“Inflation sucks.” That was one of the last things I said at the grocery store a few days ago. I almost lost my mind at the $50 dollar total for only a couple of items.
Even though we’ve been dealing with high inflation for awhile now, this small grocery trip really highlighted how expensive things are getting. That $50 dollar grocery cart would’ve only been about $30 dollars just a couple of years ago.
It’s frustrating. But inflation is here and we have to deal with it. Otherwise, we’ll be broke – trying to fight inflation with even less money. Not good. So it’s time to start the battle against inflation by cutting costs and trying to save every way we can. It starts with this post. You ready? Alright, let’s go!
101 Ways to beat inflation – these tips actually work!
Your personal finances
1. Cut your spending: in this post, we’re going to talk about 2 ways to combat inflation – the first is to cut your expenses and the second is to make more money. If you make more and spend less, that’s always a recipe for success in personal finance. Use this list to find every way possible to do just that.
2. Don’t buy things that you don’t NEED: the next way that you save yourself from sky-high inflation? You stop buying stupid stuff that you don’t NEED. Unnecessary expenses get put on the back-burner when times are tough or times when you’re broke. Focus only on the necessary expenses like bills, food, medicine, necessary clothes, and any other needed expenses only. That’s how you truly keep costs down.
Here are “57 Things You’re Wasting Money On: This Post Can Save You Thousands!”
3. The no-spend challenge: the no-spend challenge is awesome. Whether you’re looking to fix your finances or save a good chunk of money, this challenge can really help you out along the way. Now the premise of this challenge is simple – no spending money on anything that you don’t absolutely NEED. This is similar to the last tip on this list, but this challenge can be for any length of time.
I highly encourage you to try it out for a week or a month just to see how you do. My wife and I normally do at least 1-2 of these challenges every year (usually a monthly challenge on months that are a little tighter than others). So try it out!
For more check out this post – “Quick Guide: What is a No-Spend Challenge and Why Should I Do it?”
4. Sinking funds for big purchases: next up is the sinking fund. These funds are basically just savings toward a big purchase. So you work on saving up money every month until you can afford the item. This way, you won’t have to fork out a huge chunk of money and risk having to put it on a credit card.
Need a new washer because your old one is going out? Save up for it. Want a better car? Save up for it.
All you have to do is set up a sinking fund for your large purchase and save up every month for that item. If you do that, you’ll still be paying more for stuff during times of high inflation, but large purchases shouldn’t hit you quite as hard with savings ready to pay for big purchases.
5. Negotiate expenses: another way to help cut expenses is to always try and negotiate any costs that you have. Some things like cell phone, cable, internet bills and insurance rates can almost always be negotiated for less. And if you can negotiate anything else, do it!
6. Learn about personal finance: the next way to fight outrageous inflation is to start learning about personal finance including the ins and outs of budgeting, saving, investing, and managing money. Every aspect is important, so start learning all of it today.
7. Understand your own personal finance situation: further, once you start understanding different things about personal finance, you need to take stock of your own personal finance situation and where you’re at – how much money you have, how much debt, what your income is, what your expenses are every month, and your financial goals. It’s all important. So learn about where you’re at with your personal finances.
8. Get on a budget: budgeting your money can be one of the absolute best ways to fight inflation. Why? Because you’re managing your money and watching where it all goes. Once you do that, it’s easy to see those costs going up and to start working toward lowering your expenses. Budgeting is a fantastic way to fix your finances and make substantial progress toward your financial goals.
Here are two posts that can help you out with budgeting:
9. Extreme budgeting: extreme budgeting is, well, pretty extreme. But if you have HUGE financial goals, you’ve got to do something extreme to start working toward those goals. Extreme budgeting refers to budgeting every single cent in income and updating your budget daily so that you know EXACTLY where all of your money is going. This might sound pretty intense, but if you’re looking to completely change your financial situation and never have to worry about struggling through inflation again, this is how you do it. You have to know where every single dollar of your money is going or else you’ll waste it away. Don’t do that.
