How to Save $10,000 in a Year

17 Tips to Help you Save $10,000

Did you know if you manage to put $27.40 per day into an account, in 1 year it will be $10,000 plus any interest you earn? 

Sounds simple, right? But how do you do it? Here are 17 ways to make or save an extra $27.40. Remember, it doesn’t need to be the same thing done every day. 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and services we use. Read the full disclosure.

1. Open a Bank Account with a Bonus

Look for bank accounts with opening bonuses. We do not mean credit cards, we mean bank accounts. Many offer $5 through to $300.

ING offers $100 but you need to complete a couple of steps.

Up takes only a few minutes to sign up and you get $15 instantly.

You can read the full review of Up Bank and the review of ubank who offer $30 at the moment, to see what they are like.

2. Sell Something

Look around your house for something or a few things to sell. Put that money straight into a savings account. Check out how I made over $10,000 in a month buying things to resell for tips on how to do this.

3. Negotiate a Discount 

Ask your bank to reduce the interest on your loan. Call your various bill providers and see what discounts you can get. For any amount you save, put it straight in the $10,000 account.

Check out 9 frugal habits to save you thousands, how to get a discount on everything and the best cashback apps to get bigger discounts.

4. Eat From Home Instead of Takeaway

Next time you are tempted to get takeaway if you can resist, put the amount you would have spent into savings.

Even better, plan ahead and have pizza bases or premade pizzas in the freezer, taco mince ready to go, butter chicken and similar options you enjoy.

Many of the homemade versions can be frozen ahead of time and defrosted quicker than you can get them delivered.

5. Quit Alcohol

How much are you really spending on alcohol? When you add it up, it’s probably more than you think.

1 six-pack, a bottle of wine or two cheap ones, half a bottle of vodka or similar per week easily add up to thousands. 

Quit or cut back and put what you were spending on it into this account.

6. Compare Insurance

Never renew your insurance when it comes through. Instead, get a fresh quote and shop around.

You don’t have to wait for renewal time either, do it whenever you want and check out the savings.

Put whatever you save into your $10,000 challenge account. Sometimes, we have saved a few hundred with this alone.

7. Compare Electricity

When was the last time you compared providers? Chances are, you could be getting a better deal.

Get a recent bill and do a comparison online.

Also, check out 17 ways to reduce your electricity and 19 ways to keep cool. Anything that helps you save money can go towards your savings challenge.

8. Switch Phone Providers

Whether you’re prepaid or on a plan, there could be a better option out there for you.

Think about how much you use and what you really use your phone for. Then search for options that match that.

Unless you are going super remote or in areas where only one provider works, you don’t need to stick to the ‘major’ companies.

The smaller ones are backed by the big ones anyway or use the same network.

The price difference between them is significant too. Switching my household to a cheaper prepaid option saved us $60 a month.

9. Compare Health Insurance

If you have health insurance, look at how much you are paying and what you really need.

Many people are paying for obstetrics when they have finished having babies.

Or they have a huge list of extras they never use.

Think about your needs and potential needs, then find a plan to match. Any money you save can be added to your $10,000 savings. 

Use the government website to compare private health insurance.

10. Check and Cancel Subscriptions

Go over your bank account, statements and PayPal to see what you are paying for that you don’t use.

With so many streaming services, free for the first 30 day offers for various subscriptions and the ease of signing up, most of us have subscriptions we don’t use.

For each one you cancel, set up an automatic transfer of that amount to your $10,000 account to make it a real saving.

Otherwise, you are likely to simply spend that money elsewhere. 

11. Use Cash Back Apps

If you aren’t using them, you need to. Sign up and start getting cashback with your online shopping.

Whenever you cash out the cash you get back, put it straight into your savings.

Your first step needs to be getting the apps and Chrome extensions installed.

They can notify you when you are on a site eligible for cash back and how much you will get. The ones I use are:

Shopback: Join Shopback for free and get a bonus after your first purchase through them plus extra cash for doing surveys, uploading receipts, completing challenges and utilising upsized offers.

Coupert: Get notified when things are lower prices elsewhere so you can save more plus get cash back. Sign up for Coupert here.

Honey: Slightly different, Honey offers cash back but also scans for discounts and coupon codes. Join Honey for free here.

Swagbucks: Best known as an online survey site, they also have a cash back program with the cash being awarded in points you accrue and cash out. Join free here.

12. Online Surveys

We have a few favourites, some of which have paid more than $27.40 per survey but they take over an hour. Or do a few surveys and you can make that amount fairly easily.

After testing all the online survey sites for Aussies, here our are thoughts below for the best ones.

Octopus Group is the highest paying one in Australia and personally I get a lot of surveys from them.

Swagbucks and PrizeRebel pay in USD so the conversion is usually good. Pureprofile is quite popular with a lot of readers too.

Find a list of the best Aussies ones plus tips to make more here. Do the surveys then cash out the money and put it straight into your $10,000 fund.

13. Switch to DIY Beauty

Whether it’s getting your nails done, facials or other treatments, learn to DIY if you can.

Not everything can be done at home unless you are a professional but quite a few things can.

Read some tips to reduce the cost of beauty here.

14. Buy Your Glasses Online

Whatever you are paying to buy glasses, even if they are cheap, is too much.

Check out Zenni Optical and similar sites to get prescription glasses for as little as $6.95. These are the same as the 2 for $99 ones you see.

15. Switch to Drinking Water Only

Give up coffee and other drinks to save a small fortune plus be healthier. Most drinks have too much sugar, caffeine and other nasties.

Wean yourself off them and pocket the savings.

There are tips for quitting energy drinks here.

16. Use the Library

Most books are $20 to $30 brand new. Use your library instead and put the money into savings when you resist buying a book.

Weirdly, this is one we struggle with because we love buying the books we read. Check out the list of books we are reading this year to improve our lives.

17. Transfer It!

The most important thing to do is actually transfer the savings.

Often we do all these things to reduce expenses but don’t transfer those savings to an account or debt so they simply get used other ways. 

Move the money to your designated account and watch it grow. 

Resources

Here are the resources mentioned in this article

How to Make Over $10,000 a Month Buying Things to Resell (eBook)

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