Our financial literacy group has a number of experts and smart professionals who know how to save money and manage their finances well. We decided to share these tips and pieces of advice with others who might need assistance with their financial planning.Here are some great money-saving hacks that can help improve your financial health:

1. You can save money with homemade meals

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“Cooking our own food for 95%+ of meals. Running to any kind of restaurant is expensive and includes a lot of overhead, and that's baked (lol) right into the prices. It's also a lot healthier, and you know exactly what's in it. Also, leftovers amirite?!” - Alex W

2. Cancel subscriptions you don’t use

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“My #1 life hack would be canceling monthly subscriptions that don't improve quality of life. If you have money going in and out all the time you won't really notice. So you actively have to look for things you're paying for monthly that you don't use.” - Aaron B

3. Use the credit card to pay for essential expenses

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“Here's another one of mine: use a CC to pay everything. One for personal, one for business. Only spend what you can afford and immediately pay your bill to maintain a 0 balance. We pay for: groceries, flights, electronics from points alone. Amex, Chase Sapphire and the Capital One Spark are some of the best.” - John S.

4. Take advantage of reward points

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“If I have a bunch of shopping to do, I check Amexrewards.com to see if there are any deals with certain vendors like UNIQLO or J Crew or Banana Republic. I've saved up to 20% at apparel retailers that way, and you can combine those Amex offers with any other online coupons or in-store discounts.” - Alex W

5. Before you buy online, check out these sources to save

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"Before you make an online purchase, search MR rebates, BeFrugal, and Ebates among others. These are cashback portals.. create an account and search your favorite retailers. If you go through their portal, you can earn a net percentage of your purchase back in cash. Also try searching coupon codes for your favorite retailers before you make a purchase. If you shop online retailers that have physical locations, you can often purchase items above a certain threshold to earn free shipping. If you don’t like the product, simply return it to the store for free." - Mohammed G.

6. Use cash reward cards for your bills

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"Cash rewards card that is linked up to all your bills and literally nothing else. You'll know exactly how much to pay each month and won't have to keep track of all the different bills' due dates. Keep the card in a drawer at home (or a block of ice lol)." - Ellen C.

7. Getting out of debt quickly is best for your financial health

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"Get out of debt (start with smallest and snowball to the largest)""Save 10% of all income (minimum)""Automate all bills on same day""Never pay fees at banks (you can negotiate them)"  - Gabe N

8. Save a portion of your income

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“Save 10% of all income (minimum)” - Gabe N

9. Save money on clothes

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“A more drastic measure some people may not be down for is to wear the same clothes. I have 5-6 of the same shirts, 2 of the same jackets and 2 pairs of jeans. Mark Zuckerberg style.” - Aaron B

10. Save money on coffee

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“Also, make your own coffee. If you're an avid Starbucks drinker you can save hundreds a month by getting a coffee maker. Maybe even a used one if you want to take it to the extreme. You can get 100 k-cups for $37~ which comes out to $0.37~ per cup of coffee compared to $2.10 from Starbucks.” - Aaron B

11. Cut car payments

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“No car payments. Living minimal using the extra funds to invest in real estate.” - Tee T

12. Being careful with credit card spending can help save money and protect you from debt

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“I want to try the pay my bills with credit cards and pay it off before the due date. I currently have 3 bills on autopay, and I also do my water bill thru Cyber pay thru my credit union monthly even though it's billed quarterly. A little nervous about it, but I believe I'm better disciplined about credit card spending than I used to be. Would love to see what kind of rewards I can earn by doing this.” - Maria A.

13. Buying used items can help in saving money

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“I buy most items used. If new, it'll be the older version. I let the original owner take the hit on depreciation. Don't buy anything that you have to make payments on.” - Emmanuel A. L.

14. Set money aside for savings or emergencies

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“Well, come the start of the new year, I'll be revising my budget and my system. I'm going to open a special savings account that allows only 1 free withdrawal a month because that's what I struggle with.” - Mikaija T

15. Discard gaming or entertainment systems you rarely use

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“I purchased too many gaming systems that I don't even use this year. Also my PS4 stays plugged in to the wall and is costing me $200/year from being a energy vampire. Totally not worth it.” - Aaron B.Our Facebook Financial Literacy group has a number of similar discussions involving money-saving hacks. You can easily join our group today to learn more about personal finance management and find money-saving tips.