I often catch myself spending more than I need to. As a college student saving for my future, I want to be more practical when spending money. A couple extra cents spent here and there may seem trivial in the moment, but as I look a bit closer at the numbers it may be that some of my smallest expenses are some of my most influential expenses in regards to savings. I have come up with a few ways to eliminate some unnecessary costs which don’t require any significant lifestyle changes but have the potential to substantially increase savings.

1. Opt for store brand products - When given the choice between Neutrogena make-up remover wipes and the target brand, go with the generic! The price difference in this case is $1.15 which doesn’t seem like much on its own, but consider if you chose the generic brand for five different items that you need each time you go to the store. If you do this once every other week for a year and save an average of one dollar with the generic brand, you’d save around $130 a year!
2. Keep a case of waters around - A “more expensive” case of 24 16.9 fl oz water bottles is approximately five dollars. If you purchase water bottles individually from a vending machine or convenience store, you usually pay at least $1.25 per bottle. Of course, $1.25 does not seem too steep on its own, but 24 water bottles for $30 is plainly uneconomical considering your alternative. In light of the numbers, if you have one water bottle a day for a year, it would cost $456.25 when purchased individually but only $76.04 if purchased in the 24-pack I described.
3. Don’t buy everything in one place - If you go to the grocery store, don’t plan to buy your toiletries there (toothbrush, shampoo, etc.). The prices are hiked up for these products because of the convenience. Likewise, don’t buy groceries, toiletries, or household products from the local CVS. Their prices are much higher because having all these items in one place for you is doing you a favor, so again you’re paying for convenience. For a rule of thumb, purchase the things you need from the store they are meant to be sold in (ie. Buy food from a grocery store, household items and toiletries from target)
4. Pay with change - I don’t mean hand the clerk 138 pennies to pay for a pack of gum. But if you have 38 cents, use it rather than breaking the second dollar. I’m far too guilty of getting rid of the change I get back when I pay with cash because it’s just a nuisance to carry around quarters and dimes. However, realistically, avoiding having to deal with pocket change can save you the 62 cents each time you make a purchase like this. Some other instances to consider using exact change to pay include for coffee, drive throughs, and splitting the bill with a friend.
5. Buy in bulk! Everyone has heard this but it’s so easy to ignore. I want to help put it into perspective with an example. Every day this past semester I ate at least one Special K peanut butter chocolate protein bar for a snack. I bought two at a time from The Pod on campus, and each cost over two dollars. To be simple, let’s say I had 120 protein bars (4 months worth) for two dollars each. I spent (over) $240 on individual protein bars when I could have bought them at target, 6 for $6.08. This means I could have spent as little as $121.60 for these bars. I could have saved close to $120 in four months just in protein bars, and that wouldn’t have required me to choose a different product. Just simply changing the means of purchase for frequently used items can make a substantial difference in your savings.