30 super tricks to save money

We all want a better, more extravagant life, but in order to be able to afford and support our needs and desires later, we need to be careful about the expenses we make now.

After all, the money we save now, we will spend later. Basically, we save now to have money to spend later on things that will bring us greater satisfaction.

What are those later desires and needs?

To talk about savings now and to put this action into practice, we need to talk about what you want to buy yourself later with the money. There are people who want exotic vacations, who want to have an impressive outfit or want to pay off their home or close their credit to have financial security, to have the money needed to give their child to go abroad to study or to have money to travel when they have time: in retirement.

Do you know what you could save for?

Why save?

If you manage to identify those needs and desires for which it is worth taking care of your expenses now, then you have won. Once you save, you have won twice, because you have managed to prioritize both your needs now and your needs later, but also to put your money to work for you. I recommend that you not only store this money in a drawer, at home or in a bank drawer, but invest it to have more that will allow you to make more expenses later.

But let’s see 30 tricks with which you can save today to have a good life now and a super life later.

30 super savings tricks

You can save money on books by buying books from second-hand stores. Books worth 30-50 lei can be found in second-hand stores for 10-20 lei.
Being a woman, I found a few tricks to save money on hair removal, a cream that costs 10 lei in a supermarket and lasts about 3 months. Also, manicure, pedicure, eyelash, hair cutting/dyeing or makeup services can be done at reduced costs at make-up and manicure/pedicure schools for free or at a low cost, including only the cost of the products used.
A meal at a restaurant can be compensated for with a meal at home. Even sophisticated dishes such as vegetables with seafood that cost between 35 – 80 lei/portion at a restaurant can be compensated with the same food taken from the supermarket – frozen that costs 35 lei/kg, for 5 – 6 portions.
Movies watched at the cinema can be watched at home, and the cost of the film and snacks is greatly reduced. This way you have maximum fun, because at home you are not forbidden to laugh and talk😊
Water from the store can be replaced by a filter or spring water. (Members of my community, Psikhologia banilor, apply this method).
The courses you want to take, you can purchase on Udemy or you can wait for a discount. I took a course for a certification recognized by the Romanian state, but I chose the provider that had the lowest fee. Certainly, in your field too, if you search, you will find it cheaper.
You can save the money you spend on a gym membership (let’s be serious, you don’t go every time) by purchasing a machine that you use most often at the gym and you can watch (free) weight loss/body maintenance exercises online.
Devices that you can buy but that you use very little. Just as children see toys and want them all, you also see all kinds of toys: espresso machine, grinder, toaster, juicer, mixer, ice maker, etc. Well, you can analyze which is the multifunctional device and replace many devices with just one. I am disappointed, especially when I look at online stores (especially from abroad) and see that most of the time the Chinese have invented the most ingenious devices, but some are useless because they can be replaced by ordinary things, even by certain techniques sometimes.
Branded clothes or devices can be replaced with much better products, with the same specifications or those at an optimal level of use (second hand).
You can sell products that you no longer use yourself and thus earn money and save it for what you proposed in the first paragraph of this article. If you haven’t decided, come back to it and don’t go through any other tricks until you know for sure why you need to take care of these points that bring you more money for savings.
Buy in larger quantities. I have noticed that the larger the quantity or the more pieces you buy, the lower the price per unit of measurement. There are discounts or even stores that have designed the sale exactly like that. I won’t name the supermarket, but there is one with blue 😊 and there is also wholesale, where you can buy it like that.
You can buy the gifts you give to friends and family in advance, at discounts to save money. Most people spend on Christmas gifts, because they buy them in December, when sellers take advantage of the relaxation of that month, the joy transmitted through sales messages and the specificity of the songs, the delight of the snow and the time that will be spent freely with family, friends (here speaking in a non-pandemic period) and increase the price of the products sold; there are no Christmas discounts.
It is said that Romanians have a bag with other bags. Well, these save you from having to buy bags, but be careful not to forget your bag at home when you go shopping 😊. This helps you save. On gift bags, too. They are even more expensive and when you receive a gift, I suggest you keep the bag. You can reuse it!
Regarding shopping and food. Most families/individuals spend the most money on food. From my experience and that of my fellow financial planners, I have found this and I invite you to get another super saving trick from me: buy products from the “stock clearance” section. This section/shelf is with products that are being liquidated because they have a few days until expiration. It does not affect your health as long as you consume them in a timely manner.
On the same principle as above and according to the Romanian saying: “sleigh in summer and cart in winter”, purchase your clothing for the next season of that product in advance, at a discount, when the season ends.
If you wear small or large sizes, you have a better chance of finding stock clearance items, regardless of the period. Clothes and shoes whose sizes are either too big or too small are discounted.
