Saving money can feel unattainable when everyday expenses seem to consume every dollar you earn. Between gas, groceries, and the rising cost of living, setting money aside for savings or debt repayment can feel daunting. As recent college graduates who married and started a family, my husband and I are in a season of life where every dollar counts. Living on one income has challenged us to be more intentional about how we spend our money and find ways to save without sacrificing everything we enjoy. While we can’t control the cost of everything around us, we can make small, intentional choices that add up over time. Here are some practical ways we’ve found success in saving money while living on a single income!
Cook at Home
Eating out can be convenient, but even inexpensive meals add up when bought regularly. We save money by making most of our meals at home and saving restaurant visits for special occasions. Having a few easy meals we can fall back on also makes it easier to resist the temptation to pick up takeout on busy days.
Make Food from Scratch
Making food from scratch can be a great way to stretch our grocery budget. Homemade bread, muffins, and other staples often cost less than their store-bought counterparts. It does take some extra time, so I focus on the things that are both affordable and realistic to make at home. My favorite food to make is sourdough sandwich bread!
Stack Errands and Carpool
Gas is an expense that can easily add up, especially when we’re making several trips throughout the week. Combining errands into one trip helps us avoid unnecessary driving. Additionally, whenever possible, carpooling with my in-laws or others heading to the same place is another simple way we save on gas.
Be Mindful of Electricity Usage
Small habits around the house can help reduce our electricity bill. Turning off lights when we leave a room, unplugging devices when appropriate and being mindful of how often we run appliances are simple places to start. While these changes might not make a dramatic difference individually, they can contribute to savings over time.
Be Intentional with Heating and Air Conditioning
Heating and cooling our homes can be expensive, especially during extreme temperatures. Being thoughtful about our thermostat settings, dressing appropriately for the season, and using fans when practical can help reduce energy costs. In the summer this looks like opening up the house in the morning to bring in cooler air and then closing it back up as the day gets warmer! We still want our home to be comfortable, but making small adjustments can help us avoid unnecessarily high utility bills.
Look for Free Adventures
Having fun doesn’t have to mean spending money! We enjoy looking for free activities in our area, such as hiking, going on walks, and attending free community events through the public library, our local Community Center and the Park and Recreation Department in our town. Especially with a little one, some of the simplest outings can become our favorite memories. When we can, we love spending time in God’s beautiful creation! Finding free activities helps us enjoy time together without putting extra pressure on our budget.
Follow a Budget
One of the most helpful things we can do with our money is give every dollar a purpose. Having a budget creates a plan for our bills, groceries, and other necessary expenses while setting money aside for our financial goals. Rather than wondering where our money went at the end of the month, we can be more intentional about where it goes in the first place. A budget doesn’t have to be restrictive. In fact, it can provide peace of mind by helping us make spending decisions that align with our priorities.
Limit Subscriptions
Monthly subscriptions might seem inexpensive on their own, but several small charges can add up quickly. Reviewing our subscriptions regularly helps us determine which ones we truly use and which ones we can live without. Currently we only have an Amazon subscription which allows us to receive deals on purchases and to occasionally watch a movie for free through promo credits! Canceling even a few unnecessary subscriptions can free up money for savings or other priorities.
Shop at Affordable Grocery Stores and Bring a List
Groceries are a necessary expense, but there are ways to make our grocery budget go further. Comparing prices between stores, shopping at the most affordable option for our needs, and planning meals before heading to the store can help us save. While buying in bulk can be helpful, it’s often more cost effective to buy generic rather than name brands. While the grocery store closest to us is more convenient, the grocery store 15 minutes away from us has the same items for half the price. Additionally, I always bring a grocery list and stick to it as much as possible. This helps prevent impulse purchases and keeps me focused on buying what our family actually needs for the week.
Buy Secondhand
Buying secondhand is a great way to save on clothing, furniture, and other household items. Thrift stores (which often offer deals better than consignment stores), yard sales, and local resale groups can be especially helpful when we need something but don’t want to pay full retail price. We buy all of our clothing secondhand unless it’s a Christmas or birthday present. It’s important to understand the difference between a genuine need and things that are simply nice to have. Even a secondhand purchase costs money, so the biggest savings sometimes come from deciding that we don’t need to buy anything at all.
Practice Gratitude
It’s easy to feel like we’re missing out when we compare our lives to others. Practicing gratitude helps us appreciate what God has already provided instead of constantly looking for something new to buy. There will always be something more we could want, but learning to be content with what we have helps us make wiser financial decisions. We can still work toward our goals while appreciating the blessings we already enjoy in this season of life.
Spend Less Time on Social Media
Social media can expose us to a constant stream of products, trends, and lifestyles that make us feel like we need more. Even when we don’t realize it, seeing what others buy or experience can influence how we spend our money. Spending less time on social media can help us avoid unnecessary temptations and focus on our own priorities. We don’t need to keep up with everyone else, and we don’t need to purchase something simply because it looks appealing online.
Use Up What You Already Have
Before buying more groceries, I try to take stock of what we already have in our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Planning meals around ingredients we need to use up helps prevent food waste and keeps us from buying things we don’t actually need. The same principle applies to household products, toiletries, clothing, and other items. Sometimes the best way to save money is simply to use what we’ve already paid for instead of buying something new.
Plan Inexpensive Dates
Date nights are important for investing in a marriage, but they don’t always have to involve an expensive dinner or activity. We can enjoy a walk together, find a free local event, play a game, or go on a mini date. One of our favorite mini dates is a bagel date. We pick up bagels from a local shop and find a cozy spot to eat our picnic meal and connect! Being intentional about spending time together allows us to prioritize our marriage while still working toward our financial goals. The point of a date is to connect with each other, not to spend a certain amount of money.
Small Choices Can Make a Difference
Saving money on one income isn’t always easy, and we certainly haven’t mastered it! However, we’ve found that small, intentional choices can make a difference over time. We don’t have to cut out every enjoyable thing or live in a constant state of restriction to make progress toward our financial goals.
For us, it’s about learning to be good stewards of what we’ve been given, being content with what we have, and keeping our long-term priorities in mind. As 1 Timothy 6:6 reminds us, “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Every family’s circumstances are different, so not every tip will work for everyone. Start with one or two changes that make sense for your family and build from there. Even small steps toward being more intentional with our money can help us make progress toward the things that matter most.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
What are some ways your family saves money? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
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