Non-Rich People Are Sharing Clever Ways To Save Money, And They're Genius

On Wednesday, Reddit user u/PaperBladee asked, "What is a clever way to save money that most people don't realize?" People came through with some truly genius, truly clever ways of saving their coins.

Here's what they said:

1."Politely make a counter offer when you get a job offer. It's actually expected, and there's pretty much zero risk in doing so, as long as you don't turn it into an ultimatum."

—u/femptocrisis

2."Every time you want to buy something 'special' (impulse buying), by principal, postpone it for a week. If you forget, you really didn't need it."

—u/paku9000

3."My rule of thumb is to wait one day for every $100. If after those days, I still want it, I buy it."

—u/OpeningTechnical5884

4."Make your own food. It's creative and can save tons of money — especially when it comes to eating out."

—u/lookingForPatchie

5."Learn to fix things rather than instinctively replacing them or paying someone to fix them. YouTube is quite educational."

—u/AmigoDelDiabla

6."Learn to love water. Get a good reusable bottle and just bring one everywhere. It's the best thing for your health, and that $2 to $3 tax buying a drink whenever you're out is avoided."

—u/Billbapoker

7."I mostly drink [alcohol] at home before I go 'out.' It saves some bucks, considering drinks can be expensive."

—u/One-Blackberry6757

8."Never go shopping when hungry."

—u/kogan_grzz

9."Buy in big packages or in bulk/on sale, but also put stuff in smaller containers to use. Like dish soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc. You can 'lower' the price of most things 50% basically just by tricking yourself into using less and extending the amount of time each bulk package covers."

—u/kitterkatty

10.“'10% of all you earn is yours to keep,' said the richest man in Babylon. After I read this, I started transferring 10% to another bank account. Doesn’t seem like much when you start, but it starts adding up over time."

—u/Key_Mood_5838

11."Don't buy the cheapest option. Buy a couple of steps above it. The cheapest washing machine will last you three years and then you have to buy a new one. Just wait for a special offer, Black Friday or some sort of clearance, and get the last year's model for a discount price."

—u/myspaghettishoe

12."Keep almost all your money in an account that's not connected to your card, but you can easily transfer from. Keep only enough to cover small expenses, like a coffee, or small grocery store trip in the account that's connected to your card. Every time you buy something that costs more than $20 or so, you'll need to take an extra step in transferring the money for it, and also have to look at your account balance to better gauge whether it's really worth it. This stops nearly all impulse buying for me, other than small items."

—u/Betterthanthouu

13."Buy from restaurant supply stores. Some are open to the public. You can get everything from dishware to appliances at about 30 to 50% off the cost of a premium cooking store. Lots of good knives as well."

—u/Commander_Shepard_

14."Take your own lunch/coffee to work. It adds up."

—u/KittyTheShark

15."Stop using cash, and absolutely stop using debit. Get a credit card. Pay it off completely every month. Going out for drinks with friends? Instead of everyone splitting it on their debit cards, have your friends all Venmo you what they owe, then put the full bill on your credit card. Then pay the bill off, by transferring the money in your Venmo to your checking account. It's literally free money. Whether you get 1–3% cash back or airline points or rewards."

—u/Mitch_from_Boston

Do YOU have any money-saving tips? Let me know in the comments below!