Sick of not having any extra cash? Need to start saving for a big goal? Here’s 7 ways to save money…even when you’re broke!

It seems to be impossible to save money these days. The cost of household expenses, groceries, clothing and everything else you need just continues to go up and up.

Somehow, the amount of money in your bank account doesn’t follow the same pattern.

The rising cost of everything is a big reason for your dwindling account balance. But another reason is, you spend a lot of unnecessary money that you could otherwise be saving.

We all do. It’s the American way.

Use the 7 ways to save money tips and tricks below to break the spending cycle.

And soon, you’ll be saving more money than you ever realized you had…even when you’re broke!

7 Ways to Save Money Even When You’re Broke

1. Stop Spending It

I know you think you aren’t spending anything “extra”, but I’d bet you are without even realizing how much.

For example:

Do you ever stop at the gas station to fill up your car and you just desperately need a drink?

So, you run inside and pick up a bottle of water. After all, it’s only $1.50, right?

Do that once a week for a year and you’ve just blown $78.00 on bottled water.

Seriously. Water. It’s like throwing away your pennies.

If you live in an area where you already have to pay for your tap water at home, why would you want to spend more money on water?

I’m sad to say that I’ve done this, although I have amazing well water at home.

And I’ve done it a lot. I used to pick up a bottle of water or something to drink every time I went into a store.

I’ve been working on not doing this for a long time and I very rarely pick up a bottle of water at the store anymore.

(I’m still guilty of stopping at Starbucks, whenever I get the chance, though. Our nearest one is an hour away, so that’s pretty rare, too. Maybe 4 or 5 times a year.)

Just pick up a cheap, BPA-free water bottle and fill it up everyday before you leave the house. If you run out of water during the day, refill it at work.

You can even get a fruit-infuser water bottle and flavor it with anything you like.

And if you aren’t spending your pennies on silly things like extra bottled water or drinks, I’ll bet you’re spending it on many other things than you actually don’t need to spend it on.

2. DIY It

There are so many things that you can make at home, using simple, affordable supplies and ingredients. We have become so accustomed to getting things “instantly” that we’ve forgotten the true pleasure of making things with our own hands.

You can make homemade laundry detergent for around $70.00 per year!

Homemade dishwasher tablets only cost pennies per load.

Here’s 10 more DIY Cleaning Recipes that will save you a ton of money on your household supplies.

Make your own gifts for family and friends instead of purchasing useless knick knacks.

You can sew your own clothes.

Make your food from scratch.

Grow your own food.

3. Create a Menu Plan

Food is the #1 area of your budget where you can save a ton of money.

Following a menu plan will save you hundreds of dollars per year.

Keeping a running grocery list within your line of vision (like on the refrigerator) will help you keep track of what you really need and will reduce impulse buys when shopping.

Plan meals that utilize many of the same ingredients to cut costs on the number of products you need to purchase.

Use “fillers” like rice, beans, pasta and potatoes to help stretch meals and reduce meat costs.

4. Count Your Pennies

Pennies have a bad rep these days and it really isn’t fair.

I mean, I know it costs too much to manufacture them for the federal reserve, but so what, our government wastes tons of money every day…

Why throw out a part of our history? And many people are just throwing their pennies on the floor, anyway, for crying out loud.

But, for us…the rest of us…they’re a goldmine.

How?

By saving them. One penny adds up to two pennies and two pennies add up to three pennies…

You get the drift.

Start saving your pennies (and nickles, dimes and quarters, too). Start throwing them into a jar at the end of each day.

Every time you see loose change on the ground, pick it up and bring it home to your little jar.

By the end of the year, you might just have enough for dinner out or a small shopping spree.

5. Reduce Your Household Bills

This is a biggie. We are so brainwashed to believe that we “have to” have cable television, internet, telephones and cell phones.

We don’t really need these things and if you are trying to save money because you’re broke, start by getting rid of the television and one of the phone bills.

Cutting your phone and television bills from your budget will save you an average of $150 per month (or $1,800 per year!!) each.

Cable television is a luxury (if you want to call it that…with all the in your face advertising and mindless garbage). You don’t need it.

I promise the world won’t end if you don’t watch the 10 o’clock news. You can watch it on your cell phone or on your computer, if you really have to, depending on which service you decide to keep.

Do you really need a land line and a cell phone?

Unless you live in an area where you don’t have cell service at home, you really don’t need to have both.

Furthermore, people all over the world have lived without telephone service for thousands of years. You’ll do just fine.

If you work online or need the internet to connect to your outside job, keep it…it helps pay your bills. But, if you are only using it for pleasure purposes, drop it.

That’s a major savings that could be going to pay for your mortgage, groceries or electric bill.

6. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

Buy secondhand…everything.

Reduce the number of new purchases you make.

Reuse anything and everything you own, or can get your hands on, before you go out and buy a new item.

7. Plan Ahead

Use a calendar or a daily planner to help you keep track of what’s coming up in your life and what bills will soon be due.

Birthday’s, holiday’s, anniversaries and other special events are often a reason to fall of the “budget wagon”. By planning ahead, you’ll be prepared to make your own gifts and cards, using recycled materials or items you have around the house, without spending any extra money.

Keeping track of your monthly bill due dates will also help reduce interest and late fee charges.

Use a weekly grocery list and menu planner to organize your meals. This will reduce your costs at the grocery store and your waste in the kitchen.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading 7 Ways to Save Money Even When You’re Broke.

Here’s a quick little recap…

1. Buy your own drink bottle and stop wasting money at the store.
2. Make your own household cleaning supplies and anything else you can DIY.
3. Create a menu plan and keep a grocery list.
4. Count Your Pennies
5. Reduce Your Household Bills
6. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse
7. Plan Ahead

These tips and tricks have helped me and my family save a ton of money throughout the years and I just know they’ll help you, too!

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My favorite “How to Get Out of Debt” Book:

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More in this series:

• How to Create a Master Budget
• How to Use a Printable Cash Envelope System

Free Printables:

• Cash Envelope System – Strawberry Lemonade
• Cash Envelope – Black & White Dreams
• Monthly Payment Organizer – Black & White Dreams
• Monthly Budget Template

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Have a Spectacular Day!