7 Finance Experts Share Their Best Hacks for Saving Money
If finance experts share their is on your radar, this short guide cuts through the noise. Here is what is worth knowing, and how to put it to work today.
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Whether you want to save money on groceries, shopping, or travel, there's a tip that can help you do it. If you're ready to start stacking cash instead of spending it all, these expert strategies can help you get into the saving groove.
Written by Rebecca Lake, CEPF® Last Updated: April 1, 2025 Reviewed by Jana LynchSome of the links on DollarSprout point to products or services from partners we trust. If you choose to make a purchase through one, we may earn a commission, which supports the ongoing maintenance and improvement of our site at no additional cost to you. Learn more.
Saving money matters if you’ve got key financial milestones you’re trying to reach, or you just want to be prepared for the inevitable emergency. Becoming a savvy saver means employing different money tips and hacks to keep more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket.
Even if you’re not frugal by nature, you can still learn a thing or two about saving by studying how the pros do it. To make that easier, we’ve rounded up some of the best money-saving advice from top frugal experts.
1. Double-dip on cash back to save on groceries.
Both cash-back credit cards and cash back shopping apps can put money back into your pocket. Pairing them together is a no-brainer way to boost your savings, says Nadia Malik, finance expert and founder of Speaking of Cents.
Malik uses the Discover It cash-back credit card. It pays 5% back on bonus categories and 1% cash back on all other purchases. One of her favorite ways to reap double cash-back rewards is by using her card along with the Ibotta app.
“Between the cash back from my card and the money saved via Ibotta, I save 20-25% on monthly grocery bills,” she said.
Malik also puts the usual grocery savings tips to work, including:
- Swapping out name brands for store brands
- Cutting out processed foods
- Buying in bulk and skipping pre-portioned foods
Altogether, she estimates that these money-saving hacks have helped her family trim their food costs down by 40 to 50%.
2. Stack your savings when shopping online.
Shopping online can save time, and you can earn some of what you spend back in cash when you use the best money-saving apps. Miguel A. Suro, an attorney and founder of The Rich Miser, saves 2 to 5% or more shopping online thanks to skillful stacking.
Like Malik, his strategy involves using a rewards credit card, the Citi Double Cash card, to earn a percentage of purchases back. But he increases his rewards earnings by:
- Signing up for store loyalty programs to earn rewards
- Using rewards apps to shop
- Downloading coupon and cash back browser extensions
Suro’s preferred apps include Rakuten, Bumped, and Swagbucks.
He also uses the Capital One Shopping browser extension and Cashbackaholic, which compares offers from different reward apps to help find deals on everyday purchases.
Once you get your savings tools in place, the next part is simple: stack all of the above.
“For example, when I shop online at Sam’s Club I’ll get 2% back from my credit card, plus 1% back from Bumped,” Suro said. “I also get 2% back from Sam’s Club Plus premium membership and 2% or more from Swagbucks.”
That’s an simple 7% you could earn back from shopping like you normally would.
3. Hack your credit card for travel savings.
Using a travel rewards card could lead to major savings. Tawnya Redding, frugal expert at Money Saved Is Money Earned, saves thousands on travel by charging all of her purchases to credit cards to earn points.
She uses a multi-card strategy to maximize her points when charging travel, gas, groceries, and other purchases. Redding then parlays those points into free flights and hotels.
“I haven’t paid full cost for a flight ever and typically only need to pay the fuel surcharge,” she said.
For some trips, she’s even been able to pay for a companion’s ticket or hotel room.
“I earn points for money I’d be spending anyway, so it’s almost like getting free travel for paying my bills,” Redding said.
Remember, if you’re planning to try this frugal hack, plan to pay your card balance in full each month. Otherwise, interest charges could slash the value of any points you’re earning.
4. Make money to save money.
Starting a side hustle is an simple way to make more money so you can grow your savings. But if you don’t have a lot of time, there’s a simple frugal solution: try mystery shopping.
That, along with using cash back apps, is how registered dietitian and founder of Frugal Minimalist Kitchen Bri Bell keeps her grocery budget in check. “I literally get paid to take a few photos and answer a short survey about something in the store, then I do my regular shopping,” she said.
Bri Bell, Founder of Frugal Minimalist Kitchen, Checkout 51 EarningsBell finds mystery shopping gigs through Field Agent and Mobee, checking apps daily to see what’s available.
“If I see a shop at one of my regular stores, I might decide to shop a few days early and combine my efforts,” she said. Otherwise, she’ll plan shopping trips as usual and will take advantage of any paid mystery shopping jobs available for that day.
Bell uses Ibotta and Checkout 51 to increase savings on grocery trips, along with the extra money she gets from mystery shopping.
Altogether she estimates that she saves $1,500 a year using these tactics.
If you’re looking for other side hustle options to make extra cash to save, here are a few to consider:
- Become an Instacart shopper
- Try online tutoring
- Get paid with a delivery side hustle
- Start a blog
- Become a freelance writer
If you’re considering a side hustle to save money remember to factor in any costs you might have to pay. Becoming an Instacart driver, for example, could help bring in extra cash, but you’ll have to pay for wear and tear to your vehicle.
Related: 11 Apps Like Ibotta to Earn Rebates and Get Cash Back
5. Let other people find money-saving deals for you.
Searching for promo codes, sales and other deals can be time-consuming. A simple work-around is to let someone else do the heavy lifting.
One way to do that is by following frugal experts on social media and joining deal groups on Facebook, said Melissa Garcia, founder of money-saving blog Consumer Queen.
A simple search for ‘deal groups’ on Facebook returns numerous listings for groups you can join.
“This saves
Final Thoughts
Before you check out, double-check finance experts share their against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.
Originally published at dollarsprout.com.
Rebecca Lake, CEPF®
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