9 Super Tips To Save Money Fast As A Minimalist

Save money as a Minimalist? Yes, I believe it’s the best way to save money fast. Most of us are looking for ways to save money fast, and personal saving rates in the United States have steadily declined for the past few years.

If you are affected by rising inflation, interest rates, and low employment, people are looking for more ways to save money.

As a Living Simple Minimalist, I don’t mind living from paycheck to paycheck. My goal is to earn enough to live a Minimalist Lifestyle and nothing more. If I earn more, I consider it gravy, and I have learned many ways to save money fast as a Minimalist.

If you are curious about how I, as a Minimalist, save money fast, stay tuned. I am doing this to share knowledge on how Minimalism improved my financial situation and tips on how to live minimally and its benefits.

I need to keep it real. It is essential to have a little stash for the unexpected. Car repairs, home emergencies, or medical bills pop up at the worst possible times. If you are lucky enough to have a built-in stash of funds, life will be more enjoyable.

If you would like to build a stash of funds to cover six months or more of your bills or just live more stress-free, follow my many ways to save money fast as a Minimalist.

How Minimalism Saves You Money

Traditional Minimalism is not focused on saving money. Saving money is just a welcomed byproduct of living a Minimalist Lifestyle.

Minimalism is more about intention and choice than what you own or how many items you own. If your Minimalist intention is to save money, then by all means, that is what will happen.

Your choices will align with your actions. Here are the most powerful ways to use Minimalist Living principles to save money fast.

Intentional Consumerism

Honestly, I would buy what I wanted and more of a lower-cost version if I could not afford it. I called this treating myself well.

I would promise myself it would be just this one time. Luckily, I never went into debt, but over time, I found myself surrounded by so much junk, and none of it made me happy long-term.

I would stumble over one of the items surrounding me, stare at it deeply, and realize it only made me happy when I purchased it—no other time after that. Now, they just collect dust and create an obstacle course in my home.

Shortly after that realization, I slowly became a Minimalist. Not intentionally but it was a natural progression.

As I explored Minimalism more deeply I was surprised at how much money and time I wasted. The time wasted researching items. Even more time was wasted daydreaming about owning these items. Worst of all the time spent earning money and sometimes working overtime to purchase that junk.

Almost none of us are lucky enough to earn a living doing something we love. This means many of us spend time away from the people and things we actually love to earn money. Then, we waste some of that hard-earned money to buy useless stuff. Does that sound like you? Even a little bit?

There is no right or wrong way to live a Minimalist Lifestyle. I decided to add more value to my life by choosing not to work as much and spending more time doing the things I actually like.

This left me with less money, but I also decided to become more intentional about what I purchased. As a result, I spend a lot less money. I had more disposable income and time to do even more of what I love.

Downsize and Save Money

Downsizing is synonymous with saving money. Minimalist Living has also become synonymous with saving money. At its extreme, you can save almost 100% of your living cost.

A realistic estimate of cost savings due to downsizing is around 25% to 50% of your living costs. I am not talking about moving into a cardboard box either. I like to live out of a home rather than in one. I no longer need much room or space to be truly happy.

This simple step should save you much money on rent or mortgage, home maintenance, and associated costs. Moving across town or, even better, across the world can also save you a ton of money.

I always recommend downsizing as the quickest way to save money. Just a little planning, no pain, just gain.

Mortgage and rent are probably your most significant expense. Downsizing it even temporarily could save you a large chunk of monthly cash.

Better Manage Time and Energy

Did you know being overwhelmed can be expensive? The health risks aside, it can be costly, and you tend not to make significant decisions at the time. Poor choices are always costly which is why they are poor. Some poor decisions cost you time, others cost you money and the worst of all cost you both.

I make the worst decisions when I am tired and or hungry. When I believe I am too tired to cook or plan meals the resulting compromises are almost always more costly and less healthy.

Just the other day I went into Walgreens to get a bag of assorted nuts for a snack. I saw a woman dragging two of their wheeled shopping baskets full of groceries around the store.

I immediately thought to myself that it was going to cost her three times as much as she should be paying, not to mention for lesser quality goods and no variety.

This was in New York City where regular food stores like Walmart or Whole Foods are few and far between. It was obvious she was too tired or did not have the time to do better. For some reason, I pictured her rushing home, a few blocks away with all of those items to get dinner ready for her family.

Only because I have been there, when I am very tired or feel I have no time to do better, I go into survival mode. As discussed earlier that can be a horrible place to exist.

Since making the decision to be more intentional in living a Minimalist Lifestyle I don’t experience survival mode nearly as much.

Minimalism did not make me smarter or endowed me with special powers. Living a Minimalist Lifestyle gave me more time and energy to be my brilliant self.

I am almost never in survival mode. I am calm, cool, and collected, like Tank in The Matrix. I manipulate the Matrix Code with ease, solving the problems of life even before they occur.

