Create a target savings rate. Diverting 10 percent of monthly income to savings and 10 percent to retirement investments is a good rule of thumb. Once you’ve achieved your targets, you don’t have to worry about your smaller splurges.

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Plan next month’s spending. Budgeting software like You Need a Budget can help users focus on where their money should go in the coming weeks, not just where it went last month. The online service offers a 34-day trial and claims to help new budget-savers an average of $600 in the first two months.

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Negotiate all your bills. Almost every bill is at least slightly negotiable. Call your credit card, gym, cable, streaming service, car insurance and phone companies once a year to remind them what a good customer you are, and ask what they’re able to do to keep you.

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Link checking to investing. Consider an account Like Charles Schwab’s High Yield Investor Checking, which is automatically linked to a fee-free Schwab’s brokerage account. Features such as no account minimums, no monthly fees and ATM fee refunds can save you hundreds of dollars a year.

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Consider these online discounters. Design websites like Rue La La and Gilt offer free discount memberships. They often have sales on all types of housewares, decor and furnishings from higher-end retailers.

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Check our model-home auctions. After homes in a new development are sold, furnishings in the model homes are often auctioned off for cheap. Go to the Builders Auction Company website to find auctions near you.

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Bring a little outdoors in. Transform old patio seating into a new piece for inside your home. Clean, spray-paint, and add a cushion and throw pillow for the final touches and – wow!- you have a new accent chair.

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Create unexpected art. Have an empty wall that’s dying for some art? Go through your garage or storage to find interesting pieces of fabric or wallpaper and insert into a picture frame.

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Buy concentrate in bulk. For liquid cleaners, the bigger the container, the less you’ll pay per gallon. You’ll save even more by buying concentrated cleaners that you dilute yourself – why pay for water? I also recommend buying “all purpose” or “multi-surface” liquid cleaners instead of lots of specialized products in small quantities. Especially during COVID-19 when items are in short supply.

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Reuse old toothbrushes. They are great for cleaning grout, jewelry, sink edges and hard-to-reach areas on your appliances.

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