10. Spend Less on Food

Instead of going out to eat, cook at home. Make meals that can be stored in a freezer for later. Keep perishables visible in front of the refrigerator.

Before you go grocery shopping, make a list and look for relevant coupons online or through apps. Buy clearance meat as retailers tend to drop meat prices by 30 to 50 percent as they near their expiration dates. Make sure you store these in the freezer as soon as possible. Also, buy generic brands of your favorite foods.

Another helpful option is to buy what’s on sale. Clark says you can cut your grocery bill by about 30 percent if you base your shopping list around what’s on sale.

Buying in bulk is another great option, but only if you do it right. Make sure you will manage to use every item before its expiration date, and check per-ounce prices to ensure you’re really getting a bargain.

 

11. Use Price-Comparison Apps

Who doesn’t want to save money on the stuff they buy on a regular basis?

With dozens of price-matching apps at your disposal, it has never been easier. Consider using options like PriceGrabber, RedLaser or ShopSavvy. You can use the latter to scan a barcode or search for a product. The app will then show you where you can find that product near you or online for the cheapest price.

Major retailers like Bestbuy and Walmart have price-matching solutions built into their websites or mobile apps. The Walmart app’s Savings Catcher feature lets you scan your receipts to find better deals on your purchases. If it finds cheaper prices at competing retailers, you’ll get the price difference on a gift card.

You can also download price-matching extensions onto your browser. When you’re shopping online, plug-ins like InvisibleHand will open up a drop menu letting you know where you can find the product you’re looking at for a cheaper price. It even applies to flights and hotels.