15 ways to save money even though your credit sucks
There are 220 million Americans identified as scoreable, meaning they rank with the top three credit bureaus. Of those 220 million, 68 million have poor credit. Chances are, you are one of them. Believe it or not, being a part of the 68 is the norm. People with bad credit exist for many reasons, one of which is difficulty making money, and handling what little they make efficiently enough to get and maintain good credit. I’m sure every person currently with poor credit would love to be a part of the group with good credit, or wouldn’t it be wonderful to say that people with bad credit are few? The stark reality is nothing could be farther from the truth. The one reality those with bad credit know is that despite their credit issue, life must go on. You still need car insurance if you drive, to find a place to live if you are looking for an apartment, and get credit where you can, because you may need a credit card to rent a car, or just for emergencies.
Conventional & Creative Ways To Save
Regardless of the reality of negative credit, it’s still possible to save money. There are the conventional ways that you should consider. In fact, knowing all the ways you can keep your hard-earned money, or spend less of it, is an advantage. Here is a post that outlines a 100 ways to save. Once you’re aware of the conventional means and took advantage of them, now it’s time for creative alternatives. Below are ways you can keep money in your pocket, especially when your credit is a hindrance than an advantage. Here are the 15 ways to save money now.
1. Analyze your expenses when thinking of ways to Save
The first step to saving money is recognizing where you may lose money inadvertently. Auditing your expenses is not a simple process. For example, you don’t want to admit that going out to dinner five days a week isn’t a good idea and should probably relegate to fewer days. But the hard part is necessary, so find the courage to examine the money leaving your bank account before advancing forward.
2. Renegotiate your bills
When money flowing in is good and there are no thoughts or feelings of money distress, you probably don’t care that your cable bill may need a second look. Find out if a promotional plan is available. Take a careful look at your cell phone bill. You may get a plan that offers the same benefits, with a lower monthly cost.
Check your bills. The light bill, the phone bills, the insurance bills. Look for excess charges and call to renegotiate where you can. You may not find cost to cut on all the bills, but it’s almost guaranteed you will find some that will save you dollars.
3. Cancel cable television
This is not what it seems, absolutely don’t get rid of cable television to sit and stare at a blank screen when other entertainment options are not available. Instead, get rid of what I call big box cable. Depending on where you live, it could be Optimum, Time Warner, etc. Here is how to replace them. I’m going to assume you can’t do without internet and still have it, because let’s face it. It’s really hard these days to not have internet.
With internet, you can cut off cable, and discover streaming. To stream today is nothing like it was just five years ago. Here is a setup: With Internet, Apple TV, Sling TV, Netflix, you would not miss cable television. The internet makes the other three setup possible. Apple TV or a Smart TV gives you access or the capability to get Sling TV and Netflix. With this setup, you will save a minimum of $100+ dollars a month. You will have access to all the news, movies, series you can handle. Netflix alone is inundating with the number of options you have for viewing.
4. Avoid ATM fees
Would it surprise you to know many people would rather use an ATM out of convenience, even knowing that they are using an ATM their bank doesn’t support, which means a fee charge by your bank for not using their network, besides the fee the ATM charge because you don’t have an account with the bank associated with that ATM.
Walk the extra block, or wait until you can use an ATM that doesn’t involve a fee, but never, never, use an ATM because it’s convenient or you think having that sixty dollars right now is a must.
5. Budget with an app
Depending on your age, your phone is probably a smart phone. In the United States alone, in 2020 over 60% of cellphone were an IOS device, over 38% were android users. That’s almost a hundred percent of the cell phone market using smart phones. On these smartphones, you can find an app for almost everything. A budget app is as common as the phone itself.
You no longer need paper, pen, and a bank book to budget your money. With the right budgeting app connected to your bank account, you can budget every penny of your hard earned money.
6. Visit thrift shops
This recommendation depends on the person you are. Some people think wearing someone else’s clothes is bizarre or gross. Others see nothing wrong with owning something slightly worn that just need a good wash. If you are the latter, then you are on the verge of saving a lot of money. Find a good thrift shop and you will find jeans, jackets, coats and more for a small percentage of the cost of a department store.
7. Become environmentally conscious
This is hands down the best money saver of all the recommendations. Every day, the decision to go green is becoming more common and cost effective. The best way to share how being environmentally conscious can save money is to use the chart below.
