7 No-Fail Ways to Save Money in 2024

Inflation has hit many Americans hard—including us.

There has been an increase in insurance premiums (health, dental, auto, and home), groceries are more expensive, clothing costs more, and I’ve noticed skyrocketing prices on services.

Here are some tips to help you combat inflation and higher prices in 2024.

1. Save on Insurance.

Get new quotes on all of your insurances—especially home and auto.

We switched home insurance last month and saved a whopping $2,000 a year.

I switched car insurance a few years ago and saved $1,000 that year. I checked with multiple other auto insurance companies last month and I’m still at the lowest-offered price for auto so we stayed with our current company.

Inquire about bundling the home and auto as it will likely save you on both (although, for us, this was not the case).

Car Insurance:

Auto insurances often have a lot of discounts like non-drinker, homeowner, no accidents for a certain amount of time, etc. Make sure to look at and request those.

Sometimes switching will save you money because the other company wants your business so they offer a lower incentivized rate.

We also saved on our auto insurance by having a device plugged into my car for a few months and showing my driving history.

Home Insurance:

Get multiple bids on home insurance.

Ask companies to bid you twice, one for a lower and one for a higher deductible option. Weigh the pros and cons of these options.

Also, you can see if you can lower the replacement price of your home. Most insurances offer a set replacement price plus a guarantee of 25% on top of the replacement price for the total replacement value. See if it makes sense to move the set replacement price down a bit to save.

Remember that by not having home insurance claims you’ll get the best rates. Even though we had a fridge and a freezer die this year without notice and lost all of the food inside, I knew it would be cheaper, in the long run, to not make a claim on those losses. So, think long-term when it comes to insurance claims.

Dental Insurance:

Make sure you understand what benefits your dental insurance covers.

We just found out that our new dental insurance will pay $1,000 per child for braces for their lifetime. This was wonderful news as we have one with braces and another who is not far behind.

Read up on coverages so you don’t miss benefits.

Health Insurance:

If your employer offers health insurance check to see if there are any ways to downgrade and save.

My husband’s employer offers a few different tiers of health insurance. We were about to downgrade but then we were told he was grandfathered into the middle option we were at for the same price as downgrading, so of course, we stayed.

If you don’t have an employer who offers health insurance, look into health insurance via co-ops or health share groups. A few of my family members have gone with these co-ops and have had really good experiences and they are much, much cheaper than most health insurance for families.

Christian Health Ministry is one and Zion Health is another.

HSA Accounts:

If you have excess money in your HSA account, use your HSA for items that you would normally buy, antacids, bandaids, etc. This saves you because it’s tax-free.

If you are going to counseling or physical therapy and it is not covered by insurance use your HSA to pay for these services (check first to see if they are applicable).

At the end of the year last year, I was looking up what HSA accounts would pay for. I realized we spent $1000+ on services out of pocket that our HSA would pay for. I submitted receipts and got a refund.

This money is tax-free so not only did we get reimbursed, but we saved quite a bit.

Prescriptions:

You can save on prescriptions by looking into getting generic prescriptions and using apps that show you where the cheapest fill is for your prescription to save. We also have an option on our insurance to do 90-day prescription fills at a discount.

2. Look for savings on phone, internet, and other utilities.

Cell phone savings:

Verizon offers us a $20.00 a month discount/savings for paying our bill with the Verizon-branded credit card. We save $10.00 for the use of autopay. We save another $10.00 a month by having all of our communications sent electronically vs. by mail.

You can look at your usage rates and see if you can scale down to a cheaper plan to save. Log in and play with the different plans to see if you can lower your bill.

Verizon is a more expensive provider than many but since my husband works out of town on occasion and sometimes in remote places, we have found that we need to stay with Verizon.

To save on phone services, get quotes from other providers to see if switching is both practical and will save you money.

Ditch the paid for cell phone insurance and opt for complimentary versions. Often, paying for Asurion and other cell phone insurance providers is a waste of money. This is because some credit cards as well as credit unions (premium checking members) will insure your electronic devices as part of the perk of using the credit union or credit card. Here’s an article about why cell phone insurance through cell phone carriers is often a rip-off. America First Credit Union premium checking members as well as a few credit cards I’ve read about will insure your electronic devices for free.

Internet savings:

Shop around for the internet.

We only have two options for reliable speed internet in our area. I called the other company and they were more expensive.

I logged in to our internet provider and realized that during the previous month, our two-year contract along with its contract discount had expired.

