10 Unsexy Habits That Save Me So Much Money
Video Overview & Insights
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Saving money and building wealth is not glamorous. It is not flashy. And it definitely does not look impressive on social media. Most people think getting rich means finding some perfect investment or having one big breakthrough moment. In reality, it is built from a bunch of small, boring habits that quietly stack up over time.
In this video, I walk through the unsexy habits that have saved me thousands of dollars and helped me build real long term wealth. From how I shop to how I eat to how I wait before buying things, these habits are all about being intentional instead of reactive. If you feel like you work hard but your money still disappears, this will change how you think about spending and saving.
Reminding myself and my bf we have coffee and stuff at home even when i really want to go out and have coffee is so hard, but i been doing it recently.
Video idea inspired by @Christinamychas 's video! Go watch hers too!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIzC0gee9pM
βοΈ The Pop Finance Report
Forcing myself to reorganize my drawer of makeup when i want new makeup usually helps me not want more.
https://thepopfinancereport.substack.com/
Money, culture, and whatβs really going on behind the scenes.
Do you drink Tea though?
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What is this "leftovers" that you speak of?
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I wait a week because I've got a few conditions which lean for spending. If I even remember the item at the end of the week then I might want it but if I'm not as excited about it at the end of the week ? Then I just don't want it . I loved the thought of it more than the object itself. Writing a dopamine menu has helped. I've been spending a lot less on games because I've got lots to play. You 60 for a new game is a joke when there's so many classics for less than a fiver at local game shops is just a joke.
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I don't do the list but since owning guinea pigs my brain avoids everything if I know I've got stuff at home. So it's like. Sandwich stuff for when I CBA cooking. And whatever I've run out of , I project pan my kitchen. And I replace when I'm out. And I cook more often now
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Chili and soups in my opinion are way better as left overs than the initial meal.
Also, all of my shopping app wishlists have been filled up with stuff that I want. Then I wait a week before I review and if needed, buy. If I forgot about it, itβs gone.
β Buy me a coffee
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cara.nicole
Probably the most underrated part of buying secondhand is that with the decline in quality of goods, you can find things that have survived at least one owner. This means you can find items at a discount which actually have staying power or are repairable!
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https://www.etsy.com/shop/FinancialFreedomGirl
Because nondrinkers are generally smug and judgemental.
π₯ More videos you might like
How Impulse Spending Keeps You Poor
Last time Sephora had its big sale, I added a few items to my cart, products I always use that I thought I needed to restock. But I decided to double-check first, and sure enough, out of those 5 items, I already had three of them on my shelf, unopened, brand new (and I was still using the previous ones before I could move on to the new ones). It takes me longer to go through makeup now because I work from home and donβt feel a need to wear it most days. So glad I saved myself the expense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL8354vWrpk
Influencers Have A Money Problem
High five to not drinking alcohol or coffee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSYavxqT_kM&t=429s
The Labubu Trend is Officially Dead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlk5ILjrrFc&t=309s
π Resources mentioned:
#9 is so true.
Project Pan (using up beauty products before buying more)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectPan
I do all but the grocery list one. My motto is "If it's not to die for, it's not to buy for" emphasis on the quality of the product in relation to the price. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not a millionaire, but I don't have unthinkable debts either.
Why grocery lists help people spend less https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5701961/
S&P 500 historical returns
I do drink coffee, I do drink alcohol- but I make 90-95% of my own coffee, and I rarely pay for a drink at a restaurant/bar.
https://www.officialdata.org/us/stocks/s-p-500/1900
Compound interest calculator used in the video
I have a few streaming services tho Apple TV and the channel add ons they have you can watch tho Apple TV app i share it with my grandpa and a few family members and they pay me for it and I only have HBO max on the side I save quite a bit and I use Apple Pay to pay it and my bank has nothing coming out from it except HBO max I put like $60 a week from my part time job I get Netflix from them from me giving them Apple TV and itβs channels and I donβt even pay for Netflix at all
https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator
Amazon Warehouse secondhand deals
I'd definitely say, buying second-hand. And also, not driving. I'm 61 now and decided, when I hit driving age, never to learn. Good for finances and health. (But I live in England, where transport is far less skewed toward the car than in America.)
https://www.amazon.com/warehouse-deals
β° Time Stamps:
I don't drink coffee or alcohol but Ill be damned if I have to give up my diet soda mini cans lmao
0:00 becoming rich should be boring
1:22 using what you already own
About the alcohol thing, I was able to buy all that I wanted in my travel to Japan with friends, saving the same money that they spent on drinking in the previous year, so I'm really happy to drink once in a while :D
3:00 project pan and beauty spending
3:23 one streaming service at a time
I agree that wealth is built on boring habits, but Iβm wary of how this idea gets used to downplay privilege and timing. Quiet consistency matters, yet itβs easier when your basics are covered and mistakes arenβt catastrophic. Calling it βunglamorousβ can also romanticize grind and delay gratification forever. Are small habits really the whole story, or just the part thatβs comfortable to repeat without challenging the system around money?
