3 Ways to Save $100 in April

At a time like this, every little bit of savings helps.

With inflation surging these days, putting any amount of money into your savings account can seem like a tall order. And while $100 may not change your life, it might make you feel better about your overall financial picture. With that in mind, here are some steps you can take to boost your savings by $100 this April.

1. Do your spring cleaning and sell items you no longer need

April is a popular time to focus on spring cleaning. So as you go about the process of clearing out your closets, basement, and garage, take inventory of the things you don't need -- and find a way to sell them so you can pocket some cash.

One idea is to hold a yard sale later in the month, where people from the neighborhood can come look at your belongings and hand over cash on the spot. For items of higher value, like electronics, you may want to look at options like listing them for sale on eBay. You might also try posting pictures of some of your bigger-ticket items on your social media pages and seeing if you find any local buyers.

2. Plant your own flowers and shrubs

April is a good time to start focusing on landscaping. After all, the weather's nice and cooperative without being too hot. But if you normally hire a landscaping company to do your spring gardening, you may want to rethink that this month.

Hourly rates for a landscaper generally range from $50 to $150, according to Angi. So if you're looking to save $100 this month, getting your own hands dirty and cutting back on a single hour of professional landscaping might do the trick.

3. Buy your groceries strategically

Food costs are way up these days thanks to inflation, so you may be racking up higher credit card bills than you'd like in the course of feeding your family. If you're eager to save yourself $100 this month, be strategic about how you shop.

First, take inventory of your fridge and pantry before you hit the supermarket so you don't end up buying things you don't really need. Next, plan your meals ahead of time around sales and specials so you can benefit from limited-time discounts.

Also, think about where you shop. Some people are quick to write off dollar stores because they assume the quality of food there is sub-par. But actually, if you stop into your local dollar store, you may find plenty of brands you recognize on the shelves -- at a lower cost than what your regular supermarket charges.

Along these lines, it could pay to shop at discount grocers such as Aldi to save money on food. Aldi tends to stock its own house brands, though, so if your family is picky, this may not be a good fit. But if you really don't care who produced your pasta or cereal, you might enjoy some nice savings.

At a time when inflation is such a problem, banking an extra $100 this month could do a lot for you. It pays to think about the different steps you can take to carve out more savings, because small additions to your bank account could go a long way over time.