Ways to Cut Monthly Expenses Without Changing Your Lifestyle

You’ve probably come to the realization that it’s sometimes very difficult to use shrinking finances to maintain the same quality of life. As things get tougher, it becomes increasingly difficult for you to do the things you enjoy without sacrificing everyday financial needs.

You may be surprised to know how easy it is to find more affordable alternatives to expensive pastimes and still achieve the same level of enjoyment!

Discover how cutting specific expenses can result in even more enjoyment than before.

What Expenses to Cut

Here are some simple ways to cut monthly expenses:

1. Utilities

   . Regardless of what you’re currently spending on utilities like electricity and heat, there is always room to cut that bill a little more. Instead of using overhead lights in all rooms, start using your standing and desk lamps. They burn less electricity and still illuminate a room sufficiently, and your utility might have an incentive or rebate program.

2. Eat at home

   . Learn to be creative in the kitchen so you can prepare some of your favourite meals at home. It’s nice to go to your favourite restaurant to have that spinach quiche you like so much, but why not just buy your own ingredients and make it at home?

• You’ll likely get three or four more servings than what you get at the restaurant!



3. Cable

   . Your cable package might include all available channels, but how many of them do you really watch? Instead of cutting out your cable expense altogether, go for a cheaper package with all your favourite channels.

Fun Ways to Reallocate Your Savings

Before you start to reallocate your savings, make sure that you actually have spare money and are not just reallocating your overspending.

With the savings you’ve realized, here’s how you can reallocate the money:

1. Energy-saving lamps.

   Now that you’ve saved on utilities like electricity, you can perhaps now go shopping for new lamps to match the décor of your apartment. While ceiling lighting is not readily changeable, lamps certainly are!

   • Give your place a facelift

     with new lamps that visitors will be sure to notice.

2. Friends

   . Meet your friends three nights a week instead of two. And remember, you don’t need to overspend when you go out. Just order a cocktail or two and chill for the rest of the evening.

3. Eat out

   every so often without feeling guilty. Treat yourself once a month to dinner from a new restaurant you’ve never tried before. The more you cook for yourself at home the more savings you’ll realize. These savings can be put towards a dining splurge now and then. So you’ll still be able to maintain the lifestyle – just in moderation.

4. Add one or two

   more movie nights a month. Mix it up with renting movies to watch at home with your friends or family and going to the theatre.

Check out 12 Money Savings Tips in the Home

You can avoid allowing this tight economy to get in the way of your enjoyable lifestyle. Just get smart with your monthly expenditures so you can leave room for disposable income. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself enjoying finding new ways to be frugal so you’ll have more money to do the things you like!

As always, I am not a qualified financial advisor. I just relate financial management to my own experience which may not resemble yours at all. Advice is frequently worth exactly what you paid for it. Most of mine came from expensive experiences.