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Easy Ways to Save Money On A Tight Budget

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I’m sure there are a lot of us wanting easy ways to save money on a tight budget. Whether we are trying to save money up for a big savings goal or because of the lack of money coming in.

picture of small plant surrounded by coins and words easy ways to save money on a tight budget

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When we were in the middle of paying off our house early we were always looking for easy ways to save money on a tight budget. Every little thing added up.

Now that our house is paid off, we are still trying to save money where we can. Retirement needs more put towards it, taking a vacation, and saving some money up for kids’ college funds are all on the list of goals. Watching what we spend, budgeting, and making our money work for us is a part of life.

Some of them we are doing for a season and others are a pretty permanent part of our lives but together they are allowing us to live on less so that we can put more toward whatever our savings goals might be.

10 Easy Ways to Save Money on a Tight Budget

1. Lower Your Grocery Budget

This is one of the first things to look at when you are trying to save and my personal favorite of the easy ways to save money on a tight budget. It’s easy to gradually start spending more and more on groceries over time. If you don’t want to keep it super low forever, that’s fine but do it to help out while you income is lower or your are trying to reach a savings goal.

This is a big one in our house. In fact, our most popular post is on how I keep my grocery budget at $150 a month. Over the next year, these tips are especially important  for us as our extra money that sometimes went toward grocery splurges is now all going to the house.

Some favorite ways to lower your grocery budget: cook from scratch, menu plan, and using meat as a condiment.

I have my favorite menu planning template available for all of my newsletter subscribers. A lot of money has been saved using this method.

2. Simplify Birthdays, Christmas, and Holidays

It is super easy to go overboard. How often do we keep on finding one more present for our child or want to give them the newest and best gadget. Even the Easter basket has to be piled high.

There’s nothing wrong with any of these things, but you might want to consider scaling back. Set a smaller budget and stick to it. Spend time with your kids and make memories with them instead of spending.

You or your spouse can consider doing without gifts altogether. As an adult, it’s easy to understand why and see the big pictures. Shaun and I aren’t giving each other birthday or Christmas presents and we keep things simple with the kids.

If you minimize your gift spending try using the next tip and you might be able to cover a good portion of your gifts without spending anything out of pocket! Here I have some tips on Christmas Presents on a budget and taking the emphasis off of gifts at Christmas!

pictures of clock and stacks of coins

3. Earn Gift Cards with Swagbucks for Presents

I love Swagbucks. It’s an easy way to earn points you can redeem for gift cards. If you follow tip number two and cut your birthday and Christmas spending down, the gift cards you earn will pay for a good chunk of the presents.

If you work at using Swagbucks (and have a smart phone) you could earn over $300 in a year. This post has some of my favorite easy ways to earn Swagbucks on your computer and this one is about earning them on your smart phone!

4. Drink Water

Forget the pops, juices, coffees, and teas for a while and just stick to water! Not only is it good for you, it’s also the most affordable! The costs of all those other beverages really add up. I promise your kids won’t die without milk at every meal and juice for breakfast.

Milk for drinking and juice are super rare purchases in our house and it really helps save money. Over three years later, this is still true at my house.

5. Skip the Vacation

Our vacations consists of trips to see family and a season tickets to a theme park 5 hours away. This year, since we knew we were going to be pinching pennies, we decided to forgo the season tickets.

We aren’t saving a ton on money because as far as vacations go, it really is quite affordable but the ticket purchase and gas costs for driving there several times still will save us hundreds of dollars. If you take bigger vacations, this could equal thousands of dollars.

I know it doesn’t mean skipping out on the vacation is easy, but remember the big picture and make it a goal to save up for a fun little trip down the road.

In the meantime, find ways to have fun and memories locally.

6. Shop Your Closet

Avoid the mall and all the clothing deal sites for a while and just wear what you have. I’m already a big fan of buying used clothes and shopping clearance racks but sometimes you just need to take a break from even that.

