12 Weird Habits to Save Money and Still Enjoy Life

I’m standing in my kitchen, and it’s getting dark outside.

But I can still see, so I’m making dinner without turning on the lights.

This is one of my daily routines.

Why turn on the lights if I don’t really need to?

I do some odd things, but honestly, a lot of these odd things have helped me save money over time so I’ll continue to do them. 🙂

12 Weird Money-Saving Habits That Let Me Still Enjoy Life

Today I’m sharing 12 weird habits to save money while still enjoying life, from skipping unnecessary purchases to making better use of what you already own.

Because I want to spend money on the things I enjoy without wasting it on things I don’t need.

Let’s dive in!

woman drinking water with a meal at a restaurant

1. I Only Drink Water

I don’t really need a fancy drink while I’m out. I just drink water.

Sometimes we go to great lengths to find a cheaper version of something we don’t really need in the first place.

For me, keeping drinks simple is one of those easy choices that doesn’t feel like a sacrifice.

I have a water bottle that actually keeps my water cold all day long and I absolutely love it. I love drinking ice cold water so if my water is staying cold all day, the more likely I am to drink it.

This habit helps me save money and helps improve my health – a two for one!

Think about the extras you buy out of habit. Is there one you wouldn’t actually miss? Start there.

woman reviewing a discount email on her laptop at home

2. I Let Coupons Go Unused

I was sitting at home checking my email around my birthday when I received a coupon for $5 off at one of my favorite stores. I used to use those all the time.

But this time I thought about driving there, using gas, and walking around trying to find something that only cost $5.

And if I couldn’t find that? I’d end up spending money on something I didn’t need just to use the coupon.

So I let it go.

A coupon isn’t automatically saving you money.

Sometimes it’s giving you a reason to spend money you wouldn’t have spent.

I like asking myself, “Would I buy this if I didn’t have a coupon?” If the answer is no, I don’t need to buy it.

woman finding a spare toilet flapper in a household repair box

3. I Shop My House Before I Shop the Store

I was sitting at my desk in my office when I heard my toilet flush. Which was odd, because no one else uses my toilet.

A few hours later, it happened again. I went to check, and the flapper had gone bad.

Before jumping on Amazon, I remembered replacing a flapper at one of my rental properties. Didn’t I buy a two-pack?

I pulled out the box where I keep tools and random house things, and there it was. The other flapper. I already owned what I needed.

When I catch myself thinking, “What do I need to buy to fix this?” I try to take a step back.

Do I already have something in the house that will work? That little pause can save an unnecessary purchase.

woman saving leftover chicken fingers in a takeaway container

4. I Save Ridiculously Small Amounts of Leftovers

I was sitting at a chicken and custard restaurant with a friend, and we had one and a half chicken fingers left.

He looked over and asked, “Are you gonna take that home?”

Of course I was going to take it home. 😂

I boxed it up because I knew I’d eat it later.

I could cut it up and put it on a salad or eat it with something else.

For me, it didn’t need to be a whole second meal to be worth keeping.

The money was already spent.

I may as well get everything out of what was already paid for, instead of basically throwing money in the trash.

woman packing almonds peanuts and yogurt bites into snack bags

5. I Bring Snacks With Me

I was waiting at my house for a friend to pick me up for a concert when he asked if I had some almonds we could bring.

I was like, you bet I have some almonds we could bring.

And some peanuts. And some strawberry yogurt bites.

We planned to buy dinner at the concert, but we didn’t want to spend a ton of money.

We shared something, then ate our snacks afterward.

We still got what we wanted without having to buy more food.

I’m really against feeling forced into a purchase because I didn’t plan ahead a little.

Bringing a snack gives me another option.

It also helps me from getting hangry. 😉

woman examining an older dryer with a small repair toolkit

6. I Repair Things While Repairing Still Makes Sense

I was in the car with a friend when my tenant texted. The dryer had broken – again.

I was pretty sure this would be the fourth or fifth repair. So I went to look at it and decided it was time to replace it.

But I’d had that dryer for almost nine years. I’m glad I was able to repair it a few times and keep using it that long.

I do buy replacements.

I just don’t want replacing something to be my automatic first response. If an item can reasonably be repaired, I want to consider that before buying another one.

woman choosing pantry ingredients to make a meal at home

7. I Use the “One More Day Rule”

I was in my car, driving to Zumba when I remembered I was out of bread at home.

My first thought was to stop at the store after Zumba.

Then I thought, “Well, I do have other food in the house. Maybe I can wait one more day.”

