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“The 72-Hour Rule”: 26 Surprising Life Hacks To Save Money That People Swear By
Living in the cost of living crisis, where more and more people are uncertain whether they will be able to afford a warm meal and their home rent in the coming months, can be scary.
No wonder more and more people are taking a step further in keeping that wallet tightly shut if possible. “What are some interesting life hacks for saving money?” someone asked on the Ask Reddit community and the responses came flooding in.
Armed with exceptional ingenuity and often unusual approaches to spending and saving money, people revealed what they do when prices are beyond control. Scroll down through the most interesting responses below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Buy secondhand!
Today I have secured myself a solid pine desk for my daughters room, no marks or damage, for £10, and a worn-once, three piece navy suit for my son to wear at our wedding next year, also for £10.
I buy maybe 80% of my stuff secondhand. I bide my time, wait for a bargain, and I have saved sooooo much money over the years.
DennyS (denzoren) 11 months ago
I do this on ebay with almost all of my electronics. Even clothes, it'd be new but for a better price.
Petra Peitsch 11 months ago
Only when the item is from metal.... I don't want anyone's bedbugs. Also, with clothes, fast-fashions marks like C&A or H&M have nowadays very good quality basic cotton T-Shirts, what lasts at least for 2 years. Without any visible logo. For a low pice. So, I would sure not buy from any second--hand store 4-5-6 or more year old clothing, just because it has a logo on it.
BoredLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
Just not mattresses or microwaves (bedbugs and cockroaches, respectively).
RELATED:
#2
learn to cook! 4 or 5 reliably delicious recipes will go a loooooong way.
HTakeover 11 months ago
Buy in bulk to get the bulk discount, make a bunch in one go, pre-portion whatever you won't eat after cooking, then vacuum seal & freeze whatever portions you won't eat in the next week.
Nice Beast Ludo 10 months ago
Hubby made a giant pot of butterbeans yesterday. He grew up super poor and I've grown to like them too. Super cheap to make and really filling. Great when we are on the downward end of our grocery supply.
#3
If you can avoid it, never take out a payday loan.
#4
Don't have kids
#5
Don’t buy something that you normally wouldn’t buy just because you have a coupon.
Sapna Sarfare 11 months ago
We dont have coupons in India.. But stores these days have good options like buy one and one free or something is marked down... it works
Petra Peitsch 11 months ago
Hm it depends. It can be items in somone's life, what one would try, but the full price would be too much for just a give-it-a-try. Coupons are for these occasions. How are you using them, is another question ....
#6
Try buying reusable objects in place of single use ones. It's better for your wallet and environment. Steel water bottles, reusable K cups, dish towels instead of paper towels, etc. Over time the costs of little things really add up.
BoredLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
I cannot even remember the time before my stainless steel water bottle. It's double-walled so the water stays nice and cold, it's turquoise, and it's plastered with my favorite vinyl stickers.
#7
Always eat before going food shopping
Sapna Sarfare 11 months ago
Make a list instead.. i mean i have a list.. i end up getting maybe one or two things over the list... depends if its a good deal
BoredLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
Absolutely wrong. If you shop hungry, you are much more likely to buy non-nutritious snack foods with excess fats and sugars. It isn't about the quantity of food you'll buy, it's about the QUALITY of food you'll buy.
Load More Replies... #8
When at the grocery, look at the price/oz or whatever unit it is instead of the total price. It's usually posted in one corner. It's not going to save you tons of money, but it does add up. Plus it takes out the guess work when comparing similar items.
#9
Making one extra payment on your mortgage per year will reduce a 30 year mortgage to roughly 17 years.
LizzieBoredom 11 months ago
I've always heard you need to specify extra mortgage payments as 'apply to principle' so it isn't partially (or entirely) applied to interest.
Cecilia Matthews 11 months ago
I did this on my 30 year mortgage, and it was paid off in 20 years. I just rounded my monthly payment up to the nearest hundred, and applied the difference to the principal, as I indicated on the coupon that was mailed in with the check.
Load More Replies...
Petra Peitsch 11 months ago
I'll have my own home, when I can buy for it in full cash. To add. In Germany renting till your end of your life, is not something WOW!. Allthough, I would have my own place. But sure not in Germany, Is an exciting country in your active-working days .... I wouldn't want to be retired here.
