How to Save Money Living Alone (25 Clever Ways & Tips)

Learning how to save money living alone will be easy for anyone who reads this article.

It contains very clever ways and tips that really work for saving money while living on your own.

 

Importance

Living alone is not for everybody.

It can be quiet, lonely, and pretty uneventful.

However, the very things that can be perceived as negative can also be looked at as positive.

By living alone, an individual doesn’t have to worry about arguments that may occur because of differences of opinion or on how things could be handled, or worrying about whether it’s too hot or too cold in the apartment or house, or worry about sharing any of the common spaces, etc.

It can be argued that there are many good reasons as to why it is good to live with someone and why it is good to be living alone.

A potential solid reason as to why an individual would enjoy living alone is the possibility of saving money.

Although the monthly rent or mortgage would be solely paid by the individual, there are other opportunities to save money.

 

25 Clever Ways & Tips to Save Money Living Alone

 

1. Budgeting 

When living alone and trying to save money, it is important to have in place a budget.

A budget is a financial tool that represents the income and expenses that you are anticipating with your living arrangements and your finances.

Rule number one is, as it relates to a budget, is that it is a tool but should be adhered to as much as possible.

The golden rule as it relates to handling the “gold” is that you don’t spend unless it is not in the budget and not in the bank.

 

2. Meal Planning

A major expense in living on your own is the rent and then, most likely, your food.

It is important to pay strict attention to the way you purchase groceries.

To help with this process a good exercise is to plan your meals so that your meal plan will help you buy the groceries that will be used in the meal plan.

 

3. Secondhand Shopping 

Often in the community, several thrift shops offer for sale some gently used merchandise.

The secondhand stores aren’t just restricted to clothing but sometimes you can purchase pots and pans, toasters, and other types of kitchen utensils.

The secondhand stores will typically only put out on the retail floor those items that are of fair to good quality and are usable.

 

4. Energy 

Another big component of the budget as it relates to expense is energy.

The energy is usually generated by natural gas or electricity.

As much as possible it is important to conserve your energy use.

This can be accomplished by moving the thermostat up a couple of notches during the summertime and down a couple of notches during the winter season.

Also, it is important to know when the peak times are for energy consumption to stay away from these peak times and not incur the higher energy costs during the high demand hours.

 

5. Insurance 

It’s always good to assess your insurance needs as to whether you need to add insurance or whether you can minimize your insurance needs.

You may be living alone for a variety of reasons and some of those reasons could affect your insurance premiums.

You may be able to reduce your liability coverage depending upon where you live and what is the legal minimum of insurance coverage.

You may also increase the deductible.

These two particular actions could decrease your insurance premium.

Also, in living alone, it is important to assess your homeowner’s insurance or apartment insurance.

 

6. Cell Phone 

Cell phone usage can be pretty pricey and involve contracts in which you can negotiate better terms.

You may also be able to get on a family plan with a friend or family member and take advantage of their plan at a minimal cost.

 

7. Learning to Cook 

If you are not very proficient in the kitchen this would be a great time to learn how to cook.

By learning how to cook you can make a lot of your food and help to reduce your grocery costs as well as eat more nutritionally.

Also when cooking, to save energy, it would be a good idea to cook in bulk and freeze food for future meals.

Cooking in bulk will help decrease your energy costs as you utilize the same amount of energy but cook greater quantities of food.

 

8. Side Hustles 

A good idea in saving money when you live alone is to earn more money so that it can be saved.

A strategy for earning more money would be to take on side hustles.

You could drive for a delivery food delivery service such as UberEats or do freelance work and look for opportunities on such websites as www.freelancing.com.

 

9 Frugal Spending 

Being frugal is always a good way of saving money.

Examples of frugal spending would be to shop at discount stores or dollar stores that offer grocery products that may even carry well-known brand names.

They may be a little dented, but the food contained in the packaging is still edible.

Also, a frugal shopper doesn’t necessarily worry about brand names but still can pay attention to the nutrition labeling and buy products that are nutritious even though they may be generic.

 

10. Going Home 

There are a variety of reasons why an individual may be living alone.

Perhaps, an opportunity to save money would be to swallow one’s pride and live back at home for a little bit till you could save enough money or find another roommate if that was the direction that you so choose to do.

There is nothing wrong with regrouping.

 

11. Public Transportation 

A great way to save money is by parking your vehicle or selling your vehicle and relying on public transportation.

When you think of the associated expenses in driving a vehicle (registration, insurance, gasoline, maintenance costs, etc.) the savings of not having a vehicle can be a pretty significant injection into your financial budget.

 

12. Downsizing 

If being provided an opportunity to move into a different residence and an option would be to downsize.

Rather than having to rent a one or two-bedroom, perhaps the option would be to rent a studio apartment or a kitchenette area that just basically is a bathroom, kitchen, and an area to sleep in.

 

13. Grocery Shopping 

When going grocery shopping, it is always important to go during specific times.

One of those specific times is when the grocery store or retailer is offering discounts or bargains on a particular day of the week.

Also, if they offer a discount for certain affiliations, it is important to take advantage of that discount.

Some of those discounts could include being a senior citizen, student, military member, etc.

Also, when going grocery shopping you mustn’t go when you are hungry.

This is a dangerous time to go shopping as everything looks so delicious and satisfying to an individual whose stomach is growling.

 

14. Trim the Budget 

When revisiting your budget, it is important to go line item by line item on the expense side of the budget ledger.

You may be able to identify items that you can cut from the budget and do without or possibly reduce the services.

Examples could be subscriptions to streaming services, television cable, entertainment, etc.

