3 Little-Known Ways to Save Money in March 2024

Whether you're feeling confident about your personal finances these days or have been just covering your bills, it's a good thing to try to eke out savings on a monthly basis. But if you're currently spending the bulk of your paycheck, you might assume that you're not going to manage to save much in March. These moves, however, could leave you with a more robust savings account balance by the end of the month.

1. Do a services and subscription audit

Do you know how many different services and subscriptions you're paying for right now? Maybe not. Recent Motley Fool research found that 47% of respondents spend more than $30 a month on video streaming services. And 46% of respondents are subscribed to more video streaming services now than they were a year ago.

If you're currently spending, say, $35 on streaming services you aren't really using, why not cancel ASAP and avoid losing that money this month? And while you're at it, cancel the online magazine subscriptions you don't really read and the monthly subscription dog toy box you receive. Chances are, your pup will be content with just a box to play with (er, destroy).

2. Shop for food yourself instead of using meal kits

Meal kits are often touted as a lower-cost alternative to restaurants and takeout. And that may be true. But it can still be a lot less expensive to grocery shop yourself, especially if you frequent discount grocers like Aldi or you're able to strategically load up on bulk grocery items by shopping at a store like Sam's Club or Costco.

Now you may like the convenience of getting meal kits delivered that give you all of the ingredients you need in a single box. But you can easily emulate that convenience.

Just look up a couple of basic recipes for the week online, make a concise shopping list, and stick to it. And if you like the time savings of not having to go to the store, order your ingredients to be delivered. Even with the added fee, it might still be cheaper than using meal kits.

3. Rethink your kids' spring activities

In the coming weeks, your kids might ask to sign up for a host of spring sports and activities. But not saying yes to every single request could result in some nice savings for you.

Data shows that youth sports alone cost the average U.S. family almost $900 a year. Ouch. So maybe this spring, your kids don't need to sign up for baseball and soccer and lacrosse. Maybe they can pick one sport to focus on at a time. Doing so might work wonders not just for your wallet, but also, your schedule.

By the time you get done covering your bills most months, there may be very little money left over for savings purposes. But you can potentially boost your cash reserves in March by auditing your subscriptions and canceling ones you don't need, ditching meal kits, and limiting the spring activities your children sign up for.