If your savings could use a serious boost, but you don’t want to pick up any extra hours at work, it’s time to get creative. Saving or bringing in more money isn’t impossible – in fact, it’s downright easy to do sometimes.

Here are a few methods you can use to improve your bottom line.

Use Cashback Credit Card Rewards

If you’re going to use a credit card, you might as well use one that benefits you. Cashback credit cards offer the most bang for your buck.

If you use these credit cards for purchases, you can receive anywhere from 1 to 5 percent of your purchases back in cash. You get that for doing nothing more than shopping! How’s that for a deal?

To truly benefit from these types of credit cards though, you want to make sure you’re paying your balance off in full each month. If you’re carrying debt on that credit card from month to month, any savings you earn would be eaten away by the interest you’ll have to pay to your credit card company.

So use your card for groceries, gas, and anything else you would normally debit or pay cash for. And then when your bill comes around, pay it off.

Don’t Make Your Grocery List Until After You Review the Sales

If you prepare a menu each week to cut your grocery costs, congratulations! You’re already taking one of the most important steps you can to save money. But with a little more effort, you can take your savings to the next level.

Check out the weekly sales flyer before you prepare your menu. Try to use the most steeply discounted foods to make up the bulk of your menu. That will lock in even more savings for you.

Asking For Generics

If you’re on any medication at all, you should ask your doctor or pharmacist if there is a generic alternative you could be using. By taking generic medication, you could save hundreds of dollars a year.

But prescriptions aren’t the only place where you can save on generic medications. It will also work with over-the-counter medications. Even brand names like Tylenol can be a dollar or two more than the generic medications that contain the same active ingredient.

Shopping Out Your Insurance

From time to time, you need to review your insurance needs. They don’t always stay the same year after year. Maybe you could get by with decreasing your life insurance a little as you get older, particularly if you’re starting to build up a sizeable amount of money in a 401k.

If you’re reviewing your insurance needs anyway, it’s a great time to shop around to see if you can find lower rates. Instead of just going with brick and mortar insurance companies in your city or town, you might want to consider purchasing your insurance online.