80 Small and Big Ways to Save Money This Year

Updated on Feb 22, 2019 at 9:05 PM

If one of your goals is to save money this year, then make a few changes here and there to save a little or a lot. Remember the little things do add up! Read this list below on suggestions for saving money and pick a few for 2019.

— Additional reporting by Emily Co

01

Bring lunch to work — Getty | Claudia Totir

Bring lunch to work

02

Take public transportation — Getty | Flashpop

Take public transportation

03

Drop your landline and rely on your cell phone — Unsplash | @paul_

Drop your landline and rely on your cell phone

04

Reassess your savings accounts — Getty | Sally Anscombe

Reassess your savings accounts

05

Make your gifts — Getty | Victoria Bee Photography

Make your gifts

06

Make your own cleaning products, like detergent and carpet cleaner — Getty | gilaxia

Make your own cleaning products, like detergent and carpet cleaner

07

Cook more and eat out less often — Getty | Klaus Vedfelt

Cook more and eat out less often

08

Be aware of bank fees — Unsplash | @rawpixel

Be aware of bank fees

09

Make a list before grocery shopping — Getty | James Braund

Make a list before grocery shopping

10

Grocery shop at lower-priced supermarkets like ethnic stores — Getty | d3sign

Grocery shop at lower-priced supermarkets like ethnic stores

11

Buy generic products — Unsplash | @daiga_ellaby

Buy generic products

12

Don't go to the grocery store when hungry — Getty | Squaredpixels

Don't go to the grocery store when hungry

13

Entertain indoors — Getty | Mladen Zivkovic

Entertain indoors

14

Explore free activities on the weekend — Unsplash | @yoyoqua

Explore free activities on the weekend

15

Shop your wardrobe — Getty | Emilija Manevska

Shop your wardrobe

16

Wait on purchases before buying them — Getty | filadendron

Wait on purchases before buying them

17

Get a home energy audit — Getty | MartinPrescott

Get a home energy audit

18

Seal up air leaks in your home to cut heating and cooling costs — Getty | Chaiyaporn Baokaew

Seal up air leaks in your home to cut heating and cooling costs

19

Buy generic medicine — Getty | amphotora

Buy generic medicine

20

Use your health benefits — Unsplash | @rawpixel

Use your health benefits

21

Skype instead of making long-distance calls — Unsplash | @rawpixel

Skype instead of making long-distance calls

22

Turn roaming off and rely on WiFi when traveling — Unsplash | @bernardhermant

Turn roaming off and rely on WiFi when traveling

23

Know the right things to buy in bulk — Getty | Brand X Pictures

Know the right things to buy in bulk

24

Reassess your internet and cable provider and see if you can find a cheaper plan — Unsplash | @ johnschno

Reassess your internet and cable provider and see if you can find a cheaper plan

25

Turn off lights that aren't in use — Getty | by vesi_127

Turn off lights that aren't in use

26

Unplug electronics when not in use — Unsplash | @veila

Unplug electronics when not in use

27

Use cold water to wash your clothes — Unsplash | @rawpixel

Use cold water to wash your clothes

28

Hang dry your clothing instead of tumbling it in the dryer — Unsplash | @bruno_nascimento

Hang dry your clothing instead of tumbling it in the dryer

29

Hand-wash your clothing instead of taking it to the dry cleaner when possible — Unsplash | @andyfitz

Hand-wash your clothing instead of taking it to the dry cleaner when possible

30

Drink tap water instead of bottled water. Consider investing in a filter. — Getty | Lucy Lambriex

Drink tap water instead of bottled water. Consider investing in a filter.

31

Cancel cable and watch your favorite shows online — Unsplash | @charlesdeluvio

Cancel cable and watch your favorite shows online

32

Work out outdoors, play sports, or go to a friend's gym instead of paying for a gym membership — Unsplash | @evstyle

Work out outdoors, play sports, or go to a friend's gym instead of paying for a gym membership

33

Shop at the farmers market — Unsplash | @danedeaner

Shop at the farmers market

34

Swap clothes, bags, and accessories with friends — Unsplash | @ohleighann

Swap clothes, bags, and accessories with friends

35

Google coupons before buying something online — Getty | Guido Mieth

Google coupons before buying something online

36

Renegotiate your cell phone plan, find a new carrier, or cancel some features to save money — Unsplash | @williamtm

Renegotiate your cell phone plan, find a new carrier, or cancel some features to save money

37

Use a prepaid phone instead of signing up for a phone plan — Getty | Karl Tapales

Use a prepaid phone instead of signing up for a phone plan

38

Read books and magazines from the library — Unsplash | @syinq

Read books and magazines from the library

39

Make your own coffee at home — Getty | Klaus Vedfelt

Make your own coffee at home

40

Return the purchases you need to return — Getty | Visoot Uthairam

Return the purchases you need to return

41

Sell your old things — Getty | sutthinon sanyakup

Sell your old things

42

Buy used items — Getty | Trevor Williams

Buy used items

43

Automate payments so you won't forget and be charged with late fees — Unsplash | @rawpixel