10. Learn about why debt is bad: understanding why debt is bad can help you avoid it like the plague. Debt only costs you more and more money in the long run, so avoiding it is extremely important. The more debt you have, the more you’ll be paying in monthly payments.
Here are “20 Reasons Why Debt is Bad: The 10,000+ Word Complete Guide!“
11. Get your debt paid off: now that you’ve got a decent understanding of why debt sucks, you can focus on paying all of your debt off – credit cards, student loans, and ANYTHING else that you owe money on. If you owe money to someone for something, you have debt. Fighting inflation becomes much easier when you have no debt. Inflation always hurts, but it simply becomes an annoyance one you’re debt free.
Check out this post for more – “How to Stop Borrowing Money: 10 Step Guide to a Debt Free Life”
12. Make sure to have an emergency fund: having an emergency fund is important at all times. But it’s even better to have when there are times of high inflation. Because stuff costs more, especially emergencies, and you want to have emergency money there in case you need it.
Check out the following posts to help you with your emergency fund:
13. Continue investing!: even though it may be tough to do this while high inflation is robbing you blind, you need to continue investing steadily. This is one long-term solution to high inflation. Because you’ll be investing and building wealth through compound interest. And 30-40 years from now, you’ll have a significant amount of money and inflation won’t really hit you too hard.
14. Get on a financial plan: if you’re simply working just to make money, pay bills, and buy stuff, that’s a bad plan. You need to find a financial plan that helps you get out of debt, save money, and build wealth. If you do that, inflation won’t be much of a burden at all.
With that being said, I highly recommend the Ramsey Total Money Makeover financial plan (link to Amazon). This plan has helped my wife and I get out of debt, stay out of debt, and begin building wealth. At 31 years old, we have a net worth of over 300,000 dollars.
You can also see the financial plan that I’ve created, expanding the idea of getting out of debt and building wealth – check out my 10-step bulletproof financial plan here:
“How to Get out of Debt and Stay out of Debt: the Guide”
15. Find an accountability partner: one of the best ways of staying motivated during times when inflation is high is to find an accountability partner. If you and a friend/family member are actively working a financial plan, and holding each other accountable, you’re more likely to succeed. Find somebody that will work a plan with you and watch both of you do extremely well!
Cut subscription costs
16. It’s time to cut cable for good: cable tv is insanely expensive these days. And streaming apps have gotten pretty awesome. So if you’d like to save $80-100 bucks per month, consider cutting cable for good. My wife and I did this a few years ago and have never looked back. We simply pay for a couple of streaming services and watch tv shows and movies from those apps. However, be careful of #18!
17. Make a list of all of your streaming services/costs: in order to fight the rising costs of everything, make sure you’re not paying for too many streaming and subscription services like Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Xbox Game Pass, and any other monthly subscription service. They may not be too expensive by themselves, but added together, can really take a chunk of money from you each month.
18. Trim down your streaming services: if you add up your totals and realize you’re spending too much on your streaming services, it might be time to cut a few of those subscriptions out. And it’s easy to do. Most services have a few signature shows or movies, so if you’re currently watching certain things, you might have Paramount for the Yellowstone prequel 1883 AND Peacock for Yellowstone. You might have picked up Dicovery Plus for Moonshiners and AMC Plus for The Walking Dead.
Then you realize you’re paying almost $30 dollars for those 4 streaming services. Add in HBO, Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Xbox Game Pass, Apple Music, Spotify, and anything else that you like, and you’re well up over $100 bucks. Slow down and cut a few of those out…because you really don’t need them all.
19. Share streaming costs with family and friends: if you would like to have a bunch of streaming services, try sharing those costs with family and friends. If you have 3 roommates, and you all buy 2 streaming services, then 8 streaming services can be shared amongst everybody. You can also do this with family members and enjoy a bunch of different streaming services, all for one low cost ($15-20 bucks) between each person.
20. Cut out magazine subscriptions: if you’re still paying for crappy, overly-priced magazine subscriptions, it’s time to cut them out. They’re mostly wastes of money, especially as entertainment. Save some money. Cut these out of your life.
