Save Big with These Easy Money Swaps

We love a good bargain. Not only is PayActiv, the company, a big believer in savings as a path to financial wellness, but at work our team loves to share the latest deals they’ve found over brown-bagged lunches in the cafeteria.

Over the years, PayActiv team members have found that these simple swaps help them most with budget management.

• Make your own coffee: Making your own brew can save you $240 to $1200 per year, [1] depending on how complicated you like your caffeine. And no one ever misspells your name when you DIY it.
• Cut the cable: An Amazon Prime subscription costs $119 per year, or about $9.92 a month, [2] compared to an average of $64.41 monthly for basic cable. [3] Making the switch saves you an average of $653.88 a year and gives you access to deals and free delivery on essentials, free music, free games, free online books, and more.
• Brown-bag your lunch: If you buy your local deli’s $5 lunch special every day, you could be spending $1000 a year. Packing your own helps you save money and helps you choose more fruits and vegetables, too, so you can work on your physical wellness along with your financial wellness.
• Exercise on the ’Tube: You can swap out the pricey gym membership for YouTube videos to reap financial wellness and fitness benefits. YouTube has tons of exercise videos you can follow for free, and many don’t require special equipment. If your local gym charges $50 a month, that’s $600 a year in savings.
• Wipe up savings with cloth: Switching to cloth napkins and wipe-down cloths can save you $400 a year, [4] and they’re better for the environment. Using cloth can also prevent costly damage to your glasses, mirrors, and glass tabletops since the wood fibers in paper can scratch delicate surfaces.
• Swap nights out for the library: Your library card is free and can give you access to a world of entertainment—free books, movies, classes, games, music, and more. Compare that to the $50 you can spend on movie tickets, parking, and snacks every time you head to the movies.

When you start seeing all the ways you can save, it feels like a game—a game you can win. With the PayActiv savings feature, you can keep on winning, by funnelling your savings into an emergency fund. Keep score with PayActiv’s budgeting tool, so you can track where your money goes, know how much you’re saving, and decide when to access your savings to fill your needs. It’s handy budget management in your pocket.

Let us know on social media your own best tips for savings. [5] We’re always looking for new ways to enhance our financial wellness and we’d love to learn from you.

[1] Gabrielle Moss, “Here’s How Much Money You Could Save by Making Coffee at Home,” Business Insider, October 17, 2015, https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-much-money-you-could-save-by-making-coffee-at-home-2015-10.

[2] Amazon Prime. https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0.

[3] Harvey Spector, “What Is the Average Cost of Cable TV Per Month?” Techwalla, https://www.techwalla.com/articles/what-is-the-average-cost-of-cable-tv-per-month.

[4] “Save $400/Year by Switching Your Paper Towels for Cloth!” Busy Budgeter, https://www.busybudgeter.com/save-400year-by-switching-your-paper-towels-for-cloth/.

[5] PayActiv (@PayActiv). https://twitter.com/PayActiv.