11 Financial New Year’s Resolutions That Could Save You Over $200 Next Year

Blog | December 24th, 2021

New Year’s resolutions can consist of most anything. Often getting healthier weighs in at the top along with financial improvements. As you strive for health, you’ll enjoy the new you even more with a plump bank account! Breathe easier with a debt-free beginning that lasts! But how? You’re already working all the hours your day can hold. How could you possibly add more? This coming year, give your resolutions a twist that won’t turn your wallet upside down, but instead will pocket you an extra $200 next year, if not next month! There are ways to save time and money! Here are eleven ways to get you started!

Start a Side Hustle

This is a way to make some extra cash alongside your regular job. If you watch TV at all you have most likely seen Mecari ads. Simply gather goods such as boots, clothing, jewelry, and other things that you’ve barely used, then snap a photo, post it on the site, and as the advertisement says, “easily make $200 in as little as a month!” This can also work well with other options such as eBay and Poshmark!

Share a Ride

With the price of gas these days, carpools are back in style! Unless you’re fortunate enough to work from or close to home, the trip to work may be taking a bite out of your salary. If your round-trip ride is $30 daily and you can cut out three days of driving by joining forces with friends or coworkers, that saves you $90 per week which can reach a total of approximately $360 per month!

Put Less Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Food is a major expense nestled in so many options to save. Taking a break from the kitchen is a sanity-saving must at times. Dining out isn’t the only way to put the fun in food. Enjoy an inexpensive weekend meal by the fire pit roasting hotdogs. Have a festive fiesta with a make your own taco bar. Grilling out, even in the winter, will cut costs with a heartwarming touch that saves money on gas, tipping, and time spent waiting at a restaurant.

Here’s a Wake-Up Call!

Most coffee makers can be set ahead of time to have a hot pot waiting when you wake. Instead of spending five dollars daily from a stop by the coffee shop, you can have your brew for pennies a day! This can save $25 each week, $100 per month, and $1200 per year! Let’s wake up, smell the coffee and save a bundle!

Clean Up On Savings By Cleaning Up Your Water

Make a one-time investment in a water filter. Check with your county to see what sort of toxins come out of your faucet. Then think about how much you spend on bottled water, not to mention the plastic pollution they cause. Filters do have to be replaced now and then but that’s one piece of plastic compared to trash bags full. You’ll be contributing to your health, preventing pollution, and saving at minimum a dollar a day which is $30 per month and $360 per year!

Cut the Cable Cord Costs

Cable TV often sounds like a deal but soon begins to creep up in cost. Turn TV time into family time, fun at the ballpark, and other memory-building activities. You’ll save over $100 per month, $1200+ yearly on cable that you may not be using anyway. If movie nights are a must, check into streaming or purchase the DVD that you can keep and watch anytime you choose.

Shop at Thrift Stores

Thrift stores in the right areas are no longer filled with dingy hand-me-downs. Quite often you can find brand new apparel and home decor that others simply couldn’t use. The savings are endless and the shopping is like a treasure hunt! The more you shop, the more you’ll save!

Choose Grocery Curbside Pickup

When you fill your shopping cart online you are more likely to load up on what you really need. However, when you’re in the store the chances of grabbing impulse items are greater than you think. Steer clear of temptation by driving straight to curbside pick up and you’ll be surprised at the hundreds you’ll save yearly.

Stop Smoking

We’ll skip the guilt-ridden message on how smoking can harm your health and go straight to the finances. If a pack of cigarettes costs approximately $7.65 and you smoke one pack a day, you are spending $2792 yearly on cigarettes alone. Add to that, smoking increases health insurance premiums by approximately 50%. For plans under an employer, for example, if your part is $600 monthly you could trim $200 per month off of that amount when you become a non-smoker which will save you an additional $2400 yearly!

Use Cash Back Credit Cards

If you’re using credit cards anyway, first of all, be sure to only spend what you can pay off before interest costs hit. You’ll likely save your goal right there! If you add a cashback card to the mix you can earn 2% back on your spending. It doesn’t sound like a lot but let’s say you spend $2000 monthly on your credit card, that 2% will turn into $480 per year in cashback returns!

Shop Around…Twice a Year!

Every six months is a good time to check out other options on car insurance. Rates change often and you could save a bundle for taking a few minutes to shop around and look into other companies. Don’t just assume yours is the best. Chances are you could save a couple hundred bucks biyearly while also adding more coverage! It will only take a few minutes and will be time well spent!