18 Practical Advice to Cut Your Daily Expenses

It has been years since I had a full-time job for more than six months in a row.

Having a secure monthly income of around 1.200€ made me feel confident about my daily expenses. I could buy most of the fads I wanted, go out every weekend, and spend money on expensive clothes.

As things changed over the years, I had to find a way to cut daily costs and save money for emergencies.

This is how I saved almost half of my income last year.

1. Rent/Mortgage

Rent or mortgage fee is the highest monthly expenses you can have for a house. How to cut it?

Go back to live with your parents! This is what I did. We have quite a big house; I have my bedroom, office, and bathroom.

I’m fortunate as my parents don’t ask me for money.

If you can’t live with your family or friends for free, offer to share the expenses. Partitioning rent and bills with someone else is an excellent way to save up to 50%.

Sharing a house with strangers could be the last option you want to consider, but think about all the money you can save!

It is also a great way to have someone close if you need help or for a chat while having dinner.

What if the house is yours and the mortgage is killing your income?

See if there is an extra room you can rent out!

It can’t necessarily be a long term lease. Some people might need a room when visiting relatives in town or for tourism. Don’t you have an extra bedroom but an empty studio or garage? A freelancer might need your home office to rent for occasional meetings with clients, or the local rock band can use your garage to store the equipment and do some practice!

A friend of mine is an artist. Unfortunately, he lives in a flat, and some time ago, he was looking to rent a warehouse to store his materials and create his pieces without worrying about making noises or dirt on the floor.

2. Bills

Somehow your bills keep rising even if you’re not using the services you are paying for.

Use a comparison site to see which company offers you a better deal.

Maybe you have a flat rate, and you pay no matter how much electricity you actually use.

The great thing about comparison sites is that you can see all the company rates in one place without going through dozens of company websites.

Some companies offer combo promo for electricity, gas, and internet!

Before switching from a company to another, check terms and conditions as you don’t want to pay a fee for canceling the contract before the agreed deadline. Changing the plan with your current provider might also cost a little extra while moving to another company might assure you a better deal for new customers.

3. Grocery

The third significant expense after rent and bills is grocery.

How often have you walked out of the supermarket with half trolley empty and a third of your monthly income gone?

I know that feeling!

I cut my grocery expenses by buying only special offers products. I check the local store flyer before going shopping and buy multiple pieces of what is on sale. Close to expiry date goods are often sold at 50% or more off.

My local greengrocer always offers me ripe bananas nobody wants. I use them to make banana bread, and even if the peel is dark, they are perfect inside!

Check if your local store has a fidelity program, gain points, and get a discount or coupons to spend on your next shopping.

4. Buy Unsold Food

From bakeries to cafes, every shop that produces fresh goods might have some unsold food at the end of the day that can’t be sold tomorrow.

Ask your local store what they do with the unsold food, they might donate it to charity or sell it for cheap.

In Italy, it has been recently released an app called “Too good to go”, you can sign up for free and check if there is a shop giving away a box of goods. The boxes have a fixed price, and you don’t get to decide what’s inside. You can book your food and grab it at a particular hour of the day.

It is a great way to prevent food waste and save some extra bucks.

5. Buy Generic

From food to medications, you can save a large amount of money by buying generic goods.

Supermarket and pharmacy chains were the first ones to offer generic products with their name on the box. They are usually cheaper, but sometimes the good quality can surprise you!

I’ve recently noticed that many of my local pharmacies are creating their products, and if I don’t ask for a particular brand, they give me theirs.

6. Mobile Phone Plans

Early this year, I was spending about 12€ for 3 GB, 60 minutes of phone calls, and 100 texts a month.

I know it might sound cheap as I used to pay 40$ a month when I was in the U.S., but in Italy, that isn’t one of the most affordable rates!

A friend told me she was spending way less with another company, so I decided to give it a try. A new company was releasing an offer and I jumped in! Now I spend 5.99€ for 70GB (I don’t even use them all), free unlimited calls and free unlimited texts a month. By the way, who still sends texts?

New phone companies show up every day, give them a chance and see if they can offer you more for less.

Otherwise, wait for your former mobile provider to reach out with a better deal if you return to them.

7. Car Insurance

I bought my first car over ten years ago, and at that time, my father took me to his broker to sign up for car insurance.

I kept going to him for a few years since I realized I was paying way too much! I switched on my computer and looked for a way to save money. One year, my car insurance costed me about 500€ half of my paycheck! I found one of those comparison websites and start looking at the best offer I could have for the insurance. I took off some extra services and ended up saving almost half of the money.

I later found out my broker was messing with the contract dates and keeping money for himself.

