9 of the Best Ways to Save Money on a Tight Budget, By Donna Freedman . 1. Round it up, Bank programs like Ally’s “Round Ups” or Bank of America’s “Keep the Change” round up everyday purchases and move the extra money into savings accounts. . 2. Shop for a cheaper phone plan, Try a service called WhistleOut to look for the most affordable cell plan. 3. Take the weekly challenge, The first week of every month, save a dollar. Second week, put in $2. Third week, $3. You’ll set aside $10 to $15 a month this way. 4. Find a better deal on car insurance, Not sure how to compare coverage options? That’s OK. A free online service called The Zebra will do it for you. 5. Launder some funds, Every time we do a load of wash at our home, we put $2 into a jar sitting atop the dryer. It’s known as the “New Washing Machine Fund.”. 6. Bring it from home, Making your own coffee, lunch, snack packs, can literally save you thousands over your working career. 7. Cut gasoline costs, The GasBuddy smartphone app will clue you in as to the cheapest petrol prices wherever you are. . 8. Use shopping apps, Smartphone apps like ShopKick, Ibotta and Fetch Rewards let you save money when shopping either in-store or online. 9. Join a Buy Nothing group, These groups are similar to Freecycle, but organized along neighborhood lines. Many Buy Nothing groups can be found on Facebook