5 Creative Ways to Boost Your Savings in 2025

If you’re starting to feel the financial pinch in 2025, you’re not alone. With inflation still impacting daily expenses, rising housing costs, and an uncertain economic outlook, building your savings can feel like even more of a challenge. But it’s still vital, perhaps even more important than ever, that you think about ways you can put aside some cash for a rainy day.

Saving money in today’s market means more than skipping your morning coffee or clipping the occasional coupon. To make real progress, you need inventive and practical strategies that work with your everyday life. That’s why we’re here to give you five creative ways to save money in 2025 that go beyond the basics to help you boost your savings this year.

1. Try a 30-Day Subscription Cleanse

How many times have you signed up for a free trial and forgotten to cancel it? We can bet it’s more than once—it happens! From streaming services to apps and digital memberships, these small monthly charges can create a small, dripping leak when it comes to your finances.

In 2025, consider taking on a 30-day subscription cleanse challenge. Pause all non-essential subscriptions for a month. This means anything you don’t absolutely need for work, health, or your daily tasks.

The idea here isn’t to go without them forever. Instead, it’s designed to help you learn what you really miss. At the end of the 30 days, review the list of what you cancelled. Chances are, you’ll find services you didn’t even know were gone. Cancel those permanently and reroute those savings into your savings account.

Use budgeting apps or your mobile banking features to track what you no longer want to spend money on. Even cancelling two or three services can result in up to $50 a month in savings, which can turn into hundreds each year.

Set a calendar reminder at the end of the 30 days to review what stays and what goes. It’s one of the easiest places to start if you’re looking for how to save money in the short term.

2. Turn Side Hustles into Micro Savings Goals

In today’s gig economy, side hustles are more common than ever before. But instead of blending your extra income into your everyday spending budget, assign it a purpose. Whether you’re selling unused household items, taking on some freelancing work, or dog walking at weekends, you can turn those extra dollars into specific savings goals.

This approach helps you keep this money mentally separated from your regular income and “bonus” money. It’s also a great way to help you hit your savings goals faster, whether that’s for an emergency fund or the vacation you’ve been planning for months.

Naming your goals can help you boost your motivation to earn and save this cash. Explore our savings accounts to keep track of these goals—they’re easy to organize and automate to suit your needs.

Using your side hustle to fund your savings goals is one of the most unique ways to save money that feels both rewarding and sustainable throughout the year.

3. Try a No-Spend Challenge with a Twist

No spend challenges are nothing new, and we’re here to suggest a modern twist for 2025. Instead of cutting all spending for a month, which often leads to burnout and guilt, choose a single category of spending that you can cut for 30 days. This could mean no takeout in July, no online shopping in August, and no Amazon purchases for 30 days.

Focusing on one category at a time makes it easier to stick to, and still have a real impact you’re looking for. For instance, cutting takeout for a month could save the average person anywhere from $100 to $300, depending on where you live and your spending habits. That’s money that could go towards paying off debt or saving for an emergency fund.

Make it even more effective by tracking your usual spending in that category, then moving the amount you would have spent on that into a savings account each week.

When it comes to classic savings tips in 2025, a no-spend challenge feels obvious. But it’s still one of the best ways to save, and the single-category approach makes it much more doable.

4. Gamify Your Spending with a Savings Challenge

Saving your money doesn’t have to feel serious all the time. One of the best creative ways to save money in 2025 is to turn your savings challenges into a game. Some ideas you could use to do this are:

• Saving every $5 bill you receive and stashing it in a jar or a dedicated savings account
• Set a $100 weekly spending budget and anything that doesn’t get spent goes into savings
• Use your bank’s round-up feature to round every debit purchase to the nearest dollar and save the change

Creating a separate challenge savings account can also make it more exciting, and less tempting to spend from. Gamifying your savings keeps things interesting (which makes you more motivated), builds good habits, and helps you boost your savings without it feeling overwhelming.

5. Redirect Extra Paychecks or Pay Increases

Did you know there’s a hidden gem to budgeting that you may not have realized? If you’re paid bi-weekly, you get 26 paychecks a year, rather than 24. That means for two months of the year, you’ll get three paychecks instead of two. Those extra paychecks are easy to overlook or accidentally spend.

Instead, treat that extra income as invisible cash and send it straight to your savings account. The same principle can apply to annual raises, cost-of-living adjustments, tax refunds, or any performance bonuses you receive.

Even setting aside just half of one extra paycheck can have a big impact on your savings. For instance, if your paycheck is $1,800, saving just one full paycheck could give a major boost to your emergency fund or other savings goals you have.

The “pretend it was never there” approach to savings is one of the best ways to add some extra money to your savings accounts without it feeling like a stretch. So, for those with a stable income who want to level up without cutting expenses, this could be a great approach.

Boost Your Savings This Year with FVSBank

Saving money in 2025 isn’t about taking one dramatic step. Instead, it’s about small, creative adjustments that you can make throughout the year that will add up over time. From canceling unused subscriptions to repurposing your side hustle income, there are plenty of ways to save that feel fun.

When you’re ready to make those new savings habits stick, FVS Bank is here to help. Learn more about our different savings account options and set up mobile banking to make saving automatic and goal-driven.

Talk to us about taking control of your finances this year and explore how our team can support you as you look to boost your savings in 2025.