4:05 Rocket Money
5:22 grocery lists and impulse buying
I think these are awesome tips. β€
6:48 eating leftovers
8:31 waiting 48 hours before you buy
My tips: cooking my meals from scratch, doing my grocery shopping with the list (think about the menu for the week first) no alcohol, not stream media subscription (I got a keyboard and I prefer to spend time playing it) used car, no coffee from coffee shopsβ¦ (maybe once in a while) I rather go out to the nature instead of going to shows, cinemas and so onβ¦
10:53 unsubscribing from promos
12:32 becoming your own social planner
Stay away from doordash. Sometimes after a long day when I want a good dinner I just get drunk. Which leads me to another tip, don't buy 6 packs buy a jug of hard liquor
14:34 buying secondhand
16:27 skipping coffee and alcohol
1M@29 & Iβm 24 w/ no M, time to sub
18:24 gratitude journaling
π Keywords:
I think everyone needs some fun spending in their life, but you need to decide what it is. For me that is travel, So therefore I don't spend on new clothes, watches, going to a movie etc. I go on 3 holidays a year but it's all saved up for and never bought on credit.
personal finance, saving money, money habits, financial freedom, budgeting, smart spending, frugal living, wealth building, financial literacy, lifestyle inflation, overconsumption, impulse spending, consumer psychology, money mindset, financial goals, net worth, Rocket Money, subscription tracking, budgeting apps, debt, investing, long term wealth, millennial money, video essay, Cara Nicole, money psychology, intentional living, minimalism, spending habits, financial wellness
#personalfinance #savingmoney #budgeting #videoessay
(unless i can't have dinner for a certain night) i cook 2 batches of a meal one night, have the first batch for dinner the first night (i.e., the night i cook) and the second batch the night after i cook. this habit not only saves me money, but time as well. the nights that i have leftovers for dinner give me free time in weeknights that i sometimes long for on nights that i cook.
More User Perspectives
I also donβt drink coffee and alcohol π
@MontemorA-eb1ypyI know this is labelled 'Unsexy' coz it's a more attractive video title, but most of these habits should be normalised β€π₯² And also people whose offices have free coffee but still insist on buying starbucks every single day otw to work have me going π€¨
@charleneongI would argue for most people $30 isn't even remotely close to a weekly coffee + alcohol budget. Where I live I'd say its probably closer to $150-$200 a week. A very good habit to avoid indeed
@quincywoods3221Paying with cash activates the part of your brain that's associated with pain and other bad feelings.
So whenever I pay with my debit card, I deliberately opt for getting a big notification that I went over budget for the day/week to simulate that feeling of grossness and get me back on the rails.
I took an extra period in high school for a "work experience" class, and they've taught amazing things like this to build our awareness and keep us proactive.
I have gratitude practiced morning and night. It did not keep me from going off the rails for a few months, but it will help me get back. Also, I was sick for about a month and boy, are you ever weak then! If you never deserved a treat before, you think you do when you're sick. I lost my tightwad husband 18 months ago and he really was the stabilizer for me. First year went great - I really buckled down. Making up my mind to do better starting tomorrow - too late today, I placed a TJ Maxx order. Not hundreds of dollars or anything like that, but a couple of things that I have been looking to buy and then, let's face it, it's TJ Maxx - there's always something more you want, like Valentine's day jewelry. And I never go anywhere!!! Before you know it it's $100. That was the final straw. I will not give up drinking coffee in my home - that's my pleasure but I have cut down. I only drink socially, like sharing a bottle of wine with my neighbor once a week and we buy the cheap stuff. LOL! Those are things that are worth it to me. And it's not coffee out very often, and since I"ve been sick, no fast food either. Trying to cook more but cooking for one is no fun. I watch a youtube channel by a single young woman who does cook for herself all the time and she makes fast meals, so I've been learning from her some original ideas.
@belindagritter1572How do you have magazines? I discontinued all of them years ago. I only miss one - Yankee magazine but I don't need it. I also believe in leftovers. I love getting two meals for the price of one. The cost per meal is exciting. I fell hard off my perch at the end of 2025 and haven't stopped overspending yet! I am stopping as of today. It is harder not to let go than to get that discipline back. That's my advice = don't let go! This is really a hard time of year for me so it happened. I am debt-free so that's the good news.
