Fifteen easy ways to save fifteen bucks

(This post was originally published on August 15, 2006, and has been updated, because a lot can change in eighteen years.)

Fifteen dollars wasn't that much in 2006, and it's even less now.

Regardless, we can get richer or poorer a few dollars at a time.

It's not that difficult to make a couple of minor adjustments in spending. If you apply just half of these tips each month, that's over $100/month that you can apply to whatever you value! Things like debt reduction, emergency savings, investing, retirement, or (gasp!) fun.

Go through the list and consider first trying those tips that won't be hard to change.

1. If you're a coffee drinker, consider brewing your own

Starbucks coffee is now north of $3/cup. One a day is $15 per workweek.

Now, before I get hate mail, I completely get that Starbucks or other coffee on the go is a non-negotiable for many people, but if it's not, then consider brewing your own.

A decent coffee maker, your favorite bean or ground coffee, a coffee grinder if you use beans, and a Stanley stainless steel insulated thermos will set you up. We went a little higher-end with an OXO Brew 8-cup coffee maker and love it.

After the initial costs, saving $15 every couple of weeks is pretty easy!

2. Consider switching to water when dining out

Drinks are where restaurants make a killing. Now it's not uncommon for a soda to be nearly $3 in a restaurant. It might cost the restaurant a dime or so. They're printing money with the drinks.

Water from a pitcher is typically free in our state. Others may charge something but it's typically not the same as a fountain drink.

It only takes about three meals with your spouse or significant other before you're $15 ahead.

3. Try some generic brands on your next grocery shopping trip

It's not hard at all to save $15 per $100 on a grocery trip with store brands. Often the store brand is exactly the same as the name brand.

To drive the cost down even more, consider scanning your receipts for cash back. You can scan the same grocery receipt with several apps!

4. Unless the movie absolutely needs to be seen in a theater, wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it

At $18 for two tickets, plus that much for popcorn and drinks, you can save $15 easily.  Bonus: no stepping in dried puddles of sugary soda!

5. Cancel a magazine you don't read anymore

One subscription should be $15 right there. And the reduced visual noise is a bonus!

6. Head to the library rather than buy a new hardcover book in the store

Your mileage may vary depending on how well-stocked your library is. Our local library even has e-lending; we can borrow books and read them on a Kindle.

With new hardcovers $20 and up, you can read it for free when your library gets it, and you've saved more than $15.

7. Get a Restaurant.com dining certificate

We've used Restaurant.com many times to save money on dining out. It takes a small amount of coordination to take advantage of the certificate, because it's not quite as flexible as a gift certificate. But $25 dining certificates for $10 are regularly available for many restaurants, possibly one or several in your area.

That's $15 right there.

8. Bring in your lunch for a week

Two of my favorite places to get lunch near work set me back about $10.

Bringing in a comparable lunch entree is about $4.

I'll save $15 by Wednesday if I would otherwise eat out every lunch.

9. Try a water filter instead of bottled water

A Brita pitcher filter will purify about 35 gallons.

With bottled water more expensive than gasoline, $15 in savings is a no-brainer.

10. Drop streaming services you don't use

(Back in 2006 the title of this section was “Drop cable services you don't use.” Times have changed!)

A useful benchmark for a streaming service is the buck-an-hour rule. Do you get an hour of enjoyment for each dollar you spend? For example, we have a Spotify family plan which is $20/month. We easily listen to 20 hours of music between us in the first week, so that passes the buck-an-hour rule.

Getting rid of one streaming service that doesn't pass the test is at least $15/month, maybe more.

11. Take your kids to the park for a picnic instead of at a restaurant

Weather permitting, of course!

12. Bring in your snacks instead of feeding the vending machines

I'm a sucker for Nutty Bars. A 12-pack of these at Walmart costs under $5.

At work, the vending machine sells them for $1.50 each. Twelve of them would be $18.

I've saved $15 almost with one box of them.

13. Visit a thrift store

People give away some really nice stuff! We got a bread machine for $5 that I know cost more than $20 new.

14. Eliminate a couple of trips into town by planning ahead a little

$15 in gas is only about 100-150 miles now.

15. Don't buy flowers on your wedding anniversary.

Just kidding on this one — sometimes saving $15 is very costly!!

Thanks for reading!

Hi, I'm John and I encourage entrepreneurship in people, including myself.

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