I tried to save money once by cutting absolutely everything.
Like everything.
I went full deprivation mode. No coffee shops. No eating out. No entertainment. No subscriptions. Nothing.
I was going to save money by basically not living.
I made a spreadsheet and everything. I calculated exactly how much I’d save. It was going to be amazing.
I lasted three weeks.
By week three I was so miserable that I went to a fancy restaurant and spent fifty euros on dinner just to feel like a human again.
Then I spent another eighty euros on random stuff the next day because I was frustrated about being deprived.
Then I felt guilty about spending so much so I just… stopped trying.
Then I spent even more money because I’d given up.
So I actually spent more than if I’d just been normal.
That’s when I realized something: deprivation doesn’t work.
At least not for me. Maybe it works for some people but I’m not that person.
I can’t just cut everything. I get miserable and then I sabotage myself by spending more.
So I tried a completely different thing.
Instead of cutting everything, I looked at what I was spending money on and asked myself: does this actually make me happy?
Like I was spending thirty euros a week on coffee shop coffee.
Did that make me happy? Sort of. But it was also just habit.
Like I didn’t wake up thinking “I can’t wait to spend thirty euros on coffee this week.”
I just… did it.
It was automatic.
So I didn’t actually need to cut coffee entirely.
I just needed to be more intentional about it.
I started making coffee at home most days.
But I still bought coffee out maybe twice a week.
That’s choice now, not habit.
And suddenly I’m spending like fifty euros per month on coffee instead of one hundred thirty euros.
Eighty euros saved per month.
Nine hundred sixty euros saved per year.
But I didn’t have to suffer.
I still get coffee shop coffee sometimes.
It’s just not my default anymore.
That’s the thing I figured out: you don’t have to eliminate everything.
You just have to be intentional.
Why Saving Money Feels So Hard (It's Not Just Willpower)
Spending money feels good.
It’s an immediate hit of dopamine.
I want something, I buy it, boom, instant happy.
Saving money is the opposite.
It’s delayed gratification.
I don’t buy the thing, I save the money, but I don’t feel good about it right now.
I feel good about it later when I have more money.
But that’s abstract.
The good feeling from buying something is concrete and immediate.
Also we’re all basically bombarded with messages telling us to spend money.
Ads everywhere. Influencers everywhere. Social media showing people with stuff.
Everything is designed to make us want to buy.
Saving money means fighting against that constantly.
And fighting requires willpower.
And willpower is limited.
You can’t do it forever.
So most people try super hard for a while, then they burn out, then they spend money like crazy to feel better.
Then they feel bad about spending so much.
Then they try again.
It’s a cycle.
The key is finding changes that don’t require constant willpower.
Changes that are just… easier than the alternative.
Like if you have a coffee maker at home, making coffee is easier than going to a coffee shop.
You don’t need willpower. It’s just the easy option.
Change 1: Track One Category Of Spending For One Month (Just Observe, Don't Judge)
I didn’t realize how much money I was spending on stuff until I actually tracked it.
I thought coffee was my main problem.
Turns out I was spending way more on random online shopping.
Like a book here. A kitchen gadget there. Random stuff I saw online.
Stuff I’d order and then forget about.
It was like twenty to thirty euros per week.
So like one thousand to fifteen hundred euros per year.
On stuff I didn’t even remember buying half the time.
Once I saw the number, it became real.
Like I could intellectually know I was spending too much.
But actually seeing “two hundred euros on random stuff this month” made it hit different.
Like that’s a real number.
That’s rent money.
That’s a flight somewhere.
That’s like… a lot of money.
So I just… stopped ordering random stuff.
I didn’t make a big rule about it.
I just realized it was stupid and I wanted to not be stupid about money.
So I stopped.
I saved like one hundred to one hundred fifty euros per month just by not ordering stuff I didn’t need.
That’s one thousand to eighteen hundred euros per year.
The thing is: I had to see the number first.
Most people don’t actually know where their money goes.
You spend five euros on coffee. Seven euros on food. Ten euros on stuff. Twenty euros here. Thirty euros there.
You don’t notice because it’s spread out.
But it adds up to like two thousand euros per month for some people.