So, I signed on for a year contract. This year-long contract is saving us $20.00 a month. I put a notice on my phone to check in next year and to sign on for another ‘contract deal’.

We bought our modem five years ago and while it was kind of pricey (~$200) it has saved us $30.00 a month (after you calculate its original cost) for the past five years that we have owned it. Look into buying a new or used modem to save on the monthly cost of renting one from your internet company.

County Utility Savings:

There isn’t much we can do to save on our county utilities and costs—those are set.

However, for you, you may want to contact your county and ask them if you can save by doing autopay, electronic billing, or in any other way.

Gas/heat savings:

Many gas companies give you $50-$100 credit to switch to a smart thermostat. Call and ask. We got a $50 kickback/credit for each of our Nest thermostats that we installed.

Even if you do not get incentivized to switch, it is worth it to switch to save money on gas. If you are renting, ask your landlord to help pay for some of it so you can save on utilities.

Set your smart thermostats on eco settings tied to your cell phone location so that the heat goes down when you are not home.

Set up the calendar function so that the thermostat is running most efficiently for your usage needs.

Dress warmer in winter. I love dressing for warmth in the winter; warm clothing is comfy. We also set blankets near our couch so we can use a blanket when we are sitting. I keep our home cooler in the winter than most to keep costs low and because my husband prefers it. The rest of us have acclimated just fine. When guests come, I do heat our house a bit more but my kids and I dress warmer in winter (hoodies, socks, leggings) as an easy way to save—plus as a bonus not running the heater as much keeps more moisture in the air (we live in a desert) this helps our skin and sinuses fair better.

If you get direct sunlight, open shutters, and the sun will help heat your home.

Another way to save it is to insulate.

Many gas companies offer rebates to blow insulation in your attic. I did that in my last home and it saved us considerably on utilities and the rebate covered the cost of the insulation.

Look for cracks and fix those.

If you are looking at the investment of new windows see if your gas company will rebate you if you buy specific kinds.

Electric savings:

We save quite a bit with our solar panels. While this may not be practical for many, our panels, even with the monthly lease price, save us about $300 per month in electrical bills (we have a large home).

We have also installed Lutron switches and LED lights to save on our electrical bill.

Our Lutron lights automatically turn off at certain times of the day. Our small bathrooms run on timers, and our pantry, and laundry room switches are motion-detected so they are always off unless someone enters the room. It’s been helpful for me to be able to yell, “Hey Google turn off all the lights” before I leave anywhere, which I always do. It’s also nice that our switches turn my kids’ room lights and downstairs lights off when we know they’ve left for school. The lights are set to turn off at night a bit after bedtime and then they are set to turn off multiple other times during the night just in case someone was up and turned a light back on.

We bought the Lutron switches on sale + coupon + bundle discount and even then they were pretty pricey. However, we’ve had them installed for five years and they work so well that I think they have saved us money. That said, I don’t have the numbers to figure this out. I just know that our lights are off and working much more efficiently since we installed the switches.

When looking at new appliances choose energy-efficient ones and before buying, see if your power company offers rebates for buying specific products.

In the summer, dress cooler to run the AC less and keep the blinds closed during the hottest times of the day and when there is direct sunlight in the home.

Water savings:

We are lucky to have two separate water systems: irrigation for land and culinary for home.

In my last home, we had culinary water for our sprinklers and the bill would skyrocket in summer. It would get crazy high if we were not careful with watering our yard.

If you are paying for culinary water for your land, I’d highly recommend looking into your sprinkler system and checking for leaks, and overspray, and setting it for the most efficient times of day to water (late night or early, early morning), etc. This will save you considerably.

Getting a wifi/smart sprinkler console (we bought this Orbit one) and setting it to make watering the lawn more efficient helps. It will not water when it rains, etc. I’d bet that if you are on culinary water a smart sprinkler console will pay for itself in a matter of months.

Of course, being a responsible land waterer is important no matter which water system you are on, but since we are talking ‘money savings’ here, culinary watering costs can get out of hand so taking multiple different precautions helps. Dry landscaping, artificial turf, and pavers or patios are other ways to save.

Fixing running toilets and leaky faucets can save on water costs as well.

Here is another post on how to save on utilities.

3. Home-Services-Yourself Savings.

We save thousands each year by doing many home services ourselves.

Bug spray.

I was planning on doing a post on how we spray for bugs. However, I haven’t gotten to it.

The ‘Cliff Notes’ version is, I buy Teprid FX (this is what many professional companies use) and I dilute it into a garden sprayer like this (if you have a large home, a backpack sprayer may be more efficient) and I spray corners, under large furniture, baseboards, and window seals. I also spray outside around the perimeter of our home.