Save on utilities
21. The Energy audit: with energy costs soaring in the last couple of years, it’s smart to stay on top of these costs by trying to keep them down and working to lower them. If you’re looking to fight inflation, and you own a home, this is one HUGE way to do it.
22. Low-cost and LED light bulbs: another great inflation buster is getting low-cost, led light bulbs. These bulbs may not save you a lot over the course of the month, but over the life of the bulbs can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars depending on your home size. So don’t take this tip for granted!
23. Energy Star and energy-efficient appliances: if you’re able to upgrade to more efficient, energy star appliances, this can save you A LOT of money on your energy and water bill over time. Since energy costs are guaranteed to continue going up, why not try to curb some of those costs by having the best, most efficient appliances running in your home?
24. Smart thermostat: the exact same goes for this next inflation-fighting tip. Smart thermostats can learn and help you save by adjusting temperatures automatically, making sure to always turn temperatures to correct settings and never wasting energy.
25. Turn down the heat (in the winter): one easy way to save some money this winter is to turn down the heat. By allowing your house to stay just a little bit colder, and using less heat, you’ll spend less money on your power bill.
26. Run fans and close blinds (in the summer): keeping your home a little warmer in the summer as well can help save you money. Using less air conditioning always means less money spent. Plus, it’s less strain on your A/C unit.
Instead, try running energy-efficient fans and keeping the blinds closed. Both of those will guarantee that it stays just a little bit cooler in those extremely hot months!
27. Vampire energy: everybody knows what a vampire is. It’s a creature that sucks the blood of its victims. Vampire energy is simply an electronic device that is plugged up, but NOT in use, and is still sucking up valuable energy and costing you money. All those electronics you’ve got plugged in…yep, they’re wasting electricity and costing you money (even if they’re off)!
Just simply make sure that any unneeded electronics are turned off AND unplugged. If you aren’t using it, unplug it!
28. Always turn out the lights: one super easy way to save money on your power bill, and keep costs down as well, is to simply cut off the lights whenever you don’t need them. There are always times when you don’t need lights, especially during the daytime. Keep those lights out and save a few bucks a month in the meantime!
29. Fix any energy issues asap: if you have any power/electric issues that could be draining power and adding to your electric bill, make sure to get them fixed asap.
30. Maintain your A/C or heat unit: failing to maintain your A/C unit and heat unit can cause serious long-term issues and damage to your energy units…including complete failure. A broken heat or A/C unit can cost you thousands of dollars. So make sure to spend the couple hundred bucks per year to maintain them properly. Because a well-kept A/C and heat unit can last for 10+ plus years or more!
31. Use wool dryer balls in your dryer: not only are dryer sheets expensive, most of them contain chemicals that you shouldn’t be exposing yourself to. So we save money with wool dryer balls. My wife paid about $12 bucks for her wool dryer balls here on Amazon and we get a new set about once a year or so.
32. Wash clothes in cold water: hot water uses more power, thus costing you a little bit more on your power bill. So if you can, try running more of your clothes on the cold cycle. This can save you upwards of $50-100 dollars per year depending on how often you wash clothes!
33. Use dishwasher (over hand-washing dishes): hand washing dishes isn’t just monotonous and time-consuming, it’s also a huge waste of water. Watercalculator.org says, “Get a dishwasher,” because the average person uses 20 gallons of water hand washing dishes. Whereas, modern day dishwashers only use 4 gallons! You can see that post here.
34. Repair any water leaks immediately: water leaks around your home can literally waste hundreds of gallons of water per year and can cause thousands in water damage. Don’t let that happen. Get water leaks fixed immediately.
35. Insulate all of your home’s pipes: pipe insulation throughout your home is good for the life of the pipe and for using less power to heat up your water. Hey, every dollar counts, right?
36. Turn down hot water heater: turning your hot water heater down by just a few degrees can save you a couple hundred bucks per year or more. And don’t worry, because you can still have hot showers!