@belindagritter1572"The Psychology of Money" is the number one book I recommend when it comes to personal finance, if anyone is interested
@chicaxbeanA good step would be stop drinking takeout coffee and to make coffee at home! I also donβt buy alcohol to drink at home I only drink at social occasions once in a while!
@elizabethgracefashionAre people NOT using product down to the pan? That's wild to me. I get every bit of color out of the ones I use. Anything else is wasteful.
@wryterzblock7:26 my Cheesecake Factory is the chicken bellagio, three solid meals right there, sometimes four. Every time.
But I think one of my main things is automation. At a previous job, I had no retirement option so I started a Roth IRA. It's been set to automatically take $500 from my checking every month and invest it, maxing out the Roth, going on 6 years now. If you have the room in your budget to just automate certain savings/investing tasks (at ANY amount), that means they happen no matter what and you can't forget about it. Boom, number go up
All those products are even crazier when you realize that none of them are prescription grade! Aside from sunscreen, only prescription grade products are actually going to make a longterm difference. Also, those products are more expensive than regular chemical peels or other skin treatments that are dermatologist grade.
@theMad155The only emails I have from a store is old navy because thatβs where we get my daughterβs school uniform pants and they randomly run 50% off sales. So I want to know when that happens! But everything else I fully agree, unsubscribe!!!
@HannaWodnikI order groceries through Amazon fresh. Saves me a ton since I order exact same things every week and not going to an actual store keeps me from impulse buying. I just order the minimum amount for no delivery fee. The amount I pay for in tip is more than worth the convenience of not having to leave my house.
@norasimon9018Iβve been trying to be more intentional with my spending lately, especially with prices going up everywhere, and videos like this are honestly very helpful. One thing that really made a difference for me is combining small habits instead of relying on just one trick. For example, I always check for discounts or coupon options before buying anything online, even if itβs something small. Iβve also started comparing prices across platforms and waiting a day or two before purchasing to avoid impulse buys. Recently, I discovered Valuecom while looking for better deals, and it helped me understand where I could actually save instead of wasting time on fake discounts. Itβs not about being cheap, itβs about being smart with money. Over time, these small savings really add up, especially for groceries and everyday shopping. Appreciate the practical tips in this video, they actually work in real life.
@donbig564Consumerism and social media, the match made in hell. This is just hoarding, it's all it is plain and simple.
@brucevandermescht6957I agree with most of these but I will say I think coffee shop coffee is an ok spend. itβs a great way to network and meet people and make connections. which is good for both making money and general social health. but spending on coffee to just drink at home or getting it to go can definitely be a waste
@yeahitswifeMy boring-but-effective money saving habits have been: tracking spending and earnings with YNAB, batch-cooking meals and having plenty of leftovers, if we really want takeout we keep it to within walking distance so we can pick it up, and budgeting in more time to get places so we can take public transit instead of cars. made a huge difference over the last few months of doing this. it really adds up!
@nathalie12890My HBO Max is free through my phone plan, but I do pay for CrunchyRoll. I'll be canceling that one soon to switch over to Hulu.
@royaljester9918I cannot survive without caffeine. One thing that helps me, maybe not in a healthy way, is to buy instant coffee packs (those with creamer and sugar already added in. I usually get the Vietnamese instant coffee). They are usually 100 packs for like $25 and I drink one pack a day (usually Mon-Thurs when I am in office). I usually buy them in bulk (like two or three bags) when they are on sale, which is around $20. Saved me a lot of money from Dunkin or Starbucks, which both are really accessible and within walkable distance. The cold weather also made me less likely to go out as well. I also have tea bags, which I tried to use the tea bags more than one time (yes it dilutes but it tricks my brain into thinking I have tea) and I only buy more when I am done with the ones I currently half. Which will takes a while since I am less of a tea person.
@NickySatiZaizenLoved this video! I would love a discussion on what to do with the money you save. Investing, pension, saving acct etc. accessible or not.
@anna_notherthingI really appreciate that you defined what project pan means. I have seen content creators talk about this for six months, and no one said what it meant. I thought it was "pan" as in the Greek word for "all" or that it was short for something.
@nataliefontaneHow come Floyd Mayweather eats pizza and drinks soda
@RenkuounMine is 1.taking lunch and a water bottle to work
2. Not drinking, smoking
3. Not throwing away food
4. Commuting to work on my 2 wheeler because it's cheaper and using it since 2019 and not buying any latest one