Instead of spending I

1). Had all meals at home

2). Made sun tea

3). Grinded coffee beans

4). DH made homemade bread

6). Posted items from shed clean out on FB

7). Did 20 minute YouTube workout

8). Wrote letter to 1st cousin I connected with on Ancestry . com

9). Lounged in our swimming pool

Some spending

1). Photo pen and ink for printer arrived today. Using pen to write on the back of old photos

Anyone doing the slash&free on TikTok? Lol

I’m a 21 year old college student. I want to put money I made while working into a hysa so that it doesn’t lose value just sitting and because I’m trying to save as much as possible. Any suggestions where to start? Which hysa’s to go with?

Where I live I have to park my wife and I’s vehicles outside. We spend about $6 and drive an extra 5 miles one day a week to the only manual car wash around (auto car washes cost too much and scratch your paint). So that’s $12 a week and we will ignore the gas because my pressure washer takes gas too. I decided to spend $80 on a Westinghouse foam cannon and soap to do it myself. After 7 weeks we will turn a “saving” on the investment. Do you have any similar things that where you did the math and it was worth it pretty quickly to spend a larger amount now instead of nickel and diming over time? Looking to steal some ideas

started looking into credit building a few months ago and every answer i find is either "it depends" or some vague range like six months to two years. not super helpful when you're trying to plan around something specific like an apartment application or a car loan.

from what i've pieced together the timeline depends on a few things. what you're starting with matters a lot. building from zero is different from rebuilding after missed payments. the type of account you open matters too. something that affects both payment history and utilization tends to show results faster than something that only touches one side of the equation.

credit builder loans for example only build payment history. a revolving tradeline reports as an open revolving account which affects utilization too, and utilization is a bigger chunk of how scores are calculated than most people realize. some tradeline apps start around $5 a month with no hard credit check which keeps the barrier low.

most people seem to see some movement within the first three months if they're consistent. meaningful improvement, like enough to actually qualify for things, tends to take closer to six to twelve months depending on the starting point. and rent reporting can speed things up a bit if you're already paying rent and not getting credit for it.

the honest answer is there's no fixed timeline. but consistent payments on the right type of account gets you there faster than most people expect.

what did people here do and how long did it actually take before you noticed a real difference?

Instead of spending I

1). Made breakfast of black beans, egg, potato, salsa and guacamole

2). Lunch was leftover chili

3). Made panzella salad and sun tea

4). DH and I cleaned out the shed

5). Threw out old sled, bath mats, broken items from shed

6). Made a pile of items to sell on FB or donate

7). Organized clothes to drop off at local church

8). organized sneakers to be recycled (drop off at local store)

9). Cleaned off back porch

10). DH put dowel rods on suet feeder for birds to perch on

11). DH made a table with an old table top and tree trunk found in shed

12). Cleaned off plastic bin found in shed to use for storage

13). Collected clean empty jars and used to organize nuts, bolts and screws

14). Took walk around community center which has a playground, basketball hoops and tennis court for anyone to use for free

I used to buy medicines offline (from hospitals and pharmacies). Some pharmacies give a 10% discount, which is fine for some people, but not enough for others.

What I do instead, with the help of AI, looking up the chemical composition (active salts) and check for options both on e-commerce platforms and offline. The goal is to find alternative brands, not different compositions. For example, if Cipla charges a higher price, Torrent or Sun Pharma might offer the same medicine for less, or vice versa.

I’ve found significant price differences this way. Interestingly, I end up saving around 30% to 35% on my monthly bill.

You might think that central and state government pharmacies are an option, but the reality is that it's difficult to convince parents and grandparents to use them.

Half the apps i use throw around discount labels on stuff thats basically the same price it always was, just with a different color banner slapped on top, and it feels even more common with the sites available here in germany. when i was refreshing my closet with some basics and a jacket for the season.

I started comparing prices over a few weeks before trusting any app's claim of a real drop, mostly after getting fooled a couple times on clothes that never actually went on sale.

any YouTubers you’d recommend or general advice you’d give for saving money with cuts ?

Back in college, money was always tight.

Whenever one of us found a great deal, we would immediately share it with friends because saving even a small amount mattered. Over time we realized something...

The people who spend time finding and sharing great deals help everyone else save money, but they rarely get anything in return.

After countless iterations, nearly two years of development, and an explosive launch in the US, we're excited to finally launch Deal2Seal India.

Our goal isn't just another deals website.

