23 Things You Can Do to Save Money in 2018

As the new year approaches, many people make resolutions to improve themselves in the year ahead. That might mean getting in better shape, stopping a bad habit, or taking steps to get your financial house in order.

Of course, most resolutions are abandoned quickly. That's partly because people set unrealistic goals for themselves. If you haven't been to the gym in a decade, it's unreasonable to think that you'll be winning a triathlon in 2018. That kind of change takes a lot of time and dedication.

The same is true in finances. Most people can't drop all their bad habits at once, nor will they be able to stick to a rigid budget. What you can do is make small changes that don't hurt that much. Each one of these moves will save a little money, and if you combine a few of them, the impact could be powerful.

One of the easiest ways to save money is to have it automatically swept into another account when you get paid. Even small contributions can pile up quickly -- especially if your deductions are going into a workplace retirement plan or brokerage account where the money will be invested in stocks.

Most brokerages make this very easy to do, but if you don't want to invest, you can just setup an auto transfer from your checking account to a savings account. Even $20 per paycheck, assuming you get paid twice a month, will boost your savings by $480 by the end of the year.

With the average car payment in the United States coming in at an astounding $479 a month, according to The Balance , holding onto you car after you pay it off can result in substantial savings. Of course, that assumes your car remains reliable, but if it is, every month you don't replace it is essentially a car payment you can make to your savings.

Of course, there's also a middle ground here. If you don't want to keep your old car (or its condition makes that a bad idea) you can also replace it with a used car or a vehicle with a lower monthly payment.

Restaurants mark up the food they sell you to cover their costs and earn a profit. Nearly every dish you might eat at a restaurant can be made at home for a much lower price. Some people will tell you that fresh ingredients are expensive. They're wrong.

For example, a two-pound lobster might cost $40 or more at a restaurant, but a lobster from the local supermarket, even at $11.99 a pound, will be much cheaper to cook yourself. And it's not just high-end fare like lobster that restaurants sell at a huge markup.

How about the chicken fettuccine Alfredo that your local Italian restaurant serves for $15 a plate? You could easily make your own for less than $5 per serving. Let's say you pay $2 for the pasta, $5 for a pound of chicken breast, $5 for the Parmesan cheese, $2 for heavy cream, and $4 for garlic and veggies (we'll assume you have butter and seasonings on hand). For a total of $18, you'll get at least four generous servings of Alfredo.

If you cook for yourself instead of dining out, you'll not only save huge sums of money, but you'll learn a rewarding skill that can impress your friends and bring joy to your family.

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The average cost of expanded cable service is $70 per month, according to the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) most recent data. Of course, many subscribers pay a lot more than that, which makes dropping cable a clear way most people can save.

Even if you do pay "only" $70 a month, you could cut the cord, get a basic DISH Sling live-streaming package for $20, and throw in a Netflix subscription for $10.99 to save just under $40 each month. Those aren't the only streaming choices out there, so you can almost surely get the programming you want for a lower price than your cable company charges.

If buying a cup of coffee is a part of your daily ritual, then it's unrealistic to think that you'll give it up entirely or start making every cup of Joe at home. However, if you substitute one $3-$5 cup of barista-made coffee per week with one brewed at home, the savings can pile up.

A 16-ounce cup of quality coffee brewed at home costs $0.44, according to Christian Science Monitor. That's in line with the cost of higher-end Keurig K-Cups, which cost around $0.50 each when bought in bulk.

If you assume a savings of $2 every time you make a cup at home, that's $104 per year that'll stay in your hands (plus another $10 or so that might have gone into the tip jar). Add a second or third day on which you make the switch, and the savings could be dramatic.

Even at a convenience store, bottled water costs around $1 dollar for a 16 ounce bottle. In restaurants, the cost can go up to double or even triple that.

If you buy a case of those same bottles, you can pay under $5 for 24 bottles. That's just over $0.20 per bottle. Simply grab a bottle as you leave the house and you can save hundreds of dollars a year if you were buying a bottle or two each day.

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When it comes to travel, many people don't know how to shop. Some have a favorite airline or hotel brand that they use out of reflex. That's easy, but it's not smart.

