There are some clever ways to cut your housing expenses. If you’re trying to trim your budget, look at one of your largest expenses first, your housing costs.
Here are some smart ways to reduce your spending on housing-related expenses. Some of these may shock you!
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How to Save Money on Everyday Housing Expenses
Your housing costs are arguably one of the largest costs you have every month. This includes your rent or mortgage payment, utility costs, and other housing-related expenses.
Reducing how much you spend in this area will help you free up money to spend on other parts of your life, for saving, growing your child’s college savings account, and other uses.
Let’s go!
1. Move
Wow, pretty extreme, huh? Move. Is that really necessary? It can be.
Hear me out here.
Think about the area you’re living in. Is it an expensive area? Are you close to desirable amenities? Are you within or outside city limits?
Ask yourself these questions and consider moving to a less expensive location in your area.
I have a family member who recently did this and saved around $400 to $500 every month just on the rent! And, she only moved about 10 minutes away from where she currently lived.
How?
First, she lived in a luxury apartment complex. Next, her area was ripe with amenities. She could walk to hot spots, popular areas, restaurants, bars, and more. She was super close to the transit system too.
Making this change was a no-brainer for her and she hasn’t regretted the decision, yet!
2. Go Petless
Oh, another one that sounds pretty drastic. The truth is, pets are expensive. They can be great for stress-relief and contribute to overall happiness however, if your furry friend is costing you thousands every year, you may consider holding off.
Last year, I spent nearly $1,000 on my cat for vet appointments, prescription pet food, pet supplies, litter and other related costs.
Yikes.
And, luckily I owned my home so I didn’t have to deal with a pet deposit or pet rent that many landlords charge.
Consider waiting on pets. Your wallet will thank you.
3. Buy Your Groceries in Person
Today, with grocery pickup and grocery delivery options, it’s easy to get swept into not making that in-person grocery trip.
I hate grocery shopping.
I always have, even as a child. But, the savings you can get by shopping in person is definitely worth the trip:
- Coupons
- Using savings apps like Ibotta
- Grocery store-specific coupons (called catalinas)
- No added fees
First, coupons don’t tend to work when you do pickup or delivery for your groceries. Neither do savings apps or catalinas. And then lastly, did you know that you are “taxed” in added fees when you do delivery or pickup?
The store or the delivery company has to make money for offering this service to you. It isn’t free to them, so you pay for it!
Skip the added cost and just suck it up and grocery shop in person.
4. Invest in Smart Appliances and Products
Use smart products. They can help you save in energy, save money, reduce waste and other benefits.
Some examples:
- Smart power strip
- Eco-friendly light bulbs
- Energy-friendly appliances like washers and dryers
5. Go Minimalist
You will spend less money if you have less stuff and you can accomplish this through minimalism. It’s true.
Try this and see how much you save.
6. Cut Utilities Costs
There are many ways to lower your utility costs like electricity and water.
Read this resource to learn how you can save big with some small changes you can start making today.
7. Get a Roommate
Split the cost of rent or mortgage payment with a roommate.
This can be a family member, friend or anyone else.
This instantly puts money back in your pocket.
8. Ditch The Cable
My cable bill was around $220 every single month until I abandoned my cable provider. Now, I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu and I’m totally content.
Netflix is around $15/month. Amazon video is included with my Amazon Prime membership which is $100/year or so and Hulu is $2/month.
That’s $25 a month!
So, 10% of the price of what I paid for a full cable package. Plus, I have 3 different providers. If you just had one, you’d save so much money.
9. Cancel Your Subscriptions
Magazine subscriptions, subscription boxes, cancel them all. This is a quick way to get money back in your pocket.
10. Cook at Home
Avoid fast food and opt to cook meals at home. You will save so much money and cook nutritious, tasty food that you can eat all week long.
Final Thoughts
There you go, ten smart ways to cut your housing expenses!
