One-Minute Money Habits might sound too good to be true, but trust us — saving money doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. We’ve found that some of the biggest savings in our life came from tiny tweaks that took less than a minute.
So we’re inviting you into our home (virtually!) to share 50 quick habits that helped us save thousands of dollars— while meeting big financial goals on a low income.
1. When grocery shopping, always check unit pricing.
Don’t just look at the sticker price — compare the price per ounce or gram. Especially in warehouse stores, you could easily pay more for a “bigger” bottle that actually winds up costing you more than you would pay at a traditional grocery store.
2. Buy store brands.
Store brands are often made by the same companies as name brands. We’ve used them for years and rarely notice a difference — except when we see the lower price at checkout.
3. Make a shopping list
We’ve walked into a store hungry and list-less — not a good combo! A list keeps you focused and away from that snack aisle that always tempts you.
4. Shop once a week.
The more you shop, the more you spend. We found that limiting ourselves to one trip each week drastically cut back on impulse buys.
5. Track your pantry and freezer.
Can you find any item in your pantry or freezer in 30-second or less? Even though that’s our personal goal, there have been times that we’ve replaced items only to find we already had three of them hiding in the back.
Keeping an up-to-date freezer inventory and doing a 30-second pantry check before shopping saves real money.
6. Buy in bulk, but do it wisely.
Only buy what you’ll actually use. That massive jar of peanut butter isn’t a deal if it goes rancid before you finish it. The same thing applies to that side of beef. Unless you have enough freezer space (and you have the contents of that freezer written down) you’re likely to throw out freezer burned meat two or three years down the line.
7. Split bulk buys with friends or neighbors.
One great way to continue to reap the benefits of paying a lower price per pound (and to spread the joys of large volume buying) is to split bulk buys with friends. We did this for years and it works great.
8. Use cash-back extensions.
We love Rakuten — it runs quietly in the background and pops up with savings when we’re shopping online. Rakuten finds coupons at checkout and also gives us cash back on every purchase. Easy money!
9. Buy seasonal items out of season.
Shopping clearance at the end of the season has saved us up to 90%. One of our sons got a brand new $150 winter coat for $26 once. True story.
10. Meal plan based on sales.
Instead of planning what sounds good, we plan around ingredients that we got on sale or clearance. This is just one of the ways we keep our grocery budget for a family of four ultra-low.
11. Cook once, eat twice.
Make double and save the second half. When life gets busy, having ready-to-eat meals keeps us from dialing takeout.
12. Create a “leftovers zone” in your fridge.
We literally have a shelf labeled “Eat Me First.” It helps our kids know what they can grab, and it keeps food from getting lost.
13. Do a once-a-week perishable food inventory.
Before shopping for new groceries, use up what you already have on hand. Every Thursday, we pull out everything perishable and list it top to bottom by shelf life.
Then, we create a menu plan, based on using up these items before they rot. This routine alone saved us hundreds in wasted food.Less waste, more room, and fewer weird smells!
14. Swap soda for water
Soda’s just expensive water with extra sugar and chemicals your body doesn’t need. Water is what your body really wants — and it’s free.
15. Pack your lunchB
Bringing food from home saves significantly more than you may think.
If you eat out five days a week, that’s $5,000+ a year. Pack a $2.50 lunch instead and give yourself a $4,500 raise.
16. Reinvent leftovers.
Instead of serving the same thing over and over, give leftovers a makeover. For example, start with chili the first night, then use it for chili mac the next evening, and finish it off with chili dogs later in the week.
Your family gets variety, and you get less waste.
17. Label Leftovers
Be sure to add the date and contents of the container to all leftovers. We’ve lost count of how many mystery containers turned into science experiments. Label and date — your fridge will thank you – and so will your budget.
18. Unplug electronics
We always say, “Unplug, unplug, unplug!” Anything with a little light is quietly costing you money.
In fact, any item with with standby lights, remote controls, or “instant on” access, is sucking energy even though it is turned off. This is known as vampire power or phantom power.
Unplug and you could save up to 10% on your next energy bill.
19. Wash only full loads of laundry.
It takes the same energy whether it’s half full or completely full. Wait until it’s full and wash cold unless hot is absolutely necessary.
20. Air-dry laundry
For many years, we have hung our laundry to dry— outdoors in warm weather and indoors in cold or inclement weather. It might seem old-fashioned, but it’s saved us a bundle on our utility bill.
21. Adjust your thermostat by up to four degrees.
Every degree matters. Raise it in summer, lower it in winter. Experts say that for every degree you change your thermostat, you could save between 1 and 3% on your next bill.
In summer, statistically, you can raise the thermostat by four degrees and achieve the same level of comfort by sitting in front of a fan. Since, fans cost significantly less to run than your central AC unit, your next summer energy bill will be lower.
22. Fix dripping faucets and sticky toilets.
We came home from a recent vacation and turned on our water. We didn’t notice that the flush lever was stuck open on one of our toilets. It ran for several hours before we caught it. The result was a $10 bump on our water bill. Check your fixtures!
23. Sign up for online utility accounts.
Our utility company shows us our actual real-time energy usage. We keep an energy diary, where we log the date, time of day, and which appliance we were using, then match it to our online usage graph.
Seeing the usage spikes helps us figure out how we need to adjust our appliance use. We log it and match it to what we used that day — super eye-opening.
24. Use energy-efficient appliances
Knowing that our in-wall electric oven triples our energy usage while it is in use, we often cook using our toaster oven more to avoid that big electricity jump. Little swaps make a difference.
25. Batch your errands.
We designate one day a week to do all of our errands. I make a list of all the stops. Then, we plan our route — first stop, second stop, third. This allows us to use less gas and less time. It’s like trip efficiency math.