It works so well I noticed a decrease in spiders within a week of spraying and the treatment lasted a long time. I know this because I’d vacuum up dead spiders and even six months later I was finding new spiders that had recently died from my treatment.

I try to spray twice a year inside and outside.

Window Cleaning.

I was planning on doing a post on how I do this but I haven’t gotten to it.

The ‘Cliff Notes’ version is, that I clean the windows on the inside first. This is because it is easy to get to and therefore easiest to clean well.

Then, I use a large window scrubbing device and squeegee to wash, scrub, and dry the window. I’ll use a ladder if the pole won’t reach.

For hard water…Don’t try this unless you know how… or at least practice on a scratch piece of glass first… for hard water that will not come off with a window cleaner and scrubber, I use a razor blade—it works every time.

To use a razor blade to clean a window, I get a ladder (you need to be close to the glass to do this by hand). Then I use a razor blade at an angle with the window cleaner as a lubricant (make sure the surface of the glass and blade is very wet) and scrape at an angle so it doesn’t scratch the glass and the hard water comes right off. Then I clean the window again.

I clean our windows—depending on which ones every few months to every year or two.

House Cleaning.

Here are some house cleaning posts with some of my tips and tricks for house cleaning.

I have paid house cleaners to come a few times in the seven years I’ve lived at this home for special events such as my sister’s bridal shower, and our family Christmas party, however, normally I clean our home and have my children help. This saves us considerably.

Carpet Cleaning.

Since we have a big house and a lot of carpet in the basement my bids for carpet cleaning were over $1,000 for each company that bid me out. I could not believe it.

I was planning on doing a post on how I do this but I haven’t gotten to it.

The ‘Cliff Notes’ version is, I bought an industrial Bigreen carpet cleaner when it went on sale for $250.00 and I bought this professional carpet cleaning system (Pro Chem 3 step/3 cleaner system) for about $150.00 (it should last about 10 years cleaning 3 times a year).

Then I began cleaning our carpets and rugs myself.

First, I vacuum well. Next, I pre-treat the carpet using the pre-treat cleaner in a garden sprayer. Then, I use the carpet cleaning machine with a cleaning agent in hot, hot water and I push the machine around making sure to get each area twice. Finally, I use the last step/cleaner to condition/pull the excess water out/help speed drying with hot water as well. To end, I placed floor fans on the carpet to speed up the drying process.

I clean our carpets at least 3 times a year and I anticipate the Pro Chem system lasting me about 10 years. So, calculating the price per use with the machine, it only costs me about $16.00 each time I clean our carpets (not including my labor… which is priceless—jk).

Yard Fertilization.

We have fertilized our yard in the past with the IFA fertilizer system.

However, for the past two years, I found a company that did it for the same price as it would cost us just to buy the fertilizer. The company was a start up and they said they get discounts on fertilizer based on purchasing quantity.

This year the prices have gone up about 45% (surprised?, yeah me neither), so we will be doing the treatment ourselves again—unless I can find another company who will do it for the same price as our purchasing the fertilizer.

When we were doing our yard fertilization, we bought a used push fertilizer spreader to spread it. Then, I wait for the springtime sale that always happens, “Buy 4 bags get one free” at IFA and we buy the IFA 4 bag system plus weed killer. We fertilize 4 times a year.

Lawn Mowing and Edging.

Over the years, my husband and I have taken turns mowing, weed-eating, and edging. However, recently this task has fallen more to him than me. Thankfully, our son is about the age to start doing this himself—Yay!

Weeding

We set up our garden beds with this no-weed system and so far our weeds have been controlled wherever we have them. However, I still have to weed the areas where this system is not in place and I weed at the edges of the paper.

Upholstery cleaning and maintenance.

Cloth furniture

I clean our couches every few months to save on having to have a professional come in and clean them. I was planning on doing a post on how I do this but I haven’t gotten to it.

The ‘Cliff Notes’ version is, I bought this upholstery cleaner and I use Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark carpet cleaner in it. I clean our couches at least 5 times a year (we have toddlers and kids) and as needed.

Note that I could also use the professional carpet cleaner Pro Chem on our couch as well. Before I bought ProChem I was using Member’s Mark carpet cleaner (it is a great deal). It works well on our couch so I’ve continued using it and will until I run out, then I’ll move to using Pro Chem.