Ace 11 months ago (edited)
Dunno about where you live, but in most places mortgages are done on a basis where you can't simply pay more off when you feel like it with varying payments. If I want to pay off more then I need to renegotiate the whole thing.
HTakeover 11 months ago
In most places, you can still pay down the principal ahead of schedule. That doesn't mean you can pay it 100% off or close it ahead, or that you won't continue to accrue the interest or fees.
Load More Replies... #10
Don't buy the cheapest option. Often the middle priced option will be the best value. Things that are too cheap are worth what you paid for them.
Petra Peitsch 11 months ago (edited)
To say .. being poor is the most expensive thing. But yeah, generaly is right: never buy the trade mark, buy the material made of it. I have still cotton T-shirts, what I bought 5 years prior in an Aldi for 4 euro. They are nothing fancy, just a regular V-neck T-shirt. But they are from 98% cotton (I checked just for the post ;;) ), and lasted for years.
#11
I don't smoke but live my financial life as a smoker. Meaning every Monday I transfer the sum of one weeks worth of cigarettes to my savings account. If people that earn less than me can afford smoking, so can I.
#12
I have a friend who, at the end of each pay period, moves whatever she has in checking into savings. It doesn't matter if she's got $5 or $50 in the account, it goes into savings the night before payday.
Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago
The tricky part is in having something at the end of each pay period
Petra Peitsch 11 months ago
I'm seeing very often in mostly USA.related posts this "saving-account" thing. And really, I don't get it. I mean, I have one bank-account to where is going my income. To ths account I have a debit card attached, with what I'm making my paying 99% of the time. And thatÍ's it. I'm becoming my wage on this account. I'm spending like 2/3 of it rough. The 1/3 stays on my normal and only one bank account, accumulating with time. So, what is this with different kind of bank accoounts? Why are you willling topay for your bank to manage "x" number of accounts, instead of just one? Asking, because I feel, my bank is robbing me charging monthly 12.90 euro for managing my account. I'm feeling, the half of it would be deserved. Maximum.
Nice Beast Ludo 10 months ago
Most savings accounts don't have any fees attached to them but it depends on the bank.
Load More Replies... DennyS (denzoren) 11 months ago
I like this one, basically always save what remains, I'll have to try this.
#13
Acting broke. Trust me. Nothing helps you save more than acting broke. And there is a way to do that without becoming a mooch. Eat at home if your friends have a dinner plan at an expensive place. Pregame if you're going clubbing. And if anyone asks you why aren't you eating/drinking/coming for that vacation just say you're broke. I learnt this the hard way. Because I remember becoming a recluse and slowly stopped socializing just because my friends always had these extravagant and expensive plans and I realized it really started weighing down on me. But eventually I learnt that there was no shame in wanting to save money/being broke and definitely none in saying so.
#14
Only drinking water is a solid one. Soda at restaurants or other drinks add up a lot.
Sapna Sarfare 11 months ago
I prefer getting soda on hearty non-veg dishes or Biryani.. they are the ones that require soda
#15
If you can buy a tool to complete a repair for the same price as the repair itself, buy the tool and repair it for free next time.
#16
When buying online, leave items in the shopping cart for awhile. There is a good chance that the website is tracking this, and will lower the price overtime to entice you into buying.
I've saved a lot by being patient. Like when I got a surround sound amp for $350 that was listed everywhere for $450 to $500, just by leaving it in the online shopping cart for a week.
Sapna Sarfare 11 months ago
It works on some levels... but what you have to buy, you buy... but i look at brands and then the pricing.. for example, headphones
Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago
I have experienced it. It works on many smaller and niche site. Don't know about amazon.
#17
Learn how to login to your online banking system and review your statement regularly. You'll see how quickly money flows out for coffee...snacks.... and unnecessary purchase. Also set a budget and STICK TO IT.
#18
If you are getting married, send out wedding invitations to every billionaires address you can find. You have a 50/50 chance that their assistants will just send you a perfunctory gift without ever wondering who the hell you are. Free gifts!
Kris 11 months ago
Nope, they have been invited like any other guest. If they choose not to check if they know this person personally and send a gift then its on them. Shady but legal.
