Simple Hacks for Spending LESS

Depending on your circumstances, managing your finances with a chronic illness can be difficult. Hell, managing finances is difficult for tons of people, with or without an illness! But there are little things that you can do to keep a few extra bucks in your pocket.

Brand Name vs Generic Drugs

This argument is a touchy one. You may find that your doctor suggests one over the other depending on the medication itself, your circumstances, etc. What I have found is that my doctors typically recommend the brand name drugs, whereas my pharmacy would tell me about the generic ones. If your doctor prescribes a medication that seems to have a generic version, it is worth bringing it up in conversation. Sometimes the name brand drug can be swapped out for a generic one, which will, in turn, save you some cash. Other times the use of a generic drug may not be appropriate. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

Make Coffee Instead of Buying

I wish that I had made this realization earlier. If I could reclaim all of the money I’ve spent in my life at Starbucks, I could probably buy a whole house. Cash.
When we moved into our place, once of our first purchases was a coffee machine. I was happy about this purchase, but I wasn’t sure if I could live without my daily vanilla lattes or caramel macchiatos, but I was determined to give this thing a chance. I had a milk frother from a Nespresso machine I won in an auction a few years prior. I used it to froth my almond milk and dumped it into my coffee, along with my monk fruit sugar. It was delicious! I even kicked it up a notch by putting a few drops of vanilla extract in the frother with the almond milk.
I will still grab a Starbucks coffee or whatever when I’m out, but I no longer have the desire or the need to spend anywhere from five to six dollars every morning on coffee!

Make Extra Dinner, Save on Lunch

I work in an office job (HR) in a building with tons of food options. I indulged in several of these options, and my reward was less money and extra pounds.
I have no excuse for this. I took a chef training course right out of high school, and I enjoy cooking. Even if I hadn’t taken this course, there is such an abundance of cooking information and instruction online. I’ve always loved cooking, but I had gotten lazy.
I started doing more grocery shopping and buying healthy, wholesome food to cook at home. I started off with doing the meal prep thing. I cooked meals on a Sunday for the week. This method didn’t work for me. It was exhausting and it either resulted in me making several different meals at a time or eating the same thing every day.
I decided that I would just cook extra dinner every evening, and take the leftovers for lunch the following day. The meals I cook for dinner are usually pretty healthy, so this worked out well.

Check online for coupons

There are some amazing websites and apps that can help you save your hard-earned dough, including Retail Me Not, Groupon, etc.

Rakuten Ebates.ca/Rakuten Ebates.com

I don’t buy ANYTHING online without checking Rakuten first. This app enables you to earn cashback on your purchases. This cash is placed in a “bank” that gets paid out to you via PayPal every few months (I think you can request a cheque as well). If you would like to check it out, click here (.ca for my Canadian friends) or here (.com for my American/international friends) and you can earn a cash bonus after making your first qualifying purchase

Flipp

Gone are the days of fumbling with paper flyers shoved into your mailbox! Flipp is an app that houses digital copies of various flyers from stores of your choosing. This includes Costco, Superstore, Best Buy, Walmart, etc. I always consult with Flipp, especially when I’m planning on doing some grocery shopping.

Checkout 51

This app is another great app for grocery shopping. There are various foods/items in this app that have an offer attached to them. For example, there may be a deal on the app where you can save $1 on a specific type of cereal (i.e. Special K). After you make the purchase, you simply take a picture of your receipt and upload it to the app. It gets reviewed, and the $1 savings is credited to your bank (similar to Rakuten Ebates). Once you have reached $25, you can request a cash out. There are deals within the app that change weekly, so it’s best to take a quick look at the app before you head out to buy your groceries.

Newsletters

I have found that websites that sell clothing, accessories, etc usually have an option to sign up for their newsletter. As an incentive to do so, they may offer a certain percentage off of your purchase (like 10-15%). Always check a website out for a similar offer before buying.

SheIn and Boohoo

Let’s face it. I enjoy shopping. I like buying clothes and accessories. In my younger days, I wouldn’t bat an eye at spending $200 on a pair of jeans. But now, I’m older and of course have different priorities and responsibilities. I’ve purchased quite a few pieces of clothing from both retailers, and I think you’ll find that their prices are pretty reasonable for the most part. If you’re in the mood for some shopping, I would definitely recommend both sites. For Shein, be sure to read the reviews and check the sizes for the garment you want to purchase, as the sizing can vary.

Auto PayCheque Withdrawal

I get paid from my day job on a bi-weekly basis. My employer offers employee share purchase plans that allow us to have a certain amount of our pay deducted and up into a stock purchase plan for us. The company also matches up to 50% of your contribution. It’s a no brainer! In addition to this, I have a few accounts with Wealthsimple. Wealthsimple is an investment management service that uses “robo-advisors” to automatically invest your money for you. You can deposit lump sums into your account, and you can also automatically contribute fixed amounts on a schedule of your choice. In addition to this, there is a “round-up” option that rounds up the purchases on, say, your bank account. That money is taken, deposited into your account, and invested. If you would like to check it out, click here.

RDSP

An RDSP is a registered disability savings plan. To qualify for an RDSP, you must live in Canada, have a social insurance number, and qualify for the Disability Tax Credit. RDSPs are a great savings tool for those with a disability because the Federal government will contribute up to $3 for every $1 you contribute. It seems crazy to me that someone wouldn’t have an RDSP if they qualify for one. For more in-depth information on RDSPs, please click here to see my blog post RDSP – The Retirement Savings Tool You Need. NOW

Refurbished

I used to have a thing about buying used products. In some instances, I still do. But sometimes, you can get a perfectly good product that functions perfectly without the extra cost. For example, I bought my Macbook Pro from the Apple Store website’s refurbished section. I was able to get an awesome Macbook and save a lot of money too. For peace of mind, the Macbook also came with a warranty.  This strategy is great places like best buy, amazon, Henry’s, etc.

And there you have it! These are just a few of many things to think about when you’re trying to pinch pennies here and there. It’s very rewarding to see that extra money in your account at the end of the month.

Happy Saving! 🙂