Leather furniture

We have a full-grain leather couch that I bought used. Normally this couch would cost $5,000+ because it is full-grain leather all over. I got it used for about $200.00! I love it. It is so comfy, warms up quickly, and is very high quality. I want it to last, so I treat it very well.

I use Leather Better conditioner and condition it about 4 times a year. While I’ve had the couch for 7 years, I do not see much wear. I hope it will last many, many more years.

Laundry Services

This is no lie; I haven’t been to a dry cleaner for 9 years. When you see how much I spend on clothing as a whole (in the next section of how to save) you will understand why I can’t stand paying for dry cleaner bills. They often cost more than the garment did for me to buy it.

When shopping, as a rule, I do not buy anything, including my husband’s suits, that are ‘dry clean only’. The only time I will make an exception is if it is a special occasion dress.

My husband only uses his suits for a few hours a week for church. So, we buy suits that are affordable and most can be washed at home. We clean them for 99% less than having them cleaned by the Dry Cleaners. I could be wrong but I don’t feel like you can see a huge difference between the suits he has and dry clean-only suits.

Each member of our family who is over 8 years old does their laundry and I do the rest. Here’s how I get our kids to do their laundry.

Here is a post with many more tips on how to save on laundry.

When making purchases, look for companies that will repair under warranty and do free services, free cleanings, etc.

We bought our jewelry at Shane Co. for free cleanings, warranty, and free repairs. Recently, my pave anniversary ring had multiple loose diamonds. Because I go in every six months to have my rings checked and cleaned (for free), the warranty was valid and they tightened them all at no charge.

On my last cleaning, they realized the center stone of my wedding ring was loose so they tightened it as well.

If you are going to make a large purchase like a wedding/engagement ring or car tires (next section) it pays to look for companies that will offer services, warranties, and repairs for free.

Save on auto services

Besides shopping for the best auto insurance we save a lot on automobiles by following many of the tips I’ve shared here.

We buy our tires at Costco for their free rotation and balances, their tread warranty, and the free tire repairs.

Costco fixed a recent nail hole in our tire for free. Of course, we bought our tires when they were $150 off a set for savings then as well.

I used to change my oil and my husband did his as well. Lately, we’ve both justified this expense as one we will pay for because of the difficulty in collecting the oil and the time it takes to recycle it. To save, we use a coupon for every oil change we get.

Clean and detail your car for additional savings.

4. Saving on food and household needs:

I have many separate posts on how to save on food… from meal planning to couponing, etc. I also go into great detail in my book, Living a Rich Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom on how to save on food and household products.

However, one of the best and newest ways I’ve discovered how to save on food is by utilizing an offer our credit union has for its premium checking members. This benefit automatically adds ALL digital coupons that many stores have onto your loyalty cards without you having to manually add them.

I always look for and add digital coupons to my loyalty cards and accounts but having ALL the coupons on my card at the stores I shop at saves me a lot of time and money. This has saved us at least $30 in the first month we have had this benefit because I can’t always find all of the coupons available for the food I buy. Also, sometimes I get something in the store that I wasn’t planning on, and instead of having to search and scroll the app for a coupon that would apply (usually I don’t have time to in the store), I know that if there is one it will be added.

Check with your banks/credit unions to see if they have the automatic digital coupon to loyalty card perk with a checking and/or savings account.

In my book, Living a Rich Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom, I do come across as anti-wholesale but now that I have four kids, I’ve found that purchasing certain items wholesale—especially when they have a coupon deal associated with them, saves us considerably on food and other household items.

For example, laundry detergent is cheaper at Costco than elsewhere and when it goes on sale it’s usually worth stocking up on. So, I purchase a few large bottles at their lowest price to tide me over until the next time the detergent goes on sale.

We stock up on coupon/discounted items at Costco and Sam’s Club for items like protein shakes and bars, and other items that you just can’t get for less anywhere else.

Fun fact- Costco’s limits for coupon savings at this time (Feb 2024) are for each shopping trip not for each sale period. That means if you want more of that item and enjoy the coupon savings for it, you can shop multiple times to get the discount multiple times and the limit only applies to that transaction.

I.E. I needed multiple of an item with a coupon of $8.00 off each— limit of two. The Costco rep told me I could come back the next day and get two more and save $16.00 again. So, I tried it. The next day I stopped in and got two more and the $16.00 savings were applied. The next day I stopped in and bought two more and still another $16.00 savings was discounted. It does work, just be mindful to not abuse it or this option may go away.

Sam’s Club does have a hard and fast item limit for that sale period no matter if it is in the same shopping trip or not.

Other ways to save on food:

Try not to eat out much.

