I make it a New Year’s Resolution to improve my budgeting skills every year, but I’m rarely successful. Stress-shopping is a bad habit of mine.
Thanks to this infographic from TurboTax, I now have a better idea of small changes I can make. I’m lucky enough to have a gym at my apartment complex, but a home gym is a great way to start saving some pennies. It costs less than $100 for the basics, and you can save over $500 in gym membership costs (and also save a lot of money by getting healthy).
Another idea to consider is cooking with cheaper ingredients. Opt for tougher cuts of meat, and compare the prices of fresh and canned vegetables. You could save up to $8/pound on meats and 70 cents per serving on veggies––not bad!
This is one of the hardest solutions for me, but I know it’s a necessary one: Cutting back on restaurant meals. Americans spend almost 4.5% of our paychecks on dining out, which is pretty astounding when you think about it.
Prepared to take on this tip and try to cook at home more? Check out our ultimate guide to cooking with herbs.