Still 10 More Quick and Easy Tips to Save Money

At work, I have negotiated up to at least an extra $30,000 in my salary and that extra boost is nothing to sneeze at. My bonuses were then based on that salary and every dollar counted.

Even at my first job out of school I negotiated an additional $15,000 that no one else asked for! Incredible, leaving all that money on the table. If you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it.

Negotiating even when you’re buying something can get you at least a 10% discount.

What is the harm in asking? They could just say no, right? Best case scenario: they tell you about a secret sale happening and they set aside the items for you to score at a discount.

The trick of course is to be nice and friendly in your banter, not to outright demand it.

Do you really need to drive everywhere? I stopped taking the car for short jaunts and have turned it into a fun activity with my toddler.

I have also noted that even the cost of a ticket is way cheaper than gas at these prices, not to mention the fact that you don’t even need to deal with parking!

Taking the bus if it is an option is a good substitute or supplement to actual driving and it can force you to be way more organized in meeting the schedule and knowing where you have to go and for when.

I don’t always do this but when I work I make it a point to eat a banana before I go to work to avoid the hungry temptation to stop by and pick up a breakfast sandwich and drink.

It is so easy to say you don’t have time or you just don’t know what to make but that is just lazy talk. Not only that, you’re wasting money just because you can’t get it together.

You don’t need to cook a full breakfast daily, why not try green smoothies or overnight oats? Or a bagel with a little cream cheese or smoked salmon?

I always eat a few hard boiled eggs for breakfast and drink my matcha tea with chia seeds sprouting inside but that only really gets me to lunch where I tuck in.

Eating out is not bad but it should be a treat not a habit!

I’m proposing pretty wildly to cut your own hair and rock it. My .

I recently did this and the results were incredible. I would have paid at least $70 tip included for the exact same cut and sure it isn’t professionally perfect (I saw a few flaws) but it is sure as heck amazing for being free.

It is just hair after all and it is a #minimalist haircut that I can afford to do as many times as I want now.

Use the 10-second rule when you want to buy something. Wait 10 seconds before going to the checkout and really ask if you want or need this item.

I find 10-seconds is not enough for me sometimes when I am caught up in the moment, so my foolproof “10-second rule” is also to ask what their full refund policy is!! More often than not if it is just a credit note, I say “Adios”, and take a week or so to think about it.

Know what is silly? Going out for a full day without snacks or at least a bottle of water. I have gone on #shopping expeditions where I am exhausted at the end and I down the entire water bottle in one go.

If I didn’t have that water, I’d have to buy it! How silly is that? Save yourself a couple of bucks or more and hold hunger at bay with some portable snacks like granola bars and the like.

This is especially relevant if you have kids…

Ever since I bought the Gaiam #yoga app, I’ve saved myself about $18-$20 per yoga class.

If you love doing yoga as much as I do, try an app or doing it alone at home. You won’t need to go out, and you can change/shower immediately! Win-win I say.

Cancel that subscription, you aren’t really reading it anyway, are you? You can get magazines to read for free at your local libraries, and frankly, all the magazines say the same nonsense every month, just packaged or written in a different way.

If you really must have a subscription, see if the online version is cheaper and save a tree!

People are sometimes encouraged to buy more, more, MORE than what they need. Frankly, you don’t really need 7 bedrooms and bathrooms and 4000 square feet of space.

Homes in the past did just fine with 1200 square feet but for some reason we now need separate offices and bedrooms for each child; all of which is fine if you can afford it (e.g. Easily put down a 20% down payment) but if you can’t and you’re stretching your budget to its spandex limit with stretch marks showing then STOP.

Take a breath. Scale back.

Consider what you actually need at a minimum and buy within or under that.

Many families buy monstrous houses and then can’t keep it for when their kids leave the nest and they can’t handle the 3-storey upkeep. They then sell it for a one-level, stair-free condo. We skipped that process and went straight to a condo, and bought the minimum we needed. We have saved a ton of money as well.

The trick? Just don’t fill your place with a ton of stuff and it will look and feel massive. I have apartment photos up on the blog and my place is 1200 square feet and SPACIOUS.

Less is more.

When you buy and focus on the price tag instead of taking that AND the item together as a package deal, you can only end up with clutter and junk having wasted your money on something that doesn’t quite fit in your wardrobe (or isn’t what you wanted).

Not all expensive items are of a high quality, but it is almost certain that things for too cheap will not be a high quality nor worth the price in the long run.

Think about cost-per-wear, if you buy a great pair of jeans for $300 and wear them daily, it whittled down to pennies per wear. If you spend $50 on a tough, crappy pair that you never reach for then you’ve just wasted $50.