5 Ways to Save $869 on Household Expenses

This summer has been an expensive one, with tensions in the Middle East driving up energy costs. The pressure will force consumers to look for ways to save on household expenses where possible.

If you’re struggling, you may be considering everything from energy settings in your home to your grocery bill. While these are tough decisions, we compiled a list of areas you can cut and potentially reallocate to cheaper alternatives to potentially save hundreds of dollars per month.

Cut The Cord

Ever since streaming became mainstream, more households have cut the cord each year. Why? Because of convenience (the ability to watch your favorite show when you want) and the savings.

For example, the average household spends just $30 on streaming per month compared to $147 on cable bills, according to a 2026 study posted by CableTV. That’s a difference of $117 per month.

If you’re into watching shows, a subscription or two, whether that’s Netflix and/or HBO (among others), should keep you around that $30 range, depending on the packages selected.

However, things get nuanced for live sports. If you’re just looking to watch your favorite team, you may be able to get away with just one subscription. If it’s multiple different sports leagues and national games, you could be looking at multiple different ones, from ESPN+, Paramount+, to Peacock and others. This could run up your bill.

However, check out some streamers that offer live TV services such as YouTube TV, Hulu and FuboTV. Here you could be paying anywhere from $50 to $100 – so take a look at the plans that make the most sense.

Many basic plans will carry national channels that air sports such as NBC and Fox; others will come with ESPN and TNT by default, like YouTube TV.

Change Grocery Shopping Habits

Your grocery bill is a big one, thus presenting another major way to save. An average family of four spends $1,380 on groceries under a moderate plan per month, according to Ramsey Solutions.

Recently, I made the argument to ditch brand loyalty at the grocery store, as buying nationally recognizable names like Pepsi and Oreos can cost between 25 and 30 percent extra, according to Consumer Reports.

Making the switch to private label products, which are carried by many major retailer chains including Walmart, Target and Aldi, can save you as much as $414 per month, depending on how much you’ve relied on name-brand products in the past.

Use Apps And Rewards

If you still haven’t downloaded reward apps at your favorite stores, you should go ahead and do that. Not only does this provide convenience in having orders ready once entering the store – but it also provides exclusive rewards and major savings.

For example, Target, through its Circle Program, will offer deals not available to the general public. Also, throughout the month, the big-box retailer will post new promotions in the wallet section of the app. For example, Target usually gives Circle members $10 off when they spend $50-$60 on groceries at least once a month or sometimes $20 after spending $100.

Outside of grocery, make sure to download apps at your favorite restaurants. Chipotle, for example, will offer limited-time promotions through its rewards program; I recently got a free order of standard chips that normally costs $2.35 at my local store.

Another perk of using rewards is building points over time. So eventually that $15-$20 burrito could become free through a one-time purchase.

Check Thermostat Temperature

This summer, households have been hammered by rising fuel costs.

In fact, from June to September, Americans on average are expected to spend roughly $792 on electricity, a 10.5 percent increase from the same period a year ago, according to a report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

A good way to get control over energy costs this summer is by checking thermostat settings. For example, say the temperature is currently set to 70. Can you tolerate raising it a couple of degrees? This is important because every degree your AC is raised can shave between three and five percent off energy bills, according to the National Grid.

Many states and the National Grid recommend that households set their cooling systems generally to 78 degrees in the summer.

Assuming the previous temperature was set to 70 degrees – that could unlock savings of up to 40 percent. So if you were set to pay $792 through the summer, you would save $316.80. If your temperature was in the 60s – there’s potential for more savings.

Another thing to consider: make sure lights and fans are off when not home. This will certainly add up to your monthly utility costs.

Cancel Recurring Subscriptions

Lastly, make sure to keep tabs on unwanted subscriptions – because they can definitely pile up. This could be forgetting about cancelling an expiring free trial or a service you have subscribed to but haven’t used in a while.

This has happened to me plenty of times, for example, with Amazon Prime. I don’t need this often, but sometimes there will be a promo for a free trial that I like to take advantage of with two-day shipping.

However, forgetting to cancel will cost you an extra $14.99 each month. Make sure you check bank statements and active subscriptions through Apple accounts and proceed with cancelation. It’s also a good idea to set iPhone reminders when signing up for a trial.

A recent survey posted by CNET found that the average adult wastes $21 per month on unused subscriptions.

Overall, by applying these saving tips, households can save up to $869, per HealthyonBudget calculations.