People Explain Their #1 Tip For Saving Money

​Living Minimally Is the Best

"When you realize that everything around you is an attempt to take as much money as possible from you, you realize that you don't actually need any of those things."

- AFrickinName

Money in Exchange for Time

"Count how many hours you would have to work for the item. It helps a lot."

- brensueship1961

Avoid Impulsivity

"When you want to buy something, wait 24 hours before doing so. Prevents impulse buying."

- Koltontheman777

Cook at Home

"Cook your own food. Frequently eating out will crush your wallet."

- dd027503

Meal Plan, Too

"The part many novice cooks don't realize is home cooking includes higher-level skills such as menu planning and bulk storage, and knowing what the peak seasons are for various types of produce."

"Some of the people in this thread swear they spend less by eating in restaurants, but then they were buying more than $100/week in groceries when they cooked at home."

- doublestitch

Bulk is Generally Cheaper

​"Buy meat in bulk when on sale and freeze it. Frozen veggies are also cheap. Potatoes and beans are cheap carbs, as well as rice."

"Cut back on expensive meats like beef, steaks, etc. Learn to make soups, and don’t buy spices and sauces that you will only use for one recipe unless it’s something you eat very very often. Otherwise, you will end up spending so much money on a stocked pantry that hardly gets used."

- Send_Me_Your_Nukes

Secondhand Saves

"Shop secondhand."

"It doesn't have to be fancy vintage. You can easily get a $40 shirt for $8 at most thrift stores."

"And when you don't buy new, you know it'll last. I got a $10 wool jacket 15 years ago at a charity shop. I have worn it every spring and fall since. Still looks great."

- ipakookapi

Measure with Joy

"I compare whatever non-essential thing I’m buying to the cost of a movie ticket and ask myself if it will make me happier than the number of movies the money could afford."

"It’s a really easy thing to remember. Helps a lot when deciding to make a frivolous purchase or not."

- A-rat-on-a-keyboard

Healthy Habits

"Don't smoke. Cigarettes can cost upwards of $7.00 per day, over $2,555 per year. That doesn't include the health cost or the stink nicotine leaves everywhere."

- Formal_Leopard_462

Decision-to-Price Ratio

"The bigger the expense, the longer you should consider buying it."

"Even if you can afford to buy it, It doesn’t mean you should."

- sp3cu0ut

A Better Discount

"If I don't buy anything, the discount is bigger!"

- Cremonezi

Be Self-Sufficient

"If you own a home, learn to do basic repairs and improvements yourself. It's shocking how much you can learn in just a year or two and you can save thousands of dollars."

- MacroAggressor

Avoid the Urge

"Don’t download shopping apps on your phone at all."

- Thedeadgal

Stay Accountable

"Use an Excel sheet for your bills. Keep track of what you spend and budget in your savings."

"I'm a CPA, and budgeting and tracking definitely help. I personally use Quicken, but have heard good things about Mint."

"The hard part about it is people don't think to really track. I'm always amazed that people don't take their receipts. I enter all of ours every Saturday."

"I probably save a few hundred every year by getting charges reversed on bills by reconciling everything. It looks like I'll pull $800 cash rewards off my credit cards this year."

- diegojones4

A Vital Question

"If you lived without it in your life this long, how badly do you really need it?"

- Pulic-Dig-6690

While each of these tips are simple on their own, they could add up to a massive difference in someone's life.

Given the current economy, every little bit helps.