$5 Money Moves That Add Up Fast — Plus Tools That Make Them Easy To Do
When people think about cutting back on spending or saving more, they often picture drastic changes, like giving up going out with friends or skipping trips altogether. But building savings doesn’t always have to require major lifestyle changes.
In some cases, it can start with just $5. Simple, repeatable actions like eliminating a $5 monthly charge, redirecting a $5 weekly purchase or setting aside $5 at a time into savings can quietly accumulate into hundreds over the course of a year.
Here’s more on low-lift money moves you can make that add up over time.
Check your subscriptions
Although an actual $5 subscription is hard to come by these days, checking your subscriptions can help you find $5 here and there. Perhaps a streaming platform you’re paying for is the ad-free version and downgrading to the version with ads means $5 back in your pocket. Or maybe there’s a subscription you can get rid of entirely simply because you barely use it, whether it’s some online workout program or an app you didn’t realize you pay monthly for (guilty).
Freeing up just $5 each month on an annual subscription can save you $60 a year, and that’s before you cancel any subscriptions outright.
You may want to consider signing up for an actual subscription tracker, which can find and cancel unwanted memberships for you. The irony, of course, is that some trackers charge their own subscription fee if you want access to premium features. Paying for a subscription tracker can be worth it if the cost is less than the amount of savings you free up in canceled subscriptions and reduced bills, and if it makes your life easier. Otherwise, some trackers have pretty solid plans that cost nothing.
With Rocket Money, for instance, there’s a free version that offers all of the below:
- Tracks your recurring subscriptions in one place
- Provides upcoming bill tracking
- Offers bill negotiation
- Includes snapshot of your spending and income
- Gives ability to set budgets
- Includes financial literacy resources
Rocket Money
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Cost
The basic plan is free. Rocket Money Premium is $7 to $14 a month with a 7-day free trial. Bill negotiation services cost 35% to 60% of the first-year savings, if the negotiation is successful.
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Standout features
Easily cancel unwanted subscriptions, track your spending and credit score, automate savings and get help lowering bills. Rocket Money Premium includes additional services like net-worth tracking, credit reports and a subscription cancellation concierge service
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Security
Rocket Money accesses transaction data via an encrypted token, uses Plaid API so user credentials are never stored, provides bank-level 256-bit encryption and hosts servers on Amazon Web Services
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Availability
Offered online and on both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Pros
- Allows you to easily view and cancel unwanted subscriptions
- Offers a free version
- A+ from Better Business Bureau
Cons
- Nonrefundable bill negotiation fee can be up to 60% of savings
- Premium pricing varies
And, for additional features like having Rocket Money cancel your subscriptions for you and accessing more customizable budgeting features, the app uses a “pay what you think is fair” pricing model for its premium subscription, which ranges from $7 to $14 per month, with a 7-day free trial.
Add to your savings
Don’t wait until you receive a windfall of cash to begin saving. Setting aside just $5 weekly or even monthly can add up to $260 or $60, respectively, over the course of a year. And that’s before taking interest into account.
If you’re setting aside that cash in a high-yield savings account, you’ll earn an above-average return and that interest compounds, meaning your interest earns interest.
Take the UFB Portfolio Savings account as an example. It offers a competitive APY along with easy access to your money. It also has no monthly fees and no minimum deposit requirements. The EverBank Performance Savings is another option that offers a high APY, with no minimum balance requirements or monthly fees.
- Strong APY on savings balances
- No minimum deposit or balance required for savings
- No monthly fees
- Free ATM card with unlimited withdrawals
- Free transfers between direct deposit accounts
- Online and SMS banking available
- Mobile check deposits
- Security features include fraud and anti-virus protection, SSL encryption for connection, automatic logouts after inactivity
- Potential overdraft fee, though overdraft protection is offered
- Certain types of withdrawals and transfers may be limited
- $10 excessive transaction fee per transaction over 6/month
- No physical branch locations
EverBank Performance℠ Savings
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Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
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Minimum balance
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Monthly fee
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Maximum transactions
You may conduct up to 20 external transfers per day, subject to a maximum of 10 transfers that pull deposit funds from a linked external account into your accounts at EverBank and a maximum of 10 transfers that send deposit funds from your accounts at EverBank to a linked external account, and up to 50 total external transfers per month.
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Excessive transactions fee
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Overdraft fees
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Offer checking account?
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Offer ATM card?
Pros
- Strong APY
- No minimum balance required
- No monthly fees
- Free ATM card and no ATM fees
Cons
- Limited physical branch locations
Try cash-back apps
Another $5 money move that adds up over time is earning cash back on your everyday purchases.
Spending $5 and getting 2% cash back means you earn about 10 cents, while a 5% rate on a $5 spend puts about 25 cents back in your wallet. What sounds like pocket change can certainly add up when you’re earning across multiple categories and, ultimately, spending more than just $5.
Rakuten
Information about Rakuten has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the company prior to publication.
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Cost
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Cash back
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Coupon codes
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Mobile app
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Works with in-store purchases
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Welcome bonus
New users can earn a $10 bonus after spending $25 on purchases made in your first 90 days. You also may be able to earn an even larger bonus if you’re referred by a friend.
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How to redeem your savings
Rewards are issued quarterly.
Pros
- You can earn American Express Membership Rewards Points or Bilt Rewards instead of cash back
- New users can earn a welcome bonus or referral bonus
- Offers at over 3,500 online stores
- You can activate savings, then shop and save on in-store purchases
Cons
- Cash back is awarded quarterly
- Typically not valid with Amazon purchases
Ibotta is a free app and browser extension that allows you to earn cash back on various purchases, including at grocery stores, on travel and at online retailers. To sign up, you download the app and create an account either on your phone or through a browser extension on your computer.
Ibotta
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Cost
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Cash back
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Coupon codes
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Price comparison
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Mobile app
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Works with in-store purchases
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Welcome bonus
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How to redeem your savings
Redeem cash back once you reach $20 as a deposit into your bank account, PayPal account or for gift cards.
Pros
- Offers at over 300 participating retailers
- You can activate savings, then shop and save on in-store purchases
Cons
- You can only redeem cash back after you reach $20
- The browser extension is only available on Google Chrome
- After 180 days without redeeming an offer, your account is charged $3.99 for every 30 days of inactivity
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Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.