One of the most important responsibilities as an earning member is forming the habit of saving for the family. Parents always try to teach their children about the importance of saving from a young age. The best way to set an example for them is to practice frugal ways of spending and managing family expenses. In this way, you can ensure that you have enough funds to meet your present obligations and financial responsibilities. But the primary purpose of saving should be to secure your family’s future.

The sooner you start, the better will be your chances of finding opportunities to save. Note that every dollar saved can add value to your current financial situation and can also secure your future.

Here are a few simple life hacks to help you squeeze out some extra savings.

Shop online
When you go to the supermarket, you may or may not find cheaper alternatives to a product you want to buy. But that doesn’t mean that you should pay full retail price, especially not when you have the option of buying it for an affordable price online. The best part about online shopping is that you can do it from the comfort of your home. Additionally, if you live far from a supermarket, you can also save on the cost of driving to the store. Another benefit of shopping online with applications like Boxed is that you get wholesale prices for bulk orders. That’s right, you can buy and stock products which have a good shelf life. It is a smart way to increase savings for your family without having to worry about cutting down on your grocery bills for everyday purchases.

Drive one vehicle
For a family of four, a minivan should suffice. You can take turns to drop off the kids at soccer practice and run errands on a weekday to avoid the mad shopping rush on a Saturday. Even with one vehicle, you will need to pay for car insurance, maintenance, and more. But it is still better than paying for two cars when you only use one of them regularly. As an alternative, find public transportation and carpools to save on gas money. If you live close to your office, you can hop on a bike and ride to work. Put off buying a second vehicle for as long as possible to increase savings for your family.

Don’t order in
On any given day, the cost of preparing a home cooked meal is less than what you might spend on takeaways. If you have a big family, those extra orders of cheese fries and Oreo shakes can rack up your total bill. Instead, buy and stock vegetables for the week and prepare healthy meals. All you have to spend is a little more time and effort to put three healthy meals a day, which is affordable and nutritious at the same time. It is okay to spend on fine dining once a month when you have managed to increase your savings for the family with home-cooked meals. While you are at it, stop using your credit card for ordering food as it is difficult to control the temptation of ordering without any limits.