Money doesn’t grow on trees – I’ve checked. When it comes to saving money, it is something you must be passionate about if you ever expect to make progress towards your goals. The good news is that there are so many ways to save money.

Sure, there are a lot of ways to spend money too, but if you are truly passionate about building up your savings, then you will tend to focus on savings and not spending. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to be passionate about saving money.

1) Baby Steps

Any money saving strategy which focuses only on the long-term goal is bound to end in tears. If you are truly passionate about savings, then you know the best way to reach out goals is to take baby steps. Maybe it is a daily or weekly goal for starters and then to work your way up to gradually larger goals.

In addition, you don’t want to take on too items to start. A better way to get going is to pick two or three ‘hot button’ items to focus on and then move on to the next items on your list when the first items are complete.

Not only will this give you a sense of accomplishment but it will ease the sense of sacrifice – talk about managing pleasure and pain.   One final thought, keep it simple. Focus on learning to walk before you can run as this will make sure you don’t get discouraged.

2) Stop Eating Out

Eating home-cooked meal compared to store-bought to restaurant meals can help you save more than 20% of your food budget. Sure, eating home-cooked meals means that you will need to prepare them. But strategies like meal prepping will help you to make the most your time while saving money and eating healthy.

3) The World is Your Gym

Ask any passionate saver and they will tell you there is no need to pay for a gym membership. Not only are these memberships extremely expensive but most people fail to take full advantage what their clubs offer.

As such, a better way to get fit is to buy some free weights to use at home and then get outside. Maybe itswalking or you could ride a bike, or even walk – it doesn’t really matter what you do as long as you use the world as your gym.

4) Where’s the Beef?

Most of the common forms of protein are expensive and while we need these macronutrients in our diet, there are plenty of substitutes which can be used in the place of beef, pork, chicken, or fish. While you don’t need to go full-vegan, choosing one day a week to cut out meat is a great way to not only save money but also to eat healthy.

5) Protect Your Family

Besides saving money, another common theme is being active and eating healthy. This is important and medical emergencies can cause financial harm to most families. According to JR Reyna of the Reyna Law Firm in Dallas, Texas, one reason he became a lawyer was to, “Make sure other families don’t go through the physically, emotionally, and financially taxing impact of a medical emergency.”

While you can’t make sure that your family is 100% safe, you can make sure they are eating the right foods and taking care of their bodies. In addition, assign chores around the home will not only help to keep your home organized but it will keep everyone active while teaching your children about responsibility. Beyond these benefits, you will also save money you might be spending on having someone clean your home. Talk about a big win!

6) Let Everyone Know You are Passionate About Saving Money

While you don’t need to be pushy, it does help to let your friends know that you are passionate about saving money. Not only does this help to get over awkward moments about money but your passion might even become contagious.

7) Clean Out Your Closets

One woman’s trash is another’s treasure. With that in mind, you might want to consider cleaning out your closets. Not only will this help you declutter but you can also earn some extra cash.

The rule is pretty easy, if you are keeping something that you haven’t used in the past year and won’t use in the next six months, then you want to consider getting rid of it. While this won’t apply to the fire extinguisher in your home (hopefully, you’ll never have to use this) it might apply to that jacket from high school that you haven’t worn in years and doesn’t fit anyways.