Financial Life Hacks For Real People

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If you keep trying to manage your money the way everyone tells you to, but it just won’t work…

maybe it’s time to make some tweaks.

I’m not telling you to reinvent the wheel.

Obviously the key to build your money is to 1.) make more and 2.) spend less.

Duh.

But that’s usually easier said than done.

Especially when you can’t stop buying expensive coffee…because you never do that anyway.

And you can’t just save 10% of your paycheck, because…you know. You have to eat and stuff.

Let’s look at some simple financial life hacks that might just change the way you manage your money.

Easy Financial Life Hacks That Work For Normal People

Great Ways To Save Money On A Low Income

• Cook cheaper meals that are still delicious. Here are some great budget meals.
• Imagine a different way to grocery shop. This method is a little different, but not difficult. And you can learn how to stockpile food cheaply on any diet, in any economy.

• Appreciate what you have. What flavored lotion, good book, pretty blouse, board game, etc. is lurking in a drawer or closet because you forgot about it? Use it!
• Read more books (from the library or have a book swap).

• Pick up a hobby like bird watching, hiking, something that doesn’t involve spending money.
• Buy ingredients that you can make lots of things out of rather than a lot of stuff that goes bad before you remember you have it. Flour, oatmeal, frozen fruits, etc. Then, if the original thing you bought an ingredient for turns out to be a bust, you can still use it in a different recipe. (Unlike that one thing you bought for a special recipe that went bad before you used it.)
• Buy used items. Older things tend to last longer, especially if you know how to care for them.

• Turn off phone notifications. Plugging in makes you feel bad, which makes you more likely to spend money.
• Convince the family to turn things off when they leave a room. See how long you can keep the streak of “no electricity waste” going!
• Cancel one streaming service. You’ll save money and probably will be surprised to find you don’t even really miss it.

• Teach your family how to cook one meal. If each kid knows how to make a different meal, that’s one night per kid you don’t order pizza because you’re too tired to cook!
• Plan your date or family night ahead of time. You might find discounts or free events you would have missed at the last minute.
• Download these apps and use them as a really easy to save money.

• Check your Chewy, Amazon, and other subscriptions to see if you’re still saving money on them. Are there cheaper options?
• Redecorate by moving things from one room to another for a fresh look.
• Start a cheap garden.
• Have a good conversation with someone about a book you read, or ask them to tell you about something that happened to them when they were younger. Relationships are undervalued, but priceless.

• Store your water bottles in an easy to grab location (try this frugal idea). You’ll save on bottled drinks.
• Get rid of a bag of stuff you haven’t used in a year. Empty space will do more for your mental health than a lot of other stuff people try.
• Then get rid of another bag of stuff.

• Take care of your car. They are crazy expensive to replace right now.
• Get a budget planner that helps you anticipate expenses for next year, like this one.
• Start a “book club”. Invite people over to sit down together, eat some simple snacks from your pantry, and just enjoy each other’s company. Book reading optional.

Low Income Money Saving Challenge

This one’s easy!

I already invented a couple of money saving challenge charts that show you how easy it is to save money, even if you can only save a couple of bucks per day.

Now just pop over, print them, and start saving already!

Easy Money Challenge To Save $1,000 This Year

Save $100 Per Month Money Challenge

Simple Save $10,000 This Year Money Challenge

Easier Budgeting For Real People

I find that most budgeting software out there doesn’t work for me.

They want you to plan by the month…but that doesn’t work if you get paid biweekly.

Or weekly.

Sometimes you just need something that’s more compatible with a real life.

So I built a better budget planner. It’s a super affordable way to track what you’re spending.

Also, it’s designed to help you record those budget busters that happened this year, so you can better prepare for them next year.

I would be lost without that!

(My memory rivals Dory from Finding Nemo.)

Check it out here.

A Better Savings Strategy

One of my favorite financial life hacks is to use direct deposit in as many ways as possible.

Busting up the paycheck before it even hits your regular checking account is a great way to take advantage of your lazy nature.

(Hey, we all have it.)

Here’s a better explanation of the strategy I use and all the ways you can take advantage of this method.

Sinking Funds For Budgeting Finances

Another great trick I love is using sinking funds.

It’s more than just dropping money in a savings account.

Sinking funds will give you peace of mind when your brother asks why you’re driving on bald tires. (Oh, do those not last forever? I didn’t know.)

Or when you can never remember which month the trash bill comes, and it always seems to show up at the worst time.

Here’s how to set up sinking funds, which funds you might want, and a way to keep it all organized.

Earn Money From Home

Sometimes the problem is income. If that’s the case, you have a few choices:

• ask for a raise
• find a new job
• get a second job for a while

And if you end up with a new or second job, you might be thinking that working from home sounds nice.

(No commute. No packed lunches. Usually less people-y.)

If that’s the case, these are the legit, no scam jobs I personally have tried (ok, so my sister does one of them) and recommend.

Any of these financial life hacks will help you get back on track in no time.