Save Your Budget With These Cost-Effective Buys
If you're trying to budget your money, it's worth knowing about some cost-effective purchases that not only won't break the bank, they'll help you save money in the long run. Whether you want to cut back on luxurious buys or be in the know, we've got you covered with these buying hacks. Here are 20 ways you can spend less and enjoy life more! Just be careful if you're a shopaholic, as you'll definitely want to make (all) these purchases.
Music Streaming Service
Spotify and Apple Music each cost $9.99/month and offer great streaming options. Better yet, you can cut the cost by getting the $14.99 family plan. If you’re in a family of five and each of you pay for the family price, individually you’ll be contributing less than $2/month. So stop purchasing songs at $1.29 a piece and listen to unlimited music all month long.
Warehouse Club Membership
Such warehouses stores as Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s offer a variety of food, clothes, household products, and electronics, and their prices often are much lower than other retailers. Cheapism compared Costco prices with the prices of Best Buy, Kohl’s, and Kroger outlets in Ohio. They spent $1,165 at Costco on 19 items, whereas the other stores cost them $1,557.28 for the same items — $392.28 difference. So consider paying a yearly fee for a warehouse membership and saving some serious cash!
Groupon
Groupon is an amazing deal-finder if you’re looking to buy your favorite things at discounted prices. Get a $100 massage for $25, pay $69 for an unlimited month of yoga classes instead of the $189, or pay half the price for a meal from your favorite restaurant. No subscription is necessary, all you have to do is download the app and check it for the best deals!
MealPal
For those who like to step out for lunch, you can do so every day at a fixed price of $5.99, a much lower cost than your typical outing. Just subscribe to Meal Pal, pay $99/month, and choose your lunch from a wide selection of restaurants. This subscription is perfect if you frequently find yourself spending more than $6 on lunch a few times a week.
Blender
With a good blender, you can stop dropping $9 or more on a smoothie. Making your own smoothies is so easy and way cheaper than buying them from the trendy, overpriced juice and smoothie shops. Need some new recipe ideas? Pinterest is a great place to start!
Amazon Prime
Attention online shoppers, music lovers, and movie watchers: This could be one of the greatest purchases you could possibly make. For $99/year, you’ll have access to all of Prime’s movies and music. The service also offers a diverse library of e-books free for download on a compatible device. Plus, Amazon Fresh recently paired up with Whole Foods, bringing down the cost of some of their more pricey items. The membership also is worth it if you like to get your online purchases fast — as in same-day delivery. Does it get any better than that?
Movie Pass
Even if you go to the movies just once a month, this subscription is worth it. For $9.95/month, you’ll have access to unlimited movie theatre visits. Ticket prices may vary depending on where you live, costing between $10-$15 for adults. As you can see, Movie Pass is a better option than paying the normal price.
Disposable Razors
Here’s an investment you might think twice about — the cost of a shave. If a man were to choose between a case of plastic razors or a razor with multiple blades, and both serve the same purpose satisfactorily, it’s more penny-wise to buy the big pack of disposables. Budget Buster figured that buying a 200 pack of razor blades for $32 is more sensible than buying a razor with multiple blades for $5 each. The first expense amounts to $13/year on shaving, whereas the second reachers a higher $182/year. With an annual price difference of $169 and a 50-year price different of $36,000, you might rethink the way you shave.
Home Gym Equipment
Gym memberships vary in price, with many costing more than $50 a month. If you don’t go often, you might want to consider getting some equipment in your house. A major plus would be not having to drive to the gym or wait on other people to finish using equipment. Over time, your home gym will save you hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars. A Gold’s Gym Pulley system costs $264, already less than a year’s gym membership.
Gel Nail Polish and Curing Light
Having polished nails is a luxury that gets a little pricey. Gel polish usually requires a trip to the salon every 2 weeks, and regular polish would be more frequent. A gel manicure typically costs $35 or more depending on where you go. If you have a steady hand, look into purchasing some gel polish, which costs around $11, along with a $32 curing light. You could be saving around $80/month!
Disney Annual Pass
Just taking one trip to Disney this year? Buy the annual pass anyway! Some factors to consider are the length of your stay, where you’re staying, how many people you’re with, special events you plan on attending, where you’ll be eating, and if you like to shop. Basically, if you plan on making the most of your trip, the annual pass could be the better buy. Besides, what’s a trip to Disney if you're not going all out!
Food Preservation Bins
How often have you gone to the grocery store to stock your fridge with fresh foods, only for them to go bad in a few days? You can save yourself trips to the store and your money by purchasing a food storage container that helps preserve your food. The Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver reportedly keeps food fresh 80% longer.
Slow Cooker
If your family frequently orders take-out, a slow cooker could be a better alternative, saving you both time and money. A good-quality slow cooker costs $49. So instead of going out for a potentially costly meal a night or so per week, you could throw some things in a slow cooker in the morning and have your dinner ready at night. In a year, you could be saving more than $2,000.
E-Reader
Save your money and shelving space by purchasing an e-reader. If you find yourself reading more than once a month, buying a Kindle or Nook could be a smarter option than continually buying hardcovers and paperbacks. The price of an e-book is typically a few dollars cheaper than a paperback or hardcover. Not to mention that e-readers are much easier on your back than lugging around physical books. Why not try a Kindle for $79.99 or a Nook for $49.99?
Video Streaming Service
Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu are three of the top streaming services that have been overtaking in-home entertainment. Their selection of content could be enough to get you to “cut the cord” and replace cable. Both Netflix’s and Hulu’s base prices start at $7.99/month, and Prime starts at $8.99/month. On the other hand, the Comcast cable service's base price is $29.99/month for local network TV, with its more desirable packages reaching as high as more than $100/month. If you love sports, you could also opt for Sling TV, which costs $20/month, and pair it with a streaming service for $28/month. With the prices and content selection in mind, it could be more budget-friendly to cut your cord.
Water Filter
Why should you repeatedly buy bottles of water when you can just filter your own at home? The typical family could go through a $5 case of water each week. A Brita with a pack of filters costs $83. Sccording to The Simple Dollar, you’d be saving $177/year with this smart purchase. You’ll also be helping the environment by decreasing the amount of plastic waste your family generates.
Filtered Water Bottle
Again, instead of buying cases of water and having them eat up space in your fridge and pantry, buy one bottle. If you use a filtered water bottle, you can fill it up from anywhere without worrying if what you're drinking is clean. You can make the one-time purchase for $22 and never waste your money on bottled water again.
Coffee Machine
Avid coffee drinkers can spend more than $1,000 a year caffeinating themselves. A decent coffee machine costs around $50. You’d be saving around $200 for regular coffee and a whopping $730 if you’re a latte drinker.
Free Memberships
Such places as Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, and AMC have free memberships that come with some great perks. All you have to do is download the apps for each place, use your membership when you purchase something, and rack up the points! The rewards programs are good if you’re already frequent users. The more you go, the more points you’ll get. However, don’t let it be the reason you go, or you might end up spending more than you save.
Hardy Phone Case
If, by any chance, your nickname is "butterfingers," this is a great buy. Some of us just aren’t so great with our cell phones, dropping them every other time they're in our hands. If you have a smartphone, putting a good case on it could save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. To fix a cracked iPhone screen costs $29 if you have Apple Care, and up to $169 if you don't. A hardy phone case that could prevent your phone from cracking costs as little as $19. So if you’re susceptible to dropping things, try investing in a good phone case.