6 Bona Fide Ways to Spend Less Money

Dollar bills. Most of us wish we had more of them, yet most of us don?t do too much to grow our funds.

I can assure you that almost all of the millionaires and billionaires you see on the TV screen learned to be frugal with their money many years ago.

Pinch those pennies!

Frugality doesn?t have to be a painful experience, either. In fact, it can teach us that the materialism of society is hardly fulfilling and that the greatest things in life cost very little. I hate seeing droves of people in debt or broke because they can?t pinch a penny, so here are 6 ways to start saving more money.

1. Start riding a bike

With gas prices as high as they are, many people are turning to bicycles as their primary mode of transportation.

You don?t need to sell your car or even ride your bike every day. If you can replace driving somewhere with biking just a couple of times a week, you can save hundreds each year. And as an added bonus, you?re helping the planet at the same time.

2. Don?t go shopping

I?m often quite confused at why shopping is viewed as a hobby by much of the population. I personally don?t think it?s much fun to put myself in a situation where I will be tempted to fritter away my hard-earned money on things I don?t need.

If you?re shopping all the time, chances are you?re trying to buy enough things to make up for a lack of something else in your life. Take a step back and learn to buy only necessities. You might just learn something about yourself.

3. Buy the off-brands

Non-stop commercials and advertisements brainwash us into buying all of the brands we?ve heard of at the grocery store.

This costs us thousands of dollars extra each year. Surprisingly, off-brand goods taste almost no different than the big brand names. At least give them a shot, and if something seems especially lacking to you, go back to the brand you prefer.

4. Start cooking

Fast food, restaurants, and even frozen dinners are often much more expensive than a home-cooked meal. Not to mention much more unhealthy.

Cook in large quantities a couple times a week and eat the leftovers the rest of the week. You?ll save a boatload by not paying extra for convenience.

5. Take care of your possessions

Buying a new phone or iPod every couple of months because you can?t seem to avoid wet situations is a fast way to cost yourself a ton of money.

Especially in today?s world, we own a lot of expensive and quite breakable gadgets. These items are nice luxuries, but if you break them often, you might just break the bank too.

6. Take care of yourself

Probably the most expensive bills we pay in the modern world are medical costs. People pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for surgeries and procedures each year.

Much of the time, these operations could?ve been avoided if they would?ve been more sensible with their health. You only have one body, so treat it to a healthy diet and exercise. Your wallet will thank you down the line.

That?s all for now!

Of course, these suggestions merely scratch the surface of ways to save money, but they?re a good start.

The most important thing you can do is to shift your mindset, and start paying attention to where all of your money is going. Then, you?ll begin to see more ways to cut excessive spending and start growing your wealth.