My Weekly Budget Plan: 8 Ways to Save Money Every Week

Happy Thursday everyone!!! Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about money. I went through a rough patch last year where saving wasn’t even in the cards, but now that I’m back on track, I’ve been intentionally saving as much as I can. Sometimes we don’t even realize where our money’s going because we spend it on little things that seem insignificant at the time, but really add up. If you’re wondering why your account balance keeps shrinking, I want to share my weekly budget plan and 8 little ways to save money every week!

From meal planning instead of eating out, to creating financial goals, and making your coffee instead of buying it every day, here are some genius ways to put more money in your savings account.

1. Make Your Own Coffee/Tea

Whether you work from an office, in the field, or at home, skip the coffee line and make your own. If you add up how much you spend on your daily coffee, it likely adds up to a significant amount over the week, especially if you order specialty coffees like lattes. It’s totally fine to treat yourself once in a while, but when it becomes a daily habit, it can take a huge toll on your bank account.

Related Post: 7 Ways to Treat Yourself This Winter

2. Implement a Payday Ritual

Depending on where you work, payday may be every week or every two weeks, but every time you get paid, put away a certain amount of money into your savings account. Even if it’s something small, it’s better than nothing, and you can watch your savings grow over time.

3. Meal Planning

When you plan your meals for the week, you’re less likely to spend money on take out, and as a plus, you also tend to eat a lot healthier. I like to plan out my meals for the week on Sunday so I can go the grocery store with a list and get the ingredients for the meals I have planned. Try to plan it out so you can use the same ingredients in multiple meals.

For example, I love cooking with shrimp and in the same week I’ll often make a shrimp, avocado and arugula salad for lunch one day, shrimp tacos for Taco Tuesday dinner, and shrimp pasta another night of the week. And I can use the avocado for toast in the morning, etc. Use the same ingredients to keep things simple, but switch up the add-ons to make things interesting.

4. Skip Expensive Nights Out

It’s fun to grab drinks with friends or go on fancy date nights with your S.O., but if you’re doing that every week, it can be a serious hit to your wallet. Brainstorm fun things you can do staying in, instead. Throw a potluck, host a board game night, have a wine and cheese night where everyone pitches on fixings, go on free (or inexpensive) dates. There are lots of alternatives to expensive nights out, you just need to get creative.

5. Stack Up on Snacks

Everyone knows the feeling. It’s 3 pm and the midday slump starts kicking in, so you head to the closest café to grab a pastry to keep you going. Rather than spending money on empty calories every day, stock up on healthy snacks like nuts and fruits, veggies and hummus, and yogurt and granola. These are all snacks that will last you the whole week, plus they’ll save you money and are way healthier than that chocolate croissant.

6. Don’t Impulse Buy

With online shopping, we have all we want at our finger tips, but do we really need another pair of shoes? Before buying those new shoes or dress on impulse, take a few days to mull it over. I have a one-week rule. If I’m still thinking about it a week down the road, then I know I really want it. If not, I’ve saved a good chunk of cash.

7. Create Financial Goals

Whether you want to save money for a down payment on a house, or go on a trip to Europe, sit down and map out your financial goals and create an action plan. Write down when you want to reach that goal and work backwards to figure out how much money you need to save each month, and each week. Without having targets, it’s going to be a lot harder to reach your financial goals.

8. Save and Get Paid to Shop Online

If you’re not using Shop.com you’re missing out on TONS of savings. The platform is partnered with thousands of stores you’re already shopping at. Think: Indigo, Aldo Shoes, Hudson’s Bay, Groupon, Anthropologie, Expedia (yes, you can get paid to travel!), Club Monaco, NIKE, and so many more! These stores have partnered with Shop.com to give their customers cash back for items they spend on every week.

Here’s a video me and a few of my friends created to show you how to utilize the platform to reap the most benefits and cash back! It’s totally free to sign up as a customer, so what are you waiting for?

It can be tough to save money, but using this weekly budget plan, you can watch your savings account grow little by little. Do you have any more budgeting tips? Let me know in the comment section!

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