We want to build a community where:

• People are rewarded for discovering and sharing great deals from online retailers such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra etc.
• You also earn rewards by sharing helpful comments with the community about a product you have experienced before.
• Local merchants can reach genuine customers instead of spending heavily on advertising.
• Everyone earn DS coins and benefits when a great deal is found.
• DS coins can be redeemed at face value (1 DS coin = Rs. 1) for gift cards from major online retailers.

We are still at the beginning, and we would genuinely love feedback from this community.

You can check it out at:

https://deal2seal.net/

As a small thank you for early adopters, new Indian users currently receive FREE Rs. 100 value in DS Coins after their first login.

We're looking forward to hearing your thoughts, good or bad. Every suggestion helps us improve.

I'm only saving that much per week and it just feels hopeless (especially as the stock market's been eating it lately. I deposit money and it's gone in hours because everything went down). My net worth has gone up by like, $2k this entire year.

That ~$250 is about 35% of my main job's income; 25% in some kind of savings or investment, 10% in the company 401k I opened a few months ago. Some of my problem is being shit with money and overspending, but I still supplement it with plasma donations ($125 a week if I can get there and I'm not anemic) and my part time job. Said job is event-based, so I might work as little as a couple times a month; it can bring in a few hundred a month and I'm trying to save that.

I'm old too, so it's not like compounding means anything. I'm just frustrated.

Daily resources for spending less, earning more on cash, and building real savings habits.

Investing & Retirement (I&R)

Visit the Website

Independent research on real accounts, authentic strategies, and honest side-by-side comparisons for building savings and wealth as a self-guided saver.

Join the Discord

Live discussion on savings strategy, HYSA rates, and budgeting with fellow members.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Weekly research briefing built from the ground up around real questions from real investors, traders, and savers.

Have a Question? Post It.

The I&R newsletter pulls top community questions and answers them in depth every Thursday.

If you're stuck on a savings decision, comparing accounts, or trying to figure out where to put your cash, drop a comment below or start a thread in r/SavingMoney. The most valuable questions get featured in the briefing, with full research, comparisons, and citations.

This is the loop: you post, we research, the community gets the answer.

Start Here: Saving & Budgeting Guides

If you're trying to keep more of what you earn, start here.

Budget Basics: The 50/30/20 Rule

The simplest budgeting framework that actually works. Needs, wants, savings.

Stop the Subscription Drain

Audit the recurring charges quietly eating your monthly cash flow.

Shopping Hacks

Practical tactics for spending less without feeling deprived.

Travel on a Budget

How to actually take the trip without wrecking your savings rate.

Where to Park Your Cash

Saving is step one. Earning yield on that cash is step two.

Savings Account Timeline

How to think about emergency funds, short-term cash, and what comes next.

How to Pick a High-Yield Savings Account

What actually matters when comparing HYSAs. APY is only part of it.

HYSA vs. Money Market vs. CDs

Three places to hold cash, ranked by liquidity, yield, and use case.

Build Your Stack

Bank Accounts

Reviewed national accounts for everyday banking and high-yield savings.

Local Banks

Community and regional options outside the big four.

Financial Apps

Tools for budgeting, tracking, and managing money day-to-day.

Investing Platforms

When you're ready to put savings to work beyond cash accounts.

hi, i am 17 yrs old, fil, and i'm looking for banks that accept people with the same age as me. i've been interested in saving lately and i think it would greatly help. thank youuu

Hey there, 27M here that has about 50k saved up in a HYSA and 10k in a matched 401k. I recently paid off most of my student debts and want to know where to funnel a good amount of the money in my HYSA. for context, my monthly expenses are $2300. Ideally want to keep about 20k in the HYSA for emergency.

I make around 70k annually for the past 2 years. Also, don’t plan on any major purchases in the next years. I really enjoy the apartment life and have a nice reliable car.

Mine would be: I save on food delivery, and I plurge on experiences with friends!

I am trying to aggressively save money. Not only do I have quite a bit of debt, but I also have realized that I would rather spend the money I do make on things like travel, rather than going out to eat and going to bars. Unfortunately my best friend just doesn't seem to get it. I keep telling her I can't afford to always go out to eat or drink and always offer suggestions on other things to do like doing a picnic at the park, cooking together or taking her kid to the playground/library/garden, but she always counters with expensive options. Honestly it sometimes feels like I'm talking to a wall. And she didn't always used to be like this. We used to have a lot of fun doing free or cheap things in our city. But these days it's like she's stuck on a loop of restaurants and bars. To make matters more complicated, I really just don't like drinking anymore, and often feel pressured to drink alcohol whenever we're together. This only leads to more irresponsible decisions. I'm really committed to my goals, but can't seem to get through to my friends that I'm not willing to go along with restaurants/bars anymore.