In the food category, I have another piece of advice: buy products: “private label”. You can find very good products whose brand is produced by the respective store. They even have products from the luxury range at very advantageous prices.
Referring to the range of products in stores, I cannot help but notice that some basic products are found in so many assortments that I am amazed at the price. Here we include a consumer product such as toilet paper. There are so many products, so many brands, and each one is extra fine, extra fragrant, and has a luxurious packaging, that you end up paying 10 times more for the same product, essentially.
Apart from a bagel, which is very tasty, you can take other snacks from home. If you want to go out with some friends to the park, take the juice and seeds/puffs from home – the ones bought at the supermarket, not even the ones bought at the local store.
Don’t even buy a juice from the local or neighborhood store. Go to the supermarket and buy it because you have a lot to choose from and the price is much lower.
Avoid daily experiments. So many products have been launched now that you want to try both red apple juice and green apple juice, and just like that you try to become poor. All these attempts cost you because there may be some variants that you don’t like and you have given your “handful” money for experiences that end up being doubly unpleasant: to the taste and to the pocket. If you like new products, try to find free testers/tastings of that product. I saw that now there are no more tastings in stores, due to the pandemic, but, in a normal period, when a new product was available, you would find a small stand in supermarkets where a nice girl would invite you to taste the new product.
Be disciplined and you will end up saving money on transportation. Well, if you are not disorganized and undisciplined, you will end up saving a lot of money because you travel by public transportation. If you don’t wake up on time and don’t manage to prepare your wardrobe in advance, you will end up ordering a taxi that costs you 30 times more than public transportation. This way you also save time, because if you are in a big city, congestion is a problem. If you are from Bucharest, the metro is the most reliable and cheap form of transport. It happened to me a few times to rush, not make it on time and take a taxi that cost me a lot of money and did not bring me the desired punctuality. From college I learned that spending more time on public transport can bring me great productivity, because I was traveling on the road, in Bucharest, with two means of public transport for 1 hour and a half, time that I used to read my courses, so that I could arrive in session with the material learned and finish with 10 marks. (I graduated from college with 9.85 – second out of 72 people 😊)
Don’t subscribe to things that you can get for free or that you can support. I’ve seen lately that there are subscriptions to YouTube. You have YouTube for free anyway. The fact that you won’t have ads with the paid version is not a big benefit. I think the same goes for Spotify or other networks. You can save this money very easily and without noticing it, a large amount is accumulated. How much do you pay for such subscriptions? The same goes for magazines or other publications. You can watch interesting things with YouTube for free. Here is my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN-e2EBq-WkrhTIHesvIRKw or my friend Ioana Mărgineanu’s: https://www.youtube.com/c/bugetDeFamilie
Get rid of bank accounts that you no longer use. Bank accounts – current accounts have fees and even if you no longer use them, costs accumulate that you have to pay.
The illusion of quality cosmetics with many products makes you spend a lot of money. I have noticed women who, to take care of their skin, use a lot of products: cream x, y, z. They cost a lot and I invite you to find fewer products that take care of your skin. I speak from a personal perspective. Having a dermatological problem that I faced as a young woman – a problem that most young people face – both girls and boys: acne, I say this on the recommendation of a specialist doctor. He recommended that I wash only with soap and water. Now, after many treatments, I have chosen to keep the same idea and have few products to take care of my skin, although it is no longer acne-prone.
I only have one cult makeup remover solution for toning. These products last me between 3 and 6 months. I use all three of them when I remove my makeup, otherwise I just use water and soap.
Plan any trip or vacation. The sooner you book your vacations, the cheaper they will be and you will be able to stay longer or in better accommodation. A few years ago, I planned a summer vacation as early as March. That’s how I allowed myself to stay two weeks on the Romanian coast. Two years ago, I also received a discount on accommodation, because I chose to stay more days. It depends on where you will stay or where you will go. In both cases, I am talking about hotel accommodation. Look for discounts and plan! You will get more money!
Take care of nature and save money. I have also noticed a trend: be ecological. Ecology helps us save money. Reduce water consumption, as long as it is not useful to you. Reduce your air conditioning consumption as much as you can by putting on a thicker coat or cooling yourself economically: a curtain that blocks out the sun’s rays, using clothes that allow you to cool yourself.
Handmade gifts or spending time with your child will be appreciated much more than any other expensive toy. Children love spending time with their parents, as do friends (real friends😊).
Consumption can not only be reduced but also replaced. Replace the light bulbs in your house with energy-efficient ones. You can consume at the same level, but at a lower cost.
Choose to spend your time with those people from whom you have something to learn and who do not make you spend more money than you intend, just to have the “opportunity” to be with them.
Choose a hobby that brings you pleasure and that saves you money. The more you share the cost with friends, the better.