So just track one category.
Don’t try to change anything yet.
Just write down every single expense in one category for one month.
Every coffee. Every food purchase. Every subscription charge.
Everything.
Then at the end look at the total.
You’ll probably be shocked.
Once you see the number, you can decide if you actually care about that spending or if it’s just habit.
Cost: Free. You’re just observing.
Change 2: Make Coffee At Home (But Only If You Actually Like Coffee)
Okay so everyone always talks about this.
Make your own coffee instead of buying it.
And yeah, it’s true. It saves money.
But the thing is: it only works if you actually like coffee.
Like if you don’t like coffee, buying coffee shop coffee is just wasting money anyway.
So don’t do this change if you don’t actually like coffee.
But if you do like coffee, this actually works.
I was spending like thirty euros per week on coffee shop coffee.
That’s one thousand five hundred euros per year.
On coffee.
I didn’t even think about it. It was just my routine.
Wake up, go to work, buy coffee, drink coffee.
Repeat.
Every day.
So like five hundred euros per year minimum. More like one thousand five hundred.
I got a coffee maker. Cost like forty euros.
I get decent coffee beans. Cost like eight euros per kilogram.
A kilogram lasts like two weeks for me.
So about four euros per week on beans.
So home coffee costs me about fifty cents per cup.
Coffee shop coffee costs like three to five euros per cup.
So the difference is like two fifty to four fifty per cup.
If I drink one cup per day, that’s like nine hundred to sixteen hundred euros per year saved.
Minus the forty euros for the coffee maker.
So like eight hundred to fifteen hundred euros per year saved.
I still buy coffee shop coffee sometimes.
Like twice a week maybe.
But it’s choice now, not default.
I’m spending like fifty euros per month on coffee instead of one hundred thirty euros.
That’s eighty euros per month saved.
Nine hundred sixty euros per year.
Change 3: Stop Ordering Food Delivery (But Actually Cook Or Your Life Will Suck)
Food delivery is weirdly expensive.
You pay for the food. Then delivery fee. Then service fee. Then you tip because you feel bad.
A meal that costs eight euros at a restaurant costs like fifteen euros through delivery.
I was ordering delivery like three times per week.
So like one thousand three hundred fifty euros per year on delivery.
That’s insane.
I could actually go to restaurants that much for that money.
Or cook at home for like two hundred euros.
But I wasn’t doing either. I was ordering delivery.
The problem: I didn’t want to cook.
I was tired after work.
The idea of cooking sounded terrible.
So the solution wasn’t just “stop ordering delivery.”
That would just mean I ate sad food or nothing.
The solution was “meal prep on Sunday so you have food ready during the week.”
I spend like two hours on Sunday cooking.
I make enough food for lunch and dinner for five days.
It’s nothing fancy. Like rice, beans, vegetables. Chicken sometimes.
Just basic food that I can eat throughout the week.
It costs like fifty euros for the whole week for food.
Then I have food ready when I get home.
I don’t have to cook.
I just reheat.
So I’m spending like fifty euros per week on groceries instead of like one hundred to one hundred fifty euros per week on delivery.
That’s like fifty to one hundred euros per week saved.
Two hundred to four hundred euros per month.
Two thousand four hundred to four thousand eight hundred euros per year.
And I’m not hungry and miserable because I have food ready.
Change 4: Cancel Subscriptions You're Not Actually Using (This Is Easy Money)
I had seven subscriptions I wasn’t using.
Like I’d sign up for something thinking I’d use it.
Then I’d forget about it and it would just auto-charge every month.
Streaming service: fifteen euros. I watched maybe once a month.
Magazine subscription: six euros. I never read it.
Meal planning app: seven euros. I never opened it.
Meditation app: eight euros. I used it like twice.
Music service: ten euros. I had Spotify anyway.
Cloud storage: three euros. I didn’t need extra storage.
Gym membership: twenty euros. I went twice a month.
That was eighty-eight euros per month on stuff I wasn’t using.
Over one thousand euros per year.
I just… cancelled everything except the two I actually used.
Like I actually used Spotify and the streaming service.
Everything else was just wasting money.
I was paying for the possibility that I might use them.
