Heather Wheeler | 

12 Monthly Habits to End This Year $16,859 Richer

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If there was a way to squirrel away an extra $16,859 this year by implementing 12 new habits, would you do it?

Who wouldn’t?!

The amount you save will depend on how much you’re already spending, but try these 12 new habits starting today and let us know how much you save within the next 12 months!

 

1. Save 60% on your grocery bill by using the KCL app for coupons and sale alerts.

The easiest way to knock 60% off your grocery bill is to shop sale prices and use coupons. You can tackle both of those things seamlessly by downloading the KCL app.

Try it once and see how it goes.

If you spend $600 per month on groceries, the KCL app can help you shave $360 off that bill for a yearly savings of $4,320.

 

2. Download and use at least one rebate app to earn $360 back every year. We recommend Ibotta.

Once you’ve mastered the KCL app, the next step is to pair sale prices and coupons with a rebate app. You’ll save the most using Ibotta.

Ibotta’s rebates range from $0.25 back on eggs of any brand, to $15 off a case of Bud Light. You’ll get $11 back when you use the KCL referral link and redeem your first rebate.

Then, depending on what you buy, expect to get another 5% back on your monthly grocery bill. If you average a $600 monthly bill before coupons, sales and rebates, that’s another $30 back in your pocket every month, or $360 per year.

Your KCL Ibotta referral bonus brings that total up to $371 back in your pocket by the end of the year.

 

 

3. Earn cash back on every purchase using a combination of Ibotta and EBates.

Before buying anything online, check whether Ibotta or EBates is offering cash back — then choose whichever service has the higher cash back offer.

For example, Ibotta is offering 4% cash back on Macys.com purchases while EBates is offering 6% cash back from the same site. In this case, you’d use your EBates app to shop Macys.com and earn that extra 2% cash back.

If you spend $200/month online, start getting an average of 6% cash back using Ibotta and EBates.

You’ll earn an extra $144 cash back this year on purchases you’re already making.

 

4. Get price adjustments and compensation for late Amazon deliveries using Paribus.

Since you’re going to be doing most of your shopping online this year to earn cash back from Ibotta and Rakuten, be sure to sign up for Paribus.

Paribus monitors your email for price drops on items you’ve already purchased and notifies you when there’s an opportunity to request a price adjustment from a retailer they monitor.

While they don’t monitor Amazon price drops, if your Amazon package arrives later than promised, Paribus will notify you so you can request compensation from Amazon.

Paribus compensates us when you sign up for Paribus using the links we provided.

 

RELATED: 7 Reasons to Stop Throwing Away Your Receipts

 

5. Spend less on your annual family vacation using KCL’s travel hacks.

If there’s one thing Krazy Couponers know how to do, it’s living well on a budget. And that means traveling. A lot.

We’ve hacked the cruise industry and airline industry so you can learn how to fly your family to Disneyland for free, or cruise during less popular months to save up to 60% on the ticket price.

We’ve also hacked LEGOLand, Disneyland, Six Flags and even the national park system so you can take your family to places they’ve only dreamed of.

Four roundtrip airline tickets to Disneyland will cost at least $1,200, depending on where you live. The cost when you hack the system with us? Free. So add that to your 2019 savings.

 

6. Use one family’s savings plan to add another $9,713 to your account.

We introduced you to one family who was able to save almost $10,000 in one year by adding just six habits.

They opened two new bank accounts and used Billcutterz, the Acorns investment app and the Digit saving app. They also started dogsitting in their own home using Rover and took advantage of more than one rebate app, like Ibotta and Checkout51.

See exactly how they did it.

 

 

7. Control your impulse spending by implementing the 30-day rule.

If you’re an impulse buyer (hello, Target Dollar Spot), implement the 30-day rule.

If you feel an impulse buy coming, put the item back on the shelf and promise yourself that you’ll come back for it in 30 days if you still want it.

Most of the time, you’ll forget about it.

Let’s say you stop yourself from buying just one $30 item every month. That’ll add up to $360 by the end of the year!

 

8. Vow to only buy apparel if it’s at least 50% off.

This one is actually pretty easy if you have solid self-control, patience and the KCL app in your pocket.

Just set the KCL app to alert you when your favorite clothing retailer, like Gap or Old Navy, is having a great sale.

And always check your Target app for at least 20% off apparel — including clearance items. Then add your 5% REDCard discount on top of that.

If you currently spend $500/year on your family’s apparel, cut that in half and put the other $250 in savings.

 

9. Enroll in Bank of America’s Keep the Change program.

Every time you make a purchase with your Bank of America debit card, the bank will round the purchase up to the next dollar amount and put the difference into your savings account.

For example, if you spend $4.15 on a latte, BOA will round the purchase up to $5.00 and put the $0.85 difference into your savings.

On average, shoppers put an additional $246 per year in savings without even trying.

Pro Tip: Don’t have an account with Bank of America? Be sure to ask about a new account cash bonus before signing up to get another $200-$350 for free.

 

RELATED: How to Get 8 Banks to Pay You Thousands of Dollars

 

10. Only eat out when your kids can eat free to save $120 this year.

Those nights when you decide to take a break from cooking to dine out are inevitable — so why not plan ahead and go when your kids can eat for free?

Our guide for Kids Eat Free restaurants is organized by day of the week. So print it out and save yourself at least $10 per month, or $120 per year.

 

 

11. Buy discounted gift cards up to 85% off from Raise, and use them for everything.

This habit might be hard to start, but you’ll thank us later.

Sites like Gift Card Granny and Raise sell gift cards at a discount, which is basically like getting free money.

Both services have an app that will keep your gift cards organized in a digital wallet so you don’t have to worry about losing them.

If you save an average of 6% on $100 of purchases every month by using discounted gift cards, you’ll be saving $72 every year.

Pro Tip: Stack your cash back rebate from Ibotta or EBates with a discounted gift card to score the biggest online discounts.

 

12. Get paid to work out and reach your New Year’s resolution goals.

If “work out” is on your New Year’s resolution list, you may as well get paid to make it happen.

Apps like DietBet or HealthyWage will pay you to get healthy and lose weight.

For example, you can earn $44 for losing 20 lb. in eight months using HealthyWage — now add that to your yearly savings!

 

UP NEXT: 16 Ways to Make Paying Off Student Debt Easier

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