How to Save More Money (7 money hacks)
Oct 24, 2026Read time - 4 minutes / Disclosure
Today, let's review how to save more money.
Learning unique ways to save money can:
- Destroy your debt.
- Boost your savings.
- Help you grow your investments faster.
Unfortunately, cost of living keeps rising.
The Inflation
Since 2020, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve:
- Gas prices are up 65%.
- Food prices are up 35%.
- Used car prices are up 33%.
It can be frustrating.
Especially if beating debt or building wealth are your big goals.
Most people are feeling the effects of higher prices today.
Which can also be stressful.
"Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man."
— Ronald Reagan
Like most people, I first noticed the sting of inflation in my early 20s.
Going to the movies.
Shopping for clothes.
Eating out with friends.
It became obvious prices never went down (just up).
And by the end of my 20s, the average price of a house went up 50% and cost $100,000+ more.
I realized making more money every year was necessary just to stay ahead.
The Money Stress
By the end of my 20s, I was drowning in $80,000 worth of debt.
My bad habits with money had finally caught up to me.
And having lots of debt plus dealing with inflation was extra painful.
It was a "rock bottom" moment in my life.
My financial situation felt hopeless.
But life took a turn and soon after I found myself sitting in a cubicle at Chase Bank in Seattle, Washington working as a banker.
7 Money Hacks
Getting rid of my $80,000 of debt became my #1 goal as a banker.
Because how the heck was I going to help other people with their money if my own financial life was a mess (or so I told myself).
So, I learned every money hack I could the 10 years I spent working at Chase which helped take my finances from $80k in debt at 29 to a net worth a little over $1M at 36.
Here's 7 money hacks I wish I learned sooner.
Hope they're useful.
Let's dive in:
1. The Hour Hack
Before buying something, consider using the Hour Hack.
Especially if it's something you want, but don't need.
How it works:
1. Divide the cost of the thing you want.
2. By your hourly rate.
Here's an example.
If the thing you want costs $500 and you earn $33 an hour at your job:
Something costing $500 for someone with an hourly rate of $33 means..
It would take 15 hours of work to be able to afford that $500 item.
It's a simplified way to see things.
But the big question to ask in this example..
"Is this thing I want worth 15 hours of my time?"
The Hour Hack is a quick way to decide if a purchase is worth making or not.
2. The 2-day Hack
Before buying something, consider using the 2-day Hack.
Especially if it's an expensive thing you want but don't need.
How it works:
1. After finding something you want to buy.
2. Choose to wait 2 days.
For example:
The 2-day hack helps you avoid buying things on impulse.
3. The Per-day Hack
Before buying the same thing each day, consider using the Per-day Hack.
How it works:
1. Identify something you buy daily (but might not need).
2. Times it by 30 days.
For example:
Paying $20 for lunch at a restaurant each day turns into $600 every month.
Smaller daily spending can feel insignificant.
But can turn into bigger monthly costs.
The Per-day hack helps you better understand how your daily spending affects your monthly costs.
4. The Meal Type Hack
Eating 3 times a day is necessary.
But high food costs don't have to be.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, eating at home averages $3 to $5 per meal while eating at a restaurant averages $15+ per meal.
Another option is meal prep services like: Everyplate, Dinnerly, Hellofresh which average $6 - $12 per meal.
(I've been happily using Hellofresh for 7+ years)
The 3 Meals Hack is a good reminder how you choose to eat can be a big money saver every month.
5. The Restaurant Hack
Eating out + saving money.
Meeting friends at a restaurant is a big part of American culture.
But how do you eat out + save money?
One way is the Restaurant Hack.
How it works:
1. Order a meal at a restaurant that's a larger portion of food.
2. Eat half of the meal at the restaurant.
3. Take the 2nd half of the meal home.
Instead of paying $20 for just one meal.
Food from the restaurant becomes 2 meals (and those meals beak down into costing $10 each).
The Restaurant Hack can save you money by turning 1 meal into 2.
6. The Daily Meals Hack
Never run out of food + spend less per meal.
Eating at home and bringing lunch to work is the least expensive way to eat every month.
And the Daily Meals Hack is an easy way to set this up.
How it works:
1. Find a grocery company that delivers for free.
2. Set-up a weekly order.
For example (amazon):
Having food delivered each week often means eating out less.
The Daily Food Hack helps you pay the least amount of money per meal and helps lower your monthly food costs.
7. The Credit Card Hack
More attention = saving money
Credit cards can take on a life of their own.
Especially when they go unchecked for weeks at a time.
To save more money, consider using the Credit Card Hack.
How it works:
1. Set a weekly reminder on your phone to pay your credit card.
2. Pick a day and a time.
For example:
Logging into a credit card account weekly might sound silly.
But it can make a massive difference, and be a big money saver.
The Credit Card Hack helps you stay on top of your weekly spending and helps you avoid big credit card bill surprises.
The bottom line
My biggest mistake when I was $80,000 in debt and trying to build wealth was that I didn't have a system to follow for my money.
It felt like my money was controlling me instead of me controlling it.
And feeling out of control with my finances affected my emotions, my relationships, and my overall quality of life.
Finally, having a handful of tools to help with my daily money decisions helped change everything.
If you're struggling with debt.
I've been there too. It's a stressful place to be.
And I hope these 7 money hacks help you break free faster.
If you have no high-interest debt, maybe you didn't learn things the hard way like me.
That's great, I hope 1 or 2 of this money hacks help you save more money on your wealth building journey.
Keep goin' 💰
That's all for today.
See you next Saturday.