But I wasn’t using them.
I was just paying.
So I cancelled everything.
Now I’m saving like sixty euros per month.
Seven hundred twenty euros per year.
The funny thing is: I can resubscribe whenever I want if I change my mind.
But I won’t change my mind because if I actually wanted it, I would have been using it.
Change 5: Buy A Reusable Water Bottle And Stop Buying Bottled Water (Honestly Easy)
I was buying bottled water constantly.
Like I’d buy those big packs of bottles from the grocery store.
They were convenient but expensive.
Like twenty euros per month.
I got a reusable water bottle for twenty euros.
Now I fill it from the tap.
I’m saving twenty euros per month.
Two hundred forty euros per year.
The bottle paid for itself in one month.
Also way better for the environment.
But like… I’m saving money and helping the environment so that’s a win.
Things Worth Actually Spending Money On (Don't Cut These)
Don’t cut things that genuinely make you happy.
Like if you have a hobby that makes you happy, don’t cut it.
If you have friendships that require going out, don’t cut social spending.
If you have a coffee habit that genuinely makes you happy, don’t cut it completely.
Just be intentional about it.
The goal is to reduce wasteful spending, not to suffer.
Things worth spending on:
Experiences with people you care about. Spending money to see friends and family is worth it. Like genuinely worth it.
Hobbies that make you happy. If painting makes you happy or gaming or reading, spend money on it. Seriously.
Things that improve your health. Good food, exercise, sleep. These are worth spending on.
Things that save you time. If something saves you significant time and improves your life, it might be worth spending on.
One or two things you really love instead of many things you’re mediocre about. Like buy one good jacket instead of five mediocre jackets.
Things Not Worth Spending Money On
Things you’re buying out of habit, not choice. Like coffee you don’t really care about. Just habit.
Things you’re buying to feel better about yourself temporarily. Retail therapy that you regret later.
Subscriptions you’re not using. Just cancel them.
Brand names when generic works fine. Most generic brands are literally the same thing.
Things you think you should want but don’t actually want. Like that hobby you thought you’d get into but didn’t.
Products That Actually Help (Budget Stuff)
Reusable water bottle: €15-30. Pays for itself if you were buying bottled water.
Meal prep containers: €20-40 for a set. Lets you meal prep efficiently.
Basic coffee maker: €30-50. Pays for itself super fast if you drink coffee.
Budget planner notebook: €5-10. Helps you track spending if you’re into that.
Storage containers: €10-30. Lets you store bulk food without waste.
Real Talk About How Much You Can Save
Okay so people always claim crazy savings numbers.
Like “save one thousand euros per month.”
That’s not real for most people.
Unless you’re like super wealthy and cutting luxury spending.
Real savings from these changes: probably fifty to three hundred euros per month depending on your starting habits.
That’s six hundred to three thousand six hundred euros per year.
That’s real money.
Not life-changing for everyone, but real.
Like that’s a plane ticket. That’s a laptop. That’s rent for a month.
It’s real.
FAQs
Will I be miserable if I save money?
No. If you feel miserable, you’re not doing it right. The goal is to reduce wasteful spending, not to suffer.
How do I start?
Track one spending category for one month. See where your money goes. Pick one category that’s wasteful and change it.
What should I do with the money I save?
That’s up to you. Save it, invest it, spend it on things you actually care about.
Is meal prepping hard?
No. It’s just cooking rice and beans and vegetables. Nothing complicated.
Can I still go out and have fun?
Yes. Going out and having fun is worth spending on. The goal is to cut wasteful spending, not to never spend money.
Do I have to give up everything?
No. Just be intentional. Cut the stuff you don’t care about. Keep the stuff you do.
Final Real Thought
Saving money isn’t about suffering.
It’s about being intentional.
It’s about noticing where your money goes and deciding if you actually care about that spending.
Then changing the stuff you don’t care about.
The coffee you don’t even remember buying? Cut it.
The subscription you’re not using? Cancel it.
The random stuff you order online? Stop.
But keep the stuff that makes you happy.
Keep going out with friends.
Keep your hobbies.
Keep the things you love.
Just be intentional about it.
That’s it.