Getting your budget under control can seem like an overwhelming task, especially if you have piles and piles of high-interest credit card debt bludgeoning your savings account. Much advertising out there promises quick-fixes to your financial dilemmas, but rarely addresses specific things you can do to start making an immediate difference. Believe it or not, you can save $100 in one week in just a few steps.
Buy no-name brands at the grocery story
Approximate savings: $20Today, no-name or grocery store brands are just as good as the real thing. In fact, in many cases, grocery stores are opting to go with private-label products and selling them at cheaper prices. More often than not, the grocery store brands are exactly the same product as the big-name brand -- just in a different wrapper. You should be able to save $1 to $2 on a box of cereal, $3 to $5 on vitamins and $1 to $2 on soda. The list goes on and in the end, you will find yourself with a lower grocery bill and maybe a slight chance of embarrassment as you wonder if the gorgeous cashier thinks you are a cheapskate.
Buy a box of muffins instead of daily breakfast en route to work
Approximate savings: $15Those breakfast sandwiches sure are delicious, but they are not doing any favors for your wallet or your gut. To save $100 a week, on your next grocery store visit, pick up a six-pack of muffins or drinkable yogurt and make it your breakfast for the week. You may miss the greasy egg-and-ham croissant, but your body will adjust. You’ll not only save $5 each morning, but you'll also save time from not waiting in line to pick it up. Also, a side benefit to a heavier wallet by skipping your on-the-go-breakfast is a lighter frame.
Buy a 12-case of beer for two weekends
Approximate savings: $2The weekend is here and all the best football games are on. Don’t worry; there is no way we would suggest going without beer for the weekend. But in your quest to save $100, what we do suggest and encourage is to buy in bulk. You should be able to save at least a couple of bucks by making one beer run for two weekends. Buy a 12-pack and spread it out over two weeks, instead of buying a six-pack each week. Certainly, you will need the discipline not to dry out your entire stash in one sitting.
Skip Starbucks once a week
Approximate savings: $8Those Starbucks lattes sure are delicious, and you’re unlikely to give them up entirely. But Starbucks hasn’t been one of the most profitable companies in the U.S. for no reason; their coffees are expensive. To help you save $100, perhaps just once a week, you can pass on the Starbucks and relegate yourself to the boring office coffee pot. Assuming you make two trips a day, you should be able to save around $8 by avoiding it for a single day. If you go more than twice a day, well, start with just cutting out two visits. The upside is that maybe you can actually learn to live without it and be en route to saving far more than $8 a week. If you find you just can’t get through life without your fluffy coffee, consider picking up a pack of the flavored gourmet coffee mixes at the grocery store to cut out some Starbucks trips.
Stay in one Friday night
Approximate savings: $45Even the biggest socialite needs a night off. Rather than heading out to the trendy club where you will be parting ways with your cash all night, try to save $100 by staying in and having a night to yourself. You will save on the cover charge and the pricey drinks for yourself and those girls you’ll never talk to again. Pick up a six-pack, a frozen pizza and a movie rental and just bask in your own ambiance. Sure, you might miss a drunken bash, but so what? There are other days. In addition to the bucks you’ll save, consider that you’ll likely head to bed earlier, avoid the dreaded next-day hangover, and extend your life expectancy. You may also find the solitude doing wonders for your mental health.
Set aside $10 a week
Approximate savings: $10It sounds childish, but commit to taking $10 in cash out of your wallet each week and storing it away somewhere -- like in a high-yield savings account. If you lack all self-control, give it to a trusted friend to hold. After doing this for a few weeks, you won’t even miss the $10, and come the end of the year, you’ll have over $500 tucked away and it’ll feel like found money. That can be very helpful for holiday gifts or for that annual trip to Las Vegas with your friends.
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