Remember the days when getting a good deal meant signing up for Groupon or Travelzoo, finding a secret promo code, or better yet: just clipping an actual coupon? Or when finding innovative ways to grow your savings was just code for \u201cbeing rich and having a good broker\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\u2019s world is moving faster than ever and it\u2019s easy to feel left behind. But you don\u2019t need to master AI and algorithms to keep up. It\u2019s easier than that. Just copy what the next generation \u2014 in this case, Gen Z \u2014 already knows and does.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See how Quicken helps you save more money. If you can be diligent about clipping coupons, guess what: snapping pics of your receipts may be even easier. That\u2019s the idea behind Fetch Rewards, an app that gives you points when you share pics of your receipts that you can then redeem for gift cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other apps like Rakuten, RetailMeNot and Upside all have similar perks. You can even get cash back on gas! Tip: try a handful out to see what works for you. Then stick to just a couple favorites. You\u2019ll rack up rewards faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, reverse image search isn\u2019t new, but savvy shoppers have discovered they can use the Google wundertool to expose items sold by retailers like Crate & Barrel or West Elm that are actually made by another manufacturer and sold by other retailers for different \u2014 often better \u2014 prices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just take a screenshot, upload it to Google, and voil\u00e0! That \u201cElizabeth\u201d sofa might be called \u201cTrudy\u201d on another site for $300 less. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you know you can recreate expensive makeup setting sprays with cheap drugstore products? Dupe hunting is sort of a sibling of reverse image search. Same concept, but expanded a bit to include many beauty and skincare products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TikTok creators like Nina Pool<\/a> have racked up millions of views and followers by meticulously studying ingredients to \u201cexpose\u201d brands that repackage products with splashier names, packaging, and marketing to increase prices. And then fill you in on the best affordable dupe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How to find dupes? Go to TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube; type in the name of an expensive skincare product, and then \u201cdupe.\u201d You might just get lucky!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a world where knowledge is power, tools like Honey<\/a>, Keepa<\/a>, and CamelCamelCamel<\/a> help put the shopping power back in your hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Big online retailers love to mess around with prices, hiking them before a sale so they can then be \u201cdiscounted.\u201d These price trackers let you keep an eye on your favorite products, so you can see what the cheapest price has actually been and when. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now you don\u2019t have to feel like they\u2019re preying on you \u2014 you\u2019ll know when a deal is really a deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flaunt that frugality! That\u2019s the approach to Loud Budgeting \u2014 a term coined by TikToker Lukas Battle to describe a movement to embrace proudly and loudly saying no when it comes to overspending. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a response to a different, polar opposite trend called Quiet Luxury. But what it really stands for is adhering to good financial habits, making mindful decisions, and not feeling tempted by the ever faster pace of fashion trend turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Underconsumption Core can also be called de-influencing. It\u2019s a direct response to social media, influencer, and frictionless shopping culture (looking at you, TikTok Shop) that results in buying too many things we don\u2019t need or use, only to toss them out when the next trend hits. The focus is on reducing and reusing what you have, and buying pre-owned when you want more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIsn\u2019t that just thrift store shopping? Do they need to rename everything?\u201d <\/em>Kinda, but it\u2019s a specific response to a current climate. And one you can learn from if you\u2019ve forgotten the simpler times when you only needed one stainless steel 24 oz travel mug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See how Quicken helps you track what you buy. Speaking of consumption, the roller coaster of fast fashion, sustainability, and environmental impact has given rise to a whole new way of second-hand shopping via trendy online stores like Depop, Poshmark, The RealReal, and Grailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The old, fun way of hunting for a find at a vintage boutique hasn\u2019t gone away, but if you know what you want, you can probably find it somewhere online, whether it\u2019s a 20-year-old pair of 501\u2019s or a 50-year-old Chanel bag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two ways to think about gamifying savings: the old way, which often includes using paper money in physical envelopes, and the new way, which often involves an app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gen Z has embraced both ways, learning from those who came before them with ideas like \u201cWeather Wednesdays,\u201d where you just save an amount equal to the day\u2019s high temperature. But also embracing new technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apps like Dub<\/a> gamify investing, allowing you to copy portfolios of prominent politicians, while Quicken Simplifi\u2019s Achievements<\/a> give badges for reaching milestones, celebrating your progress and motivating you to go further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n International online stores like Temu, AliExpress, and Shein are able to offer what seems like just about everything \u2014 at prices lower than any US retailer. It all circles back to white-labeling, dupes, fast fashion, and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But all you really need to know is that they can save you money. Want a bedroom that looks like you shelled out an entire paycheck at Anthropologie? You can get it for way less at Temu, if you\u2019re willing to sacrifice a little on the details. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Advice: take the \u201cslow shopping\u201d approach to these stores. Add items to your cart, pause, leave them there for a while, and think carefully before coming back and checking out. Being mindful makes all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there\u2019s one thing we come to know as we move through life, it\u2019s that we can learn a lot of lessons from the generations before us. But it\u2019s learning from the generations who come next and how they embrace new things that help us make the most of life, reminding us that we\u2019re never \u201ctoo old for that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gen Z has some fun secrets up their sleeves when it comes to innovative ways of saving. Try them out. You may love the results you get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Continue \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n1. Use cashback websites and apps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Reverse image search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Dupe hunting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Price track to price hack<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Practice Loud Budgeting!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Underconsumption Core<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n Continue \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n7. Second-hand shopping sites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Gamification: make saving fun again<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Shop outside the US<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The kids are all right<\/h2>\n\n\n\n