20 Small Ways To Save More Money (Even If Your Budget Is Already Tight)

Even if you're making significantly less income right now — or you're unable to set aside as much as you'd like for savings — there are still small (yet meaningful!) ways to gradually make your spending and saving more efficient. Here are a few of them.

Apps like Digit analyze your account and then take small increments from your checking account (so small, you likely wouldn't notice them on a day-to-day basis) and move them into a separate account for you to transfer to your savings later. All you have to do is download it and let it do the work in the background.

It's easier to overspend with credit cards, so several BuzzFeed Community users swear by the cash envelope method, which can mean taking out a set amount of cash and setting it aside for something specific.

You've probably been cooking a lot in this pandemic and are rightfully over it. (Same!) But meal prepping can seriously save you so much money down the line, and there are plenty of easy, cheap, healthy, quick meals to choose from.

Few things are as aggravating as getting excited about cooking to save money, ringing up your groceries, and realizing your $62 receipt only covers you for like four meals.

Try to buy only the groceries you need (versus snacks, booze, appetizers, etc.), and if there are ingredients that you can plausibly skip (like fresh herbs or an out-of-season vegetable that you can easily swap), consider doing that, too.

Read more: "Here's How I Cooked Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner All Week for Just $40"

It's a whole trope that you go to Target or Trader Joe's for one thing and end up with a cart full of...well, things you don't need. That's why it's good to use the Notes app on your phone to make a list that you can cross off and stick to.

Another easy way to save money without much effort is to get a high-interest savings account. (Here's a list of some of the top ones as of July 2020.) Some require monthly fees, depending on how much you have in savings, but in general, they're a good way to get extra cash back as you save more.

Sure, it's annoying to have to grab your wallet and retype all of your credit card info every time, but that's the point! Personally, I've thwarted many an impulsive targeted-ad buy by being too lazy to get up.

This is coming from someone who recently found a tube of *just* the shade of concealer I needed buried in my closet, a pack of sponges I was just about to buy, and an envelope of birthday cash I forgot to open from over a year ago.

If you have clothes that are in good condition, consider using a service like Poshmark. If you have a stack of books you know you won't reread, search for a nearby used bookstore that's open right now (or save the books for when it is).

Read more: "7 of the Best Resale Platforms to Help Clean Out Your Closet"

If you've been in the same space for months, it makes sense to want to reorganize or redecorate, and you should! There are plenty of ways to do it cheaply and creatively, so a makeover doesn't have to mean buying all-new decor.

Paint a shelving unit you found on someone's stoop. Knit a hanging basket for your plant. Freshen up your kitchen with stainless steel paint. It's a great way to save money, treat yourself, and have something productive to do if your days are blending together.

As mentioned, it's easier to overspend with cards — but they can be used responsibly, too. Cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Citi Double Cash Card don't require monthly fees but earn you back a percentage when you use them. Personally, I use the Double Cash and like it because it gives you 1% back when you pay your bill on time, so you're incentivized to only use the card for what you know you can pay back.

Read more: "8 Credit Cards to Get if You Love Free Money"

It's great and really important to help out small businesses, but hopefully in a way that doesn't drain your account now that you can get to-go cocktails. This is especially important if you plan on getting anything — a meal, a haircut — that requires a tip. If you can't tip generously, opt out for now.