I’m so glad I can conclude my contract directly with the insurance company and save a lot of cash!

8. Cashback

I started using cashback websites only a few months ago, unfortunately.

How do they work? Find a cashback platform affiliated with the store you want to buy from, click on the affiliate link, and get redirected to the store’s website. When you click on the affiliate link, cookies will automatically be saved on your computer, do your shopping as usual and after a few days, you will receive a percentage of the money you spent on your cashback profile.

Earn money or points over time; once you reach the threshold, you can decide to withdraw or get a gift card.

It is a great way to get some of your money back if you are shopping online often.

Some cashback apps also give you the chance to get money back when buying from local stores or restaurants.

9. Perfume Tester

I’m so fussy about perfumes! The one that I really love is by Gucci. The 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) bottle costs around 100€ in the store.

Browsing on the internet, I discovered some online shops where selling perfume testers. Testers are those bottles you use to spray the scent on a paper stick to smell the perfume.

I managed to get the same fancy bottle; even the box was the same though it wasn’t supposed to be, for about 40% less and delivered at home.

No time wasted around seeing which cosmetics boutique had the lower price.

Do you have a favorite expensive perfume you couldn’t afford to buy lately?

10. Cancel Memberships

Memberships can be great if you use a service multiple times, but they should also be on top of your “money-saving lists.”

Membership to the gym you don’t go anymore, to tv channels you don’t have time to watch or to that famous magazine you don’t read since you were five.

Go through your bank account and see how many automatic payments you can cancel right away!

11. Rent Instead of Buying

Would you ever buy a big truck for a one-time relocation? Now think smaller.

What else can you rent? The machine to cut the hedge twice a year? Or a suitcase for the next travel?

Like fancy dresses for special occasions, there are more things than you think that you can rent for a single day!

12. Flea Markets

Thrift shops and flea markets are a great way to get second-hand objects at a reasonable price.

You can literally find anything in these places!

Rugs, mugs, vinyl records, clothes, you mention!

If you can’t afford something new and have the time and creativity to put on an old piece of furniture, then you should give these places a chance!

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

13. Facebook Group About Gifts

Need something in particular but no money to buy it? See if someone is giving it away for free!

There are lots of Facebook groups where people are gifting things they don’t use anymore. The only thing you have to do is get it!

A friend of mine was redecorating the garden. She was giving away some bricks, so my dad and I went to collect them for free.

14. Coffee

I live in Italy, an espresso at the bar costs 1€, and a macchiato costs 1.10€, more for a cappuccino or other coffees. To me, go to the cafe and order a coffee is a waste of time and money. A few years back, my parents bought a Nespresso coffee machine, and the shops gave them an equal amount of money in capsules.

Since then, we drink at least two coffees per day each. Buying a large number of capsules reduces the money we spend as they range between 0.40 and 0.20€ depending on the brand (Starbucks included).

We save between 60–80% per espresso we drink.

This can work for every type of coffee. If you are a coffeeholic, like me, you can quickly make up for the money spent on the machine and the travel coffee mug to carry your beverage with you wherever you want!

15. Volunteer at Festivals and Events

No money to go to your favorite singer’s concert? Ask the organizer if he needs some extra help.

By being a volunteer at festivals and events, you can get a free pass for the performance and some food in exchange for help.

I used to help at a Celtic festival in my hometown; we organized the shifts so everyone could enjoy a concert or part of the event and have a free dinner.

16. Use Public Transports

If maintaining your car costs you too much, try to sell it and use public transports.

It’s easier to do in big cities where you can get buses, the subway or streetcars.

Without a car, you won’t have to worry about parking fees and car insurance. You can always get a cab, rent one, or use a car-sharing service.

Unfortunately for me, the bus stops in front of my house only four times a day, not enough if I have to go shopping or to work.

17. Library

Booklover? Stop piling up books on your bookshelves and borrow some from your local library.

By going to the library, you won’t only save money but also have the chance to discover more books and meet other readers or writers during “Meet the Author” events.

18. Buying Groups

The purpose of buying groups is to purchase a large quantity of something to get a reduced price and then share the goods among the participants.

Buying groups deal directly with the manufacturer, and some of them promote ethical purchasing supporting local farmers and small companies’ products.

These groups don’t trade only food but use the buying power of a large organization to get special prices for electricity, car insurance, and other services.

Bottom Line

I’m sure there are more things you can cut out to save money, like dining out or book a hostel instead of a B&B room when going on holiday.

Saving money doesn’t mean you have to live like a monk inside your house and not enjoy life.

Save money for the right things, things you need, or love to have that mean something important to you. It is also a way to appreciate more what we have and what we can repurpose.

Look around you and start cutting your expenses, beginning with small things!