With prices ever increasing and income staying the same, we all need a little extra help in the budgeting department these days.

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably sick of reading all the basic advice telling you to eat less takeout and all the other “hacks” you’ve already tried. The following tips are a little more creative and they’re methods you might not have tried before.

Without any further ado, here are six creative ways to save more money.

Switch Your Insurance

We all know that insurance is important and that it’s kind of a necessary evil, but that doesn’t mean it needs to break the bank. You can easily find inexpensive home insurance plans and you’ll probably be able to bring your monthly premiums down if you spend a little time and effort on shopping around.

This applies to your car and health insurance too! Start asking for quotes and see where you can get a better deal.

Audit Your Subscriptions

Subscriptions build up over time. Various streaming services, apps that you never even use anymore, even magazine subscriptions from when you went through that phase of enjoying celebrity gossip a little too much…

Take a few minutes to go through your transaction history and take note of everything that’s coming off your account every month. If you see anything on there that you know you don’t really need, give it the cut.

Start Meal Planning

Yes, it’s a cliché, but cooking more at home, and cooking smarter, are great ways to save money. Meal planning will help you avoid buying groceries that never get used and you can even use this method to focus a little more on your health.

If cooking from scratch isn’t your thing and you spend most of your money on takeout or restaurants, then switching over to meal kit deliveries could be a good starting point instead.

DIY Your Beauty Treatments

If taking care of yourself is important to you, we get it. It’s good that you want to take care of yourself and look and feel your best, but beauty treatments can be really expensive.

So, start waxing your own eyebrows, painting your own nails and applying face masks at home instead of scheduling treatments every month. You might even learn how to trim your own hair if you’re brave enough!

Get Energy-Efficient

Being more conscious about our energy usage is important for both our wallets and the planet. Implementing a few simple energy-saving tips could end up saving you big bucks in the long run.

For example, try drying your clothes naturally instead of throwing them in the dryer, and walking instead of driving when you can.

Fix Before Replacing

Finally, if you’re in the habit of replacing things in your home when they become worn or broken, shift your mindset and try to have them fixed before mindlessly buying replacements.

Things like clothing items and shoes, pieces of furniture or décor and even technological devices can often be repaired for much cheaper than buying a brand new version.