Saving money sounds simple in theory, but actually sticking to it is a completely different story. Between rising expenses, impulse spending, subscriptions you forgot existed, and the occasional “I deserve this” purchase, building savings can feel almost impossible sometimes. That’s exactly why one Reddit user “u/Amazondriver23” asked a very relatable question on the subreddit Reddit’s r/povertyfinance community: “People who are good at saving money, what’s your advice?”
The responses were filled with practical, brutally honest, and surprisingly smart financial tips from people who have actually learned how to save money in real life — not just in theory. From small mindset shifts to everyday habits that quietly save hundreds of dollars, these are the money-saving lessons people swear by after years of trial and error.
Most people won’t like it, but you can’t outearn bad spending.
The whole “if i had 100k job I’d be fine” or 150, 200, 500. No, if you spend like other normal people at whatever level, you’ll be broke, because more people are hiding their struggles than you realize.
It’s simple: underspend your income like it’s a game.
Status is in the delta, not the top line. – Jwing01
Live below your means. When you get a raise, put the 3% or whatever your raise is, automatically into savings. Don’t increase your spending to go with your raise. Could we afford a bigger house? Yes. Did we get a bigger house? No. Could we afford a luxury car? Yes. Did we get one? No. I work with so many people worried about retirement. Meanwhile, they live in large houses, drive luxury cars, and go on extravagant vacations. – Business-Judgment-86
May sound dumb, but put money in an account it takes more than 1 step to access. I have money automatically going to a Money Market account. It is not tied to a card, so to take money out I need to visit the bank. It keeps me from making impulse decisions to spend. As for what else to do, find gatherings that cost no money. Game nights, free classes by local schools or volunteer. It gets you out of the house and away from shopping which puts you in a place to spend money. –Sirquack1969
Cheap hobbies that add to your life. –Equal-Salary-7774
Put money in a Roth IRA and 401k. You can’t spend money that is locked up…. good thing is that it will grow over time. –just_enjoyinglife
Be content with what you have. Ambition is great but also don’t chase consumerism because it’ll never fill the void –Jealous_Courage_9888
Pay yourself first.
Every time you get paid, put a little bit of money into savings, or preferably a separate account completely, right away. Doesn’t have to be much. It’ll add up faster than you think –Jlp46821
Stalling on the purchase. If the next day I can still remember whatever it is, then I’ll give it some more thought. And maybe buy it. Also, buying the nicest version of a thing I need that I can afford. The more satisfied I am with it, I won’t be tempted to buy another. And the thing that helped me the most was automating savings. My employer allows direct deposit to be split to multiple places. The savings goes to an account I have at a credit union, not my regular bank. I don’t have an app for the credit union. To get money I have to set up a transfer to my regular bank and it takes 48 hours. I’m writing a book here but want to say saving 2k is great and you should be proud of yourself. – Rude_Parsnip306
I think a good principle of saving is realizing what really matters and only you can answer that question. Once you do I think it becomes pretty simple. Obviously we’re all in different circumstances and it’d be easier to save if we made more money or had more connections but it’s up to us and just use our brains.
I buy my food every month for a set amount and no more. I wash clothes once a month. I allow myself only one subscription (crunchyroll) (not crunchyroll and hulu etc) and will find other ways to enjoy content otherwise. No unnecessary chemical products. Buy in bulk to save money/trips. Stuff like that I guess. If I made more money I’d be able to save a lot more but this keeps me in the game. –LingeringNomad
Stop buying stuff you don’t need –Gore1695