16 Funny Ways to Save Money (That Are Worth a Try!)
You’ve got a solid budget in place, you’ve searched for a higher-paying job, and you’ve given up some of your spendy habits…but the ends are still not meeting when it comes to your financial goals. Maybe it’s time to go ultra-frugal with these funny ways to save money!
Looking at your finances with a sense of humor is sometimes necessary when all else fails. The purpose isn’t to disregard the importance of solid finances, but to make your money-saving efforts practical and fun. This will keep you and your family laughing and motivated to continue saving money.
Employing tips and tricks to live more frugally takes a silly spin as we look at 15 hilarious ways to save money that are worth a try.
1. Take Short Or Cold Showers
A good reason to sing in the shower is to save money. Pick your favorite song (no longer than 3 minutes) and start singing it as soon as you get in the shower. Aim to be done by the time you reach the last lyric. You can play a tune on your phone if your singing makes cats squirm. Just keep it short.
If you‘re not ready to cut your shower time, try an ice-cold one. This way will surely get you out there before the 3 minutes is up! (Plus, cold showers are actually thought to have some potential health benefits).
2. Reuse Envelopes
Tired of all the junk mail you’re getting? (I mean, most of us are paying bills online these days to save on postage right?).
Make the most of it by reusing those extra envelopes that come with bills and bank statements for other purposes.
3. Date Like You’re 90 Years Old
Trying to save on date nights with the spouse? Imagine yourselves as your grandma and grandpa. Now, go about your date day as you imagine they would.
Get up early, go to a cheap matinee show, go for a walk, cook dinner together at home, and be in bed by 7 pm. Boom – you’ve just saved heavily on your date, and improved your health too!
And maybe that early bedroom time gives you a little romantic adult time together too.
4. Go for Fake Flowers
We all want a pretty bouquet of flowers to decorate the house. Plastic flowers can be as beautiful as the real thing, last infinitely longer, and can often be found at cheap locations like The Dollar Tree.
You get a pretty view at your table, and there’s no need to replace them frequently – win win.
5. Turn Off Your Car When Waiting
If you’re not preparing to race someone on the set of Fast & Furious, there is no reason why you should keep your car idling while waiting for your spouse to run in the supermarket or dropping something off at a chatty friend’s place (you know you’re going to get into a conversation that lasts a solid 15 minutes).
Save on gas by switching your car off and restarting it when you’re ready to leave.
6. Flush Less
Suppose you haven’t lived in a place that has suffered a drought or had water issues. In that case, you might be unfamiliar with the catchy guideline: If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.
You can save water, and thus money, by only flushing when you have gone to the toilet to drop a deuce. If you pee, do not be tempted to flush. Just walk away.
[Use this method with caution if you frequently have guests at your house, as not everyone appreciates this money-saving method.]
7. Cut Your Own Hair
Everyone’s got it, and it keeps growing back – so why spend money on haircuts when you can do it yourself?
If you have a steady hand, scissors, and some YouTube tutorials, you’ve got everything you need to give yourself a haircut at home. Just be sure not to go too crazy – unless you’re into that sort of thing.
Note: Please don’t try this for the first time on the day of an important interview.
(Of course, if you don’t feel comfortable taking scissors to those beautiful locks, you can save via other ways – like being a volunteer model at a hair salon, or finding a salon that gives free haircuts if you donate your hair.)
8. Go On A Trash Exploration
For some, Christmas falls not on December 25th – but rather on college move-out day. Students are often moving out of their apartments and don’t want to store all that stuff for the summer, so they often toss it.
A student’s trash could be your treasure. Find out the date that college students move out of their dorms so you can go peruse the junk piles. Hopefully you’ll find some items you need, or some that you can flip to make money.
(Just be cautious about bed bugs! Check any furniture very thoroughly. I’m hesitant to take anything upholstered from the curb for this reason).
9. Navigate Your Way In The Dark
Keep the furniture in your house in the same place, and make it a game to memorize your way around. Challenge yourself until you can walk around comfortably at night without turning on a single light.
This might require some practice during daylight hours, but you’ll soon be able to memorize your furniture layout.
Your electricity bill – and thus your wallet – will thank you for it. And you’ve just developed some cool new maze skills.
10. Dump Someone At The Right Time
This is a little savage, but I’m gonna throw it out there – if you’re dating someone and you know it’s not going to work out, consider your timing when cutting the cord. Try to make your break as soon as you know, before any big anniversary, birthday, or holiday. This way, both of you are spared on having to spend on a gift.
11. Become A Collector
There is no reason to be embarrassed pocketing various freebies. Pick up coins in the street, line your pockets with restaurant condiments, and make the most of the free perfume samples they hand out at the mall.
Shoot, if you’ve got no shame, you can even ask for a few extra.
Now you’ve got enough ketchup for all your kids chicken nuggets and enough perfume for the next year of dates.
12. Postpone The Holidays
This is a tough one, but if you’re not sentimental about the timing of the holidays, try making your bigger family get-togethers after the official date.
You can take advantage of the clearance sales when buying gifts, allowing you to buy for parents, siblings, and nieces/nephews at a fraction of the cost.
I’m a huge fan of Target – about a week after Christmas, most of their holiday stuff goes to 90% off. I’ve gotten some amazing finds there! Clearly, you can see when I do most of my shopping for extended family:
13. Get A (Different) Job
No, don’t quit your main job – that would be counterproductive. But if you want to save money, getting a side hustle is a great way to do it. And there are no shortage of funny (or slightly crazy?) side hustles out there.
You can sell feet pics, get paid to poop, volunteer for medical research trials…there are truly some interesting ways to earn extra cash when you’re broke.
14. Poop at Work
Want to save on your water bill and toilet paper costs? Why not try pooping at work?
Yep, we’re going there.
Take a 10 minute break, unload at the office, and you’ve saved yourself some essential TP at home.
15. Shower at the Gym
In line with above, if you are paying for a gym membership, make use of their facilities. Take a steamy shower after your workout and (if needed) blow dry your hair there. Boom, you’ve saved yourself some water and electricity costs at home.
16. Forage or Fish.
With inflation hitting the grocery store, food prices can get a little crazy. But what if you could gather up some of your own food for free?
Got fishing poles on hand? Look up locations where the fish is safe to eat, and get your fill! After you gut and scale the fish, it’s easy (and delicious) to roast whole.
If you don’t have fishing gear, you can always forage for produce. You’ll need to take a few books out of the library or find an experienced guide to learn more about how to identify safe plants.
As a starting point, though, did you know that nearly entire dandelion plant is edible? The Cleveland Clinic has a great article about eating dandelions. These weeds are abundant and easy to forage, just be careful to avoid any that were sprayed with pesticides.
The Bottom Line
Whether you take this list of funny ways to save money seriously or not, it is worth trying them out. What have you got to lose? (Well, maybe a tiny bit of your dignity in a few cases, but that’s all. 😉 )
