How To Save Money

There are many ways to save money. In this article we have put together 20 easy-to-implement saving tips for you. Of course, not every tip fits every life situation, but this list should be a good start if you want to save some money. If you have any other ideas, share them in the comments!

1. Invite friends over instead of going out

Activities at home are almost always cheaper than going out. Together with friends you can easily conjure up a nice dish or ask each guest to make a small contribution. A fun game, a film or lively conversation round off the evening. Home-cooked food is not only cheaper, but usually also much healthier with little effort!

2. Make your own gifts instead of buying expensive ones

There are many creative things you can make yourself and gift wrap beautifully. A few ideas:

• Baking
• Natural soap
• Creams
• Bath salts
• Lip balms

3. Master the 30-day and 10-minute rules

Before you buy something, stop and reflect if you really need it. For smaller spontaneous purchases, hold the item in your hand for about ten minutes and look around the store a little longer. Before making any major purchases, take 30 days to find out if the purchase is really necessary.

4. Ask yourself how much time a purchase will take you

If the 30-day or 10-minute rule doesn’t quite work to avoid impulse purchases, then you should calculate your hourly wage.

Exactly, become aware of how much money an hour of your work time is worth. Subtract taxes and duties, and also factor in things like commute time. This way you will quickly realize how long you have to work for a certain product. Usually this calculation lets many things appear in a different light.

5. Write a shopping list and stick to it

Only go shopping if you know exactly what you need. Always make a shopping list for regular purchases. Only items on the list go into the shopping cart, no matter how tempting the offer may seem. For small purchases in the supermarket you should do without the shopping trolley. Check out or top 5 tips on saving money at the supermarket.

6. Clean out your closet

Far too often we buy clothes that we don’t really need. If you want to save something or need money quickly, take a closer look at your closet. There are bound to be some pieces that you can sell.

7. Mend holey or broken clothing instead of throwing it away

In the past, items of clothing were repaired much more often. Today they are often thrown away carelessly. Paradoxically, however, there are also new items of clothing for sale that are trimmed to look “old”. Instead, why not mend broken clothes yourself or make a new one out of two old clothes? Try it! It’s a lot easier than it might appear.

You can quickly save a lot of money, and with a little skill and creativity, you can create clothes that your friends will envy.

8. Swapping clothes instead of buying new ones

Almost everyone knows the problem: the old clothes just get boring and how nice it would be to be able to wear a new piece. The old clothes are still perfectly fine.

You can counteract this problem with a clothes swap party. Organize them with a few friends in private or in a public space. In this way, your “old” treasures will continue to be used and you will receive a variety of clothing items.

9. Drink more water

Drinking water often and at the right time is good for your health. But it’s also good for the wallet, especially if you skip bottled water and use tap water instead. The savings potential is huge! In many restaurants it is now completely normal to order tap water with meals.

10. Avoid ready meals or delivery services

Instead, cook twice as much as you need!

After a long day at work or in the lecture hall, something to eat often needs to be put on the table quickly. Instead of resorting to delivery or ready meals, cook twice as much as you need more often. So you always have a second meal in the fridge, which can be warmed up quickly.

11. Buy local and seasonal

Not always, but often it is cheapest to buy regional fruit and vegetables that are in season. This means that apples and tomatoes do not have to travel long distances or be kept fresh in cold stores. Let yourself be inspired by our shopping calendar for regional and seasonal fruit and vegetables.

12. Is there free food?

Supermarkets have to sort out unsold food that is actually still perfectly fine. There are also often people who harvest too much at once in the garden or don’t want to let leftovers rot on vacation. The food sharing platform was founded to combat food waste. Take a look to see if there is free groceries in your area.

13. Fruit, nuts and herbs without own garden

Even if you don’t have your own garden, there are several ways to get fresh and natural ingredients without spending a lot of money in the supermarket.

You can get information about many interesting wild and medicinal plants on a weed hike. For starters, you can conjure up very simple and delicious dishes from healthy dandelion, nettle, daisy or wild garlic.

In spring, the fir trees offer their tops and in autumn the rose-hips shine. With a little background knowledge, love and skill, you can use them to create delicious food and beneficial remedies.

14. Cook it yourself

If, thanks to the previous tricks, you can get large quantities of fruit cheaply or even free of charge, you should also preserve it for the colder months.

Marmalade/Jam, jelly and juice don’t always have to be bought, it’s cheaper and usually homemade too.

15. Say goodbye to expensive vices

Habits such as the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and coffee can quickly become expensive. With a bit of willpower and support from friends and family, you’ll not only live healthier, you’ll also save a lot of money in no time.

16. Use flea markets wisely

Many things for the apartment, the garden or for the closet do not necessarily have to be bought new. Used items in good condition are usually just as useful and often cost less than half as much.

Find out where there are flea markets in your area and what online forums have used items available in your area. This approach may take a little more patience than the trip to the nearest store, but it can save you a lot of money.

In addition, you get things with more character than with standard goods, which can be found in every second household. But be careful: Flea markets also easily tempt you to make pointless purchases that you later regret. Keep a list of things you really need and use the 10 minute rule to make sure you’re not wasting money.

17. Install LED bulbs

LED lamps cost more to buy, but only use about two to ten percent of the electricity of conventional lamps. As a result, they pay for themselves after a short time and you can save permanently. In addition, the service life of LED lamps is many times longer than that of conventional incandescent lamps or energy-saving lamps.

18. Make your own furniture

With a little creativity, skill and maybe a little help from dad, you can make fantastic one-of-a-kind items yourself. A popular raw material for homemade furniture is pallets. Here you will learn how to make different tables out of pallets.

19. Save gas

If you clean your air filter regularly and replace it every now and then, you can save up to seven percent in fuel. This is very easy and can be done in just a few minutes.

In addition to replacing the air filter, you should always make sure that the tire pressure is correct so as not to waste fuel unnecessarily.

20. Buy high quality home appliances

Refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and other household appliances can often be bought very cheaply. But with these devices in particular, it is important to consider the costs over the entire lifetime. Experience reports and comparison portals with ratings are very useful. A device that costs $100 more but lasts two years longer and uses 20 percent less electricity can save you far more than the $100.