6 Not-So-Fun Money Tricks That'll Save You Hundreds Anyway
To be honest with you, the money moves that save the most cash are usually the least fun. They rarely go viral on TikTok and are counterintuitive to the impulse to treat yourself, even when you deserve it. That being said, they do work, so you may have to bite the financial bullet.
It’s not necessarily about self‑control or having perfect instincts when it comes to money management. It’s just looking at people who save the most money and seeing that they are not avoiding all the joys of life; they’re just making fewer repeated mistakes. So, you don’t need cute hacks or extreme frugality to save real money because you just need a few uncomfortable, unsexy moves that quietly reshape how money flows through your saving and spending habits.
If you do a handful of these not‑so‑fun money tricks consistently, saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year will stop feeling impossible.
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1. Renegotiating Bills
Unfortunately, you may actually have to make a call on the phone, but by doing so to your credit card provider or utility company, you could lower your bill. Don’t leave money on the table just assuming everything is set in stone. Sure, no one enjoys calling their internet or insurance provider, but this is one of the highest‑ROI money moves out there.
Even a modest win, such as negotiating paying $20 to $40 less a month, adds up to $240 to $480 a year for a single annoying call. To be fair, the end justifies the means as it’s a recurring discount for doing almost nothing.
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2. Canceling Comfort Subscriptions
Subscription stacking is sneaky because each charge feels small and there is always that nagging feeling that you will use it later. However, streaming services, apps, delivery memberships, cloud storage and “premium” tiers pile up fast.
Cutting just four unused subscriptions often saves $50 to $100 a month or if you zoom out, $600 to $1,200 a year, without really changing your lifestyle. It may not be fun to audit your accounts, but you will like the feeling of your instant cash flow improvement
3. Switching Grocery Stores
Loyalty as a friend is a great trait, but as a consumer, spending all your money at an expensive grocery store is one of the most common drains on your monthly expenses. Stores like Whole Foods, Erewhon or specialty grocers are great, but not exactly budget‑friendly. Instead, try hitting up an Aldi or Trader Joe’s as they are known for a giant supply of popular, delicious and affordable options.
For example, a $50 haul at Aldi’s would probably be closer to $100 or more at Whole Foods. So if you just shave that $50 off a week by shopping at the former, that’s a savings of about $200 a month or $2,600 a year. Though you may have to adjust your routine, by doing so, you’ll cut costs or maybe, just maybe start saving in a big way.
4. Downgrading Deliveries That Are Inconvenient to Your Budget
Delivery apps, rideshares or other modern conveniences that make life a little easier should be an occasional expense and not a daily allowance. Simply put, the mistake isn’t using them at all, but rather using them on autopilot. This means, DoorDash, Grubhub, Instacart, Lyft, Uber and more all add up to quite an expensive overhead for your lifestyle.
This holds especially true for food deliveries, as those can turn a $5 taco into a $30 expense. So, if you order in that $30 taco twice a week, that’s $240 a month. Even just cutting that habit in half would save you $120 before you even looked at another budgetary edit.
5. Setting Savings on Auto‑Mode
Before you spend your entire paycheck, make sure you are setting your savings to stun by automatically putting 20% into a high-yield savings account, retirement investment or emergency fund. This is called paying yourself first, because when you treat yourself like an employee, you make sure that money goes where it is supposed to.
Frankly, saving after you spend rarely works, so if you make $5,000 a month, that would mean you autopay yourself $1,000. This takes the human error out of allocating your paycheck, so it’s out of sight, out of mind until you need it.
6. If You Fail To Meal-Plan, You Plan To Meal-Fail
Full Pinterest meal plans are optional, but basic planning is not if you want to better track your spending and get your finances under control. All it really takes is making a few simple swaps in your schedule such as cooking once what you’ll eat twice, only grocery shopping for ingredients for recipes you’ll make so you know what you’ll be eating for the next few days.
This alone can reduce takeout costs, packaging waste and impulse spending. Just by making food at home rather than getting delivery can often save you $60 to $100 a week. Now that’s thinking ahead to enjoy lower food spending with zero calorie counting.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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