37. Always turn the water off when not using it!: here’s a really simple way to make sure you’re not wasting valuable dollars every year. When you’re not using the water, make sure you’re always turning it off. If you’re rinsing something off, shaving, or doing anything that involves using water, turn it off as often as you can. This might be annoying but you’ll save a lot of gallons of water over time.
38. The shower count: this is one of my favorite water-saving ideas. I often use it because I want to save water (and money) and because I’m always limited on time. I mean, it’s a serious win-win. So here’s how you do it: you simply give yourself a time limit, 2 minutes for example, and then you count. During those couple of minutes, get your hair and body washed quickly. Try to finish up within your time limit and get out. Doing that for most of my showers helps my family save hundreds of gallons of water per year (and keep the water bill down, too)!
39. Low-flow shower heads and toilets: pair that last tip with a low-flow shower head and you’ll be saving even more water. Low-flow toilets are a great investment as well.
For more on how to save on utilities, check out this epic post – “The Complete Guide to Saving Money on Your Utility Bills: 57 Easy Tips”
Save at the gas pump
40. Use Upside (or other gas apps): Upside, formerly known as GetUpside, is one of my favorite ways to save money at the gas pump. This simple app finds discounts on gas and pays you for each fill-up. And over time, this has really added up for me. So far, I’ve earned almost $500 dollars from using Upside and plan to keep using it for as long as I possibly can.
If you’d like to earn cash back on your file purchases, check out Upside here!
41. Fuel rewards programs: if you don’t want to mess around with any apps, you can always save money at different gas stations using their fuel rewards. But be careful of rewards credit cards. They can cost you more in interest then you’re earning in rewards.
42. Compare prices in the area: if you don’t like using apps, try simply comparing prices in your area. In my city, there are weird little pockets where gas is normally cheaper. Explore the area to find the cheapest gas!
43. Buy gas at the right time: did you know that there’s a right time and a wrong time to buy gas? Yep, gas is the cheapest in the morning on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. If you buy gas late in the day or anytime Thursday through Sunday, you’ll be paying a premium for regular unleaded. If you want to beat inflation, get gas as early as you can on the first 3 days of the week.
44. Premium gas? Only if required: oh, and if you can skip the premium gas, do it. Some cars, like the one my wife drives, has a premium fuel RECOMMENDATION…not a requirement. So we’ve used regular gas for over 100,000 miles with no issues at all. Warning: please make sure to use premium gas, though, if it’s required in your car.
45. Keep tires properly inflated: it won’t save you much. But properly inflated tires can at least keep a little bit of financial inflation away. Over the years, under inflated tires could waste hundreds of dollars away.
46. Keep up with regular maintenance: routine car maintenance can get pretty costly. But it’s nothing compared to the cost of expensive mechanical issues from a car that hasn’t been properly taken care of. So don’t forget to spend a little bit to simply avoid A LOT of problems with your vehicle in the long run!
47. Lighten your car: keeping excess weight out of your car can help you save on fuel costs. The heavier your vehicle, the more you’re going to spend in fuel. So don’t waste! Lighten up your car to continue those fuel savings.
48. Bad driving habits: erratic and reckless driving can also be a huge fuel waster. Plus, you might end up with a few speeding tickets, too! Be responsible, drive safe, and save that money!
49. Limit travel or don’t travel at all: if inflation is really causing you problems, limiting travel might be the way to go. Cutting back on the places you go can save you hundreds of precious dollars per month. If you really want to go extreme, cut out all travel for a period of time. Besides work and the grocery store, spend the rest of your time at home finding cheap or free things to do.
50. Use public transportation: if you do want to go places, but don’t want to spend much, public transportation can be the way to go. Bus fares, the subway, or the local metro train can be relatively affordable options for you.
51. Get a more fuel-efficient car: if you’re able to, try trading in your gas guzzler for something more fuel-efficient. Jeeps, trucks, and other low-mileage vehicles are awesome, but they’re SO expensive to drive and maintain. Instead, get yourself a Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, or other fuel-saving vehicle. Skip the electric vehicles unless you can pay all cash. Because they’re usually way too expensive to even be worth switching.
