TikTok isn’t only for dance tendencies and viral recipes anymore. It’s develop into a full-blown useful resource for the whole lot from psychological well being recommendation to facet hustle methods. And currently, private finance influencers have taken over our “For You” web page with flashy, bite-sized recommendations on learn how to save severe money every month. However are these TikTok money-saving hacks really useful or simply extra monetary fluff dressed up in aesthetic movies and background music?

We determined to search out out. After watching, testing, and evaluating 12 of essentially the most viral money-saving TikTok suggestions, we’re reducing by the hype and supplying you with the actual deal. Some are surprisingly efficient. Others? Let’s simply say they give the impression of being higher on digicam than they work in actual life. Right here’s the breakdown—examined, so that you don’t need to.

1. The “Money-Stuffing” Envelope Methodology

Cash-stuffing entails withdrawing money and allocating it into bodily envelopes labeled for various spending classes like groceries, gasoline, and leisure. TikTokers declare it helps cut back overspending and brings consciousness to monetary habits.

Our verdict: This works nicely…if you’re disciplined and don’t store on-line. Bodily seeing your cash dwindle makes it more durable to impulse spend, and it provides a tactile reminder of limits. Nevertheless, it’s impractical in a digital-first world the place many transactions are card-based or contactless. Use a hybrid technique: money for discretionary spending, digital for recurring payments.

2. Rounding Up Your Purchases to Save Mechanically

One TikTok hack recommends linking your debit card to an app that rounds up each buy to the closest greenback and deposits the distinction right into a financial savings account.

Our verdict: This can be a quiet however efficient option to construct financial savings with out pondering. Over time, these pennies add up. The draw back? It really works finest for those who spend repeatedly, which is probably not superb for those who’re attempting to chop spending altogether. Nonetheless, it’s a strong passive-saving technique.

3. “No-Spend” Problem Days

This pattern encourages you to designate sure days the place you spend no money at all. TikTokers swear it builds monetary self-discipline and heightens spending consciousness.

Our verdict: Surprisingly efficient, particularly while you observe your progress. It rewires your habits and encourages planning forward. However watch out. Some customers binge spend the day earlier than or after a no-spend day, which defeats the aim. Use it carefully and pair it with goal-setting for finest outcomes.

4. Meal Prepping to Save on Groceries and Takeout

TikTok meal-prep gurus declare it can save you a whole lot every month by batch-cooking your meals for the week and avoiding last-minute Uber Eats orders. The perfect half? There are numerous TikTok accounts which have simple, reasonably priced recipes.

Our verdict: Completely true. We examined this over 4 weeks and located financial savings of practically $200 by skipping simply 2–3 takeout meals per week. The trick is to prep meals you really get pleasure from so that you’re not tempted to desert them. A little bit planning goes a great distance towards actual month-to-month financial savings.

5. The “Unsubscribe From Temptation” Trick

One of the underrated TikTok hacks? Unsubscribing from retail e-mail lists to keep away from being tempted by gross sales and new arrivals. Is that this groundbreaking? No. Does it work? Completely.

Our verdict: This one’s a stealth winner. It reduces publicity to impulse-buy triggers and cuts down on the “simply shopping” behavior that always results in spending. Much less advertising and marketing in your inbox = fewer causes to open your pockets. Fast, simple, and immediately efficient.

6. “Revenge Return” Your Regrets

Some TikTokers movie themselves returning impulse purchases weeks after realizing they didn’t want them. The pattern has been dubbed “revenge returns.”

Our verdict: If you happen to can keep disciplined and return objects inside the retailer’s return window, this works like a allure. It reinforces conscious procuring and reminds you that simply since you can purchase one thing doesn’t imply you ought to. Simply don’t use returns as an excuse to maintain impulse procuring, solely to justify it later.

7. DIY House-Cleansing Options As a substitute of Identify Manufacturers

Many TikToks present folks making their very own all-purpose cleaners utilizing elements like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon.

