{"id":609457,"date":"2026-04-17T04:05:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T04:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/609457\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T04:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T04:05:19","slug":"how-to-cut-everyday-expenses-to-save-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/609457\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Cut Everyday Expenses to Save Money"},"content":{"rendered":"

If things feel more expensive these days, it\u2019s because they are. Between rising grocery bills<\/a>, gas prices<\/a>, insurance<\/a> and utilities<\/a>, many older adults are feeling the pinch. Factor in expenses for the sandwich generation \u2014 people who are supporting aging parents while also raising children or supporting adult children \u2014 and it\u2019s hard not to have money on the brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to an October 2025 CNO Financial Group survey<\/a>, inflation<\/a> is the top concern for middle-income Americans, followed by fears of outliving their money<\/a> and cuts to Social Security. Credit card debt<\/a> isn\u2019t helping \u2014 over 40 percent of U.S. adults have some, with Generation X carrying an average balance of $9,600, the highest of any age group, according to data from credit bureau Experian<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The silver lining? Small changes in what you purchase can go a long way toward reducing your expenses. Cutting back on these 12 items can help you save money.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Premium gasoline (unless your car needs it)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve filled up your tank recently, you may have been shocked to see the total. The average price per gallon for regular gas hit $4.108 on April 15, up from $3.699 a month earlier, according to AAA. And that\u2019s just for regular unleaded. A gallon of premium reached $4.986 a gallon on average. You don\u2019t want to skimp on premium if your car is designed to run on it, but there\u2019s no harm in using regular fuel otherwise, according to Consumer Reports. \u201cMost drivers don\u2019t actually need premium gas, even though some assume it\u2019s better for their cars\u2019 long-term durability,\u201d says Mike LoCascio, regional service director of Kunes Auto Group, a dealership in Delavan, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Check your owner\u2019s manual or look inside your fuel door to see what type of gas your vehicle requires. \u201cIf it says \u2018premium recommended\u2019 rather than \u2018premium required,\u2019 you can use regular gas,\u201d says LoCascio. \u201cChances are you won\u2019t notice any difference\u201d in performance, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gym memberships you aren\u2019t using<\/p>\n

That fancy gym or boutique sports club may have seemed like a good idea when you joined it at the start of the year, but if you\u2019re not using it enough to justify the membership fee, it might be time to call it quits. Gym memberships typically cost $40 to $70 month, and fees at luxury gyms fees can run into the hundreds.<\/p>\n

Canceling doesn\u2019t mean you have to stop exercising, though. You can still prioritize working out at home<\/a> and around your neighborhood. \u201cStart with walking<\/a>,\u201d suggests Jon Jon Park, an international personal trainer based in Los Angeles. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most effective and accessible ways to improve heart health, build endurance and stay consistent, especially if you can walk or hike with a friend.\u201d \ufeff<\/p>\n

If your budget allows, Park recommends buying inexpensive equipment like resistance bands, light dumbbells and an exercise mat to expand your workout routine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brand-name groceries and other products<\/p>\n

Billboards, commercials, targeted ads on social media\ufeff \u2026 We\u2019re exposed to countless brand promotions. But name-brand products cost more than generic goods. In fact, prices for generic groceries are about 40 percent less than their brand-name counterparts, a 202\ufeff3 CNET study<\/a> of foods sold at Wegmans and Stop & Shop found.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re new to buying generic, try tiptoeing in, suggests Kiki Jacobson, a licensed mental health therapist in Wilmington, North Carolina, who specializes in financial therapy. Start with something small, like switching from name-brand paper towels to a store brand.\ufeff<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be helpful to try and build tolerance and confidence with this by starting with alternatives that are low-risk, allowing for gradual exposure to uncertainty,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If things feel more expensive these days, it\u2019s because they are. Between rising grocery bills, gas prices, insurance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":609458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[45,49,48,133,229746,6662,229745,43493,229741,229743,229742,48430,131,132,171944,229744],"class_list":{"0":"post-609457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-finance","12":"tag-find-unused-subscriptions","13":"tag-gas-prices","14":"tag-generic-groceries","15":"tag-gym-membership","16":"tag-how-to-cut-expenses","17":"tag-how-to-stop-buying-stuff","18":"tag-how-to-stop-impulse-buying","19":"tag-impulse-buying","20":"tag-personal-finance","21":"tag-personalfinance","22":"tag-stop-buying","23":"tag-what-not-to-buy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}