20 Smart Ways to Save Your Money

Saving money is more than putting it in a bank, in a jar, or under a mattress. There are a lot hacks and ways to save money these days.

If you decide to use your debit card rather than a credit card, you’re saving money!

If you’re shopping around for a mortgage to buy a house, somehow you’re saving money!

Starting a blog is far from money saving; it’s money making. But if you’re hosting your blog through Bluehost at a discount for $3.95 a month, you’re saving money!

You get the point!

Some of these creative ways to save money require some lifestyle changes. And some does not require any real effort from you.

There are resources and once you sign up for them, they’ll do all of the hard work for you. All there is left for you to do is sit back, relax, and let your money grow.

Following are some of the best ways to save money.

Here’s a quick overview of ways to save money.

Save money with Truebill by negotiating your bills.
Save money with Credible by consolidating your credit card debt.
Compare and shop for the best mortgage rates with LendingTree.
Save money without thinking about it with Acorns.
Save money on 401k fees with Blooom.
Earn dividends with Stash with as little as $5.
Save money on your student loans with Credible

Best ways to save money:

1. Save money by negotiating your bills

Chances are you have cable and other subscriptions. And I don’t blame you. Sometimes you just want to be lazy on the couch watching a few episodes of your best drama shows. But have you ever wondered how and why your cable bill so high?

Truebill can reduce your bills (whether it’s cable, subscriptions) by finding hidden discounts and by cancelling unwanted subscriptions.

All you need to do is connect your bills and other subscriptions to Truebill. And they will take care of the rest so you don’t have to overpay on your bills anymore. They will lower your bills.

Lower your bills with Truebill.

2. Consolidate your credit card debt

For most people, one of the things that prevent them from saving money is their credit card debt. Credit card debt, especially the interest you have to pay every month can be a huge burden. But don’t worry; you have options.

Consolidating your credit card debt is one of the best ways to save money. The best way to do that is with Credible. Credible is an online marketplace that offers borrowers competitive loan offers from lenders.

With Credible, you’re able to compare rates from multiple lenders at one place without visiting a dozen of branches.

Plus, it only takes 2 minutes to do so and it’s free.

Use Credible to compare rates from multiple lenders now.

3. Use cashback accounts to save money.

If you do most of your shopping online and you’re not using cashback apps, you’re leaving money on the table. One of the best cash back apps out there is Rakuten. With Rakuten, you can earn up to 40 percent cash back over 2000 stores. Some of the popular stores are Macy’s, Kohl’s, Groupon, J. Vrew, Sephora.

You can get your cash back through a check in the mail, PayPal deposit, or gift to a charity or family member.

Also, you will earn a $5 cashback bonus by signing up or referring a friend.

TopCashback is also one of the best cash back apps that make you and save you money. Not only, there is a registration cashback bonus of $10, there are over 3,500 retailers to choose from there are exclusive seasonal sales and coupon codes. You just choose your cash back offer, complete your purchase and choose a payment method to receive your money.

When you refer a friend, you also get a $10 cashback bonus when your friend make their first purchase.

4. Save money and invest as little as $5

It’s never too little to start saving. You might be thinking, how is it possible to start investing in the stock market with only $5?

But that is quite possible. Thanks to an investing app called Acorns. The app rounds up your purchases up to the nearest dollar and puts the spare change into the stock market for you.

Acorns can help you save without even thinking about it. Acorns invests the money for you, allowing you to grow your savings without you studying stock prices or trades.

Plus, Acorns will give you a $5 bonus just for signing up.

5. Cancel unused subscriptions

Sometimes we sign up for stuff and completely forget about it. And we keep paying for it every month without using it.

Truebill will identify and cancel any unused subscriptions you may have.

If you cannot keep track of your recurring payments, Truebill will analyze your bank for any recurring parring payment and cancel any unused subscriptions.

Just connect your back with Truebill, and it will take care of the rest for you.

6. Open a high interest savings account

Say goodbye to your old savings account by switching to an online high interest savings account.

One of the best ways to save money is knowing where to put it. Under your mattress is not a good place. But an online savings account is the best place to park your hard-earned cash. The reason is simply because the interest rate is much higher than a traditional bank account.

CIT Bank is a good online bank, which offers a great interest rate of 1.85% APY for its savings account.

Ready to start saving? Open an online savings account today!

7. Shop around for best travel deals

Whether you’re planning a trip to Europe or a honeymoon in Hawaii, there are a few ways to get the best deals on your flights.

Use a flight comparison site such as Cheapoair or Hotel.com (yes, Hotel.com does flight too!). These comparison sites give you several flight prices from different airlines all at one place.