A perk of this, is after wearing all your clothes (instead of having the stash you never touch) you’ll know what items you want to keep and which you should pass on. A more organized closet is never a bad thing. 🙂

7. Eat at Home

It’s nice to get a break from cooking, but restaurants aren’t cheap. You have the cost of a meal and then add the tip in and you could cook a lot of meals at home with what you just spent. Even at a fast food or fast casual restaurant things add up when you are buying for a family.

If eating out is something you love, put gift cards on your birthday and Christmas list (and use coupons when you go out to make them go even further). Otherwise, think about your big financial goal or view it as something you are giving up until your finances increase.

8. Cut the Cable

Get rid of your paid television service. No more cable or dish.

It’s okay. I promise you’ll survive. I know these might be ones that don’t seem like an easy ways to save money on a tight budget. 😉

When we got rid of it several years ago I think my husband was pretty skeptical. It really hasn’t been that bad. Then take it a step further and don’t replace it with Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, or Netflix. How much TV do we really need to watch anyway? Utilize your library, free Hulu, and free streaming on network sites so you can keep up with your favorite shows.

dollar bills with easy ways to save money on a tight budget on top.

9. Cheaper Cell Phone Rates

Cell phones are straight up expensive but there are a few things we’ve found to do to save money.

  • Save money by negotiating lower rates with your cell phone provider. We saved an additional $15 a month by talking to the retention department.
  • My husband has a smart phone and uses Google Voice instead of paying for a texting plan. It has its quirks, but it is fine for his needs.
  • Use a dumb phone. I’ve occasionally thought about getting a smart phone over the years but it’s something I can’t justify doing right now. An extra $15 to $30 a month might not seem like a lot, but all those things add up so I keep my basic talk only phone. (Yes, I even have texting turned off). Maybe after we get our house paid off or our income increases I’ll reconsider, but right now it works.
  • 3 years later and I now have a smart phone. It wouldn’t have happened except that I was needing a new phone and we found a great deal and a new affordable plan.

10. DIY Lawn Care and Pest Control

Okay, so honestly weeds in the yard are something that doesn’t really bother me. Let them grow. (Bonus: it would  mean no toxic chemicals I have to worry about.) My husband, on the other hand, can’t stand them. Plus it makes all your the people in your neighborhood upset if you don’t take care of your yard. Instead of paying a lawn care company to come take care of it, he went to the local lawn and garden store and got their recommendation on what to use and when. It takes a couple hours a few times a year but it saves a lot of money and we can put the money saved toward something else.

The same goes for spiders and insects. I’m not a lover of toxic chemicals being sprayed around the house, but I’m also really not a fan of venomous spiders (or actually any kind-of creepy crawly insect) in my house. You can pay someone or once again you can go to the local store and get recommendations for your area and do the spraying yourself.

11. Read Good Books!

Go to your local library and find some books with inspiration to help you come up with easy ways to save money each month. Try The Tightwad Gazette, More Than Just Making It, You Can Stay Home with Your Kids!: 100 Tips, Tricks, and Ways to Make It Work on a Budget or even Dave Ramsey. If your library doesn’t have any, don’t forget you can ask them to purchase or interlibrary loan them.

This is just the start of the easy ways to save money on a tight budget that we’ve used in our house. I think a part two might be coming.

Those little things that you don’t think make a difference really do add up. Put them together and you’ll find you are saving a decent amount!

What are some of your favorite easy ways to save money on a tight budget? 

Be sure to join our community on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest!

plant and stack of coins with words easy ways to save money on a tight budget square stack of dollar bills saying easy ways to save money on a tight budget

Easy Tandoori Chicken Recipe

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I’m all about fast, flavorful, healthy meals using real ingredients and this Easy Tandoori Chicken recipe is exactly that.

Easy Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Affiliate links are used.

I received an early copy of Lisa Leake’s newest cookbook, 100 Day of Real Food on a Budget, last week and am looking forward to trying several of the recipes. My daughter has the Costa Rica Red Beans recipe on her list to try next week.

I am super excited to have permission to share this tasty easy tandoori chicken recipe with you.

