So how do I actually save money? Well, if we look at your largest expenses, I'm guessing that housing is one of them. So what hacks are there to save money here, since this class is for all age groups, I'll break it down that way. If you're on the younger side of the age spectrum or are okay with having roommates, you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by partnering up with someone to share the bill. Doing this is the cornerstone of starting to save significant sums of money. Let's say you're a little older or don't like living with others.

There are still ways to save on your housing bill. They get a little more creative, but they work nonetheless. Airbnb has become popular in recent years and for good reason. Many people are paying significant amounts of their rents and mortgages with the surface. But let's say your landlord isn't into allowing you to Airbnb does that stop you in your tracks. Does it set your savings goals back?

Are you stuck in your apartment? Are you able to explore alternatives? What if a landlord down the street from you welcomes you to Airbnb and what if you know you could make money doing it, especially since you'll be on vacation for a few weeks this summer. And it's not just rooms that you can rent out for profit. I posted on next door and now rent out my garage for $100 per month for someone to store a car. I literally have to do no work and get the money in my account like clockwork.

If none of these options work for you, what about downsizing? It's a temporary solution. But if it allowed you to finally start saving, you'd be a few steps ahead of where you are right now. You're prioritizing your future over all else. And why can't someone who's in the older age brackets with an extra room rent To talk to someone younger, who needs a place to live. What if that younger person were able to do the household chores for a reduction in rent?

Get creative. Just because you haven't heard of someone doing something. It doesn't mean it can't be done. For me, I lived at home with my parents for almost three years right out of school. This allowed me to save almost 95% of my paycheck. This is the biggest housing hack I know of and doing this one thing helped me save the money needed to buy my first condo, I realized that some parents will charge their kids rent for living with them.

And this may not be avoided fully. But if it is possible to put that money into a savings account that is available to you, when you do move out, you're so far ahead of the game. Being able to buy property earlier in your life will allow you to put more of the money that you're making to work for you in terms of paying off your a mortgage, and then the possibility of using that money to invest in other properties becomes a reality. I got to a point when I was 36, that my rental income was paying all my expenses and then some, thus retiring early. How did I know to invest in real estate? That goes back to watching my dad do it.

If we don't grow up seeing what's possible, the likelihood that we'll break out of the mold that our peers are in is low. We have to see what we want in order to know we can get it. And if we don't think we can get it, we're automatically doing ourselves a disservice. Again, it's our mindset. That's the one thing standing in our way. As kids we reach for the highest version of what we see as possible.

If we get our cues from TV and the internet, we think that we should aspire to be like who we see every day. The reality stars living in huge mansions and driving flashy cars. But have you stopped to think about how they got there? They are living the life that they think you want to see. They're paid with endorsement deals and advertisements to feed you the things that make them money. They only produce what we consume.

Your next biggest expense is likely food and or health expenses. And this makes sense. You need to make sure you have a roof over your head so you can focus on things like food and health next. So how do we save money here? Food is one of those things that we have to have. But it's also one of those things that our bodies crave.

I know this one for sure as I'm a self described foodie, but what I've done is systematized buying the things that I need every week. Things like bread, milk, lettuce, etc. And then budgeted for the things that I want. delivery services like gold eggs and Amazon Fresh on tactually all expensive, and they give you more than just predictability. Not having to drive to the store all the time is a true time saver. And it's true that cooking at home is cheaper on the whole than eating out.

You may not be a great cook. There are so many gadgets nowadays to help with that. Instant Pot SodaStream waffle makers, you name it, they've probably thought of it. But let's say you miss eating out, totally get it. That's where your budget comes into play. By knowing how much you typically spend and then predicting when you will spend that makes all the difference.

You're not cutting restaurants out entirely. You're just being smarter about it. Signing up for things like Groupon plus lets you save on purchases you're already making. Why pay more when you can get the same thing for less. So let's say you're doing great with your budget and something pops up out of The blue, your car breaks down, you missed your aunt's birthday, or there's a leak in the roof. Well, we can't predict everything.

Anyone who tells you they can is lying or trying to sell you a bag of You know what, but what we can do is have a fun that takes care of these unexpected surprises. And if the expense is actually one that we need to take into account every year, we couldn't do just that when we reevaluate our budget. Let me be clear, this is different than our savings account. We don't want to touch the money in there. I've put together a downloadable guide to help you save money in a number of different areas and hope you find it valuable