If we told you that you could improve your financial situation by up to $1000 in just 30 days, would you believe us? We bet you would be surprised if we told you all you had to do was pick ONE simple challenge each day in order to work your way towards some drastic savings over one month. Read on for our tips on 30 ways to save money within one month. Small steps lead to big changes. All you need to do is select one of the 30 small challenges each day and commit to it. The following day you get to start again with a new challenge! These are small short-term challenges and even though we would normally recommend you work towards creating a habit, we also understand that sometimes it is difficult to maintain any of these challenges. So, here’s to mixing it up and, after all, if you find some of them particularly easy you can always commit to it for longer. Win!

30 Ways to Save Money Over 30 Days

1. Take your lunch to work – you will be able to save cash if you make your own lunch instead of eating out. And it's healthier too!

2. Don’t buy a daily coffee – The average cup of coffee in Australia costs around $4 - meanwhile, a fancy “secret menu” coffee order can cost you up to $12! It may seem like a small indulgence, but if you're the type to order a coffee every day, calculate how much you could save up in a month if you made your coffee at home! You could use the extra money as savings or buy something you need – like a coffee machine! If you do go for a machine, opt for an espresso machine over a coffee pod version – pods can be expensive, and besides, freshly ground beans taste better! 

3. Avoid tolls - take the scenic route and avoid tolls which can cost some people up to $15 per day!

4. Delete your credit card details from your auto-fill settings - have you noticed that your sneaky computer can often save your credit card details making it even easier to partake in discretionary spending. Delete them to avoid impulse splurges! 

5. Get rid of PayPal - similar to the auto-fill trap, PayPal makes it REALLY easy to spend money on credit cards. Delete your account so you’re not spending money recklessly online.

6. Walk – Don’t get in the car and use fuel to drive somewhere local! Instead, strap on your sneakers and do good by your back pocket and your health.

7. Ride - if you have a colleague who goes at the same place, you can carpool with others too to save gasoline expenses.

8. Question your bills - see charges on your bills and don’t know what they mean? Question them with the biller, as you may be being charged for something you’re not getting. Also check your grocery receipts, because sometimes they incur errors in their system too.

9. Avoid interest - if you have credit cards, the best thing you can do is pay them in full on every billing to avoid interest every month. If you can't, at least pay before due dates to avoid penalties.

10. Regularly reassess your budget - if you notice that you are living paycheck to paycheck and you have nothing left, it's time to revisit your expenses and determine which one is eating up most of your money. Then try to trim and cut down on those expenses.

11. Sell something - this is one of the ways to earn extra income to supplement your expenses and increase your savings. You can sell items or your services. You can sell online or set up a physical shop.

12. Clean out your cupboards - this can help you find things you no longer need, which you can turn to quick cash via markets and online selling sites.

13. Eat from the freezer - make sure to take an inventory of food you have in your freezer and eat them first before buying more stuff. Here's a <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/how-i-save-money-by-eating-down-the-freezer-love-your-freezer-215862">blog post</a> on how to do it well.

14. Batch cook - you can save time and money if you cook in bigger quantities than preparing separate meal.

15. Use public transport - you can save up on your gas bills if you ride a local transport. If it's not very inconvenient for you, use the bus or train to and from work.

16. Buy in-season - fruits and vegetables which are in season are much cheaper than those which are not. They are fresher too and more nutritious.

17. Shop the specials - they often have discounted deals that you can take advantage of and save more money. Be sure to buy only what you need though.

18. Hit the op shops – Op shops such as Vinnies and Salvos are getting more popular recently because of bargain prices, and you'll be able to find lots of great items too. Just take time to search for the items you want and be sure you will use them.

19. Drink more water - drink more water and not sodas or sugary drinks. It's cheaper and healthier for you too. Plus, you won't get gain weight and you'll have great skin.

20. Avoid the shops - if you are the type to love shopping its best to avoid this and the mall, especially if you don't need to buy anything.

21. Click unsubscribe - Online shopping sites such as Catch.com.au and Amazon.com.au can be a great temptation. So, if you don't want to incur more debt purchasing items you don't really need, hit that unsubscribe button! You will find it at the bottom of their emails.

22. Reduce - reduce the purchase of items that you don't need or unhealthy for you, like junk foods.

23. Re-use - before throwing out that empty bottle, think again about how you could recycle these items before declaring it a waste.

24. Meal plan - create a meal plan for you and your family to save time and money. You will only need to buy ingredients you need, so less waste.

25. Grocery shop with a list - having a list is the best. Also, don't do grocery shopping when you're hungry, you will end up buying more.

26. Just say NO - Guess what? You actually don’t have to do everything, be everywhere and spend money on things you don’t need. Practice saying “no” - it gets easier the more you do it!

27. Get digging - Look online for some great ways to grow your own food, from scraps! Don’t hit the hardware store and spend heaps setting a garden up, just use what you have! 

28. Be cynical – don’t believe everything you’re told, because it might just be something someone would like you to be sold. Be cynical, don’t be the perfect consumer who just spend mindlessly, and question whether or not you actually need something.

29. Be a tougher customer - Gym memberships, car services, hair dressing, classes etc. If you are a loyal customer then perhaps you deserve some discount for being so? You can only ask!

30. Look for results - Are you compliantly using/taking/participating in something and forgetting to look for results? If you are paying for a service or product and not getting the results you were sold, then reflect and make a decision. Ask questions and then stop spending your money on something if it is not working!

If your money-saving motivation is low, just think how much of a difference $1000 would make your life. Want to get started but afraid you won’t commit? Ask a friend, or a group of friends, to join you in the challenge, make a bit of a game of it and spur each other on using social media. You can even create your own money saving challenge Facebook group, invite all your friends who could do with a $1000 bonus and share tips, inspiration, and ideas. After all, there is a rarely a competition where every entrant ends up $1000 richer! Come up with your own money saving challenges! 

If you’re sick of being in debt, and you’ve tried these money saving tactics but don’t seem to be making progress, it’s probably time to call in the professionals! Call Credit Counsellors Australia on 1300 003 328 for an obligation-free debt assessment with one of our expert debt advisors, who ca crunch your budget quickly and advise you on the debt solutions you’re likely to be eligible for! Don’t leave it too late!