Greatest Money-Saving Tips You Haven’t Thought Of

Reddit's savvy community offers great money-saving insights you may not have thought of.

In a world where saving money is increasingly important, Redditors have become a valuable source of frugal wisdom.

These money-saving tips cover everything from budgeting to smart shopping using customer rewards and provide a wealth of advice to help you better manage your money and achieve your financial goals.

A Real Steal at Costco

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Food is currently off the charts expensive, but if you live near a Costco, they are plenty of bargains to be had. For example, an entire rotisserie chicken at Costco costs just $4.99. This price was set back in 2009.

One Redditor said, “Buying (a) Costco rotisserie chicken and pairing it with rice and mixed vegetables is like a $2-3 meal and lasts about 4-6 meals depending how much you eat. The chicken can be used for sandwiches also and frozen to eat later if you can’t finish it all.”

Also, the same person suggests preparing food for your week: “I’ve started making big portions of chili, lentil soups, muffins and freezing them for lunches at work. It reduces the temptation to buy lunch and snacks, plus it’s healthier.”

Learn to Get Thrifty

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Everything you need — from clothes to appliances and beyond — can be found secondhand at thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales and even online via sites like eBay, OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace, among countless others.

As one commenter said: “Don’t buy anything new. Most things on FB marketplace work (and) only need to be cleaned up or need minor fixes. Just picked up a gas snow blower for $60; (it) sells new for $350 plus tax.”

Save on Gas via Your Driving Habits

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How you drive will either cost your more or save you a few pennies. One commenter said: “Drive at (the) speed limit, usually [in the] right lane. Don’t speed to red lights, ease off accelerator (and) brake a little earlier. Gradual light braking is better than hard brake or slamming it down. If (the car is) manual, shift to higher gear a little early to increase fuel efficiency.”

Another Redditor agreed, saying tires are also an issue. “Also, have the correct air pressure in your tires. Too low PSI burns through gas like nothing.”

Save Just a Little

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Save whatever you can, even if it’s just a few dollars at a time. One financially-conscious person advised: “Take a look at your income and ALL your expenses. Break out the expenses by category, and which ones are fixed vs. which ones you can adjust. Be really honest with yourself and see what you can cut back on. Are there things you think you need that aren’t really needs?

“If you have any money to save at all, put it out of sight right away each paycheck. Have an automatic transfer to a savings account (preferably at another bank) so you you don’t ‘have’ that money anymore.”

Weekends on a Budget

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You don’t have burn the candle at both ends financially on the weekend. One Redditor suggested cutting down on one evening out to save a little cash:

“We’ve started going out only on Fridays instead of going out Fridays and Saturdays and also cut out our ‘healthy’ dinner of salmon and replaced it with weekly spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day.

I’ve also noticed we’re looking at fast food/fast casual prices more often when deciding what to eat instead of just overall mood.”

Black Friday All Year Long

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There are deals in retail throughout the year, but none as big as Black Friday (or Cyber Monday, for that matter.) According to one person, that’s just the time to stock up on necessities:

“I write the date on the bottom of all my toiletries, skincare, and cosmetics and keep a restock shopping list on my phone. Then I tally up the year and restock a year’s worth of products on Black Friday. I have allergies so I rarely switch things out, and it lets me save a fortune.

My linen closet is my little store, and I never run out of anything. This is also when I restock on household items like sheets and kitchen towels, and clothing staples like socks, underwear, etc.”

BYOW (Bring Your Own Water)

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Bottled water harms the environment, and on top of that, it’s expensive. One woman suggests always bringing your own H20 to save money and our planet:

“I bring a reusable water bottle everywhere with me. I always (have) 1 to 2 in my car just in case. I have never bought water at airports, theme parks, gym, work, etc.

It amazes me people will pay $4 for a bottle of water! If I forget the bottle, I don’t buy the water. It only takes 1 to 2 times of going to the gym and having to stand at the water fountain before it becomes a strong habit.”

Learn to DIY

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You can fix anything and save money in the process. “Do your own work/repairs,” said one commenter.

“YouTube is your friend. I have fixed my own washing machine, refrigerator, backflow preventer, etc.

Washing machine was a lid switch (that was less than) $10. Refrigerator was a thermistor (that was less than) $20. (A) $125 backflow preventer (was) fixed with a $24 ball valve.”

Do Your Research

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For big ticket items, research will save you thousands. One person who wanted to buy a car, saved over $13,000.

“The sticker price was $43,570 — we paid $30,000. (I did) months of research so I knew when I found a fantastic deal, then this deal falls out of the sky. Usually a good car purchase is a hard fought negotiation with the dealer.

“I research everything I am going to buy. (I do) A few Google searches about the product, about what the best products of that type are. (I did) lots of reviews. Sometimes, after doing all this research my initial excitement about the product has waned and I’m no longer interested. If it’s not a “H*LL, YES!” it’s a no for me.”

Reap the Rewards

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Don’t forget to act on those customer rewards that many retailers offer. “Grocery store rewards programs and other store loyalty programs can be very helpful if you’re careful not to go overboard and impulse shop once you get your ‘freebies’,” wrote one Redditor.

“I had planned to go get these free items and forgot my wallet at home so it was actually impossible for me to impulse on more than I’d planned! Got all this (food) for free today (technically the total was $.04 at the grocery store, but since I forgot my wallet I asked if I could put a banana back because I had nothing with me and the cashier just gave me the pennies). My kids are ecstatic that strawberries are coming in cheap again, so these are true wins for us!”

And yes, grocery store coupons count, too!