Our verdict: These DIY hacks are extremely efficient and very low-cost. We made 4 kinds of cleaners for lower than the price of one branded bottle. The hot button is doing all your analysis. Some elements shouldn’t be combined (like vinegar and bleach). If you happen to’re health-conscious and frugal, this one’s a winner.

8. Changing 1 Streaming Service Per Month

One savvy TikToker suggests biking by one streaming service monthly relatively than paying for all of sudden.

Our verdict: Genius-level financial savings for leisure junkies. We rotated Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu—watching the whole lot we needed on one earlier than canceling and switching. We minimize $30 a month with out actually sacrificing content material. Requires slightly scheduling, but it surely’s a high-impact, low-effort tip.

9. Secondhand-First Purchasing Rule

A well-liked minimalist TikTok pattern entails solely shopping for clothes, furnishings, or tech secondhand until you’ll be able to’t discover it used after 30 days of trying. The perfect half is that not solely does the thought of this prevent cash, but it surely’s additionally extraordinarily sustainable.

Our verdict: This saved us about 40% per merchandise, particularly on clothes and small home equipment. Thrift shops, eBay, and Fb Market grew to become our go-to’s. The delay additionally stopped impulse shopping for. This one takes persistence however delivers constant financial savings.

10. Utilizing Retailer Loyalty Apps to Stack Reductions

Some TikTokers present how stacking retailer apps with producer coupons, reward factors, and rebate apps can result in severe money again.

Our verdict: Takes effort, but it surely completely works. We examined this with main retailers like Goal and Walgreens and repeatedly saved 10–25%. The trick is to stack offers the precise manner and keep organized. It’s a digital-age excessive couponing method that rewards consistency.

11. “Money-Solely Weekend” Experiments

TikTok customers who went cash-only on weekends (no playing cards, no apps) reported spending much less and pondering extra critically about their purchases. The concept is that you just’re watching your money dwindle versus having the out-of-sight, out-of-mind mindset when utilizing a card or app.

Our verdict: It’s a helpful reset. Once we solely used money for weekend spending, we grew to become extra intentional about social plans, eating, and leisure. Even limiting ourselves to $60 made us suppose twice earlier than hitting “add to cart.” Take into account this a low-pressure price range boot camp.

12. Digitally “Disguise” Cash in a Separate Financial institution Account

This hack entails robotically transferring cash to a hard-to-access financial savings account that isn’t linked to your each day banking app. The most effective methods to take action is to make use of an app that takes the cash instantly out of your paycheck, so that you by no means see it to start with.

Our verdict: It really works nearly too nicely. Out of sight, out of spend. We moved $100 a month to a “hidden” online-only financial savings account, and since it wasn’t seen in our checking dashboard, we fully forgot about it. Greatest for individuals who wrestle with temptation or psychological math budgeting.

Not All TikTok Hacks Are Simply Hype

TikTok has a popularity for stylish chaos, however beneath the flashy edits and catchy music are some surprisingly efficient monetary hacks. Many of those examined suggestions work as a result of they modify habits, not simply budgets. They make saving really feel like a behavior as a substitute of a sacrifice. That stated, not each viral pattern is price your time. Some suggestions solely work for those who apply them persistently. Others are situational. However the perfect ones are those who cut back friction and simplify decision-making with out including stress or guilt.

If you happen to’re bored with conventional recommendation that feels outdated or disconnected, TikTok might provide a contemporary, related option to have interaction along with your monetary targets. Simply make sure you vet the recommendation with the identical degree of scrutiny you’d give to your financial institution.

Which TikTok money-saving tip have you ever tried, and did it be just right for you or fall flat?

Learn Extra:

10 Trendy Buys Fuelled by FOMO That Are Quietly Wrecking Your Budget

8 Reddit Threads Power Shoppers Use to Snag Verified Coupon Drops First

Riley is an Arizona native with over 9 years of writing expertise. From private finance to journey to digital advertising and marketing to popular culture, she’s written about the whole lot below the solar. When she’s not writing, she’s spending her time exterior, studying, or cuddling together with her two corgis.