If you do eat out look for gift cards to your favorite places to eat that are discounted at Sam’s Club/Costco, or if you can’t find them discounted buy them via Smith’s/Kroger with their 4x fuel points earnings and use the fuel points to save on gas so you are saving on food that way.

Here are some other ways to save on food.

5. How to save money on clothing

Costco has the best deals on new name-brand clothing I’ve ever seen!

I wait until they have their ONLINE ‘Buy 10 items and get $50 off’ or sometimes they even do ‘Buy 10 items and get $60 off’ online offer and then I buy 10 items (note that 1 pack of 3 t-shirts counts as 1 item) for my children’s clothing.

I order no more than 10 and then close out. If needed, the next day I’ll order 10 more. With the $5.00 or $6.00 off each item and most items coming in packs of 2 or 3, I typically pay about $2.00-$4.00 a clothing item for my kids. Clothing such as swimsuits, snow pants, coats, hoodies, etc. may cost about $5-$8 each but even at those prices, they are a deal. I consistently find the BEST deals at Costco on name-brand high-quality clothing. I sometimes even find great shoes.

Note that usually socks and underwear will not apply to the 10 for $50 off deal.

You may see prices online and then go into the club and see they are less. I have price-checked over and over and over again and I’ve never seen the prices in-store less than the $5.00 or $6.00 off that you get online with the buy 10 promo deal.

Sam’s Club also has great deals on clothing and shoes—especially in-store; they have yellow papers that signal markdowns. I’ve found $3.00 shoes for my kids, $2.00 shirts, and $3.00 leggings, etc.

For my clothing, I buy socks, leggings, and a few items at Costco but I personally like JCrew Outlet (coupon + sale) for dresses and tops. I love shopping at Name Droppers which is a high-end consignment store in Utah for brand name items (Coach, Michael Kors, etc.) at 10-20% of their original price. I.E. I’ll often find a $400 dress for $40 at Name Droppers.

For specific clothing (my husband only wears Duluth pants), I subscribe and wait for sales that can be coupled with coupons to stock up on multiple pairs of his pants. The Duluth pants last a long time but he works hard in a construction-type job so we usually buy at least a few each year.

My husband also only wears Merrell shoes. So, I wait until DSW has their Merrell sales and I couple those with coupons. We’ve never paid over $45.00 for a pair of Merrells (they are normally over $90 a pair) because when they go on sale I buy a few pairs to last until the next sale.

My son only likes to wear Adidas shoes in the classic black and white. His feet are growing so fast and he hammers his shoes.. so when I find a great deal on those, I purchase them in the size he is in and in a half-size or full-size larger as well.

I also make use of storage boxes and totes so we can pass everything that isn’t hammered from my older kids down to my younger kids…and when my youngest girl and boy are done with their clothing, I pass their clothing on to my sister-in-law who has children younger than ours.

We’ve been the recipient of hand-me-downs as well and it’s helped us, so I like to pass ours on as well.

If you don’t have anyone to pass it to, try selling clothes your kids outgrow on classified ads or consigning them.

6. Ask your employer for a raise.

While this isn’t exactly a tip on how to save money, it is one on how to earn more. If you haven’t gotten a raise for a while, it may be time to ask for one due to inflation and economic changes.

I know of someone who said that he/she recently cited the inflation rates to his/her employer and on those grounds, asked for a raise. It was granted. Unless you think it will hurt your employment status, asking for a raise is a great way to lessen the effects of inflation.

Another way to save is to start a business. Start a side business so that you can increase income, write off expenses that you may incur anyway, and get more tax advantages. Talk to a competent accountant if you have more questions about this.

Here is a series of interviews I’ve conducted with 20+ people who make money from home by doing different jobs.

7. Go over your budget and credit cards.

These days there are so many sneaky ways companies utilize to sign people up for reoccurring charges. I make a point to look often for anything reoccurring that we don’t need/want/weren’t aware of. I have, in many cases, received refunds from these companies after canceling as they know their sign-up scheme was less than forthright.

Look over your budget for ways to cut costs and look into your records for things that can be canceled and eliminated and thereby save.

Even though prices have and are going up at a really quick rate, there are still many, many ways to save in 2024. I hope these have or will help your family financially in this economy.

Bonus Tip- Read or listen to my book, which is for everyone—not just stay-at-home moms. It has many more great ways to save… and how to teach these principles to your children as well.

Bonus Tip 2- If you are pregnant or have a baby, don’t miss out on how I saved over $10,000 on our babies.