How To Save 10K This Year (Without Really Trying)

UPDATED FOR 2026

Want to save up to 10K this year, and without sacrificing everything you love? It’s actually a LOT easier (and more fun) than it sounds. Read on and I’ll show you how to save up to 10K this year, and without giving up your morning latte.

So, let’s start with the fun part. What would you do with an extra $10,000?

It sounds exciting to have that kind of cash influx out of the blue, doesn’t it? If you’re like most of us, though, I bet that brings up another thought — the HOW. As in how would $10,000 magically show up in my life, and without a ton of struggle and giving up everything fun?

Well, here’s the thing. There are multiple ways to receive money, and I say stay open to them all.
But I’ve discovered a way to open to one particular way to receive money, and it involves not so much spending as it does saving. Over the last year or so, I’ve been cultivating ways to save myself money, and it has seriously paid off. (Yes, pun intended!) 😉 

BUT, here’s the deal. It’s not about hoarding. It’s not about cutting expenses to deny yourself things, or going into scarcity mentality.

The key is looking at ways that you might be giving away money for little or no return.

The more you can stop those unnecessary money leaks, the more money you get to keep. And keeping more of the money you make is just as significant as making more money.

Here are a few simple ways to save up to 10K this year. I live by these examples, and my clients have had great success with them as well.

1-Get serious about your goals.

Now, I’m going to share several saving options here, but before I do, I’ll share the first and most important tip. This process begins with YOU. How much do you want to save, and what do you want to do with that money?

Remember, cash loves a purpose and a home, so if you know where you want it to go, it’ll come to you a lot more quickly. So decide how much you want to save, and what you want to do with your money.

Do you wish to pay off debt, go on a vacation, create an emergency fund, or something else? Get serious about your goals: how much do you want, and by what date to you wish to have it.

2-Read the fine print.

When it comes to contracts, the fine print that could end up costing you. Cell phone contracts are notorious bottomless money pits if you’re not paying attention. I found this out a while back when I reviewed my wireless agreement!

I was on a leasing program, and I was paying $27 a month. But when the lease was up in 18 months, I discovered that I wouldn’t even own my phone–I had to pay a balance of $176. In other words, I was paying for something I wouldn’t get in the end. 

I also discovered that I had a tablet on my account that I wasn’t using. So I took off the tablet charge and the lease charge. That gave me a monthly savings of $47 and a yearly savings of $564! 

So review ALL of your contracts, and find out where you might be paying more than you need to.

Pro tip: if you’re in the military, most phone providers offer even better discounts than these. Ask your provider what you might be eligible for! 

3-Check your credit score (before it wrecks your auto score).

Did you know that people with no credit pay 65% more for car insurance than people with excellent or average credit? Wowza! 

But there is something you can do about it. Check your credit score and see how it’s affecting your auto score. While the two might be different, the chances are that if your credit score is up, so is your auto score. 

If you work from home (like a lot of Entrepreneurs do, and you don’t drive often you can use the snapshot device to prove your mileage, that you’re a good driver and can save an additional $145/yr (average savings).

A friend of mine checked her credit score and auto score and renegotiated her car insurance. Not only did she end up saving $1,180 a year, but she also upgraded her coverage! So check your credit score, and make sure that your auto score isn’t wrecking your insurance rates.  

Pro tip: No clue what your credit or auto score is? You can find them both with the Credit Karma app!

4-Switch where you save.

Is your savings paying you back? Most of my clients get a paltry 0.01% return on their savings account. But what if your money could be working for you instead of just sitting in the bank, making too little interest even to notice? 

It might be time to start shopping around for better interest rates for your savings account!

One of my clients switched to a different financial institution for her savings account and went from $17 a month in interest income to $42 a month. Another option is a credit union. My credit union frequently offers rates like 6.12% on all savings accounts, up to $1,000. (That’s an additional $61.20 a year!)

Another option if you’re shopping for better interest rates on your savings is Betterment, which is something I use and recommend to my clients.

So bottom line? Make sure that the money you’re saving is doing more than just sitting there. Get the best possible interest rate you can, and put that money to work for you.

5-Go on a spending freeze. I routinely have my clients commit to 7, 21, or 30-day spending freezes. Spending freezes are powerful because they’re about more than just NOT spending money, too.

A spending freeze will not only help you you spend less, but also discover unhelpful spending habits. This way, you stop yourself from unknowingly hemorrhaging cash (as one of my clients put it). 

And remember: we’re not talking scarcity mentality here. It’s not about punishing yourself for the money you’ve been spending, either. It’s about noticing your spending habits and letting go of the ones that are keeping you stuck. 