52. Hypermiling: this extreme way to save money involves optimizing your vehicle and your driving in every way possible to save money on fuel. If you’re an extreme cheapskate, this tip is for you. Read more about hypermiling here on autoexpress.co.uk.
Also, for more on how to save at the gas pump, check out this post – “27 Awesome Ways to Save Money at the Gas Pump [The Guide]”
Save on food
53. Save by not eating out: with record inflation hitting food the hardest, here’s an easy way to save on food – stop eating out or cut back on fast food! Fast food costs have gone through the roof! My normal Chik Fil-A meal is now over $13 dollars. These prices are getting ridiculous. I’ve gotten to the point where I only eat out about once per week because it’s just too expensive. Inflation is hitting everything hard, so cut out the fast food and put more money back in your pocket.
54. Pack your lunch: one of the best ways to save money and fight inflation is to pack your lunch…EVERY SINGLE DAY. Packing your lunch might take a little bit of thought and effort, but it can save you thousands of dollars in food costs per year. I took this tip to heart for 40 months and put thousands of dollars in saved money toward my $30,000 dollar debt payoff. So don’t take this tip for granted. It can really help you save and find money in your budget.
55. Meal plan: meal planning is one great option for preparing food for lunches and dinners. Its super simple and a little easier than meal prepping. It’s basically the prep before the prep. All you have to do is print out a calendar and plan out all of your meals ahead of time.
I would first write down a list of every single meal that you could make for lunch and dinner for the entire month. This way, you’ll know exactly what you’re going to eat for those days. If you don’t want to do both lunch and dinner, just plan out all of your dinners and make enough for lunch for the next day or two. Then go get your food and get ready to make it.
56. Meal prep: meal prepping involves making a large batch of food to eat for the next few meals or couple of days. You don’t have to go crazy and cook 20 meals for the entire week. But prepping is fairly easy and can save you A LOT of time throughout the course of your busy week if you do it right.
Next time you go to the grocery store, buy enough food to prep at least 2-3 meals. Have those meals planned and then spend a few hours cooking food for the next couple of days. Simple, easy, and efficient. Plus, you’ll enjoy a bunch of easy meals once they’re prepped and ready to go!
57. Skip the fancy stores and name-brand food: if you’re shopping at Lowes Foods, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, or any other expensive grocery chain, it’s time to stop. As inflation continues with soaring food prices, all supermarkets have raised their prices. At the expensive stores, those prices have gone up exorbitantly. It’s insane to shop at those stores because of how utterly absurd the prices have become.
Whenever we get groceries, to save money, we always go to the regular, cost-efficient stores like Food Lion, Walmart, and Aldi. There are also a bunch of other great stores. But you just have to find them in your area!
Also, remember that most name brand food is overpriced as well. Skip the expensive grocery stores AND the expensive food brands. Almost all store-brand food these days is exactly the same as the name brand food (and sometimes it actually is the same).
58. Crockpot meals and frozen dinners: if you’re struggling to find decent meals, just grab something for the crockpot or grab a frozen tv dinner from the store. Believe me, it’s still cheaper than fast food.
59. Learn how to cook better: learning how to cook easy, simple meals will help you stay motivated to cook your own meals, meal prep, and save a lot of money on food costs!
60. Protein shakes and smoothies: protein shakes and smoothies are not only healthy for you, but fairly cheap as well. You can usually make smoothies and protein shakes for around $1-1.50 per serving.
61. Track food costs: another great way to fight inflation in your food budget is to simply track all of your food expenses. Making sure to always track these expenses is insanely important because costs keep rising. You should know exactly how much you’re spending and where you can cut back.
62. Fast food budget limit: if you still want fast food, but want to save some, try setting a fast food budget limit. Give fast food its own budget category and set a limit for yourself that you can’t exceed. For my personal budget, I give myself $50 dollars per month. It’s not a lot, but enough to get about 4-5 decent fast food meals per month (normally Chik Fil-A).