You guys, this recipe was so simple. It’s a 30 minute meal that’s full of flavor. Definitely great for a busy school night or a leisurely weekend dinner. All three of my kids cleaned their plates. Even my pickiest gave it a thumbs up. The 5 year old at first protested at the spinach, but once I tore it up and mixed it into his food he proclaimed it good.

This easy tandoori chicken recipe is also one of those meals to have in your back pocket when your other dinner plans fall through. There are few simple spices (coriander, garlic powder, ginger, cumin, ginger, salt, and cayenne), coconut milk, tomato sauce, and rice from the pantry and chicken from the freezer. If you don’t have spinach, just add another family favorite vegetable and dinner is ready.

Super easy tandoori chicken recipe. This recipe will be on the table in 30 minutes and it's kid friendly and healthy! #tandoori #indian #chicken #maindish #30minutemeal #recipes #supper #menu

In true Deanna fashion, I made a tiny change. Notice Lisa keeps the chicken in full pieces. My simple tweak is below.

Budget Friendly Tip: Cut down on the chicken (I used 2 boneless thighs and 1 small breast) and after it finishes cooking remove from the sauce, cut into pieces, and add back to pan. You can also add cooked chickpeas or cooked, diced sweet potatoes to replace some of the chicken.

Easy Tandoori Chicken

Print
Easy Tandoori Chicken Recipe
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1½ teaspoons coriander
  • 1½ teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne (start with ¼ teaspoon)
  • ¾ - 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 13-ounce can coconut milk
  • 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 2-4 ounces fresh spinach (2-5 cups)
  • 6 servings cooked brown rice
  • Optional if using half the chicken: 1½ cups cooked chickpeas or roasted, cubed sweet potato
  • Suggested Accompaniments:
  • cilantro
  • mint
  • plain yogurt
Instructions
  1. Combine the garlic powder, coriander, cumin, ginger, salt, and cayenne in a small bowl. Put on one side of the chicken.
  2. Preheat large skillet over medium heat with the oil. Place chicken seasoned side down in the pan. Sprinkle remaining spices on the other side. Sear until golden brown - about 2-3 minutes per side.
  3. Add coconut milk and tomato sauce (and chickpeas or sweet potatoes if using), bring to a boil and cover with lid. Reduce heat to low and and cook until chicken is done all the way through, 8-10 minutes.
  4. If desired, remove chicken from pan, dice and stir back in.
  5. Add more cayenne if needed.
  6. Layer in bowls with brown rice on the bottom, then spinach, chicken and sauce mixture, and any accompaniments.

 

  • You can see the format for the cookbook above – that is how each page is laid out. Very simple, easy to understand, and I love the pictures.
  • In the recipe cost breakdown, Lisa includes what it’s going to cost you to buy the entire product from the store, not just the portion you use.
  • The first almost 50 pages of the book is food budgeting tips and resources. If you need ideas for that, I’m sure you’ll find it helpful. If you are already a pro at your grocery budget, most of the tips will be things you already implement.
  • A lot of the recipes are ones we’ll try. Some I don’t think will fly high in my family, but over all, Lisa always has flavorful, healthy recipes.
  • My grocery budget is a lot less than Lisa’s budget plan in this book. That means my budget can’t handle us eating a weeks worth of these recipes. But we don’t have too – I can incorporate a recipe here and there as I make my plan each week.

Do you have any of Lisa’s cookbooks? What are your favorite recipes from them? I want to know which others I need to try!

100 Days of Real Food and 100 Days of Real Food Fast and Fabulous are her first books and this newest one is 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget.
  easy tandoori chicken recipe

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

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3 ingredient gluten free peanut butter cookies. Yum! In full disclosure, sometimes these 3 ingredient cookies get 5 ingredients added to them. But either way, they are made from pantry staples and whip up in a flash.

gluten free peanut butter cookies sitting on a plate

Affiliate links are used in this post.

These are also a gluten free and dairy free cookie! Woohoo!!! Considering we are in the middle of 3 months without dairy or gluten for one of our children right now, this is a big deal.

Someday soon I’d love to remake these using maple syrup or honey and 100% peanuts peanut butter, but in the meantime I needed to share this simple 3 ingredient gluten free peanut butter cookie recipe with you! The kids love eating them and I love how simple they are to whip up. Win win.