I no longer look for quick survival mode fixes or choose from a bag of increasingly worse choices. I am intentional about how I move throughout the day, only choosing the best of the best situations to add value, not chaos.

The time and money saved is worth more than gold. I no longer think, I just act—no more Decision Fatigue at the end of the day.

Minimalism, Intention, and Focus

When you decide to live a Minimalist Lifestyle you agree to live a set of rules, a creed. This inherently will force you to be more intentional and focused in your everyday life.

Have you ever stared at a Pit Bull at rest (or maybe any dog)? First, there is no problem. After a minute or two, you will get its attention. Seconds after continually staring it snaps to attention, stands, and slowly begins walking toward you. No need to begin smiling and talking nice. It’s on, and you started it.

That is how I describe the newfound intention and focus living a Minimalist Lifestyle can bring to your life. Like the PitBull, you already know what to do in certain situations.

You already considered it, planning for the best possible outcome in every situation. There is nothing else to do but react correctly.

To be successful, you have to develop long-term intention and focus. This gave me a powerful sense of control over my life. There were no more surprises.

Over time, I began to realize I was even freer. Due to the number of my basic expenses being cut, I did not feel the need to stack dollars constantly. Everything was paid.

If opportunities to make extra money arose and I was not feeling well or preferred to do something else, I could say “NO.”

I realized the word “NO” is a complete sentence. The word “NO” empowered me. Saying “No” to the less desirable parts of my life allowed me to say yes to the parts I valued the most.

I even began experimenting with something that felt counterproductive. I have to be honest; it just felt wrong. I BEGAN TO PAY MYSELF FIRST.

Yeah, I save money first. That felt strange. I usually only save money if I have anything left after paying bills. This felt GREAT.

It incentivized me to save even more. I became an even better Minimalist as I used the lifestyle and extra money to empower my personal vision of happiness.

How to Be a Minimalist and Save Money Fast

Anyone with half a brain knows you can easily save money by spending less or doing without. Some people, like me, have even made this a foundational philosophy of life: minimalism.

If saving money slowly is not enough to meet your needs try these ways to save rapidly. This sounds simple and is. Some people say yeah right.

That is not as easy as it sounds, but it actually is. You can do it the easy way—the way I have been preaching and screaming for years.

1. Get A Higher Paying Job

I know it sounds crazy but why not? It could be as simple as taking a promotion at your current job or jumping ship and working for the competitor. You may have more options than you think.

Even a job with similar pay that allows you to work from home can be considered a job with higher pay.

2. Start A Side Hustle

Just this idea gets my skin all tingly. This is the best time in human history for any Joe Schmoe to start a Side Hustle. With the GiG economy, you can begin earning extra money in minutes with a simple phone app. Take your pick.

You can go the more traditional route and start an actual business. The best way to go would be online using today’s technology. I suggest Affiliate Marketing, but you do your research and watch your bank accounts quickly grow.

3. Stop Spending Money

This is the quickest way to save money, but it is not practical for almost everyone. We all have bills to pay, expenses to cover, and life essentials to indulge in.

This is the quickest way to save money, next to robbing a bank. However, robbing a bank to stop spending money may not be realistic. Since I became a Minimalist, not spending money has become more of an option for me.

You would be surprised how much money the average person spends daily on things they do not need or even want.

In fact, the average adult in the USA spends $1,497 a month on nonessential items, according to research commissioned by Ladder and conducted by OnePoll. All told, that’s roughly $18,000 a year on things we can all do without.

USA Today

Sometimes, spending is just on autopilot. Take a deep look at ALL of your spending to determine what you can cut back on and what you can eliminate.

The non-essentials will come to mind quickly and will be the easiest to deal with. At this point, there is not much you can do with fixed expenses other than pay them. You will just have to be more intentional about memberships, entertainment, dining out, and the like.

All of those became a “NO” for me, but you must choose for yourself.

4. Create A Simple Budget and Stick To It

This did not work for me, but it may work for you. The goal is to get to a point where you don’t need a budget. We all have tried to stick to a budget and failed. Once we have calculated our total income and outgoing total expenses just spend less than that.

Simple, right?

Now comes the hard part of sticking to a budget. How much can you convince yourself you do not need? Most of us not only live above our means, but we have also convinced ourselves the bottom is higher than it is.

We believe we can’t do without things we have never needed. Please don’t wait to fall on hard times to figure it out. Figure it out now and stick to a simple budget.

You really don’t have to eat every day—seriously, you don’t. We believe we can’t live without things we have never needed. Be honest with yourself and figure out what your limit is.

5. Smaller Home

Yeah. With all the downsizing and decluttering, you may realize you can benefit from downsizing your living space. How many rooms you don’t even use would you like to clean?

Let’s face it, most of us live in a home that is more than twice the size that we need. With our work and play schedules, we may spend less than 8 hours a day in our homes and less than that awake.

How many waking hours do you spend enjoying your home every day? How much are you willing to spend or save to spend less than eight waking hours a day in our homes?

