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This page contains a list of money saving tips that I either already apply in my personal life or I would probably apply in the right set of circumstances.
Everyone is different, so some of the following tips may seem useless or even downright stupid to you. That's perfectly normal. Feel free to apply the tips you find useful and ignore the rest.
Please send me an e-mail if you want to share some money saving tips I haven't already included in the list. I'm always looking for new interesting ideas.
Don't buy lottery tickets.
Don't buy bottled water. Drink tap water instead.
Don't watch TV.
Install ad blockers on all your digital devices.
Don't save credit card details on online store websites. Manually type credit card details every time you need to make a purchase. This strategy can be useful to avoid impulse purchases.
Don't buy jewelry containing precious metals (e.g. gold) or precious stones (e.g. diamonds).
Walk, ride a bicycle or take public transportation instead of driving your own motor vehicle.
If you have a good relationship with your parents, consider living with them instead of living on your own.
Prefer buying used items instead of buying new ones.
Don't buy proprietary software (e.g. Microsoft Windows). Use free software only (e.g. GNU/Linux).
Medical bills can be very expensive, so take care of your health and prevent problems from developing in the first place.
Choose the smallest house your family can comfortably live in. Don't buy or rent bigger, more expensive houses.
Avoid debt.
Get out of debt as soon as you can. Pay highest interest debts first.
Ignore fashion.
Use LED light bulbs only. Don't use incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs.
Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones.
Avoid eating out (e.g. restaurants, coffee shops, pubs). Eat at home and prepare food yourself.
Don't smoke.
Cut your own hair. Alternatively, have a friend, a relative or your partner do it.
Avoid having pets. Obviously, if you already have pets you should not abandon or kill them just because you want to save money. If you really can't take care of them anymore due to financial issues, please consider implementing any of the other money saving tips in this article first. If everything else fails, you should find another person who is happy to adopt your pets, either temporarily or permanently.
Don't have kids.
Buy generic drugs instead of branded ones.
Exercise at home instead of paying for a gym membership.
Use surge protectors to protect valuable electronic devices from voltage spikes.
Pay your bills on time. Avoid late fees.
Don't drink alcohol.
Buy dried legumes instead of canned ones.
Don't use credit cards. Use debit cards instead.
Refill your empty ink cartridges instead of buying new cartridges.
Instead of buying books, check them out from a library.
Don't distract yourself or other persons when driving. Road accidents can be harmful to both people and property. Things such as surgery, funerals and vehicle repairs can be very expensive.
Don't buy souvenirs.
Don't buy items just because they are cheap. Only buy items that you really need.
Find frugal ways to entertain yourself. Don't think of shopping as a way to cope with boredom. Avoid spending money on things such as museums, concerts, movies, theaters, etc.
Unplug appliances and devices when not in use.
Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
Bring your lunch at work.
Suspend your computer when not using it for short amounts of time. Hibernate it instead for longer amounts of time.
Always cover pots and pans with a lid to keep heat inside and reduce cooking time.
Don't buy luxury items (e.g cars, watches, houses, yachts, clothes, paintings, jewelry). If you already have some luxury items, sell them and start managing money in a more responsible way.
Don't buy makeup products.
Avoid packaged foods.
Avoid buying foods or drinks from vending machines.
Don't fall victim to lifestyle inflation.
Sell things you don't need anymore.
Don't shop unless you need something specific.
Cancel unused subscriptions.
Don't buy gifts for other people, especially if you're not sure the recipients will like those gifts. Of course, you should tell people that they don't have to buy gifts for you, as well.
Don't buy kits to produce your own carbonated water at home.
Drink plain tap water instead.
Avoid DRM (Digital Restrictions Management), or learn how to remove it.
When companies selling DRM-laden media go out of business, they will inevitably stop supporting their own DRM scheme, so you could end up being unable to access the media files you paid for and be forced to buy them again from other companies.
Instead, you should either avoid buying DRM-laden media, or at least find the right software tools you can use to remove DRM from the media files you legitimately purchased, so you can keep them no matter what happens to the companies that sold them to you.
In the latter case, make sure to avoid proprietary tools; only use tools released under a free software license.
Reduce the brightness of your computer display to an acceptable level.