2019 was an insane year for me. I moved to another state, started a new job, got married, and created The Budget Engineer. With all this going on, I didn’t think I was making much progress on my savings.

This month I sat down and cracked open the digital finance accounts. I reviewed the normal stuff – savings rate, account balances, rate of return, etc.

But I’ve never looked into all the little things I do to save a buck. Things like using coupons, buying generic groceries, downloading all those cashback apps. Did any of it make a difference?

Call me crazy, but I actually went through every single transaction in our finances. It took a couple days and several cups of coffee, but it was well worth it.

After throwing everything into a spreadsheet, I added it all together and the result was shocking. In 2019, we saved $3,465 on everyday expenses and earned $8,873 from extra income and side hustles. A year ago, I never would have believed it.

Saving on Everyday Expenses

Craigslist:  $127

This summer my wife and I moved from an apartment to a rental house. We wanted to cook outside while the weather was nice, but we didn’t have a grill. Amazon was selling a basic model for $139.99 [1]. I searched on Craigslist and found the same grill for free.

It needed a good cleaning and the burner covers were rusted through. I was able to find new covers for $12.99, and I pocketed the difference!

Free Shipping:  $145 saved

I do the majority of my online shopping through Amazon. We don’t have an Amazon Prime membership, but I didn’t pay a single dollar for shipping this year. 

Every time I need to buy something, I add it to my online cart and wait until I qualify for free shipping. I went through every order I placed in 2019 and tracked the savings. I made 15 purchases over the last 12 months and saved $145. Even better, we didn’t pay $119 for Prime.

Car Maintenance:  $151

I’ve had my current car for almost 4 years, and I do most of the routine maintenance myself. I’m not a car mechanic. I would never take apart an engine. But I know just enough to be useful.

I can get $28 synthetic oil, $8 oil filters, and $17 air filters. The average price for a synthetic oil change is $70 [2], and air filter replacements are $40 [3]. Doing my own maintenance has saved me $151 over the last year, and my car is in great shape!

Cell Phone:  $181

I try my best to keep the cell phone bill low. I don’t have an unlimited data plan, and I never buy the newest $1000 iPhones. On top of that, my employer gives a 20% discount on my Verizon bill. It saves me $8 per month. I get another $5 off per month for using Verizon autopay. These two discounts save me $156 each year.

Verizon also offers credits through Verizon Up. They aren’t crazy deals, usually $5 coupons at places like Amazon, Starbucks, Uber, and Panera. But if you’re already enrolled in autopay, it’s an easy savings perk. Verizon Up saved me $25 in 2019.

Cashback Apps:  $196

I tried out a bunch of cashback and money-saving apps this year. There have been a few duds, but the rest have been worthwhile. There is a lot to talk about with these apps, so I’ll save the details for another blog post. For now, here’s a quick summary of each:

• Dosh: $1.00 saved
• GetUpSide: $7.89 saved
• Bumped: $20.69 saved
• Wikibuy: $32.01 saved
• Honeywell: $60.49 saved
• Rakuten: $73.72 saved

Credit Card Cashback:  $228

I have the Discover It and recently signed up for the PayPal Mastercard. I use them whenever I can – insurance premiums, utility bills, and internet payments. Between the two cards I’ve earned $228, and I put all the cashback towards our expenses.

Miscellaneous Savings:  $455

When I got married this fall, I looked at three tux rental stores. They all had similar prices. However, one offered a free tailored suit if you rent tuxes through them. That was enough to convince me, and I came home with a custom suit worth $395.  

The new rental house also needed a coffee table. We bought one from Wayfair, but it arrived broken. The drawer handle was completely busted. After speaking with customer service, they sent a new drawer and credited us $50!

Out of the blue Discover sent me a $10 Amazon gift card. Keep an eye out for random e-mails with promotions like this. Don’t leave money left on the table.

Groceries:  $523

We do a lot of grocery shopping at Kroger, mostly because I love the Kroger Plus Card. It gives deals on certain items throughout the store, and you don’t need to pay an annual fee. You can also earn points towards gas discounts. A week ago I had no idea how much it was actually saving us. After poking around the website, I found out that they track all your receipts. This year the card saved us $203 on groceries and $26 on gas.

Another way we save on groceries is by buying generic brands instead of name brands. I don’t have an exact dollar amount, but a couple of websites said you can save 30-40% [4,5]. Those estimates seemed steep, and I didn’t want to get too greedy so I assumed 10%. For us, we save roughly $297 per year on our grocery expenses, which helps not to break the budget.

Car Insurance:  $597

In 2018, I was paying $1,763 for car insurance. When I moved states, it forced me to look at new coverage. By switching providers, I saved $480 on my premiums this year. My insurance plan is the exact same too, so I didn’t have to sacrifice coverage.

The new insurance company also has an app that tracks driving habits. They rewarded me $117 for not driving like a maniac. Don’t worry State Farm, the Subaru wagon isn’t breaking any speed records.

TV & Internet:  $863

We cut the cord at the start of the year, and started relying on Netflix for movies and shows. Our bill was getting ridiculous – we were paying $112 per month for TV and internet. Switching to an internet-only plan saved us $743.

Plus, we negotiated our new bill so that we have the promotional rate. This saved us another $120 per year.

Total Savings on our Expenses:  $3,465

Craigslist $127 Online Shopping $145 Oil Changes $151 Cell Phone $181 Savings Apps $196 Credit Cards $228 Misc. Coupons $455 Groceries $523 Insurance $597 TV & Internet $863

Extra Income and Side Hustles

Online Surveys:  $29

Survey apps seem to have mixed reviews, so I decided to test a few. Since October I’ve been using three survey apps as a small side hustle. I’m averaging $16 every 30 days, which is enough to pay for my gym membership.

• 1Q: $3.00 earned
• Google Opinion Rewards: $6.59 earned
• Surveys On The Go: $20.00 earned

Real Estate Crowdfunding:  $63

This past year I started researching peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding. I wasn’t convinced on the former, but I decided to invest a little in real estate crowdfunding. In March, I opened an account with Fundrise to diversify my portfolio. This account focuses on debt investments to generate dividends. So far the investment is paying a 6% return in passive income.

Ebay and Craigslist:  $358

Moving made me realize how much unused stuff I own. And after getting married, it was time to consolidate. Instead of throwing everything in the garbage, I posted it all on Ebay and Craigslist.

I was able to sell an old gaming system, two pairs of boots, a phone charging station, and a cookware set. I ended up making $358 on this side hustle.

Savings Account Interest:  $629

For years I had been using a traditional bank to hold my emergency fund. Every few months I would notice one or two dollars trickle into the account. When I looked up the interest rate and saw it was only 0.06%, I realized it was time to make a change.

Back in January I opened an online high-yield savings account through Discover. They were offering 2% APY – over 30 times what I had been making! The account took less than an hour to create, and it has generated $629.

Read the rest at The Budget Engineer