🔎 Disclosure: WE DON’T SELL ANY COURSES. Money Vice is reader-supported. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The ideas presented on this site are opinions and are presented for entertainment purposes only. We’re not licensed financial advisors. The information presented should not be construed as financial or legal advice. Always do your own due diligence.
1. Move Closer to Work or School to Save Commute Costs
Let’s be real. Rent is only part of the bill.
If you spend half your paycheck on gas, parking, or endless Uber rides, you’re basically giving money away.
Living closer to where you work or study might mean a higher monthly rent at first glance.
But when you subtract what you save on transportation, food on the go, and those “oops, I missed the bus” emergencies, the math usually comes out in your favor.
Plus, more time for yourself. Who doesn’t want an extra hour of sleep instead of fighting traffic? 🙂
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Use apps like Zillow or Apartments.com to filter places by distance, then compare the savings in gas or transit costs with the difference in rent before deciding.
2. Find a Roommate to Share Costs
Ever stared at your rent bill and thought, “Wow, I could’ve bought a used car with this”?
A roommate solves that problem fast.
Split the rent, split the utilities, split the Wi-Fi.
Sure, you’ll need to deal with someone else’s weird food habits or the occasional bathroom line, but the savings are worth the small trade-offs.
And FYI, people have been doing this since forever. It’s not just a “broke student” thing.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Check roommate-matching sites like Roomies or SpareRoom, or even ask around your network; make sure to draft a simple roommate agreement to keep things smooth.
3. Choose a Smaller Apartment That Fits Your Budget
Here’s some tough love: Do you really need that second bedroom just to store your dusty treadmill?
A smaller apartment can instantly slash hundreds off your rent bill every month.
Less space also means less junk, lower utility bills, and fewer hours spent cleaning.
And honestly, the less time you spend vacuuming, the more time you have for literally anything else.
Smaller doesn’t mean worse. It means smarter.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Use search filters for studios or one-bedrooms on rental apps like Zumper and calculate how much less you’ll spend monthly compared to your current place.
4. Pay Rent Early to Score Discounts
Yeah, landlords aren’t usually known for handing out freebies.
But sometimes they’ll knock off a chunk of your rent if you pay early or set up automatic payments.
Why? Because you just saved them the headache of chasing you down.
It might not be hundreds of dollars, but even $25–$50 a month adds up fast.
Think about it: that’s an extra dinner out or a few more bucks toward your Netflix guilt-free binge fund.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Ask your landlord if they offer early-pay discounts or auto-pay perks; set up a recurring payment through your bank or a service like PayPal Rent.
5. Talk to Your Landlord About Lowering Rent
This one scares people, but hear me out.
Landlords would rather keep a reliable tenant at a slightly lower rate than deal with empty units.
If you’ve been paying on time and keeping the place in good shape, you’ve got leverage.
And yes, it feels awkward to ask, but awkward doesn’t cost you money. Silence does.
Worst case, they say no. Best case, you pocket a discount and walk away feeling like a financial ninja.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Gather local rental comps from sites like RentCafe, show them to your landlord, and politely ask if they can match or beat similar prices in your area.
📌 SAVE IT FOR LATER, BABY! 📌
And that’s it!
Never forget it, baby…
✌️ Your Rich Life Is Waiting For You!
😉 Dale!