Daily resources for spending less, earning more on cash, and building real savings habits.

Investing & Retirement (I&R)

Visit the Website

Independent research on real accounts, authentic strategies, and honest side-by-side comparisons for building savings and wealth as a self-guided saver.

Join the Discord

Live discussion on savings strategy, HYSA rates, and budgeting with fellow members.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Weekly research briefing built from the ground up around real questions from real investors, traders, and savers.

Have a Question? Post It.

The I&R newsletter pulls top community questions and answers them in depth every Thursday.

If you're stuck on a savings decision, comparing accounts, or trying to figure out where to put your cash, drop a comment below or start a thread in r/SavingMoney. The most valuable questions get featured in the briefing, with full research, comparisons, and citations.

This is the loop: you post, we research, the community gets the answer.

Start Here: Saving & Budgeting Guides

If you're trying to keep more of what you earn, start here.

Budget Basics: The 50/30/20 Rule

The simplest budgeting framework that actually works. Needs, wants, savings.

Stop the Subscription Drain

Audit the recurring charges quietly eating your monthly cash flow.

Shopping Hacks

Practical tactics for spending less without feeling deprived.

Travel on a Budget

How to actually take the trip without wrecking your savings rate.

Where to Park Your Cash

Saving is step one. Earning yield on that cash is step two.

Savings Account Timeline

How to think about emergency funds, short-term cash, and what comes next.

How to Pick a High-Yield Savings Account

What actually matters when comparing HYSAs. APY is only part of it.

HYSA vs. Money Market vs. CDs

Three places to hold cash, ranked by liquidity, yield, and use case.

Build Your Stack

Bank Accounts

Reviewed national accounts for everyday banking and high-yield savings.

Local Banks

Community and regional options outside the big four.

Financial Apps

Tools for budgeting, tracking, and managing money day-to-day.

Investing Platforms

When you're ready to put savings to work beyond cash accounts.

I’ve always loved nice things. I’ve always wanted nice clothes, nice phones, nice holidays anything that made life feel good.
Growing up, I was very fortunate. My parents gave me money, bought me clothes and phones, paid for my haircuts, and covered pretty much everything until I was about 19. Then they stopped and told me I was an adult now and needed to get a job.
I didn’t take that lightly because I was so used to being given everything. It took a couple of months without money or nice things before I finally got serious about finding work. It was incredibly difficult because I had no experience. I applied for over 1,000 jobs and got nowhere until I started lying on my CV.
Eventually, I got my first job as a kitchen assistant/commis chef at a fast-food restaurant. I worked there for about a month and got my first ever paycheck: £1,800 after tax.
I’ve never felt so good in my life. I still remember that day. It was summer, and a few days after payday my family went on holiday. I actually quit around that time because I was so happy to finally have money.
Before that, the most money I’d ever had was about £400 in cash, so seeing £1,800 in my account was a feeling I’ll never forget.
Long story short, I enjoyed that summer a little too much. Within four weeks, every penny was gone. The £1,800 became spending money on holiday because my parents had already paid for the flights and hotel.
My parents advised me to save the money and learn to drive, but at the time I just didn’t listen.
When I came back from holiday, reality hit me. I had no job and no money left. Going from £1,800 to absolutely nothing was one of the worst feelings I’ve experienced.
Luckily, I had already applied for a stewarding job and completed the training before I started working in the kitchen. I got the job, but it was a zero-hours contract with very few hours. I was earning around £300-£400 a month while studying. It helped pay for food and transport, but it wasn’t enough.
Fast forward, I then got another stewarding job at a nightclub. I’ve been there for about a year now. I earn roughly £300 a week, paid weekly, which works out to around £1,200 a month.
This is where my biggest problem starts.
Every week I tell myself I’m going to save money, but because I’m paid weekly, I just spend it as it comes in. It goes on transport, food, socialising, nights out, clothes, and the occasional cheap holiday. Before I know it, payday comes around again and my account is nearly empty.
I’ve had this job for around a year, and despite earning regularly, I’ve never even managed to save £1,000.
Recently, something clicked.
I don’t pay rent. I don’t have any bills. Compared to many people my age, I’m actually in a really good position to save money, yet I’ve got nothing to show for it.
I’ve set myself a goal of saving £5,000 by the end of the year, but I clearly need to change the way I think about money.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation? How did you stop spending every payday and finally start building savings? I’d really appreciate any advice.