Old Ways | Green Ways |
| Buying bottle and bottles of water | Buying 1 reusable bottle |
| Paper towels | Cloth towels |
| Store bags | Reusable bags |
| Carnivore | Vegivore |
| Paper books | Electronic books (e-books) |
| Plastic straws | Re-usable straws |
| Conventional batteries | Re-chargeable batteries |
| Paper bills | Electronic bills |
Newspaper magazines delivered to your mailbox | All, including e-books above delivered to your Kindle, iPad |
| Must go to the bank | Online banking |
The above are just ten simple things you can do that will save you money. There are so much other ways you can adjust what you normally do that will not just save your hard-earned money, but will positively affect our planet.
?8. Shop to make money
You love to shop. There are so many of us who do. In fact, it can easily be the one way you lose a lot of money. But what would happen if you do what I call Flip The Switch. You Flip The Switch when you accept your penchant for shopping, but instead of shopping to put another item in your closet, shop to sell the item on a platform like Amazon FBA. Imagine, you go to the mall, find a great bargain, know you don’t need the item, buy it anyway, you go home, feel guilty. Sound familiar? Put that item on a shopping platform, mark it up to make a profit, and in a few days, you profited from your insatiable need to shop.
9. Declutter to make money
You shop to make money, now declutter with the same goal. Do you really need ten jeans, twenty pair of shoes, etc. The examples are endless. We all have excess everything. Adapt a minimalist mindset and save money.
10. Use the one week rule
If shopping to make money work 95% of the time and there is that 5% that you want to buy something for yourself, then adopt this rule before spending the money. Here is how it works: You see something you want to buy, before handing over the cash, wait one week. If after the week, the item is still there and you still want the item, then buy it. The other advantage of the one week rule: You can say it wasn’t an impulse buy.
11. Re-evaluate the gym membership
These days, you don’t have to commit to a membership when you join a gym. You can actually join on a month-to-month basis. If that’s you and you are paying between $10 to $60 a month, and haven’t visited the gym in three months, then you are wasting money. Perhaps it’s time to find other physical activities you can commit to that won’t affect your pocketbook.
12. Shop off season
It’s determine you like to shop. Maybe you like the shop to make money idea above. Then shopping off season should make sense. Off season means a large percentage cut from the normal cost, which is not only a saving for you, but could also be a profit. If you’ve become entrepreneurial during your process to save money. Then it will occur to you it’s winter, or summer somewhere, What you don’t need someone else will, right?
13. Invest in a wholesale club membership
Shopping at a wholesale club is helpful, whether you are a family of one or six. Buying wholesale means you are going to pay either the same cost or less for an item that’s three times the size of an item you would buy at a supermarket, pharmacy, or department store. Depending on the size of your family, this means you need to restock that item so infrequently that the savings are substantial.
14. Sherlock Holmes, your expenditures
Not the same as renegotiating, because this time you are looking for cost you shouldn’t accrue. It’s so important to not take your bills for granted. Don’t assume you light and gas company, your cable company (if you still subscribe), your cell phone company, is billing only what they should. Even though a computer generates the bill, a human being determines the charges. It’s easy to make a mistake that affects your wallet, because you weren’t astute enough to catch the mistake.
15. Consider switching insurance company
If you drive, and you’ve been with your insurance company for years, it doesn’t hurt to comparison shop. This money saving idea will only work if you are accident free, ticket free, and not a new driver. If none of the above applies to you, then download one of those apps that offers to find the lowest insurance rate on the market. See if you can cut your insurance cost.
16. If your job has FSA or HSA, join
So many people don’t know about or understand this benefit offered by employers. Here is how it works: Let’s say you know you are about to get dental work done, and it’s going to cost $1500 after your insurance. If you join an FSA or HSA, you can divide that $1500 by 52 weeks if your company pays weekly, or 26 weeks if they pay bi-weekly. Through the flexible spending account, your employer will deduct the amount before tax from your weekly or bi-weekly check. After the first or second deduction, you won’t even notice the deduction.
The example above is not the only advantage of using an FSA or HSA account. With a flexible spending account, you can plan your expenses a year in advance and allot for it through the account. This means, co-pays, personal needs that quality, eye care, and so much more, especially if you have a family. The benefit of a FSA or HSA account is many and money saving, consider it.
To Conclude
There are many unique, creative ways to save money, and the examples above are just a few. The key to saving is determination, an open mind and a little creativity. This post can be a starting point for keeping your hard-earned money in your pocket.
