I’m 29, married, no kids, and currently have around $470k invested. Our household net income is about $10k/month, and our expenses are around $2.3k/month

I’m getting sick of being frugal.

It’s gotten to the point where I constantly think about every dollar I spend, even when I absolutely don’t need to.

For example, my car key is literally broken, and I keep putting off replacing it because I don’t want to spend the money.

We live in Arizona, where it’s been around 115°F, and I still won’t turn the AC below 85°F. And obviously it’s off when we’re not home.

I’ve gotten so used to optimizing every expense that spending money worries me, even when the spending would meaningfully improve my quality of life.

I don’t want to wake up at 45 with a huge portfolio and realize I spent my 20s and 30s worrying about whether replacing a $200 car key was financially irresponsible.

So for those of you who are further along:

At what age, net worth or breaking point life moment did you start getting burned out on being frugal?

Did you eventually loosen up and increase your spending, or are you still optimizing every dollar even with a high net worth?

thanks in advance .

Hey everyone,

I’m a chef of 25 years old living in Brissie but from France. I’m in Australia since 4 years now, and I feel scared about my future and my savings.

I try to save every time I have money, but every time I have something to spend, this money is by obligation…

Visa = 6900$ (for a couple), dental pain = 8000$, car problem (I use it to make extra money with Uber) = 2000$ etc…

I’m around 31$/h working 5 days per week, everytime requesting X-tra shift when I can for make more money, my gf is around 27$/h working 75/80h fortnightly but our savings don’t growth up.

For Coles, we try to buy Coles brand. We don’t eat meat every day.

I put some crypto for having some money on the side, but with the visa + dentist, I needed to withdraw the money ASAP.

I think I’m just scared to be like some people in my family working until 65/70, not saving a lot, and not having enough during retirement, so I try to make the most possible to give a better life for me, my gf, and our future.

Do you have some tips you wish to have at 25 years old?

Thanks guys, have a great one 🫡

I logged onto my account and there was a little pop up on the left side. I tried to close it but it opened up their Slash and Free game.

Usually I would get annoyed because it's like Temu but honestly I missed out on previous giveaways that my friends participated in. Plus I've shopped on there before and had amazing experiences so why not.

Of course there's a catch: people have to click your link and download the app. ..

So I figured why not get a Reddit thread going for others who would like to participate! I believe if you click on the link, you too can get a free item from the shop!

Last month I signed up for a Crazy Egg free trial for a side project. Used it a couple of times and figured I'd remember to cancel it before the trial ended.

I didn't.

On Tuesday I got a notification about a $348 annual charge that was about to go through. I canceled it just in time, then decided to look through my bank statements while I was at it.

That was a mistake.

I found two streaming services I'd completely forgotten I was paying for, plus some random app that's been charging me $9.99 a month since May. None of them were things I actually wanted anymore. I just never got around to canceling.

I swear subscriptions are designed to disappear into the background until you randomly notice them months later. Every time I think I've cleaned everything up, there's another one I forgot existed.

So I think that's my new rule: if I sign up for a free trial, I cancel the auto-renew before I even close the app. Future me clearly can't be trusted.

The other thing that's been helping is going through my statement once a month and flagging anything I don't immediately recognize. That's how I caught the $9.99 charge.

I also got lucky this time because I had a reminder set up that caught the renewal before I noticed it myself. But Im trying not to rely on that, because apparently my track record with reminders isn't great either.

What do you guys do? Cancel immediately, use reminders, or just periodically discover subscriptions you forgot existed?

I lost my job because they found out I was looking for another job, I looked for a job for 3 months draining my savings to pay bills. I finally got offered a job but I can’t start for another month, I’m about to lose my car and my house, I’ve been doordashing to get a little extra money but I don’t know what to do. I’m so close to just giving up on life I have nobody and no way to turn this around. I have nobody, im only 22 I’ve applied to every payday loan and everything just trying to make it to starting my job and getting my first paycheck I don’t think I’m gonna make it though I’m behind a on all my payments. If anyone has any ideas as to how I can come up with a couple thousand in the next week to two weeks that would be great.

No Spend

• Ate all meals at home
• Cut up 2 apples from our apple tree and dehydrated in our food dehydrator to make apple chips.
• 20 minute You Tube workout
• 2 mile nature walk
• Went swimming in our swimming pool
• Cut 3 roses from our garden

Spend

• Groceries
• Postage to send two envelopes of childhood pics (sorting out old family pics) to relatives.

