Saving money by paying student loan: Set up autopayments

When you enroll in automatic payments, many lenders may give you a lower interest rate.

The payment will be deducted automatically from the account of your choice, and the interest rate will be reduced by up to 0.25 percentage points.

This is advantageous for both you and the lender since the lender is almost assured payments, and you avoid late costs.

Saving money by paying student loan: Pay more than the min

This approach, if you can afford it, can help you save money in the long run.

The sooner you pay off the principal on your loan, the less interest you’ll pay.

Just make sure that your extra payments go toward the principal rather than the interest owed.

Before making any additional payments, check with your loan provider to determine whether you may make extra principal-only installments.

Saving money by paying student loan: Stick to a budget

Anyone wanting to save money, especially students, might benefit from budgeting.

Many experts agree that using budgeting guidelines like the 50/30/20 rule may help you save money.

The 50/30/20 figures can be swapped around depending on how much and how quickly you wish to save money.

Budgeting experts usually recommend splitting your money into three categories:

• 50% of income goes towards essentials
• 30% of income goes towards financial goals/savings
• 20% of income goes towards non-essentials

Saving money by paying student loan: Have a plan

It’s critical to maintain track of all student loans you’ve taken out.

Include the current debt, interest rate, expected pay-off date, and pay-off amount for each item on your list.

This will not only keep you organized and on track for success, but it will also allow you to refer to it while making purchasing decisions.

StudentAid.gov is a convenient method to check your loans.

You may check your plans, apply for alternative loans, and see your recent statements there.

Join loyalty programs to save money

Many times, stores have a free rewards program, allowing shoppers to save while shopping, so joining them is beneficial.

Tik Tok’s The Deal Guy, Matt Granite, explained that shoppers will get lower prices 100 percent of the time plus access to more discounts.

For example, the Target Circle program offers benefits like 1 percent earnings, 5 percent off a single purchase for your birthday, and access to hundreds of deals.

How to save money on fruits and vegetables

Matt Granite, Tik Tok’s The Deal Guy, also says fruits and vegetables should be purchased in season or frozen.

Fresh corn has the best value from June through October because of its season.

When you are outside of those months, shoppers will pay more.

Matt suggested purchasing them frozen or canned as fresh corn will most likely be at a higher price.

Avoid lingering at grocery stores

If you are at the store for milk or dairy products, head straight to the back, according to Matt Granite, known as The Deal Guy on TikTok.

Grocery stores are designed to get customers to spend longer amounts of time in-store so shoppers will spend more.

This is why dairy products are typically found at the back of the grocery store. 

Instead of slowly making your way to the back, head directly to the aisle you’re looking for and save yourself any potential unnecessary purchases.

Best day to do grocery shopping

Wednesday is the best day of the week to do your shopping, according to Matt Granite, who goes by The Deal Guy on TikTok.

Most grocery stores release their circulars on this day and aisles should be restocked.

This is an easy way to take advantage of cheaper prices and fully stocked stores.

Tik Tok savings expert’s grocery hacks

Matt Granite, who goes by The Deal Guy on TikTok and YouTube, is a consumer expert and deal hunter.

In his most recent video, Matt shared his top hacks that are guaranteed to save shoppers money every time they shop.

Matt says stores tend to place items that have the highest profit at eye level, so he suggested looking elsewhere.

Products receive at least 35 percent more consideration at eye level than if they were lower, according to writer Gia Phua Lihua.

Start looking higher, lower, to the side and you may be able to find a similar product at a cheaper price.

Best money-saving tips

New York Times’ Wirecutter shared a list of tips that could help you save money:

• Track prices
• Be persistent
• Search for coupon codes
• Maximize credit card perks
• Sign up for shopping newsletters
• Ditch rarely used memberships
• Keep track of your money
• Depend on price-matching policies

Saving money at the pump

When it comes to saving money at the pump, the most important issue is often the most difficult to change, according to AARP: your driving habits.

Driving less, conducting errands while commuting, and scheduling your excursions to be more effective can all help you save money on gas.

It’s not only how many trips you take in a day or week that matters; it’s also how you drive your automobile.

Racing to red lights, forceful braking, and speeding might consume more gasoline than driving slowly.

Reducing the length of time it takes to warm up your automobile can also help you save money on gas.

What’s driving up prices?

In May, inflation rose to a record high of 8.6 percent, the largest 12-month gain since December 1981.

With rising food, gas, and housing prices, consumers will bear the brunt of the pain.

For much of 2022, inflation has been on the rise, putting pressure on wallets that aren’t expected to subside anytime soon.