Automate payments so you won't forget and be charged with late fees

44

Negotiate a lower APR — Unsplash | @rawpixel

Negotiate a lower APR

45

Upcycle your old items instead of throwing them away — Unsplash | @danielcgold

Upcycle your old items instead of throwing them away

46

Always comparison shop — Unsplash | @belart84

Always comparison shop

47

Find a good rewards credit card and use it smartly — Getty | Towfiqu Photography

Find a good rewards credit card and use it smartly

48

Book trips early — Unsplash | @element5digital

Book trips early

49

Stock up on holiday decor after the holidays — Unsplash | @frostroomhead

Stock up on holiday decor after the holidays

50

Don't feel obligated to say yes to every invitation (this includes weddings, dinners, events, etc.) — Unsplash | @kchance8

Don't feel obligated to say yes to every invitation (this includes weddings, dinners, events, etc.)

51

Eat right and exercise and get enough sleep, so you won't have to pay with your health — Unsplash | @seikibaku

Eat right and exercise and get enough sleep, so you won't have to pay with your health

52

Pay bills online to save on postage — Getty | skaman306

Pay bills online to save on postage

53

Stop smoking — Getty | Instants

Stop smoking

54

Stop drinking soda — Unsplash | @ohleighann

Stop drinking soda

55

Compare gas prices to find the most affordable gas with sites like GasBuddy.com — Getty | RunPhoto

Compare gas prices to find the most affordable gas with sites like GasBuddy.com

56

Get beauty treatments from trainee beauticians — Getty | Yongyuan Dai

Get beauty treatments from trainee beauticians

57

Keep plastic takeout containers for future use — Getty | PeopleImages

Keep plastic takeout containers for future use

58

Wash dishes in a full dishwasher — Getty | Sally Anscombe

Wash dishes in a full dishwasher

59

Avoid out-of-network ATMs — Getty | hsyncoban

Avoid out-of-network ATMs

60

Keep track of your money with a spreadsheet or Mint.com — Unsplash | @kmuza

Keep track of your money with a spreadsheet or Mint.com

61

Plan out your meals for the week — Getty | Yagi Studio

Plan out your meals for the week

62

Refill printer ink instead of buying new cartridges — Getty | wbfuller

Refill printer ink instead of buying new cartridges

63

Brush and floss every day and take care of your teeth to prevent pricey dental bills — Getty | PeopleImages

Brush and floss every day and take care of your teeth to prevent pricey dental bills

64

Keep your receipt or take a picture of it in case you want to return an item — Getty | Guido Mieth

Keep your receipt or take a picture of it in case you want to return an item

65

Vacation closer to home — Getty | © eleonora galli

Vacation closer to home

66

Don't check in your luggage — Getty | Vichien Petchmai

Don't check in your luggage

67

Check out Airbnb instead of hotels — Getty | AleksandarNakic

Check out Airbnb instead of hotels

68

Travel during an off-peak season or time — Unsplash | @vorosbenisop

Travel during an off-peak season or time

69

Travel to an underrated place instead of famous tourist spots — Unsplash | @ploywanasiri

Travel to an underrated place instead of famous tourist spots

70

Use reusable grocery bags — Unsplash | @leoniewise

Use reusable grocery bags

71

Find a place with lower rent or get roommates — Getty | 10'000 Hours

Find a place with lower rent or get roommates

72

Join loyalty programs — Getty | andresr

Join loyalty programs

73

Wait for daily deals for services you like, such as dental cleaning or a massage — Getty | PeopleImages

Wait for daily deals for services you like, such as dental cleaning or a massage

74

Feed your pet the right foods and keep it in shape to reduce vet bills — Getty | Carol Yepes

Feed your pet the right foods and keep it in shape to reduce vet bills

75

Work toward getting a better credit score so you'll be quoted cheaper rates — Getty | skaman306

Work toward getting a better credit score so you'll be quoted cheaper rates

76

Review your receipts to make sure you're not being charged for odd items — Getty | Arman Zhenikeyev

Review your receipts to make sure you're not being charged for odd items

77

Check your bank account daily to make sure there aren't any weird charges — Getty | Mixmike

Check your bank account daily to make sure there aren't any weird charges

78

Always try to wait for a sale before buying something — Getty | agrobacter

Always try to wait for a sale before buying something

79

Don't use your credit card overseas unless it doesn't have foreign transaction fees — Getty | PeopleImages

Don't use your credit card overseas unless it doesn't have foreign transaction fees

80

Rent movies instead of going to the theater — Getty | M_a_y_a

Rent movies instead of going to the theater

81

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