Welcome to reThinkable - my Sunday newsletter where I share actionable money tips, strategies, and resources to help you make smarter money moves.

Read time: 4.0 minutes

Hey friend,

There's only 13 weeks left in 2025. 

Maybe you're thinking: “I should just wait until next year to get my finances together.” Or maybe you've stopped thinking about it all together.

I get it. End of year hits different - the weather gets cozier and the year feels like it's winding down. You want to think about pumpkin patches and Halloween, not personal finance.

I used to struggle a lot with an “all-or-nothing” mentality when it came to my money. If I wasn’t 100% in a money mindset, I wouldn't even bother. It took me years to find the perfect balance between managing my money and having room for fun stuff.

But here's the truth about personal finance (and life): a win is a win. And quick wins are usually the ones that motivate you to keep going and try something a little more challenging.

So here are 4 quick money saving wins that you can do literally today.

1. Wealth killer

It’s not just your imagination: car insurance is getting extremely expensive. 

Car insurance rates have gone up by 56% since 2020. That’s wild when you consider that inflation since 2020 is 24%. 

To make matters even worse, car insurance providers actually punish your loyalty. If you’ve been with them more than a few years, they just assume they can keep hiking the price and you’ll keep paying. 

Quick win: Shop your rate at least once a year. Spending just 30 minutes on this could save you hundreds of dollars a year. In fact, studies show that people save $461 per year (or the equivalent of 307 Costco hot dogs) just from switching car insurance companies.

You can call a bunch of car insurance companies to find a better rate but I’ll also leave a link to a car insurance comparison tool from my website that’ll help you see how much you could be saving on car insurance. You just need to fill in your zip, and answer a few questions about your car and age then compare the rates. 

Overall, it'll take maybe 30 minutes to make sure you’re not overpaying for car insurance and it could easily save you hundreds of dollars a year.

2. Underutilized Plans

Most people are overpaying for a mobile plan with unlimited data when they only use 5 gigs of data a month. That’s like paying for an all-you-can-eat steakhouse buffet and only eating a side salad.

The average American spends $157 per month for their cell phone plan, which adds up to almost $2,000 per year. 

Quick win: Start by figuring out how much data you actually use. Go to the Settings app on your phone, then check under Network, Cellular, or Internet to see how much data you’re actually using each month.

Let’s say you’re using about 15 GB per month. Downgrade your plan from unlimited to something that matches that. Some providers might not offer this but Tello Mobile makes it super easy.

If you want to keep having an unlimited plan, Tello Mobile offers an unlimited plan with unlimited data, unlimited minutes and free texts for just $25 per month.

This can save you, on average $132 every month and you get coverage on America's largest network. If you want something even more affordable, you can get unlimited talk and text and 5gb data for $14 a month. 

There's no contracts, there's no fees, there's no strings attached. You keep the same phone, same number and you can set it up from your bed. If you’re interested, check out Tello Mobile here.

3. Pick it up

I recently moved houses and let me tell you... after hauling boxes up 3 flights of stairs all day, all I could think about was a bowl of Thai drunken noodles with beef. Moving is exhausting, so I justified getting takeout pretty much every day for 2 weeks. But when I finally looked at my credit card statement, I realized I made a mistake.

The average person spends over $1,400 per year on food delivery, and delivery apps mark up menu prices by around 20%, then pile on service fees, delivery charges, and suggested tips that can double what you'd pay if you just picked it up yourself. 

Quick win: If you LOVE food delivery, try limiting delivery to once a week and picking up your food directly from restaurants - you could easily save $600-800 this year without giving up the meals you love.

4. Lower your bills and subscriptions

Did you know that many companies actually budget for customer negotiations? They'd rather give you a discount than lose you to a competitor, but most people never bother asking. 

I used to think my bills were non-negotiable until I realized that one 15-minute call could save me hundreds of dollars a year. This is always one of the first suggestions I give to people trying to cut costs and it works for things like internet service, gym membership, and a few others.

Quick win: Call and ask for "customer retention" (not regular customer service), mention you've been researching competitor rates, and if they can't help, ask to speak to the cancellation department - I promise they won't let you hang up without offering something better.

You can go through these 4 budget wins way before December rolls around. Reply to this email to let me know which one you will tackle first.

To making smarter money moves,

— Vincent Chan

Cool things from this week

• Smart Money Tip of the Week: The easiest and lowest effort way to build wealth

• I love using Rakuten as my shopping portal because they offer great cash back deals (aka getting a partial refund on stuff you buy). Even better, right now, new Rakuten users can earn a best-ever $50 back after spending $50. Here's how to maximize this offer: Buy a $50 gift card through Rakuten's portal. You'll pay $50 upfront, but Rakuten will give you $50 cash back, effectively making your gift card free. If you’re interested, you can get the $50 cash back offer with my link here or you can watch this video for a step-by-step walkthrough. This limited time offer ends Oct 1st.

• If you have an AMEX Platinum card, they just added a bunch of new benefits. Don’t forget to use the new quarterly Lululemon and Resy dining credits before this month is over!

Vincent Chan

Find me on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube

PS: I want to hear from you! Want to see more (or less) of this content? Let me know your feedback here

Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.