According to a May research from analysts at Moody Analytics, US families are spending an average of $311 extra each month for common necessities and services, per CNET.

What to avoid to keep electricity bill from rising

The energy costs of the stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, dishwasher, and other appliances may quickly pile up.

Here’s a list of what to avoid doing to keep from driving your bill up:

• Keeping appliances plugged in
• Leaving ovens on too long
• Using ovens too much
• Not modifying dishwasher cycles
• Keeping an old fridge
• Mismanaging the stovetop

Wash your clothes at this time to save money

Depending on the agreement you have and whether your energy provider costs more or less at certain times of the day, you may be able to save money.

Some energy suppliers might charge extra at peak hours when the majority of residences will be using appliances.

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), for example, has a time-of-use pricing plan, which implies that energy consumed between 4pm and 9pm Monday through Friday is charged more.

This implies you should do your clothes between 9 p.m. and 4 p.m. the next day.

Target ‘aggressively’ reducing prices

Target has announced that it will experience a short-term earnings drop as a result of the steep reductions, per CNBC.

Because many individuals were remaining at home during the epidemic, the inventory the business is looking to get rid of includes popular pandemic-era products like lounge clothing and household furnishings.

Because the firm has a surplus of stock, customers may expect discounts on big-ticket products like televisions and kitchen equipment.

Target intends to expand its groceries and cosmetics offerings in the future.

The store stated that it is seeking “aggressive” cost-cutting alternatives, including collaborating with partners to assist offset inflation.

Four money-saving items to buy at Aldi

Aldi, like other shops, offers customers custom-branded products that are often less expensive than name-brand items.

In fact, the majority of its items are store brand, guaranteeing that customers get the greatest bargain without sacrificing quality.

These are the top four goods that you should always purchase at Aldi.

• Wine
• Bread
• Yogurt
• Weekly meat deals

Products to avoid at Dollar Tree

Here are the products to avoid buying from Dollar Tree, according to experts and customers:

• Jewelry
• Kitchen plastics
• Electronics
• Pens and pencils

Products to always buy at Dollar Tree

According to experts and customer evaluations, the top Dollar Tree bargains are listed below:

• Giftbags and cards
• Picture frames
• Pregnancy tests
• Some school supplies

Tik Tok savings expert shares tips

Theshoppingbestie, a TikTok influencer, revealed some of her favorite and least favorite goods to buy at the discount store.

Jacquelyn Fricke shared with her 90,000+ followers what she’s learned from shopping at Dollar Tree.

Here are some of her hits and misses:

• Miss: Pens
• Hit: Cleaning supplies
• Miss: Makeup
• Hit: Plastic food storage
• Hit: Dinnerware

Six ways to save at Target: Don’t forget to price match

According to Target’s price match guarantee, they will match the price if you buy a qualifying item at Target and then find the identical item for less at:

• Target.com
• Select online competitors
• In Target’s or competitor’s local print ad

Price matches may be requested the at time of purchase or within 14 days after purchase. 

The full list of online competitors is available online.

Six ways to save at Target: Know the store hot spots

Reddit user DealerMcDiscount says you can find the best items in three places at every store.

The three hot spots are:

• Displays at the end of each aisle (sometimes called end caps)
• Checkout areas
• Back walls

Six ways to save at Target: Check prices as you shop

No doubt bargain hunters already do this, but Amazon’s PriceCheck app helps you figure out whether you’re getting the best deal.

According to CNET: “Amazon’s free price-checking app lets you look up almost any item to compare the store’s price with that of other retailers.”

There are multiple ways shoppers can price check.

They can:

• Scan the product’s barcode
• Snap a picture of it
• Speak the products name “Siri” style
• Type in the name

Once shoppers have taken one of these steps, the app shows prices from both online and offline retailers.

Six ways to save at Target: Use the raincheck policy

Through Target’s raincheck policy, shoppers can get today’s sale price for the next 30-45 days.

The exact time window varies by state.

While the price will be available for roughly a month, the company website says they, “can’t guarantee product availability or hold merchandise.”

Six ways to save at Target: No-tax weekends

Most states offer tax-free shopping weekends to boost sales.

The timing varies by state, but several hold these weekends over the summer.

Back-to-school is an especially popular time.

The Real Deal has a guide on when your state’s tax-free weekend will take place. 

Six ways to save at Target: Deal Days

Try to visit Target on deal days.

According to The Real Deal, they usually coincide with Amazon Prime Day.

Last year’s deal days happened in June and October.

On these days, shoppers can save up to 50 percent on electronics, clothing, and home decor.