearance of novelties.
47. Make a shopping list and stick to it rather than being driven by impulsiveness.
48. Don't shop for groceries when you and/or your kids are hungry.
49. Cut out discount coupons and discounts and use them in store.
50. Group your errands together and plan your trips to minimize mileage. If you have any doubts that a business or another destination is open, call before you go.
51. Familiarize yourself with local stores - look at flyers before going there.
52. Prepare your menus in advance for a period of seven to ten days and establish them partly according to the products on sale.
53. If you want to buy a new product, compare before you buy. Consult catalogs, newspaper advertisements and flyers, then telephone merchants to discuss prices and specifications of the desired product. Use the online price comparison sites too.
54. Buy bulk items that you use frequently like flour, tissues, toilet paper, dish soap, detergent.
55. Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables; they are less expensive and frequently sourced locally.
56. Take advantage of discounts to buy more, not only cans and dry goods, but also certain fresh products, such as bakery products, that you can freeze.
57. Investigate discounted items for quick sale. You could save with a few products that are still in good condition and that you will eat in the following days.
58. Put your imagination to work. If an item runs out before your next trip to the grocery store, improvise with what you have on hand.
59. Eliminate one meat meal (or more) per week and replace it with a pasta or legume dish.
60. Stock up on fruit and vegetables at open-air markets or directly from producers.
61. Get enough reusable bags and remember to bring them to the stores.
62. Avoid artificial products and those containing several chemical elements including ready meals.
HOLIDAYS
63. Travel by choosing a destination near you. There are surely very beautiful corners of the country that you have not seen in your city or province of residence.
64. Take advantage of the best rates that are offered, in low season, on weekdays or if a weekend is included in the stay.
65. As a means of transport, avoid planes and large motorized vehicles as much as possible for ecological and financial reasons. Prefer to them the boat, the train, the bus or the family car.
66. Be your own travel agent (search and compare on the internet).
67. Choose camping, hostels, bed and breakfasts over hotels.
68. Exchange houses and possibly cars, with owners living near the place visited.
ENTERTAINMENT
69. Organize potlucks (everyone brings a dish).
70. When you invite friends over for dinner, you can do nothing extravagant, but offer what you usually eat.
71. Invite friends over for dessert while watching a movie or documentary and discuss the viewing together.
72. Go see the movies in the matinee or on certain special days that cost less.
73. If you're a show buff, volunteer your services.
74. Borrow compact discs, audio cassettes and DVDs from your local library.
75. Refrain from going to a restaurant until it becomes a real pleasure again.
76. Go back to good old habits: instead of making long distance calls, use email or Skype.
HOBBIES
77. Indulge in hobbies that you enjoy but which also help to reduce your expenses (DIY gifts, making clothes, gardening, various home repairs, etc.)
78. Choose hobbies that don't require you to travel long distances or spend a lot of money on fancy gear.
79. Use your hobby for a good cause or make a good cause your hobby.
INSURANCE
80. Combine your various insurances (life, home and auto) with the same company and get a better rate.
81. Membership of a professional association, group of workers, etc. can allow you to have access to lower insurance rates.
82. Does the cash value or condition of your car justify your comprehensive insurance?
83. Are you insuring items that you could never replace if stolen?
84. If your spouse is working, do you really need as much life insurance as your parents paid for?
85. Is it really important to take out high life insurance in order to leave a big inheritance for your children?
CHILDREN
86. Rather than resorting to cash, you can get creative with birthday gifts and Halloween costumes.
87. Give pocket money to your young children and let them learn how to manage these small amounts on their own. Later, when they do odd jobs, their financial education will continue. When they have a first credit card, they are less likely to misuse it.
88. Reduce your own expenses and your children will follow suit.
89. If your child asks you to buy an object with which you are more or less in agreement, you can offer to discuss it again in a few days. Often he will have forgotten. Otherwise, you can offer to pay part of it.
90. Is it really necessary and are there only advantages to sending your child to a private school?
GIFTS
91. Agree with your adult friends and relatives not to exchange gifts at Christmas or on birthdays.
92. Agree with your children to give them only one present at Christmas and on their birthday.
93. Choose a gift that is truly meaningful to them and that also respects your values. Remember that "more" is not necessarily "better".
94. Make your gift list several months in advance and make the most of sales and good deals in patronage. Set gifts aside until it's time to give them.
We hope that these saving tips and healthy habits that we got from our sister site will be a good starting point in your saving journey.