I’m Middle Class and Saved $18,500 in One Year Without a Side Hustle — Here’s How
Written by
Cindy Lamothe
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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Saving money when you’re middle class can feel like a juggling act — between bills, groceries and the occasional splurge, it’s easy to wonder where it all goes. Most of the time, it feels like you’re just trying to keep up rather than get ahead. According to CNBC, nearly half of Americans have less than $500 in their savings accounts.
But here’s the thing: You don’t need a side hustle or extreme couponing to make real progress.
With a few mindful shifts in how you spend (and how you think about saving), it’s possible to build a cushion without completely overhauling your lifestyle.
GOBankingRates spoke with Barbara Robinson, marketing manager of WeatherSolve Structures, to discuss how her previous years of running restaurants taught her discipline with both money and management. Here’s what else she had to share.
I Saved Nearly $18,500 in One Year
“In my own household, I saved nearly $18,500 in one year, and I can say that I didn’t add another side hustle to do it,” said Robinson.
She saved that money, by treating her personal finances the same way she applies to business budgets.
“My staff will say that I track every cent spent on campaign expenses, and I applied that same level of scrutiny to groceries, insurance, subscriptions and discretionary spending,” Robinson explained.
Cutting Down and Negotiating Were Essential
Robinson saved $400 monthly by implementing planned weekly menus and bulk buying. She saved another $1,200 annually by contacting her providers, in some cases, multiple times over a couple of months, and negotiating directly with them either for reimbursement, or requesting a lower premium.
“Those changes along with cutting unused subscriptions, and downgrading services that I didn’t use fully, had me seeing a steady savings accumulate each month,” Robinson explained.
Main Takeaway
Robinson said she wanted to see how far disciplined cost management could take her without giving up any comfort.
“And it showed me one thing, most middle-class households could save a lot of money if they took a disciplined approach to review their recurring costs,” she shared.
Robinson noted that her main takeaway is that big results do not come from one big decision, it comes from a series of small, measurable and consistent adjustments. In her practice, she tells colleagues that budgets are living documents and should be reviewed monthly, and she does the same at home.
“For me, if you treat each line item as negotiable and to be monitored for performance, you will save money faster than you think,” Robinson concluded.
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