Before traveling, check airfare and lodging prices a number of places. Use tools like Kayak.com, Google Flights, and Priceline to shop around, and check for deals at warehouse clubs if you happen to be a member. Also remember that when traveling, price is often linked to flexibility. If you can leave a day later or shift your travel dates around, sometimes the savings can be substantial.

Warehouse clubs charge a membership fee in exchange for offering their customers low prices. That's a generalization, and not every price at a warehouse club is the cheapest you can find, but in general, you can save a lot of money if you take full advantage of your membership.

Costco, for example, offers two classes of membership: a $60-per-year Gold Star Membership and the $120-per-year Executive Membership. The costlier deal gives consumers 2% back on eligible purchases up to $1,000 a year. In either case, consumers can make back the cost of their membership and more so long as they actually use their membership to replace shopping they would have done elsewhere.

You still need to be a smart and responsible shopper, but warehouse clubs offer small savings on everyday items and food, as well as bigger deals on travel, electronics, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and a lot more.

ALSO READ: There's More than Meets the Eye to Costco

It has become absurdly easy to comparison shop and make sure you get the best price. This isn't very important when you're buying paper towels or a gallon of milk, because driving to another store negates saving a few pennies.

However, shopping around is vital when you're making a big-ticket purchase. There are countless apps which help you do this, but the easiest approach may simply be to take a do-it-yourself approach. When buying an appliance, any electronic item, or something else of that ilk, check the price you're paying against Amazon and Wal-Mart. If you're already shopping with one of these retailers, swap in another store or website that's likely to have deals in that space.

This won't guarantee you the best possible deal, but it can save you from making a bad purchase. The same logic applies to car shopping or any other major purchase: Just pick appropriate places to get a second (and third) price.

There are times of year when it's better to buy certain items. This varies a lot, but it's worth researching. If, for example, you're buying a grill, the best season to make that purchase is in the fall, when stores are looking to get rid of summer items to make room for holiday goods. For cars, generally, it's the end of the model year.

If you plan your big purchases for the times when deals will be best, you can save hundreds, or even thousands of dollars. Mattresses, for example, can be as much as half off during Memorial Day weekend sales. Shopping this way takes a little work and patience, but a simple Web search can tell you the best time to buy most things.

The gym that costs $80 a month often has more or less the same equipment as the one that costs $10 a month. Unless you have a real reason to be a member at a high-end gym, you should consider giving up the towel service, fancy locker rooms, and other high-end perks that are offered at pricier gyms.

At a cheaper gym, the amenities may not be as good, but you should still have everything you need to work out. If if you swap a $20-a-month membership for a $40 one, that's $240 a year in savings.

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The right rewards card can make the purchases you already make cheaper. For example, the Amazon Rewards Visa from Chase offers 3% cash back on any eligible purchase made at the online retailer. If you use it to buy items you were already going to buy and pay your bill in full each month, that's 3% back in your pocket without any extra effort on your part.

Watch for fees and hidden charges when picking a rewards or cash-back card. It's also important to pay your balance off each month, because interest charges will quickly eat up any savings if you don't.

There are a number of apps that connect to your debit card so that, every time you make a purchase, they round the cost up to the nearest dollar and move the excess into your savings account. It's like the 21st-century version of saving your spare change. The individual amounts are small, but they pile up quickly, and it's a painless way to save a little bit of money with every purchase you make.

If you think restaurants charge a premium for food, the markup on drinks is even more extreme. A high-end bar may charge $12-$14 for a mixed drink and $6-$10 for a beer, while a lower-end establishment might charge half that. No matter the venue, it will charge you at least four times the actual cost of an adult beverage.

Exactly how much you save depends on how much you drink, and if it's happy hour, a bar may only charge you, say, three times the cost of a drink. However, even if you buy your booze retail (rather than wholesale as a restaurant does), you'll save yourself a lot of money.

This savings tip pairs well with a warehouse club membership. Costco, for example, sells beer, wine, and (in most states) liquor at steeply discounted prices. You can often find half-gallon bottles of middle-shelf-or-better liquor for less than $20, and some of Costco's house-brand hooch is in fact produced by high-end distillers and relabeled under the Kirkland name.

