Budgets are tight as costs continue to rise, making it difficult for many to make ends meet. Getting creative and intentional with your spending no longer feels like a “should-do” but a “must-do.” We’ve gathered some of our favorite practical tips for easy savings in a world hell-bent on making affordability a thing of the past.
Save on groceries with apps and strategic shopping.
Many food apps offer rewards, coupons, or access to discounted food. Flashfood, for example, partners with grocery stores to take their surplus food nearing its best-by date—including fresh produce—and lists them on their app at a great discount. Participating area grocery stores include various Meijer and Family Fare stores, and at least one Supermercado Mexico. Order and pay through the app, then pickup from a dedicated “Flashfood Zone” in store. Be sure you’re also signing up for your favorite store’s reward program, where savings can add up fast.
Another popular food prep and savings tip making the rounds online is taking advantage of various restaurant and grocer’s family meal packs or catering options—the Whole Foods Market “Build Your Own” family meal for $35 being among the most favored. Essentially, buying anything in bulk is going to provide some savings!
Shop (and sell) secondhand.
Not only is it more cost efficient, but shopping secondhand is a super sustainable approach to refreshing your wardrobe and home. And those items that are still in perfectly good condition but are gathering dust? Get rid of them and make a little cash by selling!
Whether you choose an online platform like Facebook Marketplace, Depop, and Poshmark, or choose a physical storefront, you’ve got options. Freshwater Whale Boutique in Uptown is great for women’s and children’s clothes and accessories; Gild the Lily in Rockford offers recognizable brands for both women and men; Play It Again Sports stocks all your active gear needs; and Elevated Grand Rapids is full of vintage trinkets and treasures.
Don’t sleep on your local library.
In case you weren’t already taking advantage of your local library branch, let us be the emphatic voice encouraging you to “GO!” Not only do libraries offer books (duh), but having a library card opens up a world of possibilities for enrichment and cost savings.
The Grand Rapids Public Library, for example, allows card holders to check out passes to area, museums, zoos, and botanical gardens for a once-per-year free visit, good for six people. There are also free services like Grab & Go Activity Kits; notary, printing, faxing, copying and scanning services; resume reviewing; movie and audiobook streaming; and much more.
Save on fuel and utilities with a few tips.
Saving on fuel costs is possible, thanks to a number of gas station rewards and memberships at wholesalers like Costco. You can also use apps like GasBuddy and AAA to monitor your local gas prices, pinpointing the location of the cheapest price at any given moment.
At home, lower utility costs can be possible by washing laundry in cold water, waiting to wash them at all until a load is full, setting up rain barrels for irrigation, unplug devices even when not in use, and replace your HVAC filters every 60-90 days. Smart thermostats, which allow for custom temperature programming throughout the day, are also worthy investments.
Get creative with your needs.
Before purchasing something new, regardless of what it is, ask yourself the following: Is this something I can make? Get secondhand? Upcycle? Borrow? Rent? Find an alternative to? You’d be surprised at the amount of creativity that can be born out of necessity.
Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for West Michigan Woman.
This article originally appeared in the Fall ’26 issue of West Michigan Woman.