So I waited – I didn’t go to the store after Zumba.

The next day, I still had other food in my house.

I didn’t really want to make a grocery trip just for bread. So I waited one more day again.

I continue to do this with all sorts of purchases.

And, don’t worry. I’m eating, I’m not starving myself.

When I think a new dress might be fun to have or some type of new electronic, I just think to myself, ‘Can I wait one more day?’

After doing this day after day, I either forget about the purchase or I come back to it because it’s still on my mind and I make the the purchase.

This has saved me a lot of money over the years, plus a lot of time because I don’t have to organize extra stuff I’ve bought or take the time to sell it or donate it after I don’t want it anymore.

Try the ‘One More Day Rule’ and let me know how it goes for you.

woman browsing audiobooks on her phone while planning a road trip

8. I Use the Library (And Sometimes Without Even Going to the Library)

I was sitting at my kitchen/dining room table planning a road trip with a friend when he suggested getting a book to listen to on the drive.

I told him I’d check Libby to see what was available.

That’s usually where I look before purchasing a book, the free library app.

I enjoy reading and listening to books, and borrowing through my library lets me keep doing that without buying every title.

If the book I want has a wait list, I can read something else while I wait.

woman borrowing an extension ladder from a friend outside a house

9. I Borrow Things I Hardly Ever Need

I was sound asleep in bed when a loud beeping woke me up.

After realizing it was a smoke alarm and being awake enough to realize my house was not burning down (thank goodness!), I checked different rooms and eventually realized it was coming from the smoke alarm above my dining room table.

There is just one small problem, okay, maybe a really ‘high’ problem.

I have vaulted ceilings, and that alarm is at the highest point in my house. My ladder wasn’t tall enough to reach it.

Thinking it might be inconsiderate to wake someone up at 3am and since my house was not burning down, I waited until morning to handle the problem.

In the morning, I asked a neighbor if I could borrow his ladder. Unfortunately, that one wasn’t tall enough either.

I called a handy friend, and he had a ladder that could reach. He came over and helped.

The money lesson for me was the ladder. I didn’t need to buy a super tall ladder for something I rarely needed to reach.

Before buying an item you’ll hardly ever use, consider whether you can borrow it.

You save the purchase price and the space it would take up in your house. Plus, you’re helping other people receive blessings by doing some service for you. 🙂

woman refueling a black Ford Edge at a gas station

10. I Buy Gas Before My Tank Is Empty

I feel like this one has 2 camps – the one who always seems to be on empty or the one who always seems to have a full tank.

I’m the full tank girl.

I’ll fill up even if my tank is still three-quarters full. If I’m already by the gas station and it’s convenient, I’ll stop. It just makes sense to me.

I like keeping my tank above half full because I don’t want to be stressed about finding a station at the last minute AND often having to pay more for gas.

The point is to fit getting gas into a trip I’m already taking. Filling sooner doesn’t make the car use less fuel, but it can save me a separate drive to the station.

And I appreciate having one less thing to worry about.

woman loading an Amazon return and workout bag into a black Ford Edge before Zumba

11. I Plan My Errands Together

When I’m headed out, to Zumba for example, I think about what else I can do while I’m already out.

The other day, I had an Amazon package to return, so I laid it out ahead of time. I threw it in the car when I was headed to Zumba, returned it after Zumba, and stopped at another store on the way home.

A little planning meant I didn’t have to leave the house again just for those errands. It also meant not spending extra money on gas.

I like saving on gas and time. Plus, I’m getting things done before they might become an emergency.

A few minutes of planning ahead gives me more time and money to spend on things I really enjoy.

woman preparing dinner in a kitchen using natural daylight with the lights off

12. I Leave the Lights Off When There’s Enough Daylight

And now we’re back in my kitchen.

I was making dinner the other night, and a friend was coming over. When he arrived, he asked, “Uh, Tiffany, can we turn on the lights? It’s kinda dark in here.”

Of course we could. 😂 I wasn’t going to make him make dinner in the dark.

For me, if there’s enough daylight to see comfortably, I just leave the lights off. If I need more light, I turn them on. That’s probably the weirdest habit on this list.

Part of this habit probably comes from me being told to turn off the lights all the time as a kid.

Now as an adult, I just don’t even bother turning on the lights. 😂

I haven’t measured what each of these habits saves individually. But they all come back to paying attention to what I actually need. I still go to concerts, eat out with friends, take trips, and enjoy my life.

Which of these habits do you already have? Tell me in the comments, or share a weird money-saving habit of your own.