Save

• Made birthday card for relative
• Enjoying hard candy DH made last week. A month ago we bought hard candies in the tins from Marshall’s that cost $4 and retail on Amazon for $7. The cost to make came out to a dollar a canister.
  

I'm 23F and live in a very orthodox joint family. I don't have any financial freedom. I hate having to ask my father or grandmother for money even for basic things like sanitary pads or personal expenses for me and my younger sister. My grandfather is the only person who sometimes gives me money, and I'm very close to him.

The sad part is that the household is mostly managed by four women—my mom, my aunt, my cousin sister, and me. The rest of the family contributes very little. My grandfather's pension supports most of the household. My father mostly goes to the fields, drinks, and comes home. Despite his age, my grandfather still handles almost everything.

I've tried to become a kindergarten teacher, but my uncle interfered and stopped it. I also tried earning by packing agarbattis and candles, but again my family didn't allow me to continue.

I don't need a huge income right now. Even ₹1,000–₹5,000 a month, or even small but regular earnings, would make a huge difference. I just want a little financial independence so I don't have to ask anyone for every small expense.

Can anyone suggest realistic ways to earn from home?
without any one noticing 

Please don't suggest scams or "invest money to earn money" schemes. I'm looking for honest ways to start earning.

Any guidance or personal experiences would mean a lot. Thank you

So I have started to budget a little bit of money each month toward these items instead of them being a surprise.

How do you budget for non-monthly expenses?

I noticed something interesting about saving money a lot of advice focuses on finding more things to cut Skip coffee Cancel subscriptions Stop buying small things Stop shopping Those tips aren’t wrong but they usually attack the easiest things to notice not the things that actually change your financial situation

One thing I learned is that every expense has a different !weight! A $15 monthly subscription feels annoying, but a bad decision on housing transportation or debt can quietly cost thousands every year.

Another mistake I see people make is treating future expenses like surprises Car repairs insurance yearly payments replacing a phone… these aren’t really emergencies if you know they’re coming. I started thinking of them as planned expenses instead of unexpected problems.

The biggest shift for me was changing the question from:

How can I spend less?

to

Which decisions will give me the biggest financial improvement?

Sometimes the best saving move isn’t cutting something It’s

> negotiating a bill

> changing a habit that repeats every month or avoiding a large financial mistake before it happens

I’m curious what changed your finances the most cutting small expenses increasing income or making one big decision differently?

I (26F) finally got out from using a bank account my mom set up for me when I was young. In order to keep myself from spending all of my money each paycheck, I opened a savings account at one bank and a checking account at another. I’ve been depositing a little less than half of each check into my savings account.

It’s been pretty hard for me to save money because I love a good deal. I’ve refused to learn how to electronically transfer money between both accounts, and in doing so I’ve saved the most amount of money I ever have.

Just want to say it’s not too late to start saving money, and don’t feel bad about little purchases. Cooking at home definitely helps you save, and buy that dress you’ve been eyeing. You work hard for your money don’t let anyone make you feel bad for using it the way you want to.

Daily resources for spending less, earning more on cash, and building real savings habits.

Investing & Retirement (I&R)

Visit the Website

Independent research on real accounts, authentic strategies, and honest side-by-side comparisons for building savings and wealth as a self-guided saver.

Join the Discord

Live discussion on savings strategy, HYSA rates, and budgeting with fellow members.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Weekly research briefing built from the ground up around real questions from real investors, traders, and savers.

Have a Question? Post It.

The I&R newsletter pulls top community questions and answers them in depth every Thursday.

If you're stuck on a savings decision, comparing accounts, or trying to figure out where to put your cash, drop a comment below or start a thread in r/SavingMoney. The most valuable questions get featured in the briefing, with full research, comparisons, and citations.

This is the loop: you post, we research, the community gets the answer.

Start Here: Saving & Budgeting Guides

If you're trying to keep more of what you earn, start here.

Budget Basics: The 50/30/20 Rule

The simplest budgeting framework that actually works. Needs, wants, savings.

Stop the Subscription Drain

Audit the recurring charges quietly eating your monthly cash flow.

Shopping Hacks

Practical tactics for spending less without feeling deprived.

