With inflation raising costs across the board, many people are feeling the pressure to make their money go further. While you can't completely escape rising prices, cautious spending can result in big savings over the long run.

"The biggest shift is in mindset," said Jade Reynolds, a licensed insurance agent at Nest Insurance Services. "When you start to tie everyday spending to a bigger purpose—like saving for a house, building a business, or even just sleeping better at night with less financial stress—it becomes easier to say no to short-term splurges."

Financial Advice From a Professional

The first step to reducing your spending is to take a careful look at how you spend your money each month, according to Reynolds.

"In my experience, the small, automatic purchases are the biggest culprits," Reynolds said. "Things like drive-through coffees, app subscriptions people forget they're even paying for, or always choosing name-brand groceries."

Once you start paying attention to where your money goes, you can be more intentional about how you spend it. However, budgeting doesn't have to feel like a punishment. "It's really a form of empowerment," Reynolds added. "When you know where your money's going, you feel more in control, and that confidence builds better habits over time."

These are six ways to easily rein in your spending.

1. Get a Library Card

• Cost: Free
• Alternative: Buying one book a month = ~$180 a year.
• Digital newspaper subscriptions: $8 to $25 per month, depending on the paper, potentially saving up to $300 per publication.

New books generally cost between $10 and $30, which can add up quickly if you're an avid reader. Library cards, on the other hand, are free, and you can read as much as you'd like. In addition to physical books, libraries also offer downloadable audiobooks and e-books.

They also have digital subscriptions to newspapers like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, saving you hundreds of dollars over an annual subscription. Some libraries also offer free streaming services and even free passes to museums and other attractions.

2. Use a Coffee Maker

• Cost: ~$.50 per cup at home
• Alternative: $5.46 for a latte x 5 days a week = $1,419.60 a year

The cost of a cup of coffee will vary depending on where you buy it from, the location, and the type of coffee. Even a cup of coffee at home will vary in cost based on the kind of beans you buy and the equipment you use to to make it. However, it's still generally cheaper to make coffee at home.

"Making a few swaps, like brewing your own coffee most days or switching to store brands for staples, can add up fast," Reynolds said.

For example, you can get a drip coffee machine for under $50 or a French press for under $20. A more elaborate setup—like an espresso machine with a frothing wand typically cost hundreds of dollars—but it may pay for itself in savings over time, especially compared to purchasing coffee out everyday.

3. Cut Your Own Hair

• Cost: $35 to $80 for hair clippers
• Alternative: $100+ a year on haircuts

Learning to cut your own hair or a family member's can add up to significant savings over time. A set of hair clippers can be found for as little as $30 and last for years. Meanwhile, the cost of a basic trim is rising with inflation. In urban areas, a simple men's cut can cost between $25 and $45, or $45 to $75 for women. With online tutorials on how to trim hair, you can keep your hair looking tidy without multiple trips to the salon or barber.

4. Skip the Salon, Do Your Nails at Home

• Cost: $10 to $15 for a pack of press-on nails
• Alternative: $20-$50 for a manicure at a salon, depending on the service provided.

Going to the nail salon can be a fun social experience, but the cost adds up quickly. Doing your nails at home with a file and polish, or press-on nails, can save you a lot every year. You can buy the supplies, which you can use to do your nails multiple times, for the same cost as just one visit to the salon.

5. Exercise at Home

• Cost: $10 to $150 for weights and basic equipment
• Alternative: $480 to $840 on average for an annual gym membership

Gym memberships are expensive, but you don't need expensive equipment to stay in shape. Running, calisthenics, resistance bands, and lifting weights at home can keep you fit at a significantly lower cost than a gym membership. If you're learning to exercise for the first time, there are plenty of videos on Youtube for various types of exercise—like pilates, yoga, and cardio—as well as online communities to help you get started.

6. Buy the Store Brand/Buy in Bulk

• Warehouse store membership: $50-$130 annually, depending on the store and membership tier.
• Store brands: 15-25% savings on groceries, up to 50% for personal care and health products.
• Alternatives: Higher costs for smaller and brand-name packaging

There are several ways you can reduce your shopping bills. Clipping coupons and looking for sales might seem obvious, but they can reduce your spending. You can also get big discounts by buying in bulk, whether it's from Sam's Club, Costco, Amazon Prime, or other big-box stores. Some of them charge annual membership fees, but the savings can outweigh the costs if you shop often enough.

It also pays to look for alternatives to the most expensive products. Many store brands are manufactured at the same plant as an expensive brand name, using the same or a nearly identical recipe. The only difference is the money spent on marketing the brand-name product and the savings are passed on to you.

The Bottom Line

Changing small habits can add up to a lot of savings. Swapping out your coffee shop coffee for a cup brewed at home, or borrowing books from a library can lead to hundreds of dollars in annual savings.

The process requires a few adjustments, but once you start making the changes, you'll adapt in no time and have extra money in the bank.