When food shopping look at 'cost per kg' not the total price, buy store brands not big name brands. Shop around, one store may have something on sale. Find tasty alternatives to your usual luxuries, for example, cake is cheaper than chocolate in my country. It is cheaper to cook at home than to get take-outs/eat at restaurants. Never buy from delivery apps.
Heat yourself, not your room. In other words, wear layers and/or use a 100W electric blanket instead of a 2000W room heater. Use cheap cooling in summer such as light clothing, blocking light through your windows, wearing a damp cloth, rotate half a bottle of drinking water in the freezer (top up the frozen bottle with water and sip from that during the day), etc. If you live in a humid country, using a dehumidifier is still cheaper than a heater.
Find cheap/free hobbies, there are plenty around, there are two big ones even on Wizchan: home cooking and gardening. YouTube is free, old games are dirt-cheap on GOG, there are thousands of free books in online projects like Gutenberg not to mention libraries (libraries often have free charging and facilities as well), go for nature/history walks, play sports, parks often have free gym equipment, cheap evening/craft classes in local schools, etc.
See if you are eligible for discounted travel on public transport.
Avoid monthly subscriptions/bills to anything, especially if you don't use them often (phone/apps/streaming/insurance/Office/etc). If you need it, it is generally cheaper to pay annually than monthly.
Turn off equipment you are not using at the plug.
If you feel tempted to buy something you don't need, eg a new game, wait two weeks and see if you still have the same impulse to buy it. Impulse buying is the biggest trap, be aware that companies and marketers spend billions hyping and urging you to buy their shit. Likewise with buying brands, do you need the $1000 phone or pair of shoes, or can you make do with a $40 phone? Stuff is also often cheaper if you wait a while.
If you are bad at managing spending on credit cards/contactless, try using just cash instead. Withdraw a certain amount every month so you can physically see how much you have and budget it accordingly. Do not get yourself in debt.
Don't assume Amazon/online is cheapest, shop around. Discount bargain stores and pawn/charity shops often have the same thing for far cheaper. Be careful of "sales", Amazon often hikes u
Post too long. Click here to view the full text.