Saving more money doesn’t have to be painful. Keeping additional cash in your pocket, or accumulating more money, can be as easy breezy once you learn a few smart money moves.
It’s also possible that becoming a better saver can boost your physical wellness, along with your financial well being.
Here are 5 easy ways to save money and get healthier in 2015.
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Never spend change
Instead of spending any change, put all your coins into a change jar as an easy pain-free way to save money. You can save hundreds over the course of a year.
To give yourself more incentive to save, use a “fun” change charge or an inspirational piggy bank. For example, I have a cute piggy bank that says “vacation fund” on it – because I love to travel, so that motivate me to save more.
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Give up one vice
Make 2015 the year you kick one bad habit, like smoking or drinking alcohol excessively. Think of a healthy habit you can pick up to replace your bad habit.
If you started off the year with a resolution to give up a vice, but you’ve fallen off the wagon, just pick yourself up and start over. No excuses.
Think of all the money you’ll save by cutting back – not to mention the boost to your health by laying off those nicotine sticks or those six-packs of beer week after week. Stopping smoking alone can save you $1,000 over a year by not buying cigarettes. Quitting your nicotine habit will also help you lower your monthly health insurance costs and slash your life insurance rates too. Again, thousands saved.
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Ban your inner shopaholic
Get hold of compulsive spending and over-shopping by avoiding the malls and places that cause you to blow your budget. Even if you just do it for a month, you’ll save money.
No need to go completely cold turkey. Let’s say you love perfumes, creams or toiletries: Just ask for freebies, samples and complimentary trial size offers.
But the idea is to control your bad habits. If you get the urge to splurge when shopping, that can run up debt. And chances are those poor habits can extend into other areas. Are you splurging on binging on the wrong foods too?
Learn to see the connections in your behavior and you just may get better overall control over your fiscal and physical/dietary habits.
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Get the 411 on H20
Slash your water use. It’s easy to do. Mainly just stop constantly running water (i.e. when you’re brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, etc.) That’s why it’s actually more economical to use your dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand.
Also, washing your laundry in hot water costs nearly 70 cents a load. But watching it in cold water costs you less than 5 cents a load. So just by using cold water you’ll save $5 bucks a month or $60 year.
Another tip: for those of you who like to drink your 8 glasses of water a day. Keep up that help habit, but pass on the bottled water. By skipping bottled water – especially pricey ones that can cost $2 to $5 apiece – you’ll save hundreds of dollars annually.
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Try DIY cleaning products and water-based drinks
You don’t have to spend a small fortune buying brand name cleaning supplies from supermarket and retail stores. Just use your own home made cleaning products. Lemon, baking soda, white vinegar and alcohol all clean really well. Just mix them with water and try them on dishes, countertops, floors and more.
For example, a ½ cup of vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda mixed with ½ gallon of water will give you a good all-purpose cleaner.
Additionally, in case you didn’t know it, apple cider vinegar has a lot of health benefits: from controlling your appetite to helping with cholesterol.
Just mix 2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar with an 8-ounce glass of water and you have a healthy drink. It’s an acquired taste, no doubt. But it can also be used as a substitute when you want something more than water.
In this case, no need to buy soda or a mixed drink. Simply have your fill of water and apple cider vinegar – and voila! You’ve enhanced your health and kept cash in your wallet too.