Load More Replies... #19
I try to cost things as portions of better, or more fulfilling things i.e.
A coffee is 1/10 of a new game. Ten meals out is a weekend away etc.
#20
I don't spend $1 bills. I collect them in a box and at the end of the year I usually have a few hundred dollars
#21
Look at store branded food items. Do you really think Safeway, Kroger, Dollar General, Costco, and Walmart all have independent tuna canning facilities? NO! They're sourcing the product from of of the big 3 (or however many) facilities that supply the name brand. This goes for the majority of store branded items. Make it a game to find out who has what national name product as their store brand product.
#22
Drive slower. You will see an immediate increase in mpg. Your brakes will last longer. Your tires will last longer. You will immediately be at a reduced risk for an expensive accident. Your engine will be able to go further before needing expensive repairs.
#23
Learning how to cook pasta, rice and beans, soups, stews, polenta, grits, etc, really anything that costs very little and can feed a huge family. You save insane amounts of money, even if you are frugal in terms of buying cheaper things from stores (e.g. $5 sandwhich). For that same $5 you can make pasta with butter, cheese, and peas for the whole family. Or make beef stew with barley (chuck roast is really cheap and delicious in a stew).
#24
Easy one- Buy your own modem. You can get a good one from Amazon for $100. Internet companies charge you $10-$12 a month to rent yours. Buy your own, return the rented one to internet company, and get that charge removed from your bill. Pays for itself in under a year.
#25
10% of your paycheck goes into a savings account and 20% to debts. The remainder stays in your checking account to pay bills and feed/entertain yourself. Be disciplined and stick to the plan. If you can, increase the savings percent. When you have enough savings to fulfill an emergency fund, start investing. Calculate if you can afford things using these constraints, and if you can’t then don’t purchase them. Not exactly a life hack, but this plan will make you wealthy.
BoredLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
Big assumptions here. Some people cannot afford to put anything in savings because their basic needs take nearly all of their income.
#28
I have 3:
1. Give money as gifts. (Except when giving gifts to your loved ones, there the concept of goods as gift shows you actually understand them).
2. Always have the knowledge of prices in the source market for whatever product you buy. The more knowledgeable consumers are about the supply chain of the goods they buy, the better they can negotiate.
Final score:
-1point
Sillywaster Stayalone (Submission author) 11 months ago (edited)
I can't delete this answer, it was a draft posted by mistake. I request all to ignore it.
#29
1. Give and accept money as gifts. (Except when giving gifts to loved ones, as there giving goods as gift implies that you understand them better)
2. Works better in informal markets - Have knowledge about the prices prevailing in source markets. Information improves consumer's ability to negotiate.
Final score:
-2points
What do you think ?
Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago
Live below your means will be lowest in ranking, while not having child will be highest.
Ace 11 months ago
Nearly all of these can be summed up by a simple "don't spend more than you need to, or more than you have". And seriously, does anyone actually need to be told that? I mean, sure no everyone does it, but they're absolutely not going to look at a list like this and suddenly think "Oh, that's where I've been going wrong" are they?
BoredLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
None of these are "life hacks", it's just (un)common sense. So sick and tired of the "hacks" articles.
Sarah 11 months ago (edited)
Depending on where you live, a lot of companies will hold back extra income tax from your paycheck, if you request it. This turns into a nice refund at tax time when it's all tallied up and you have overpaid your taxes. I do this and always look forward to that nice little 'bonus' every April. It's like a savings account I can let someone else take care of for me.
Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago
Live below your means will be lowest in ranking, while not having child will be highest.
Ace 11 months ago
Nearly all of these can be summed up by a simple "don't spend more than you need to, or more than you have". And seriously, does anyone actually need to be told that? I mean, sure no everyone does it, but they're absolutely not going to look at a list like this and suddenly think "Oh, that's where I've been going wrong" are they?
BoredLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
None of these are "life hacks", it's just (un)common sense. So sick and tired of the "hacks" articles.
Sarah 11 months ago (edited)
Depending on where you live, a lot of companies will hold back extra income tax from your paycheck, if you request it. This turns into a nice refund at tax time when it's all tallied up and you have overpaid your taxes. I do this and always look forward to that nice little 'bonus' every April. It's like a savings account I can let someone else take care of for me.
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