63. Allow yourself 1 meal out per week: if keeping a strict budget limit isn’t for you, just try cutting back to only 1 fast food meal out per week. This is about where I’m at, with the budget limit as well, but I’ll occasionally grab another if my week is overly crazy. 1 meal per week, though, will help you save a lot of money every month.
64. Stop ordering delivery: if you are going to eat out, skip the delivery fees. Companies like Doordash and Uber Eats always tack on a hefty fee for the convenience of staying at home. And if you’re ordering delivery multiple times per month, you could be wasting $30-40 extra dollars or more. Delivery fees and tips can really break the bank if you’re not careful.
65. Stay disciplined and say, “NO!”: this applies to both buying fast food and stuff in general. If you really want to save money on fast food, cut it out completely like I stated in #53 above. But this could be tough, especially if you’re used to eating out a lot. So start becoming more disciplined and telling yourself NO more often.
You have to be disciplined if you want to start saving money and winning the battle against inflation. Cutting out fast food can seriously help. So stay disciplined, say, “No,” and save that dough.
66. Raid the pantry: lastly, before you head out to eat or back to the grocery store, try raiding the pantry and making 1-2 more meals. It might be tough, and you’ll probably have to lower your standards a little bit, but stretching your meals out another day or two can help you to not waste what you’ve already bought. That’s a double win for saving money (no waste and no extra money spent).
Save on clothing
67. Hit the thrift shop: next up, clothing. Specifically, one of my wife’s favorite ways to save money on clothes – hitting up the thrift shop to save an insane amount of money on used, good quality clothing. She goes about once a month and always finds a few things to add to her wardrobe (usually for super cheap as well). Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!
68. Walmart: I don’t always shop for clothes at Walmart, but I’ve bought A LOT of clothes from here throughout my life. They offer a wide selection of good quality clothing at reasonable prices. You may not win “best dressed” with these clothes but it’s a simple way to spend less on clothing and not get ripped off. I’ve got almost an entire collection of workout clothes from Walmart and I’m perfectly content with that. Why? They were affordable and they get the job done.
69. Set a monthly budget limit: if you’re really trying to fight inflation in your clothing budget, set a monthly budget limit on clothing! This is good for those who just can’t help but buying a lot of clothes every month. I want you to start tracking how much you spend every month. Next, set a budget limit for yourself and don’t go over it. If you control your spending in the clothing category, you’ll be on your way to fighting inflation head on.
Ways to save and have fun
70. Read every single book on your bookshelf: one easy way to save some money is to take a look at your bookshelf and start reading every single book on it. You already own those books, so read them or re-read them. The cost? Nothing, of course.
71. The library: if you’ve already read all of the books that you own, head to your local library and get a FREE library card! You can then go to the library as often as you want, read anything while you’re there, check out anything that’s available, and not have to pay a single cent! Just make sure that you return everything on time or else you will have to pay late fees!
72. Movies on the cheap: if you’re wanting to actually hit the movie theater on a date night or with friends, I encourage you to try to do this for as cheap as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to hit the matinee showtimes. These are movies earlier in the day, mostly during the week, and you’ll only pay about half the cost. If you’re able to do that, it’s the way to go.
73. Potluck dinner and movie night: one really cheap way to have fun with friends is to have a potluck dinner and movie night. Have a couple friends make or bring food and get one friend to grab a movie and the candy. Eat food, stay up late, and have fun.
74. Board game night: you could also set up a board game night. Find a fun strategy or mystery game to play with friends and see who comes out on top!
75. Hit the bar during happy hour!: if staying in isn’t your thing, try hitting up the local bar scene during happy hour.
76. Cheap date nights: one fun, creative way to spice up your relationship is to find cheap date night ideas. My wife and I are always looking for fun things to do on the cheap. And it’s actually pretty fun just to find those ideas. Once you do, try to stick to that list of ideas so that you and your partner can both save a ton of money!
77. Free local festivals: local music, food, and cultural festivals can be great places to hang out and enjoy the day, all while saving a boatload of money. My wife and I always try to check out these free festivals to both find stuff to do on the weekend AND not spend a lot of money. Just Google “free festivals (your city and state.”
