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Hello, everyone! Are you wondering how you can spend less, save money, and experience more? It seems nearly impossible to do all of the above while living a life you’re proud of, but it’s completely possible to achieve when you minimize spending. To minimize spending is not equivalent to no spending. It’s pretty difficult to survive without spending some money, whether that’s on food, bills, or daily necessities. Once you figure out how much money you usually spend each month and your budget, you can begin to cut down on frivolous spending and save. By minimizing spending, you’re effectively utilizing money to make it work for you rather than against you–something we can all benefit from. Below are some steps I’ve taken in my personal life to minimize spending, implement the 50-20-30 Breakdown, and save more to lead me closer to my goals. Hopefully these 8 tricks can help you minimize your spending, too!

8 Tricks to Minimize Spending

#1. Positive perspective

Rather than viewing budgeting as something negative, learn to associate it with benefits and rewards. Changing your perspective is a major aspect in life, and it is also key to budgeting. Refer to the “Budget Preparation” and “Budgeting for Beginners” blog posts to start managing your money.

#2. Tracking spending habits

To minimize spending, write down everything you spend money on: a pack of gum, gas for your car, a bottle of water from the vending machine, etc. These seemingly insignificant purchases add up and impact your budget. While it may seem paradoxical to track spending to eventually minimize spending, you must be aware of your habits in order to enact change.

#3. Cash diet/ envelope method

You’re probably thinking 1. Places except cash? and 2. I don’t ever carry cash. How will this work? I was skeptical of the cash diet at the beginning, but soon realized the benefit of having cash set aside for different purposes: it allowed me to visually and physically manage my money. Once mastered, the trick can later be transferred to a digital money-managing app. Learn more about the cash diet here.

#4. Packing lunch

Bringing lunch from home can be highly nutritious and can also slim your spending. Think about this: if you spend an average of $10 USD on lunch every weekday, that’s $50 USD. In one month you’re spending $200 USD on lunch. What could you do with $200 USD? A lot! Yes, you will probably be spending half of that on groceries to make your lunch, but that one hundred extra dollars can be allocated to something else. In one year, that’s an extra $1,200 USD in your pocket just from opting to bring lunch to work. Purchase some nice glass containers to store your lunch in, as well as a cute lunch pail.

#5. Meals at home

Piggybacking off packing your lunch, eating other meals at home also minimizes spending. This takes time to implement, which is difficult when you’re short on time already. Simple breakfasts like smoothies, overnight oats, fresh fruit, or yogurt with granola are tasty, healthy, and time-conscious. Similarly, investing in a Crockpot can help you out for dinner. Or, meal prepping on the weekend by pre-bagging ingredients for different meals minimizes day-of preparation. For those who frequently eat out, making meals at home can vastly minimize unnecessary spending.

#6. Weekend activities

Weekends usually mean spending money because we have free time or are rewarding ourselves for making it through the week. Try to find free or inexpensive weekend alternatives—hiking, YouTube yoga, free museum days, art walks, outdoor concerts, farmers’ markets, or local events—to avoid blowing money on things that aren’t going to benefit you in the long run or sustain longterm happiness. If your community is in short supply of activities, you can have weekend dinners with family, game nights with friends, or take time to discover a new hobby to nourish your soul.

#7. Simplifying

To simplify something means to break it down and get rid of excess. In life, this excess ranges from toxic relationships to clothing to food to negative thoughts. You must first devote time to analyzing where your “excess” in life lies before simplifying begins. By simplifying your life and prioritizing what you value most, you will learn to appreciate what you already have and enjoy the little things without compromising your budget.

#8. Mindful purchases

When purchasing anything, ask yourself, “Do I need this?” and really think about the purchase. Stopping to think about what we buy and the purpose of said item is an act of mindfulness. Do yourself and your wallet a favor—think before you buy.

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These are a handful of things I have implemented in my life to work toward attaining personal financial goals. Even though they may appear to be easy, it has taken loads of practice to change habits and form new ones! Budgeting is a gradual lifestyle change that takes conscious effort, self-awareness, and willpower. If you make and stick with small changes, you will slowly see larger changes while shaping new habits. What are you waiting for? Start minimizing today and think of these two questions to kick-start your journey:

How do you minimize spending now?

What current money-saving habits work best for you?