How to Force Yourself to Save Money
1. Track Every Expense
Start by diligently recording every single purchase. Once you have a clear picture of where your money goes, review and categorize your spending to identify areas where you can downgrade, find cheaper alternatives, or cut out entirely. This is how you effectively trim costs.
The simplest method is to use Excel, but many people lack the discipline to stick with it. Alternatively, consider using dedicated budgeting software. My Shopping Notes (May 25, 2022) summarizes and shares which hardware and software are worth buying and which ones I ended up regretting. It's a useful reference to help you avoid wasting money on unnecessary items.
2. Use Cashback Shopping Cards or Apps
True, cashback amounts might seem small, but when you factor in regular spending, it adds up. Let's say you spend $150 a month; with a 1% cashback rate, that's $1.50 back each month, or over $18 a year. That's enough to grab a legitimate productivity app, a nice little speaker to upgrade your experience, or cover a few months of phone bills. Every bit counts—it's a necessary measure if you're serious about saving.
There are two main types of cashback:
First, payment-related cashback. You can search for credit cards (usually credit cards) that offer cashback rewards, such as those partnered with Huawei Pay. As long as you pay on time and avoid late fees, you can easily save a few hundred dollars a year. Combined with repayment discounts, you could save another few hundred. Cloud Flash Payment: The Best Mobile Bank Card Management App Currently Available. For example, using Cloud Flash Payment, you can redeem points for repayment coupons—about $13 a year (currently 100 minus 3 for one coupon monthly, 10 minus 1 for one coupon weekly, plus members get a $6 no-threshold coupon). Add JD Finance's monthly $99 minus 1 and $29 minus 3 coupons, and you're looking at another $7 saved.
Second, product-related cashback that can be stacked. Most shopping currently happens on Taobao or JD.com. Consider downloading an app that supports cashback features, like A Recommended Cashback App for Orders. This one supports cashback (many similar apps lost partnerships due to channel closures and now lack content), but the main appeal is its minimal content and frustration-free experience.
If you build the habit, you could likely save around $150.
3. If You're Open to Downgrading, Use Slightly Flawed or Secondhand Channels to Save Even More
For example, Ad: NetEase Yanxuan Wednesday Discounted Items, Why Buy a Massage Gun? How to Choose One? Is It Worth It?—this NetEase massage gun normally retails for $28, drops to $24 during promotions, but if you're okay with slight imperfections, ordering through their discounted channel brings it down to just $17. That's an easy $7 saved.
Currently, some effective channels include:
NetEase Yanxuan's slightly flawed items Ad: NetEase Yanxuan Wednesday Discounted Items, Alibaba (Kohl's Haigou) insider purchases A Reliable Cross-Border Shopping Platform (generally cheaper than other channels, though during big sales, JD's multi-item discounts might be more worthwhile. Remember to use the search function—items you're looking for won't appear if you don't search).
Additionally, there's JD's domestic sales channel (they scaled back late last year and hardly update new products or inventory anymore, so it's not worth following). If you're not too brand-picky, consider using JD's 1号店 membership. Though the membership fee is higher, most products are $1.50 to $7 cheaper than on JD, and you won't need to stress about stacking discounts. My Shopping Notes (May 25, 2022) also lists this as one of the memberships I've never regretted.
You can set up a separate app specifically for storing the money you save, such as various funds. Seeing the balance grow will remind you that this is money you actually saved. I currently recommend using Qie Man, primarily because it requires a minimum transfer of $14. So I set a small savings goal (using the cashback app's withdrawal feature)—once I hit $14, I transfer it into a fund. (It's niche enough to serve as a separate account apart from Alipay and JD Finance.)
P.S.
Money-Saving Tips
1. When traveling during longer holidays, you can extend your stay by stringing together evaluation periods. Booking a short-term rental apartment is more cost-effective than a hotel. However: The more effort you spend on consuming something, the only outcome is that you'll end up poorer.