78. Cheap local history and ghost tours: local history and ghost tours usually only cost around $10-15 dollars per ticket, offer you a night of fun, and give you insight into your town or city’s awesome history. My wife and I have gone on ghost tours in New Orleans and Greensboro, NC and have learned about some insanely interesting things that happened in the past!
79. Hiking: if you’d like some great exercise for no cost at all, start hiking. Almost all hiking trails are free and hiking offers a lot of great benefits include – exercise for improving physical health, stress relief for improving mental health, and an absolute fun, free activity for anyone invited on the trek.
80. Running: this one might be hard at first, but running is excellent for your health and only costs as much as the shoes you buy to run in. If you’re looking for an activity that’s essentially free during times of high inflation, start running. Running will be good for your wallet AND good for your health.
81. Disc golf: I love disc golf. Ever since I started playing, I’ve enjoyed getting out to the local courses and slinging some discs. While some might know this as frisbee golf, this game involves throwing a plastic disc from a concrete teepad to a metal basket at the end of each hole. It’s similar to ball golf, but instead of clubs, a ball, and a small hole, you have discs and a metal basket.
But it’s not just a fun game…it’s also a super cheap sport to play! If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can buy a $15 dollar bag and a $15 dollar starter set. And that gear can last you a good while…probably about a year or so. Oh, and the courses? Almost all of them are free.
If you’d like to learn more about disc golf, check out my other site here – DiscgolfNOW.com.
82. Exercising: other forms of exercise include swimming, CrossFit, biking, weightlifting, and countless other ways to get fit. But if you’re fighting the battle against inflation, I’d encourage you to find ways to exercise for as cheap as possible.
One way to do this is with a monthly gym membership. All the benefits of your local gym for one low price. I pay $15 bucks a month at a 24/7 gym and that’s all I need. I wouldn’t spend any more than $30, because it will normally just end up being a waste of money.
Do be careful, though. I HIGHLY encourage that you get fit and go to the gym. But don’t pay for a gym membership if you aren’t going to go. Paying for a membership to make yourself feel good is dumb. So don’t waste the money.
83. Make your own entertainment list: need a good list of entertainment ideas? Make your own list! Just hop on Google and search for “free and cheap entertainment ideas” or “free and cheap ways to have fun.” Then spend some time making a list of the absolute best ways that you can find. Tailor this list to exactly what you like to do or things you’d like to try. Then, when you’re trying to think of something fun to do, pull out your list and pick!
More general ways to save
84. Stop smoking or drinking: the next couple things on this list include expensive vices. These vices are simply bad habits that you shouldn’t spend money on in the first place. And if you continue to do so, should be limited as much as possible.
The first vices to cut out? Smoking and drinking. While both of these are legal, they’re costing you a fortune in both financial health and physical health. They’re both just bad for you. I’m not opposed to a couple of drinks every once in a while, but drink responsibly and don’t overspend. Smoking is just disgusting and should be cut out immediately. Neither of these really help you make progress in your life. So it’s time to cut them both out and start saving a ton of money.
85. Stop gambling: there’s nothing wrong with spending a small amount of money on legal gambling. I don’t normally spend money on gambling because I believe it’s a complete waste, but a little bit isn’t horrible. However, if you’re constantly wasting money on this, that’s a problem. Also, if you’re broke and fighting inflation, cut this out of your life. Nothing but a waste of your hard-earned dollars.
86. Cut out soda and energy drinks: I’ll admit that soda and energy drinks are one of my only vices. But even I try to not buy them too much. Energy drinks and sodas are pretty terrible for you in general, costing around $2-3 bucks a pop (or more). One of these every once in awhile is fine, but daily spending can really add up. So make sure you know how much you’re spending!
87. Buy items in bulk (but be careful): next up, bulk buying! Great way to save money over the long-term on stuff that you’re actually going to use. But it can be a huge hole in your budget if you go to places and bulk buy EVERYTHING that you see.
Now, I have a love/hate relationship with places like Costco and Sam’s Club. These places are great if you watch what you spend and only buy what you need. On the flip side, if you bulk buy everything just because it’s a “good deal,” you’re going to waste A LOT of money. So please be careful.
