Are you sick of living from paycheck to paycheck, constantly seeing all the money that you spend your life earning draining away into endless bills and debts? You’re not alone. There are plenty of people around the world today that constantly struggle with bad cash decisions, no matter how good their initial intentions might have been.

The truth is that you can only begin to start really saving money when you develop healthy habits that eliminate bad decision making and encourage good saving. The goal to simply save more cash usually isn’t enough to drive most people. You need a strategy that really works for you. Fortunately, we’re here to help.

1.    Pack Your Lunches (and Dinners)

According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) most households throughout the US spend over $3,000 on food that they eat outside of the home every year. Even if you only eat lunch with your coworkers a few times a week, you’ll probably know how expensive it can be to eat out, rather than bringing and eating your own food. Packing your own lunches will help you to overcome this common expense and get more control over what you eat too.

While you’re packing your lunches for the week at work, consider packing some freezable dinners too. These will come in handy when you get home from work feeling exhausted and don’t want to cook. You’ll be amazed how many times you’ll be saved from the temptation to order food in.

2.    Unsubscribe

Sometimes, subscribing to email newsletters from your favorite brands can be a great way to learn about upcoming sales and discounts. However, email marketers are also very good at what they do, and they’re not going to be constantly looking for ways to save you money. Emails can tempt you to buy things that you don’t need, when you don’t really have extra money to spend.

If you don’t want to get rid of your newsletters completely, you can always consider just signing up for emails from businesses on a separate email account. This way, you can decide to only check that account when you know you have money to use.

3.    Try Freezing your Spending

Have you ever tried a spending freeze? It’s a saving technique that’s growing particularly popular, particularly for people who want to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Focus on not buying any non-essential items for a couple of days, then extend the period up to a week. You can keep track of the money that you’re saving on everything from coffees outside of the office, to meals with friends.

Although it can be difficult to freeze your spending at first, you’ll find that it becomes easier to say no to the things that you don’t really need over time. This will help you to develop a better relationship with your money in the long-term.

4.    Learn how to DIY Things

Obviously, there are some things in life that are going to need a loan and  a professional, like updating the wiring in your home or replacing your entire bathroom. However, there are also plenty of tasks that you can complete on your own which can save you a lot of money. For instance, before you shell out the cash to pay someone to come and install a new sink for you, think about whether you can do it for yourself. You’d be surprised how much guidance you can find online in the form of step-by-step instructions and videos for beginners.

Start by doing tasks that seem relatively easy, like tightening your faucets or changing up the shelves in your living room, then work towards bigger jobs when you feel confident enough. You might even be able to help your friends and family out for some extra cash too.

5.    Sell Anything That Doesn’t Give You Joy

Marie Kondo really does have the right idea when it comes to getting rid of clutter these days. The things in your home that you’re not using, or that you don’t enjoy anymore, or just taking up space. You could always consider selling them instead of just throwing them away if they’re in good condition. That way, you’re going to end up with more money in your emergency savings account, and less clutter to worry about every day.

Additionally, because you have less things to clean and look after in your home, you might find that you end up with more spare time to do things like cook home meals, so that you’re not spending as much money in cafes and restaurants.