Are you like millions of Americans who struggle to make ends meet each month? In a recent study, 79% said they were “somewhat or incredibly stressed about not having enough money to meet their needs today” [source].

This is no way to live. If you can relate, then there is good news: You can get a month ahead financially – even if you have little to no money in the bank. Follow these tips below, and you’ll be on track before you know it. 

1. Track Everything You Buy

Have you ever reached the end of the month and realized there is nothing left of your paycheck? Do you spend time trying to figure out where all your money went? It’s easy to burn through your paycheck if you don’t pay attention to your spending. Let’s be real: A lot of money leaks out because we mindlessly make impulse buys, whether a high-priced coffee or soda pop.

Put an end to mindless spending by tracking everything you buy. Create a budget and stick to it. Don’t toss receipts or ignore “small” purchases. Instead, deduct these splurges from your budget and see how much money you have left. The goal is to track what you buy so you can ultimately spend less than you earn. Open your eyes to where your money is going and get ahead financially. 

Enroll in the Mindful Money Workshop to Learn How to Spend Money the Right Way

The Mindful Money Workshop is a 5-part video workshop designed to show you how to use money the right way. It teaches money awareness. It’s not that you need to learn to budget. It’s that you need to learn to spend your money correctly. 

Sign up for the Mindful Money Workshop.

2. Cancel Everything You Don’t Need

The average U.S. household spends $47 a month or $564 a year on streaming service subscriptions [source]. This number does not include any other types of subscriptions, such as gym memberships or food or beauty subscriptions. 

While these things may seem like a good idea at first, they add up quickly. And, sadly, many of them go unused. Save money by canceling old, forgotten subscriptions. 

How to cancel forgotten subscriptions with your iPhone.

Open settings. Search, “Subscriptions.” Click “Subscriptions.” See your active Apple subscriptions. 

Use Trim to Cut Unnecessary Subscriptions

How many subscription services have you forgotten about? How much money are you charged for services you don’t use? The Trim service finds and cancels old or unused subscriptions. Trim identifies recurring payments and asks if you want to keep the service or cancel it. 

Trim also specializes in lowering common monthly bills. Wifi bills, cable bills, and medical bills, Trim will call these companies and attempt to lower them for free. If Trim can’t lower your bills you pay nothing. They only charge a one-time fee of 15% of what they save you. 

So if you don’t want to comb through your bank statements, canceling each subscription one by one, try Trim.

Please note that Trim takes payment immediately. For example, if Trim saves you $10/month, they will request their 15% fee ($40) right away. But you keep 100% of the savings after that.

Sign up for Trim now to stop wasting money on subscriptions you don’t need.

3. Be Intentional: Buy Only What You Need

Most people say they create a budget, but the truth is, they don’t follow that budget. And, the results ain’t pretty: They overspend by more than $140 a week. By the end of the year, the average person spent $7,400 more than budgeted [source].

If you want to get a month ahead, avoid overspending by being intentional with your purchases. Make it a goal to only buy what you need. Think of it as a contentment challenge. Every time you are tempted to buy something, ask yourself if it is something you need or something you want. Overspending is stressful. Mindful spending is calming. Buy only what you need.

Shop with Capital One Shopping and Save Even More

When you have something you need to buy (again, not want), use Capital One Shopping to save money. Capital One Shopping is a free browser tool that will automatically check for coupons, compare prices, and find rewards at retailers. This is simply smart shopping.

Download Capital One Shopping and get started saving.

4. Squirrel Away Extra Cash for Growth

You know that frequent small purchases can wreak havoc on your savings. Flip the script. Small, frequent deposits into your savings really adds up. Try to save 5% of every paycheck. If you receive any financial gifts, put this money away in your savings account. Pick up a side-gig for some extra income. Treat every bit of “extra” as a means to get ahead financially. Squirreling a little bit away at a time will help you save up quicker than you imagined.

Uber

Driving for Uber, a rideshare company that provides on-demand rides via its mobile app, is a great way to make money on the side. You can work as many or as few hours as you want. You set your own schedule.

You will earn a base fare and then money for how long and how far you drive. Uber pays drivers more during what it calls “surge” times, when demand for rides is high. It also offers Consecutive Trip and Quest promotions where, with Quest promotions, you can earn extra cash when you complete a certain number of trips during a given time period. The more trips you complete, the higher your potential to earn. For example, a driver could earn an extra $100 for completing 30 trips over 3 days. Or an extra $150 for completing 45 trips over 4 days.

And, you get to keep all your tips!

With Uber, you will earn on your own schedule.There are no complicated applications or waiting periods, signing up is easy and you can start driving as soon as your account activation is complete. Uber is the perfect opportunity for anyone looking to make extra cash on the side.

Scoop Up Extra Change with Acorns

Acorns is a simple investment app that makes it easy to grow the money you’ve saved. Acorns scoops up the extra change from your everyday purchases and automatically rounds up your purchases to the next dollar, and then invests the extra money into stocks. Instead of buying that new handbag, invest the money you save and watch it grow.

Download the Acorns app and save without thinking about it.  

Invest Some of Your Savings in Companies with Growth Potential

When you start saving a portion of your paycheck, there will come a time when you have some extra money to invest. You have many options when it comes to investing, but if you have a heart for helping out small businesses, then Mainvest is the platform for you.

Mainvest is a funding portal that brings together investors like you with small companies looking to launch or expand. It might be a coffee shop, a bakery, a sandwich shop, or a microbrewery. Mainvest vets the companies to increase the chances of success.

If you want to invest in small companies with growth potential, then get started with Mainvest for as little as $100. 

5. Cook Your Own Meals

One of the fastest ways to get ahead is to cut back on dining out or avoid fast food drive-thru lanes. Instead, pack lunches for work and cook dinner at home. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual expenditure on groceries in the U.S. is $4,464 per person, while dining out runs Americans an average of $3,459 [source].

You would be amazed at how much you can save by cooking at home. The price markup in restaurants is significant because they have to cover the costs of all staff, benefits, insurance policies, building and equipment maintenance, and so many other items. The average food markup is about 60% and some beverages are marked up as much as 500% [source]. 

Subscribe to $5 Meal Plan to Save Money and Simplify Cooking

The $5 Meal Plan makes it easy to cook restaurant-style dishes inexpensively in your own home. For just $5 a month, you get meal plans where every meal costs approximately $2 or less. You also get complete recipes and organized grocery lists that make meal planning and saving money a breeze! 

Get started with a $5 Meal Plan.

Get Cash Back Grocery Shopping with Ibotta

With Ibotta, you can shop for your groceries at several popular retailers to earn free money and receive cash back offers for certain products (including essentials). Plus, Ibotta also works for grocery delivery services and pick-up orders. If you’re going to cook at home, you might as well earn some money for your hard work.

Want to hear even more ways Ibotta can save you money? Check out our Ibotta explainer video, here!

Download the free Ibotta app (+ grab a $20 welcome bonus).

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