Every Thursday in 2025, I’ll be answering a question on money and/or budgeting. If you have a question you’d love for me to answer in an upcoming post, please submit it here.
This week’s question is:
“I would love for you to share some money-saving strategies you feel are worth the time and effort.” – a reader
I love saving money, but you know what I love even more? Saving money in ways that actually make a difference without taking up my entire day. Because the truth is: time is money, too!
One of the best ways to decide if a money-saving strategy is worth your effort is to think of it in terms of return on investment (ROI).
Ask yourself:
✔ How much does this save me per hour?
✔ Is that a good hourly “wage” for my effort?
✔ Would I rather spend my time doing something else that provides a better return?
And here’s the best part — every dollar you save is tax-free! Unlike earned income, you don’t have to pay taxes on money you didn’t spend.
Five Money-Saving Strategies That Are Worth the ROI for Me (Kitchen Edition!)
So, what money-saving strategies are actually worth your time? Well, that is going to be different for every person, but I’ll share five money-saving strategies in the kitchen that might help you get the wheels turning in your brain as to what would be worth your investment of time for the money saved!
1. Making Homemade Uncrustables – Saves $50 per hour
My kids love Uncrustables, but they are pretty pricey! Instead of paying nearly a dollar per sandwich, I make my own in batches and freeze them. It takes around 10-15 minutes to make a dozen, and the savings add up quickly.
💡 Worth it? Absolutely! That’s nearly $50 saved per hour!
2. Checking Grocery Store Sales Flyers – Saves $1–$2 per minute
Before I place my Kroger delivery order, I spend about 10 minutes scanning the sales flyers for the best sales, digital coupons, and BOGO deals. By focusing on what’s on sale and planning meals accordingly, I save anywhere from $10–$20 each week — sometimes way more!
💡 Worth it? YES! It’s an easy way to stretch our grocery budget with very little effort.
3. Planning My Menu Around What We Have on Hand – Saves $1–$2 per minute
Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated! Instead of starting with what sounds good or just trying to come up with ideas, I check my pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what I can make with what I already have. This reduces waste, prevents unnecessary grocery runs, and saves money.
Tip: Need some quick and easy meal ideas — many that will use items you may already have on hand? Download my free cheatsheet: 60 Meals to Make Instead of Getting Takeout.
💡 Worth it? 100%! Bonus: It also keeps food from going bad!
4. Bringing My Lunch to Work Every Day – Saves $1–$2 per minute
Buying lunch out can easily cost $10–$15 per meal. Packing my lunch takes maybe 5–10 minutes in the morning, but it saves me $50+ per week. That’s over $2,500 a year!
💡 Worth it? Without a doubt! And I eat healthier, too!
5. Meal Prepping on the Weekends – Saves $30–$40 per hour
Spending an hour or two prepping ingredients (chopping veggies, marinating proteins, making a big batch of rice or soup or muffins) makes it so much easier to throw meals together during the week. Not only does it prevent the “let’s just grab takeout” temptation, but it also saves time and money.
💡 Worth it? Yes! The time savings alone make it a no-brainer! Plus, it saves you $30-$40 per hour (or more!) by avoiding takeout!
Not Every Money-Saving Hack is Worth It
While I love a good frugal win, not every trick is a great use of my time. For example:
🚫 Driving across town to save $0.10 per gallon on gas – That’s only a few dollars in savings for an extra 20-minute trip. Nope!
🚫 Saving money on groceries I won’t use – If I spend 20-30 minutes looking at sales and digital coupons and plan a shopping trip that saves a lot of money but I’m buying things we won’t even use, that’s not saving money.
🚫 DIYing everything – Some things (like homemade laundry detergent) might not actually save that much when you factor in time and effort.
What Money-Saving Strategies Are Worth It for You?
I’d love to hear from you! What’s a frugal strategy that saves you good money for the time invested? And what’s something you tried but realized wasn’t worth the effort? Drop your thoughts in the comments! ⬇
FREE DOWNLOAD: 60 Meals To Help You Avoid Takeout!
Meal time just got so much easier!
Worth it: thrift stores and groceries (Aldi, Lidl), “clipping” grocery store e-coupons, learning basic home and auto repair
Not worth it to me: paid survey programs, gas saving apps (I use Costco)
Thank you for this post! I am constantly thinking about what is worth my time. When I was younger and had more energy, I was willing to tackle a lot more to save money (e.g., visiting all the stores in the area to buy their sale items). Now that I’m more *mature* (middle aged) and my kids are busy teens, I have less time for all that. Some money-saving efforts that are still worth my time:
*shop at Aldi (in & out of store in 25 minutes)
*cook/eat mostly at home
*cut all three teens’ hair (2 boys, one girl). I told the boys they could go to a barber if they want, but they would have to pay for it! Hubby is mostly bald and cuts his own hair with clippers.
*I have a simple hair style, so my mom cuts my hair; I never go to a salon. I paint my own nails and buy simple make-up.
Thank you so much for sharing!
More of this type of article, please! I love to know what efforts are saving me the most money for the least amount of time.
Yes! I’ve been sharing lots of these types of things over on Instagram and am hoping to start sharing more here, too, as I have time!
In our book, Stop Wasting Money, we (my husband and I) wrote we talk about examples like at grocery stores about everything at eye level is usually more expensive than up high or down low. If you read books on how grocery stores are set up it can help you plan accordingly in your purchases. We use methods that major corporations use to save money. My husband has multiple certifications on these types of cost savings for corporations.
YES! There’s so much that goes into marketing!
Thank you for these tips and feedback regarding time savings and money savings. I appreciate the honesty and ideas. 😉 I’ve been wanting to try a few money saving ideas and you’ve motivated me. 🙂
This is a really great post! Thank you!
Worth it: Making my own greetings cards. Not only is it less expensive, but I don’t have to search for one that says what I want. It also allows me to be creative. I sometimes will decorate plain stationery as well.
It is so unusual to get mail these days that even a note in the mail brightens a person’s day. You are thoughtful!
I love this kind of post!
Worth it to me:
– Thrift shopping
– Making bread, yogurt, broth.
– Borrowing from the library
– Growing herbs in my window sill. Fresh mint is expensive… And not usually very fresh.
Not worth my time right now:
– Cutting my son’s hair. He likes a more complicated cut, so we get it done for $5 at a barber school instead.
– Complicated sewing repairs
I love these! Thanks for sharing!