Before we dive into the recipe, I want to let you know what the 2 optional ingredients are. First off, vanilla. We know that vanilla makes pretty much everything better. Second, baking soda. This changes the color and how the cookie bakes just slightly. But again, you can leave it out.

The one problem with three ingredient gluten free peanut butter cookies is that they tend to fall apart easily. I would make them on the small side to help remedy that problem (a child in tears because their cookie fell apart is never fun, right?). If you can resist diving in right away, I would let them cool all the way as well.

I like to decrease the sugar to 3/4 cup, but that also slightly increases the breakability (like my made up word 😉 ) of them.

One last thing, I love using my cookie scoop for these. I find it faster than a spoon because the dough is quite sticky.

NOW, for this incredibly easy peanut butter cookie recipe.

If you are looking for another yummy cookie recipe (that includes gluten and dairy) check out this one that came from my grandma.

gluten free peanut butter cookies stacked on a plate

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Print
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • ¾-1 cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla, optional
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda, optional
  • Additional sugar for rolling
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
  3. Place small scoops of dough in bowl with additional sugar and lightly coat the top.
  4. Place on cookie sheet and use a fork to gently press down in both directions to create the traditional peanut butter cookie crisscross.
  5. Bake for 6-7 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

 

 

Dave Ramsey When You Don’t Have Money

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Dave Ramsey when you don’t have money.

Erasing the word debt. Dave Ramsey when you don't have money.

Dave Ramsey. Paying off debt. Living on a budget. Living on a budget when you don’t have money. Financial freedom.

Have any of those phrases ever left you feeling depressed, not good enough, that accomplishing them would be reaching for the impossible?

Have you ever thought being debt free and having money in savings was something only the rich could accomplish but for the poor or lower middle class it’s just something to scoff at?

I want to encourage you. No matter what your financial status, no matter the decisions you’ve made or what life has thrown at you in the past, you can make forward progress.

No, it won’t be easy. Yes, it might be uncomfortable. Yes, you might have to make even more sacrifices. Yes, it might feel impossible.

You will most likely be living against the grain. There’s the chance your friends and family will think you are crazy. There’s also the chance some of your family and friends will be your biggest cheerleaders.

But just do it!

How to Conquer Dave Ramsey When You Don’t Have Money

Start by making a budget.

This is crucially important – and can be done no matter how much money you have. Budgeting when you don’t have money is so necessary. Tell every dollar you have exactly where to go. Yes, that means saying no to a lot of things. Find ways to lower your grocery budget (a huge passion of mine), vacations might have to take place close to home, clothes will probably be bought on clearance or at garage sales. These are all things that helped us on our debt free journey.

Build an Emergency Fund

After you have a budget, you need to have an emergency fund. This helps keep you from going backwards when life happens. And we know life happens. Save up in increments of $10, $50, $100. Every little bit will add up.

You might not have the extra money in your budget to put toward an emergency fund. Your finances might be so tight that even with budgeting and buying used clothes and not eating out, there’s not even $5 left at the end of the month.

What then? You are discouraged. Your emotions want to take over and you just want to quit.

Stick with it!

Ways to Build an Emergency Fund:

Sell

Think outside the box. See if there is anything in your house you can sell – on Craigslist, Facebook, eBay etc. You might need to sell the car you are making payments on. Look at your housing arrangements. Maybe renting a smaller place for a period of time will help you get ahead.

Bring in Extra Income

Maybe you have the bare minimum and there’s nothing to sell. Sometimes we have income problems and not a budget problem. All the corners are cut, we are telling every dollar where to go, our cars are old, homes are basic with no modern updates.

What then?

Look for ways to bring in some extra money.

That might mean getting a second job.

  • If you’ve listened to Dave Ramsey I’m sure delivering pizza has crossed your mind.
  • Or maybe you can babysit or pick up a friend’s kid from school.
  • What are you gifted at? Can you sew? Try mending clothes. If you are gifted in the kitchen, maybe you could sell  your famous cinnamon rolls.
  • Churches sometimes pay for a pianist or you could give music lessons.
  • Looking for a part time weekend or evening job is another option.

