Making some side cash isn’t the only way to save money each month. Another way to economize is to cut back on your current expenses. You’d be surprised how much you can save when you become more frugal.

Intrigued? Here are ten ways that you can cut back on your expenses.

1. Cell Phone

Of course, in this day in age, we all need a cell phone. But think of ways that you can cut back on your cell phone expense each month. Can you join a family plan? Or switch to a plan with less data? Talk to your cell phone provider and see what your options are. If there are no cheaper alternatives, it might be time to switch to a cheaper network.

2. Eating Out

Every now and then, it’s nice to treat yourself by dining out or ordering in. But it’s all too easy for this to become a habit—and before you know it, you’re spending a quarter of your income on food. The solution? Limit your dining in and out expenses to just a few times a month.

3. Cable

Unless you watch sports, there is pretty much no reason to have Cable anymore. So go on and cut the cable cord. If this isn’t something that you want to give up entirely, ask yourself if you really need to have all of the extras, like Satellite TV or Showtime.

4. Paid Services

On that note, think about the other paid services that you are using, from Amazon Prime to Hulu to Youtube to whatever else. Once you start paying for a subscription, it’s easy to forget about it, even if you stop using the service. So review what subscriptions you are currently paying for, and then cancel the ones that you can do without.

5. Car

In the U.S., many of us use our cars on a daily basis, so it might be difficult to imagine not having a car. But think about this: your car can cost you over $8,600 a year (and that doesn’t include parking).

If you live in a place where you can rely on public transportation or carpooling, then consider selling your car. Not only will you make money from the sale, but you will save on car insurance, gas, oil changes and any repairs that need to be made. Even if you have to rely on Uber or Lyft to get around, it still might be cheaper to sell your car than to keep it.

6. Energy

Other than the obvious (like turning off the lights and unplugging appliances when they aren’t in use), you could switch to LED light bulbs, which are 4x more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs (plus, they last for many years).

You could also check the “Time-of-Use” plan in your area. If you use high-energy appliances—like the dishwasher, oven, washer, dryer and stove—during off-peak hours, you could save a lot of money.

7. Housing

Whether you own your home or pay rent, it might be worth seeing if you can move to a less expensive area. Sure, moving is a pain, but it could be well worth it depending on how much money you will save.

8. Credit Card

If you’re sinking in credit card debt, don’t despair. There’s a solution. We can help you drastically reduce your interest rate and monthly payments so you can get out of credit debt faster. On average, we help our clients drop their interest rates from 24.9% to 1.9%. That could be you!

9. Gym

Many people have gym memberships and go only a few times a month. If you’re one of those people, then it’s probably not worth it to keep your membership, especially if you live in a place where it’s easy to get exercise outside.

10. Brand Names

Most of us buy brands, not products. But sometimes, a comparable, cheaper product can be just as good as the costlier one with a better brand name.

So next time you shop for clothes, toiletries, food…check out the cheaper alternative.

Conclusion

First, take a good, hard look at what you are spending each month. Write out all of your expenses and monthly payments. Get in touch with us to see how we can help you get out of credit card debt.

Then, think about the areas that you can cut back on yourself. Some things will be easier to cut back on than others. It takes discipline to do this. But with time, you might find that you don’t miss those things as much as you thought you would. And even if you do…well, your wallet will thank you in the end.