The average interest rate people pay on their credit cards has been steadily rising. It hit 16.75% at the end of November, according to data from Bankrate. That means that for most people, whatever credit card card debt they carry comes with the highest interest rate they're paying to any lender. Even if you only pay 10%, that's more than double the interest rate on a typical mortgage. Pay down your debt, and you could save yourself thousands in future interest charges.

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Most people use automated teller machines (ATMs) because it's a convenient way to get cash. What they may not pay attention to is that in many cases you're paying $2-$3 for the privilege.

The highest-charging ATMs tend to be in places where people need cash and can't easily leave. At an airport, a casino, or a sports stadium, you may pay outrageous fees that could have been avoided with a little planning.

It's important not only to anticipate when you'll need cash, but also to know which ATMs charge and which are free. Most banks don't charge customers at their own ATMs. When that's not an option, it's at least smart to know the different prices various ATMs charge so you can make the right choice.

An extra $2 or $3 each time you need cash can easily turn into over $100 a year -- all just to access your own money.

While the cost varies based on the taxes where you live, a pack of cigarettes cost an average of $5.51 as of April, according to FairReporters.com. If you smoke a pack a day, that's $38.57 a week and $2,005.64 a year. If you live in a market with higher taxes, the cost can more than double.

The same logic applies to that extra doughnut you sneak each morning or any other bad habit. In dropping an unhealthy habit, or at least cutting down, you can not only save some cash, but improve your health.

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Smartphones keep getting better and better, but the differences between the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 8 may not matter to most users. Since top-tier phones cost roughly $600 -- and double that for a high-storage iPhone X -- resisting the temptation to buy the latest and greatest phone can save you a lot of money.

Many people pay off a new phone over two years. On a $600 phone, that's $25 a month you won't be spending if you hold on to a paid-off model. Even keeping your phone for three years, instead of two, saves you $300, and the longer you wait to upgrade, the more you save.

Most people in their 30s or older remember their parents following them around the house telling them to shut off lights because "we don't own the electric company." Times have changed, but even energy-efficient light bulbs, televisions, and others devices still cost money to operate.

Shut them off, and you'll save money. Exactly how much depends on how wasteful you have been.

It's also smart to do a thorough energy audit in your house. Are you using low-energy bulbs? Are your appliances efficient? Do you leave unused electronics plugged in and turned on? Making your household more "green" may cost you a bit in the short term, but the savings should eventually pay off.

While buying new is often easiest, you can save a lot of money by buying used and refurbished items. Apple, for example, sells refurbished MacBooks on its website, complete with warranties, at lower prices than new computers.

You can take a similar approach when buying products that don't necessarily need a warranty. Yard sales, thrift shops, and social media are full of lightly used furniture and clothing at low prices. Yes, you may have to invest in some cleaning or restoration, but that's generally worth it if you pay a fraction of what the same item would cost you new.

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You may always buy Cheerios because that's the brand you're used to buying, but have you ever tried the store-brand "Happy Os"? It may taste just as good at a fraction of the price. That goes not just for food, but also for staples like soap, as well as some items you might not expect.

Amazon, for example, offers phone charging cables through its "Basic" line. These are certified to work with the appropriate devices, and they can cost half as much, if not less, than what you pay for name brands.

This is smart advice even if it doesn't save you money, but if your employer offers a match, then you need to contribute enough to get the full match. Otherwise you're literally passing up free money.

If your employer offers a 100% match on up to 5% of your salary, and you make $50,000 a year, then simply contributing $2,500 per year will net you the full match of $2,500.

An employer 401(k) match can instantly double your money. That's a return on investment you won't see anywhere else. Even if your employer is less generous, every matching dollar is free money in your account.

Competition among the various wireless carriers has gotten intense at a time when it's pretty easy to switch between them. That means it makes sense to take advantage of whatever deal meets your needs at that moment. When the promo price expires, then just move on to whichever carrier has the best prices.

There are some caveats here. Watch the fine print. Make sure there's no penalty if you don't stay for a certain length of time. You'll also want to make sure the carrier you switch to provides the service you need where you are. It's true, as one of the big carriers likes to point out, that all networks are pretty good right now, but that does not mean they're all good for you.

ALSO READ: Which "Big Four" Wireless Carrier Has the Best iPhone X Unlimited Deal?

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Daniel B. Kline owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Priceline Group, and Visa. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.