To  help with buying birthday presents or other Amazon.com purchases use Swagbucks.

Cut Expenses

Look hard at each of your expenses and find ways to save. Check out that post and the ones I linked to earlier for some inspiration. Put that money toward your emergency fund.

One of the easiest ways to start cutting costs is on your grocery bill! Be sure to get this free menu planning template to make your life easier and save money.

Your emergency fund is built up, now what?

Now you get to apply the money you’ve found by budgeting, cutting expenses, and increasing your income to your money into your debt snowball. Only stopping if you depleted your emergency fund and need to rebuild it.

It might take years but keep at it. Keep finding ways to save and trying different ways to increase your income and earn little bits of money each month.
holding a $1 bill. Dave Ramsey when you don't have money.

You can do this!

It probably won’t be easy, but the rewards later are worth it.

Remember, hard doesn’t mean bad. Make sacrifices and think outside the box.

Start making baby steps to financial freedom. Even when life throws a curve ball, stay in the game and stay on course. Let the challenges bring you together as a family.

Find ways to celebrate and enjoy life even while you are on a budget.

These years might be hard and long, but it will be worth it later. Trust me. I’ve been there. When we got married my husband wasn’t making much and I was finishing college and working part time waiting tables. We argued, we did lots of discussing, we worked hard, we said no, we set goals, we celebrated milestones.

You can do it – you can do Dave Ramsey when you don’t have money! If there’s no one else cheering you on, know that I’m am rooting for you!

holding a $1 bill. Dave Ramsey when you don't have money.
Working on a spreadsheet. Dave Ramsey when you don't have money

 

 

DIY Foaming Hand Soap

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This DIY Foaming Hand Soap is one of the easiest things you can make! Not only do you control exactly what goes into it, you also save a ton of money!

Foaming bottle and essential oils. DIY Foaming Hand Soap.

Affiliate links are used in this post.

Forget spending $3.50-$5.50 on a bottle of quality soap, this can happen for as little as $.50. Quite the savings for 30 seconds of work. (And nope, that’s not exaggerating.)

I know life can get crazy and sometimes we need to put DIY on the back burner, but this is something you can keep up with during even the craziest seasons. You also know exactly what’s inside of it and can easily change scents without adding harmful ingredients or artificial colors.

DIY Foaming Hand Soap Ingredients:

Liquid Castile Soap – 1/4 Cup

Where to buy:

Moisturizing Oil (optional)

Water (distilled, filtered, or boiled) – to finish filling container

Essential Oils – 15-30 total drops

Preservative – 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

  • Optiphen Plus. I’ve seen some places that recommend adding this preservative to extend the shelf life. It’s a paraben and formaldehyde-free preservative.

Foaming Bottle

  • Here’s a 3-pack from Amazon.
  • An even cheaper option is to purchase a $1 bottle of foaming hand soap from the store, dispose of the contents, rinse the bottle, remove the label, and reuse.

Do you make your own hand soap? Any favorite essential oils combos I should try? (Keep reading for the recipe in printable, consolidated format 🙂 )

castile soap, essential oils, bottle to make foaming hand soap.

Are you new to saving money or interested in lots of tips to help you be able to live on your limited income? Check out Erin’s new book filled with 100 tips, tricks, and simple ways she provided for her family on a budget.

For more ways to save, check out:

What are your favorite (easy) DIY projects?

Print
DIY Foaming Hand Soap
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup unscented liquid castile soap
  • 15-30 drops essential oils
  • Moisturizing Oil (optional) choice of: ½ teaspoon vitamin E oil, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon almond oil, or 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil.
  • ½ teaspoon optiphen plus (optional)
  • Water (distilled, purified, or boiled)
Instructions
  1. In the bottom of foaming bottle place castile soap. Add essential oils and moisturizing oil and preservative (if using).
  2. Gently swish around.
  3. Fill bottle with water being sure to leave room for lid.

Foaming bottle and essential oils to make foaming hand soap.