“Sometimes finding or saving money isn't about your budget. It's about being resourceful.” - Erika Dox-Martinez

You don't always need to look at your spending plan to find extra money, amiga.

In fact, you can find or save money without looking at your budget at all if you know where else to look. Sometimes the money is sitting in a drawer you haven't opened, hiding behind a real phone call or just by being cleverly resourceful!

Come on this journey with me as I share five separate instances that helped me find or save $300 last month without using too much effort or looking at my budget!

1. Check your drawers, old wallets and old bags you haven't touched in a minute

It feels like winning the lotto when you find money in an old sweater, jacket or coat, right? And same goes for finding gift cards you have stashed away somewhere in your home!

You probably have at least one Gift Card lying around as statistics show that 43% of American adults have unused gift cards.*

Recently, I found two gift cards while cleaning that had a total of $200 combined, and I enjoyed blissfully spending that new (but not really new) found money that was really mine for who knows how long!

ACTION ITEM: Go look for any gift cards you might have forgotten you had and happy shopping! Don’t let them expire like 20%* of people either… Its yours to blissfully spend! (Maybe you’ll bump into some cash while hunting too! Ka-ching!)

*Statistics noted from Capital One Gift Card Statistics - June 2026

2. Talk to a Travel Advisor to save and maybe get some perks too!

ICYDK like I didn’t, travel advisors don’t usually charge. Neither of mine did and both saved me some dinero!

If you're booking travel, don't assume the app, the hotel site or the airline site has the best deals. I recently booked a hotel to Ireland through a travel advisor and saved $133 dollars compared to the hotel's own website, and it was $80 cheaper than a travel site's too.

Here's the receipts!

Also earlier this year, I saved on a trip to Cancun too. I priced it out on a travel site first, brought that exact number to a travel advisor, and asked if she could match it. She matched the price and included the seats on the flight and a round-trip shuttle transfer for the same price I was already going to pay!! Wild, but again money saved!!

And I wasn’t charged by her either. All just cost me a little extra time…

ACTION ITEM: Next time you’re booking a vacation, compare the online price with a travel advisor's and see if you can save some dough or get some unexpected perks.

3. Call the restaurant directly instead of ordering through a food app

This is a biggie because now a days we are used to using apps on our phones instead of actually talking on our phones, but I encourage you to pick up the phone and call the restaurant when ordering food. This goes for delivery or takeout as both are most likely up-charging you!

Last time I ordered food for delivery, the total was insane on the app, so I called and that saved me $20 on the order!

That’s a good chunk of change and well worth having to talk to a stranger over the phone. God forbid, right? But reminds me of the good old days anyway! (Yes, I’m from the nineteen hundreds! Lol)

ACTION ITEM: Price check your food app compared to actually giving the restaurant a call! And if that’s too much for you, try the restaurant’s actual site as might be some savings if you order directly from them through there too…

4. “Cancel” a subscription you have or attempt to if you want to keep it…

Lots of us have subscriptions. Some we use. Some we don’t. So take inventory. Cancelling the ones you haven’t used puts money back in your pocket, but what about the subscriptions we do want?

There might be a competitor that’s cheaper (money saved there) or sharing my experience with a service provider that I am happy with but was willing to part ways with…

I noticed one whose price has been creeping up and thought maybe it’s something I could do without, so logged in, went to cancel, and when I did, they offered me a discount to stay! 20% right there back in my pocket - monthly - that I can do something else with, and they kept me as a customer...

ACTION ITEM: Look into what subscriptions could you switch, cancel or attempt to cancel today.

5. Sign up for the rewards program at places you already go

Who doesn’t love free things? I know I do, so I sign up for rewards cards where I go frequently. Whether that be the local coffee shop (where I got a large frozen café con leche recently), the supermarket, the nail salon or even your local pharmacy store.

I recently signed up for one of the pharmacy store plus cards, which was free for the first month, and I got $10 off my purchase that day. If I keep the card, its $5/month going forward with a $10 credit to spend every month. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ll keep this one because I don’t go often enough, but makes sense if I spend at least $10/month there bc still some free money.

Thinking it's worth looking into these types of rewards locally for you, and I'm also a fan of Credit Card rewards too!

ACTION ITEM: Look into what rewards programs can you sign up for OR what rewards can you cash in on.

So, how much can you find or save this month, amiga?

Noting that none of this came from restriction or looking through my budget. It came from looking around, taking some action and being resourceful!

I encourage you to look around your own life this week. The drawer you haven't gone through. The subscription you haven't questioned in a year. The outreach you've been too uncomfortable to take to a travel advisor or restaurant. You might surprise yourself.

Now that you know there's extra money waiting on you, here's the real question:

What happens once you have it? Do you actually know your spending habits, or what your money spending patterns say about you?

ACTION ITEM: Take my free Money Blind Spot Quiz to find out: www.myblissfulvida.com/quiz

Con amor and lots of BLI$$,

Erika Dox-Martinez

Personal Finance Coach - CEO & Founder of Bli$$ful Vida

DISCLAIMER: This blog is for educational and informational purposes only. Erika Dox-Martinez is not a licensed financial advisor, CPA, or therapist. Nothing here constitutes personalized financial, tax, or mental health advice. Please consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.