Shopping around for flights can save you a ton of money.

8. Save money by shopping online

Shopping online at a discount is actually one of the best ways to save money. OnBuy.com is an online marketplace that has every product you can possibly think of. There, you’ll find discounts on almost every products out there.

So before buying your product elsewhere, make sure you compare the price at OnBuy.com for a much better price.

9. Save money by comparing mortgage rates

You have probably heard already about this before, but with virtually everything you buy, shopping around and doing your research is the best way to ensure that you get the best deal.

Shopping for a mortgage to buy a house is no different.

LendingTree is an online marketplace that allows you to compare mortgage rates from several lenders so you can pick the best rate.

Plus, it’s completely free and only takes 2 minutes.

10. Save money with stash

If you feel like you don’t have enough money to save and invest, your options are not limited.

Stash, just like Acorns, is a micro-investing app that lets you start with as little as $5 investment. Your money is invested in low cost ETFs and stocks that pay dividends, which means you make money while you sleep.

It takes two minutes to sign up, plus Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus.

What makes Stash so different than the other micro-investing apps is that that is has no monthly or maintenance fees.

Make money while you sleep with Stash.

11. Grow your 401k retirement savings

If you have a 401k plan at work and you’re participating in it, then Good!

But when was the last time you checked your 401k account? How is it doing? If you have trouble answering these questions, then now is probably a good time to take action.

If you’re not sure if your 401k or IRA accounts are doing well, Blooom can help you.

Blooom is an online retirement management software that can help you grow your 401k or IRA accounts faster. They will do a free analysis of your account and get you personalized suggestions on how to invest your current 401k in minutes.

Click here to connect your 401k accounts to Blooom.

12. Compare rates to refinance your student loans

There can be several reasons to refinance your student loans. But the most common reason is to save money on interest.

But before you decide to take the plunge, it’s always a good idea to know what’s available to you. There might be great deals out there.

Every once in a while, you might want to reassess your student loan rate and compare it to other student loan rate on the market.

One easy way to reassess your options is with LendKey. LendKey is an online platform that allows you to browse multiple low-interest loans from almost 300 community banks and credit unions, instead of big banks.

LendKey allows for more flexibility and lower interest rates. It can help you find the right student loan for you without visiting dozen bank branches.

Plus applying to a dozen of student loans will not HURT your credit score. LendKey does a soft check on you, so you can compare student loans from multiple lenders before you actually apply for one.

Click here to check your rates through LendKey.

13. Start a blog

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14. Live with a roommate

If you’re single and you don’t mind your privacy being invaded once in a while, then you can save money renting an extra room.

You might be able to cut your rent in half by living with a roommate.

Moreover, not only will you be able to save money on rent, you will also save on utilities as well. Some bills like your internet and/or cable bills will stay the same no matter how many of you are using it.

15. Raise your credit score

One way to get a good rate on your loan is to have a good credit score.

Your credit score is the number one item a lender looks at to determine if you’ll get a good interest rate. A good interest rate means you will save a lot of money over the life of the loan.

Credit Sesame offers free credit report and credit score. It also offers personalized tips on how to raise your credit score.

Check your free credit score with Credit sesame.

16. Complete surveys for some quick bucks

Taking surveys online is a quick way to make some quick dollar.

Mypoints is an online platform that pays in gift cards for answering surveys and taking polls.

Plus you get a $5 bonus after you complete your first 5 surveys.

17. Move to your mom’s basement temporarily

We are not a big proponent of you moving back to your parents’ house. But if you’re saving for a down payment on a house, it’s a very good idea. Indeed, it’s one of the quickest ways to save money for a home.

18. Refinance your mortgage

Refinancing your loan simply means that you take a new loan to replace the one you currently have, in the hope that you get a lower interest rate, so you can same money on interest. Or that you get a shorter term on your mortgage.

Refinancing can save you over $5000 a year in interest and fees.

Want to compare home loans? Check out the latest mortgage rates through LendingTree. It’s completely FREE.

19. Bring lunch to work

You could save a lot of money by packing your own lunch every day to work.

20. Take public transit

If you live in the city, why not take advantage of its public transit!? You can save a ton of money.

These are some of the best ways to save money. If you know of any others , pleas share them in the comments below.

Work with the Right Financial Advisor

You can talk to a financial advisor who can review your finances and help you reach your goals (whether it is making more money, paying off debt, investing, buying a house, planning for retirement, saving, etc). Find one who meets your needs with SmartAsset’s free financial advisor matching service. You answer a few questions and they match you with up to three financial advisors in your area. So, if you want help developing a plan to reach your financial goals, get started now.