While it may be true, the more you make the more you spend, but that doesn’t mean that just because you’re not making six figures that you can’t find ways to save money.  Most don’t live the modest lifestyle as income levels increase, so they may still be living paycheck to paycheck with inflated mortgage payments, auto leases, and credit card debt.  If you’re looking for ways to save money each month, don’t forget some of the basics.

Increase Retirement Contributions

It may still be decades away before you can even think about retiring, but that doesn’t mean you can continue to put off saving.  In fact, the earlier you begin saving the more you’re able to enjoy seeing growth over time. Check with your employer to see if they offer matching contributions, as you want to make sure you’re not missing out on any free money.  If they’re offering, say 6%, and you make $60,000, that is $3,600 that could be added to your account each year, which can add up to tens of thousands of dollars over time.

Put a Few Months’ Worth of Reserves in an Account

You never know when life with put a wrench in your path and throw an unexpected auto repair, a needed appliance replacement, or vet bill that you need to attend to, and if you don’t have the funds in an account for use, likely will need to put on a credit card.  This can set you back each month as you begin paying interest if the balance is not paid off by the next statement.  To give yourself a financial cushion you can put a few months’ worth of reserves in an account as a ‘rainy day fund’ for when you really need it.

Take Advantage of Credit Card Rewards

Using a credit card on purchases may still scare some, in fact if you’re not careful you can quickly fall into debt if you charge more than you can afford to pay back. If you can handle responsibly, then using a credit card can actually net you pretty good rewards in the form of points or cashback, even if you’re using on the purchases that you were going to make anyways. Also, credit cards offer great protection against fraud where you no longer have to use your debit card and risk your account information becoming compromised.

Go Let Your Credit Score Go Unnoticed

You may not think about credit scores counting towards saving money, but if you think about your credit being pulled when you’re looking at a mortgage or loan, the better score you have, the more favorable interest rate, saving you the most money over time. You can review a free copy of your full report at least once a year from the credit bureaus, but can also watch your score from month to month on credit card statements to make sure it continues to trend in the right direction. Everyone thinks they have ‘perfect’ credit until they see a blemish, so it’s a good idea to monitor before it can affect any future applications.