26. Keep tires properly inflated.
Every few weeks, check your PSI. If you live in a zone in which seasons change every three months, you’ll need to check your PSI more often. Proper inflation means that you can increase your mileage by up to three percent. You’ll also get better wear on your tires.
27. Use public transportation or carpool.
When gas hit $4/gallon, Larry started taking the bus back and forth to work every day. Since we had a gas-guzzling car, the cost was about half that of driving.
In nice weather, he often rode his bike. Not only did we save money, but his health got a boost too.
28. Use GasBuddy to find the cheapest fuel.
We love the GasBuddy app. It tells you where to go to find the cheapest gas in town — no guessing.
29. Wash your car at home.
It only takes a few gallons of water and about thirty minutes to wash your car. Can’t do it in your driveway? Ask a friend. We’ve traded driveway time for a homemade treat. Win-win.
30. Automate savings on payday.
Once a month, we funnel $100 toward medical and dental expenses which aren’t covered by insurance. Then we use this as a sinking fund — which simply means we save small amounts regularly so the money is there when we need it.
Sinking funds = less panic later.
31. Use free checking accounts
Some banks still offer them — you just have to ask (and read the fine print). Some require a minimum daily or monthly balance. Others offer a small amount of interest on the account. Remember, there should be no reason to pay to use your own money.
32. Avoid ATM fees.
If you use an out-of-network ATM, you will be charged per transaction. It pays to remember that $3 here, $4 there – adds up fast. We make it a rule to only use our bank’s machines. You should be able to find a list of associated ATMs on your bank’s website.
33. Use senior citizen banking perks.
Our credit union offers free notary services and “Lunch & Learn” events for those over the age of 55. Free lunch? Free information? Yes, please!
34. Review monthly expenses.
Pick one monthly expense to try to cut back — just one. We do this every month, and it always turns up savings.
35. Use cash for spending limits.
Go to the grocery store with $30 in your pocket. That’s all you can spend. This simple, but powerful, exercise will quickly show you where you are wasting money.
36. Pay bills annually
We pay our life insurance once a year and save 10%. It’s a chunk up front, but worth it — plan ahead.
37. Switch to low-cost cell service
We love Mint Mobile. $15/month for great service — and no surprise fees.
38. Cancel unused apps and subscriptions.
A recent study by Secure Data Recovery found that over 50% of Americans can’t name all their subscriptions. We do a regular audit twice a year and cancel what we don’t use.
39. Turn off in-app purchases.
If you’ve ever had surprise charges from games — especially when the kids were younger, turn off in-app purchases or only download games which don’t contain them.
40. Use the free version of apps.
We use the free version of apps. For the most part, they meet our needs and we have seldom found the need to upgrade to a paid version.
41. Upload receipts to Fetch.
We upload every receipt and let the points build up all year. Then we cash them in for Amazon gift cards — Christmas shopping, done!
42. Do a chore “Time-Audit”.
Most things take way less time than you think. Knowing that helps you actually start them.
43. Set a timer for cleaning tasks.
Work expands to fill the time allotted to complete it. That’s why using 15-minute bursts is a great idea. It keeps us focused and makes chores less overwhelming.
44. Keep a running shopping list on your phone.
When we run out of something, we add it right away. No more forgetting what we needed once we’re at the store.
45. Store items where they’re used.
We have two kitchens, and trust us — it matters. Having stuff in the right place saves so much time and frustration.
46. Create a family charging hub.
Having one place for all devices means no more lost cords or dead phones. Everyone knows where to plug in – and there is a mandatory time of night when all devices need to be off for the night and plugged into the chargers.
47. Declutter one drawer per week.
Pick a drawer. Just one. Don’t move on until it’s done. This may seem like a slow burn, but super effective and keeps you focused. Plus, most of the time you realize how much is in that drawer that you no longer want or need.
This simple exercise will rev up your declutter gene and leave you anticipating the thrill of moving on to the next drawer.
48. Put your daily items in one place.
Larry swears by this. Keys, glasses, wallet — same spot every night = zero stress in the morning.
49. Stock a gift closet.
Creating a gift stash is easy and inexpensive. We keep bins labeled by occasion and stock them with clearance finds. Last-minute invites? We’re always ready with a simple and inexpensive gift.
50. Keep a small Fix-It Kit handy.
Keep a small Fix It Kit somewhere that’s very handy in your home so you know exactly where to go for maybe a small screwdriver, some scissors, some glue, whatever you need to make a quick fix. Have that handy so you don’t have to look around for it.
Your Turn!
These One-Minute Money Habits are real, practical, and tested in our everyday life. They’ve helped us save thousands over the years, and we hope they help you too. Try one or two this week — and let us know which ones work for you.
# 51. Don’t eat tomorrows dinner today.
This goes with the ‘cook once eat twice’ idea. Cook a double batch, I call this making ‘PLANNEDovers’ instead of leftovers. Then don’t eat two helpings or raid the fridge later on day 1 which would be ‘eating tomorrows dinner today’. 😁
Yep! We have definitely eaten tomorrow’s dinner today.
1.) Review your debit & credit card statements monthly. It takes 30-seconds to scan my bank & credit card statements- I catch reoccurring charges, like subscriptions I forgot to cancel, catch errors or fraudulent charges quickly.
2.) Save veggie scraps in freezer for homemade chicken or veggie stock. Chopping veggies and left with scraps? Throw them in a freezer bag and save them! Takes less than 30 seconds. Then use them to make homemade stock when you purchase a rotisserie chicken or cook a whole chicken. Throw the carcass and strap bag into an instant pot with water and seasoning- easy way to make your own broth.
Love it! Great tips!