There is no way to know how much you can save during this process. It could be hundreds or into the tens of thousands over time. So if you’ve never tried a spending freeze, now is the perfect time to give it a try.

Pro tip: Believe it or not, spending freezes create a space to learn how to manifest money like a boss! 

6-Embrace the B-Word (“Budget,” that is)! I know, I know. I’ve heard over and over from clients and friends. Nobody likes to set budgets. But seriously, if you create a budget and stick to it, good things happen.

First, it can help you avoid accumulating unnecessary debt. Second, it helps you see where you tend to spend beyond your means. You’ll finally KNOW where your money is going instead of guessing (i.e., freaking out) about it. 

A client once came to me incredibly stressed about her financial situation, believing she was going flat-out broke. So we did a little math, and as it turned out, things weren’t quite so scary.

We discovered a money leak, and she adjusted her balance to fill it. It turned out that the circumstances weren’t as dire as she thought, and all she needed was a budget adjustment. She slept a lot better at night after that.

Pro tip: Don’t want to sacrifice fun time money? Pick up a side hustle that will fuel your fun! There are jobs on craigslist. You can donate plasma, sell stuff on eBay, drive for Uber–the options are endless.

The best part about this side hustle money is you don’t have to track it. As you earn it, you can freely do whatever you like with it. That way you can follow a budget and not feel tied down. Start with $200/mo as a goal.

7-Pay more than the minimum. If you have loans or credit card balances, never pay just the monthly minimum. Pay a little more each month on each loan. Extra payments add up, so add in a little more each month, and make additional payments when you can.

Mortgage Example: A $200,000 30-year home loan with an interest rate of 5% would cost $186,512 in interest with the traditional 12 yearly paymens. But if you make the equivalent of 13 monthly payments every year, the loan will be retired in 26 years. Plus, you will pay only $153,813 in interest — a savings of $32,699. Dammmmnnnn! 

Imagine what you could save if you paid more on all your loans, even if it’s just a few more dollars per month! Want to know how much you could save? Check out this loan repayment calculator HERE and find out! 

8-Meal Prep for the win! Those little gas station trips, coffees on the go, or fast food? Yep, they add up. And FAST, too. My clients average $400-$700 a month on fast food. After all, it’s common for busy entrepreneurs to run out of time, not want to cook, and hit a drive-thru. 

The thing is, this habit could end up costing you up to $8400 per year. That’s where meal prep can make a HUGE difference in your budget (and your health, for that matter)!

I used to hate the idea of meal prep. I’d think of those bodybuilder dudes at CrossFit who ate nothing but skinless chicken and veggies for 234 meals in a row, and say “NO thanks!”

But honestly, meal prep doesn’t have to be like that at all. It’s just planning ahead! 

Meal prep is just making sure you have food on hand for the days when you have 18 appointments in a row, and you get stuck in traffic, come down with the flu, are in the middle of a launch–or any other life moment!

Of course, I still go out for coffee. I still eat out when I want to. All I make sure of is that I have food on hand so I don’t HAVE to grab it on the go. This way I can go out to eat when it suits my day and budget, and genuinely enjoy it! 

Pro tip: For me, meal prep is as simple as keeping freshly cut fruit on hand, making meals in the Crock-Pot, and making double dinner in the evening, so I’ve got lunch for the next day. Easy-peasy! So keep it simple, and you won’t go wrong. 

So how does this all add up? Drum roll, please…

• Cell Phone Contract Review: up to $500+ each year
• Auto Insurance Switch: up to $1200 + each year
• Switching savings: earn $60+ each year
• 30-Day spending freeze: $300+ each month
• Budgeting & Side Hustle: $2400 + each year
• Double Down on Loans: up to $1258 each year using the example above
• Meal Prep: save on average $6600+ each year

Total possible savings each year: $12,308!

So, which ideas sound the most exciting for you? Leave me a comment and tell me which of these tips you plan on implementing, or if you have a saving strategy of your own!

How will you determine how to save 10K this year? I am looking forward to hearing from YOU!

Until Next Time,

Love, Light, and MONEY, Honey…

Kaylee

P.S. Looking to save more money and set yourself up to attract more money, too? It might be time for a Money Mindset shift! Your Money Mindset is one of the biggest predictors of your financial success, AND it’s a huge plus when you’re making a money-saving plan, too.

How can you upgrade your Money Mindset? My FREE Mini-Course RESET YOUR MONEY MINDSET is a great place to start! Here you’ll learn why Money Mindset matters AND the practical steps you need to create the Money Mindset you need for the success you desire.

Get that course right HERE!