5 Ways to Save Money Each Month Without Giving up Anything You Want

At Affinity we take an active role in encouraging our connected community to practice financial wellness and sensible savings, but we are acutely aware that it is not easy for most families to save money and live with both regular systems. And unexpected expenses ranging from daily necessities to sudden misfortunes related to car, home or health. In such a difficult situation, how can you make small changes to save money without drastically reducing your standard of living? In the spirit of helping members spend smarter.

Here are 5 ways to save money on a tight budget.

1. Bring home coffee and/or lunch

If you're a coffee lover, you might have developed a daily ritual of stopping at your favorite coffee shop every day before work to get what you want in the morning. But in this you may have to spend more money than necessary. It's usually much cheaper to make coffee at home and invest in a larger travel mug - some can hold an entire pot of coffee!

For lunch, you'll save a significant amount of money by "packing brown bags" of homemade food instead of ordering or going to a gourmet restaurant or restaurant every day. These are small steps that can disrupt your relaxing routine, but you'll get used to them over time. And when you see your money getting better, you'll realize how little you need for a coffee or lunch from a particular place.

2. Bulk Purchase

There are some retail chains that have been founded on the principle of "buying wholesale" and have thrived in their competitive industry for a reason. According to personal finance website The Balance, buying everyday items such as food, paper products and cosmetics in bulk can save you between 20 and 80 percent of your typical spending, depending on how you choose to do so. How many (and which) items do you buy from?

In some supermarkets, larger isn't always the cheapest by the unit, so you may have to do a little math (sometimes this is already done for you on the price label) to make sure that You're maximizing your savings when you have several sizes to choose from.

3. A "cooling off" period for impulsive purchases.

Even the most frugal people sometimes have a sudden urge to buy an unnecessary item, be it a new outfit, a TV, or some other luxury. It's okay to reward yourself from time to time, but you need to have boundaries. This is why as a general rule, it's wise to have a "cool down" period of a day or two when you see something you want to buy.

Give yourself time to reconsider the occasional impulse purchase, and if you know you're still a potential victim of impulsive shopping, consider limiting your purchases to stores or websites that have generous returns. Policies are when the inevitable buyer's remorse starts.

4. Lower Your Bank and Credit Card Fees

Charges for bank accounts and credit cards can be so minor and/or infrequent that you don't really notice, but they do add up. But you can negotiate the fees: A recent study showed that 81 percent of consumers asked for lower credit card fees than they actually wanted from their company! And if you can't seem to find the very low credit card and banking fees, try to see if you can get a better deal on deposit and credit card accounts through Affinity.

5. Using Cash Back Credit Cards

You have bills, don't you? Imagine being able to pay the bill for your cell phone, favorite streaming service, or groceries every time you go. This is possible with cashback credit cards, where you can get a little bit back every time you make a purchase. As long as you limit spending on items you were going to buy anyway, this is a sure-fire way to save money. You can also easily get some cash back by taking advantage of the automatic payment options offered by most utility and subscription companies, which sometimes even offer discounts