3 Best Money-Saving Hacks - Controversial

There are several money-saving hacks that can help you get more money without spending more. These methods include the envelope and zero-sum methods. If you feel like your budget is too restrictive, include a little money for nonessential expenses. Also, consider meal prepping for less money. These tips will help you save money without sacrificing the taste of home-cooked meals. And remember that earning extra money is easier than saving it.

Controversial Money Saving

This is going to rub the purist money saver off. But growing up poor as hell I learned a lesson pretty quick. It is FAR easier to work a second job to be able to afford things I WANT. I'm talking about Wants vs. Needs here. The emotional toll you get from pinching pennies is far too stressful for me personally. I can't talk for everyone but you start a side hustle and suddenly you can buy stuff you like and your motivation to earn is there because you have a purpose.

Saving money when it's a need, however, is much different. You still feel emotional stress when working that second job because you have to feed yourself. I still believe working a second job so you can afford to buy yourself coffee and maybe a few new articles of clothing each month is less stressful than scrutinizing every penny is preferable.

In the end, balancing your budget is an amazing skill to have and if you pair that with the side hustle or 2nd job you will only win. If you cut out all the shit that helps you feel a modicum of happiness for the sake of just budgeting you lose every time. So my point, making extra money is easier than hardcore budgeting and allocating every penny like the Dave Ramsey Purists would lead you to believe. Doing this will help you know where your money is going instead of where it isn't going.

Alright now that I got that off my chest lets talk about the less sexy very valid and easy ways to save money. 

Unsubscribe to your unused services

If you've ever wondered how to cancel a monthly subscription, you've come to the right place. Millions of people purchase streaming services each month, some of which they use on a regular basis. Others subscribe only occasionally or never at all. Regardless of your situation, you're likely paying for a service that you don't even use. This unused subscription is taking a toll on your finances, so it's time to stop paying it. There are various ways to cancel a subscription that you no longer use.

The first step to cancel a subscription is to review your monthly financial statements. Review each transaction and determine how much you spend for each purchase. If the service costs you a lot, consider canceling it before you end the trial. A prepaid card can be a good option, as companies don't charge your card until the trial period ends. In this way, they don't know how much you'll be spending until the first charge.

Another way to cancel a subscription is to cancel it while it's on pause. By canceling the subscription while it's paused, you won't be charged for the service. You can set a reminder to remember to cancel your subscription. You can even make a note on your calendar to ensure that you don't renew a service that you've previously tried. But before you can do that, you need to consider what you'll be getting out of it.

Food prep to save money

Meal prep is a great way to stretch the money you spend on groceries while staying healthy and making your kitchen more efficient. There are many different ways to plan your meals, including choosing recipes with one pot cooking and making them a day in advance. You can also prepare whole grains and vegetables to accompany your main dish. Meat can be grilled for a savory meal or served with a salad. It can be as simple as making a few simple meals a week.

Meal prepping can save you a ton of money. Instead of spending $10 at Chipotle or fast food meal, you can spend $8 on protein to cook for half a week. By making your own meals, you won't have to purchase different ingredients for each meal, and you can focus on one kind of meal per week instead of trying to make different side dishes each night. Also, you won't have to worry about wasting ingredients.

Besides saving money on ingredients, meal prep saves your health. You can chop and prep fruits and vegetables the day before so that you can eat them when you're ready to prepare them for lunch or dinner. If you don't have the time to prepare everything yourself, you can always make a grocery list beforehand. If you wait until that last minute you’ll likely go out to eat and spend 3-4x what meal prep would have cost.