Also See: Best Things to Stop Buying to Save Money.

 

15. Utilize Coupons 

Also, as it relates to grocery shopping, it is important to utilize coupons or discounts that are offered through a variety of apps or the local newspaper.

One of the apps that can be utilized is www.stocard.com.

 

16. Laundry 

The chore of doing the laundry is another way in which you can save money.

One of those ways would be to work out a barter arrangement with an individual who would be willing to do your laundry in exchange for some talent or skill that you could offer.

For example, if they did your weekly laundry, you could mow their yard, do painting around the home, clean out a storage area, etc.

Whatever skill or talent that you have that you would think would be valuable, offer this in exchange for someone doing, in this case, your laundry.

• How to Save Money at the Laundromat
• How to Save Money on Toilet Paper

 

17. Limit Take-Out 

Being alone will sometimes present the temptation to utilize your cell phone and order takeout.

This could be beneficial if you were able to stretch out your takeout over three meal times.

The cost-effectiveness of this measure might make it worthwhile to order food and have it delivered to you.

It is also important to remember that there may be delivery charges and tips associated with this service which would increase your costs and may prove to be less economical than just eating at home.

 

18. Eat Free 

Eating free is always a good option to cut down on your grocery bill and realize savings.

An eating-free option may be the opportunity provided when invited to a party or get together and being treated to a home-cooked meal because of someone’s hospitality and their friendship.

It is always a good opportunity to take advantage of these possibilities but make sure that you realize that there is no free lunch.

Therefore, if invited over for a meal it is always a good idea to take some sort of token of appreciation or offer to provide some sort of service in exchange for their hospitality.

 

19. Minimalist 

It is important to be a minimalist.

A minimalist is an individual who doesn’t go into all of the trappings of life but endeavors to live simply and simply live.

A strategy, if you wish to take on this attitude, would be to just have the basics in your home rather than all of the complete trappings and decorations.

Just simply buy what you need and nothing more.

 

20. Library 

Being on your own and looking for ways to save money and enjoy the opportunity to get out of your home would be obtaining a library card.

Generally, a library card can be applied for and received by simply presenting an ID showing your residency along with a utility bill with your local address.

The library can be a great place to spend a significant amount of time exploring all of the great books, listening to music, and even renting movies.

Of course, all of this will add to your savings in utilizing this service provided by your community.

 

21. Free Entertainment 

All work and no play make for a dull person.

You must have a way to be entertained.

Often, there are entertainment venues or free concerts that provide the opportunity to take in entertainment at no charge.

Take full advantage of these little concerts and entertainment venues to relax, and enjoy the ambiance of the moment.

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• How to Save Money as a Single Mom
• How to Save Money as a Housewife

 

22. Set up Savings 

As part of your saving money, while living alone, the timing would be great to start setting up a savings account.

The best recommendation would be, begin with a high-interest savings account.

If these savings accounts require a certain minimum deposit, then just start with a savings account at your local financial institution and begin to build that up so that you can meet the minimum requirements to go to the next level of investment.

Also, you can access an app called Stash which for a small amount of money you can begin an investment portfolio by using this app and purchasing stock that is sold in fractions.

 

23. Secondhand Furniture 

Rather than breaking the bank and buying a new sofa and other pieces of furniture, a good idea would be to visit a secondhand furniture store and see what furniture might be available at a deeply discounted price.

 

24. Move-In Specials

If you do downsize and are looking for a smaller apartment, it is a good idea to use an apartment locator service that can be accessed online.

One such website is www.apartments.com.

Sometimes, if the rentals are competing against each other or if the website wants your business, they may offer an incentive.

It is not unheard of to receive a $100 gift card from such a site if you follow through in renting a listing that they have highlighted on their site.

 

25. Space Heater 

A possibility of saving on your energy costs is to utilize a space heater.

This may be especially effective if your living area is smaller.

A moderate-sized space heater could heat that room to a comfortable temperature.

As with all things, it is important to follow the instructions and guidelines associated with, in particular, this product and make sure that you have a space heater that has a safety cut-off switch if it is accidentally tipped over.

 

Personal Story

While serving in the Navy, the barracks at the duty station I was assigned to were in disrepair.

Consequently, the United States Navy offered to certain personnel an additional allowance to live off base.

A friend of mine and I decided to rent an apartment together which we did for a couple of months

Unfortunately, a young lady came into his life and a new apartment for him and his wife would need to be rented which left me fending for myself.

On a good note, I had put on a little bit of weight and I used the opportunity of cutting back on the buying of groceries.

 

Saving Money Living by Yourself FAQs

 

What Would Be Some of the Disadvantages of Living Alone?

Some of the disadvantages of living alone could include experiencing a boring life, loneliness, no one around to help if an emergency arose, lack of safety, etc.

 

What Are the Advantages of Living Alone?

Some of the advantages of living alone would include no cleaning issues, one can enjoy the sounds of silence, can eat anywhere in the house that they would like, no expectations from anybody else, complete freedom, etc.

 

You Can Do It

Sometimes choices are made and sometimes choices are made for us.

Living alone is a possibility that is sometimes afforded to us for a variety of reasons.

Despite the circumstances, the opportunity is still there, and you can make the most of it especially as it relates to saving money.

 

Conclusion 

Living alone can present an individual with many opportunities.

Some of those opportunities could be living in a smaller unit, not worrying about what the roommate may be thinking, what guests they may invite over, or whether it’s too hot or too cold in the living area.

Another afforded advantage is affordability in which the individual living alone may be able to have several good opportunities to live more frugally and set aside money in a savings account.

Every situation provides its unique opportunities and living alone is no different.