88. Stop buying stuff brand new: brand new stuff is overrated. Buying nice stuff gently used is perfectly fine and normally a fraction of the price. Here are a couple of places where you can go to find used things…
89. Garage sales: garage sales are freakin amazing. You might not find everything you’re looking for, but you will always find a ton of cheap clothes.
90. Facebook marketplace: this online platform is a treasure trove of anything and everything you can think of.
You can also hit up thrift shops, EBay, and Mercari. All of those places can help you find nice, used stuff.
91. Facebook marketplace (for kids stuff): I highly recommend looking for kids toys, clothes, and other kids items here. My wife and I have saved thousands over the last couple of years using Facebook marketplace to cut down on the costs of raising a kid.
92. Volunteer your time: one easy way to give back to the community is to volunteer your time. You can really help people and organizations out, plus you won’t be spending any money at all. This may not help you with inflation, but it’s free and great for the community around you.
Make more money!
93. Ask for a raise: it’s not just about saving money during times of high inflation. It’s also about making as much as you possibly can to have more income. If you’d like to earn more, try asking for a raise. This is probably the simplest way to earn more. If you work hard for your company, most places are more than happy to help you out with a small hourly or annual raise.
94. Try working OT: if you’re unable to get a raise, ask for overtime! Almost all jobs will give at least a small amount of overtime and some will give as much as you’d like to work. Learn your job’s OT policy and get to work!
95. Apply for a promotion: if a raise is out of the question and you can’t get overtime, try applying for a promotion in your current job. This could come with a significant pay raise. The more you make, the easier it is to fight inflation.
96. Find a new job: if your full-time job isn’t paying you, promoting you, or allowing you to get overtime, it might be time to find a new job…one that actually wants you to get ahead. So don’t settle for a crappy job.
97. Find a second job: if your full-time job is pretty good, but extra pay isn’t an option, find yourself a second job (something to add income into your budget). A second or even third job can help give you enough breathing room to clear debt and do better. Inflation is tough. That’s why you HAVE to earn more income!
98. Start a side hustle: instead of working more jobs, try starting up a side hustle. You can do things like cut grass, clean houses, rake leaves, walk dogs, shovel driveways, power wash homes, and so much more. Find something you’re good at AND can make $30-40 bucks an hour doing in your spare time (hint: any of those jobs that I just listed).
99. Turn your hobby into extra money: if you have a crafty hobby like woodworking or making things, try turning that hobby into a profit. If you can find ways to make money with your hobby, that’s always best.
100. Yard sale flip: my wife and I love to yard sale flip. Yard sale flipping is pretty simple – you go around to various yard sales and find cool stuff that will sell for more money online. You buy that stuff on the cheap and you sell it for a profit. People will buy almost anything online. My family has probably made $2,000-3,000 dollars or more off of flipping stuff online and we don’t plan to stop. Try it and I bet you’ll love it.
If you’d like to see a really good mini series on yard sale flipping, I HIGHLY recommend Gary Varnerchuck’s YouTube series called “Trash Talk” that you can check out here. I love this series. And Gary V is pretty motivational on top of that if you need some inspiration and motivation in your life.
101. Build a niche website: the last tip on this list is my favorite. I want you to build your own niche website. Find a hobby that you love and try to monetize it. I found disc golf first. So I built a site to learn and help other new disc golfers. Then I realized that I had a passion for personal finance. This site was the second one that I’ve built.
If you truly want to fight inflation, you have to work hard to save money AND make more money. This last tip can help you make quite a bit if you put the effort in!
Finally
Inflation can be one of the hardest things to deal with in your personal finances. I mean, prices just keep going up and up while wages usually stay pretty stagnant. So you can’t afford as much. But that’s why it’s extremely important to manage your money and keep a close watch on your overall expenses. Then try to spend less and earn more. If you can do that, inflation won’t hurt quite as bad. It’ll still suck, but merely be an annoyance in your life rather than an all-out crisis.
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