6. Intentional Living

Common sense would have you believe your financial situation dictates your lifestyle, but you would be wrong. Some of us live below our means, but an overwhelming number of us live above our financial means.

Just stop and live with more intention. Live with only the things you actually want, and need and discard the rest.

There is something incredibly satisfying about eliminating things from your life you truly thought you could not do without. Wink! Wink!

Do you need that large Matcha Late every day?

I am sure there are many ways to painlessly cut your expenses, like impulse buying, smoking, drinking, playing the lottery, etc.

7. Garage Sale

Sell all the things you recently realized you no longer want or need. Technology makes this easy. Beyond a garage Sale, you can sell those items online using a number of services.

You can also have consignment stores in your neighborhood sell them. Sell them to a Thrift Shop. Last but not least you can donate to your favorite charity, The Salvation Army or Good Will.

8. Rent Your Spaces

I am not a fan of this one, but again, technology makes this easier. You can use services like Airbnb or Vrvo to rent out your space. Renting out your space could also be as simple as getting a roommate or renting out space in your garage, basement, or attic for storage.

Believe it or not, for many people in more rural areas you can rent your land or even a driveway for parking or RV camping.

9. Drive Less

I am a big fan of this one. I live outside of New York City in New Jersey, so I have the luxury of considering not driving as often as I like. I understand most people don’t have that option, but many people who believe they don’t really do.

Put your preconceived notions aside and try walking and public transportation. I ditch the car as much as possible and live like a tourist visiting New York City, and I love it.
It has changed my life for the better.

If not, consider driving less to save money on gas and tolls—and possibly even car insurance. Switching to better car insurance can be more affordable if you don’t drive much.

How To Save Money Slow

Saving money slowly will involve a change in thinking and lifestyle. It will closely resemble living a Minimalist Lifestyle. How much is up to you. The changes listed will result in saving money, amongst many other positive benefits.

1. Pay Yourself First

Once your finances are on track and you are on budget, pay yourself first. If you can split your payroll direct deposit to separate bank accounts, do it. Usually, one is a checking account where you pay bills and spend any disposable money. The other would be a savings account where you save money and rarely spend it but for emergencies.

Paying yourself first before all others has a way of empowering you, giving you the feeling of being the Top Dog. This will also empower you to make tough decisions more easily.

2. Appreciate Everything You Have

Don’t be the person who only appreciates things when they are gone. This goes for people in your life and material things. Appreciating what you have is a powerful concept when trying to save money.

That appreciation is critical to fighting impulse buying, peer pressure, and the cultural disease of keeping up with the Joneses.

3. Choose Your Tribe Wisely

Life will become more accessible and more enjoyable when you surround yourself with like-minded people. If those people love, embrace, and support you, then consider yourself highly blessed.

These people will support you in your journey to save money and in many of your other goals. Sure, they may laugh or make fun of some of the choices and solutions you make along the way, but they will still support you.

If one of my good friends told me he wanted to save more money, I would not only support him every chance I got but also encourage him.

4. Consolidate Your Debt

Tap and pay can get you in financial trouble. It’s just getting too easy to walk into a store and walk out with a bunch of junk. Online is even more convenient. You don’t even have to get off the couch.

When used correctly, credit card convenience can be beneficial and painless. When used incorrectly, however, it can become very painful, mentally and sometimes physically.

I try never to buy on credit that I do not plan to pay in the next month. For those who carry a credit card balance or any debt, try to consolidate it. High-interest rate debt should be a Sin. It’s a hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of.

5. Buy Used

I found this to be strange for most people. Yes, people can see the benefit of buying a used car or a home that is not new. They fail to see those same benefits in buying used clothing, electronics, tools, appliances, etc. The benefits are similar if not more lucrative.

You usually get a better price and better quality. Sometimes, you end up making a trade and not spending any money at all. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

There is also a save the world, sustainable aspect to buying used. You give items a longer life, slow the production of new junk, and save items from ending up in a landfill a little bit longer.

6. Do It Yourself

Few things come close to the satisfaction of repairing or building something for yourself. You also save money and, even more importantly, learn something.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew,, but you can do automobile and home maintenance repairs yourself. You can go online and find a video that will show you how to do almost anything. Start small, use your best judgment, learn, and save money regularly.

Please don’t develop a hobby in the process. That could become expensive and defeat the whole purpose.

Conclusion

They say money can’t buy happiness, and I reluctantly agree. I say reluctantly because you can’t be happy unless your basic needs are met, and money can help you accomplish that easily in almost any environment.

I can Imagine a few common reasons you would like to save money quickly. There are important reasons, like life-changing events, all the way down to the petty reasons, like you just like the feel of money.

They are all valid. I hope you found some value in some of these suggestions. As always, if you know a few good ones that may help us all, please put them in the comments below.

Living like a Minimalist is one of the best ways to save money fast. Because living this lifestyle, you will never need to budget again.