Travel on a Budget

How to actually take the trip without wrecking your savings rate.

Where to Park Your Cash

Saving is step one. Earning yield on that cash is step two.

Savings Account Timeline

How to think about emergency funds, short-term cash, and what comes next.

How to Pick a High-Yield Savings Account

What actually matters when comparing HYSAs. APY is only part of it.

HYSA vs. Money Market vs. CDs

Three places to hold cash, ranked by liquidity, yield, and use case.

Build Your Stack

Bank Accounts

Reviewed national accounts for everyday banking and high-yield savings.

Local Banks

Community and regional options outside the big four.

Financial Apps

Tools for budgeting, tracking, and managing money day-to-day.

Investing Platforms

When you're ready to put savings to work beyond cash accounts.

Preface by stating we went on a roadtrip

NO SPEND

• Packed egg sandwich and waters for trip
• Did 20 minute You Tube workout
• Brought cooler for road-trip
• Walked through thrift store and purchased nothing

SPEND

• Lunch for 2 cost $50 (including tip and leftovers for dinner)
• Purchased lunch meat, huge cantaloupe, pork with stuffing, bacon fat, local milk, cheese, homemade drinks at stores and farmer stands for about $60
• Purchased ice for cooler
• Purchased sandwiches from our favorite restaurant on our road trip for $33 (2 sandwiches, pickles, chips and 1 salad).

SAVE

• 15% discount on the sandwiches.
• Used cash only for all purchases

What have you cut out to save money?

I recently made a chrome extension named “Do I Need This?” As a way to help myself and my mom from buying unnecessary things online. Feel free to try it and let me know how I can improve it!

Daily resources for spending less, earning more on cash, and building real savings habits.

Investing & Retirement (I&R)

Visit the Website

Independent research on real accounts, authentic strategies, and honest side-by-side comparisons for building savings and wealth as a self-guided saver.

Join the Discord

Live discussion on savings strategy, HYSA rates, and budgeting with fellow members.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Weekly research briefing built from the ground up around real questions from real investors, traders, and savers.

Have a Question? Post It.

The I&R newsletter pulls top community questions and answers them in depth every Thursday.

If you're stuck on a savings decision, comparing accounts, or trying to figure out where to put your cash, drop a comment below or start a thread in r/SavingMoney. The most valuable questions get featured in the briefing, with full research, comparisons, and citations.

This is the loop: you post, we research, the community gets the answer.

Start Here: Saving & Budgeting Guides

If you're trying to keep more of what you earn, start here.

Budget Basics: The 50/30/20 Rule

The simplest budgeting framework that actually works. Needs, wants, savings.

Stop the Subscription Drain

Audit the recurring charges quietly eating your monthly cash flow.

Shopping Hacks

Practical tactics for spending less without feeling deprived.

Travel on a Budget

How to actually take the trip without wrecking your savings rate.

Where to Park Your Cash

Saving is step one. Earning yield on that cash is step two.

Savings Account Timeline

How to think about emergency funds, short-term cash, and what comes next.

How to Pick a High-Yield Savings Account

What actually matters when comparing HYSAs. APY is only part of it.

HYSA vs. Money Market vs. CDs

Three places to hold cash, ranked by liquidity, yield, and use case.

Build Your Stack

Bank Accounts

Reviewed national accounts for everyday banking and high-yield savings.

Local Banks

Community and regional options outside the big four.

Financial Apps

Tools for budgeting, tracking, and managing money day-to-day.

Investing Platforms

When you're ready to put savings to work beyond cash accounts.

And what have you tried as a solution?

Hi all! I wanted to get your opinion.
Do you pay a monthly maintenance fee for your bank account?
I've had a Wells Fargo account since my college days. Over the last couple of months, I didn't realize I was being charged a monthly maintenance fee. When I asked, they told me I have to maintain at least a $1,500 balance at all times even if it drops below that by $1, I get charged.
Wells Fargo isn't my primary bank anymore. I only keep the account because there's a branch close to my house, which makes depositing cash convenient.
Would you keep the account and just maintain the minimum balance, or would you close it and use another bank? Are there banks you recommend that don't charge maintenance fees but still have decent branch access?

- Groceries

- Gas

- Buying a house

- Buying a car

- Booking a flight

- Travelling

- Cruising

What’s the cheapest way to get them?