I'm A Massive Savings Nerd. Here's How I Saved Myself $4k in the Past 3 Months (With Minimal Effort).

Every year, I try to find ways to cut unnecessary expenses without making any major sacrifices.

This time, I focused on small, simple changes that could make a huge difference. Those changes added up to a massive $11,000 in savings, and most of these took just a few minutes to set up.

Here’s exactly what I did.

1. Switched car insurance carriers (savings: $1,300/year).

I was shocked to find out how much I was being overcharged for car insurance.

Because I was with one of the major providers, I’d been assuming for years that I’d been getting a good deal.

I used Coverage.com to compare offers and in just a few minutes I’d found something much better for the same exact coverage.

It’s crazy how many people stick with the same company out of habit when they could be saving hundreds (or even thousands) just by shopping around.

2. Got a financial advisor (savings: $7,000/year).

People who use financial advisors typically see ~3% more in net returns per year which makes a huge difference over time. And it takes a ton of stress/work off your plate.

I was about to make a pretty simple bond purchase and didn’t realize there were insane taxes associated (would have cost me $7k+). My advisor stepped in and saved me a lot of money.

If you don’t know one personally, use something like financialadvisor.net to find somebody with good reviews.

3. Cut unused and fraudulent subscriptions (savings: $4,154/year).

Honestly, it’s a bit embarassing to admit how many subscriptions I was paying for without realizing it. Turns out I had a ton of totally dormant apps from an old business that I had completley forgotten about.

I used Rocket Money, an app that tracks your subscriptions and helps you cancel them automatically.

Their free version is solid, but I went for the paid one and it turns out the savings were more than worth it. Just cleaning up my unused subscriptions saved me over $4k.

4. Started testing games & apps for cash (earnings: ~$40/day on average).

This one surprised me.

I found Freecash, a platform that pays you to test mobile games and apps. Some days are more protifable than others, but it averages out around $40/day when I put in the time.

Obviously, this isn’t a full-time income, but as an easy and enjoyable side hustle, it adds up fast.

5. Switched to a balance transfer credit card (savings: ~$1,000).

Based on my current interest rates, it looks like switching to a balance transfer credit card will save me around $1,000-$2,000.

Some of these cards offer 0% interest APR for up to 18 months, which means I can pay off my balance without racking up more debt.

Citi Double Cash seems like a solid option, but there are plenty of others. Just make sure to compare offers based on your situation. Putting off interest payments for 18 months is no joke.

6. Started using a price comparison app when shopping online (savings: ~$400/year).

Like most people, I do most of my shopping online, and I used to assume I was getting decent deals.

Turns out, we’re all overpaying, by a lot. I started using the Capital One Shopping, a browser extension that automatically finds lower prices and applies discount codes at checkout.

I barely have to think about it, and it saves me hundreds of dollars every year.

If you shop online regularly, this is one of the easiest ways to keep more money in your pocket.

That’s all (for now).

Thanks for reading!