Our parents always told us that money doesn't grow on trees, but we never really understood what that meant until we became adults and were forced to fend for ourselves. For those who have some catching up to do, here are 5 creative ways to save money with little effort:

#1 Meal planning

It may seem like it's a lot of work, but meal planning is supposed to make your life easier. When you plan out your meals every day, not only will you better resist the urge to spend money on takeout, but you'll also save money on groceries since you'll be able to get into the habit of buying only the things you need. The more you stick to a meal plan, the more you'll be able to stay within your budget every week.

#2 Cut your cable

Let's face it—in a world of video streaming and network subscriptions, there really isn't a need for cable TV. Some households have opted for expensive TV packages and yet they don't even use all of the channels. Call your TV provider and see if you can downgrade to more basic packages, or even better, just ask them to cut your cable entirely. You can get your news and sports on the internet anyway.

#3 Bulk buying

A great way to save money is to buy in bulk. Most of the time, items that are sold in bulk are cheaper per unit, so paying extra for more of an item one time will help you save money in the long run. Of course, you're going to want to stick with just the non-perishables so you can store them for longer periods of time—think bottled water, paper plates, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

#4 Use reward programs

Don't forget to use cashback, coupon apps, and credit card points. After all, they were made for saving money. Do some research on reward programs you can sign up for, whether it be for your local grocery store or your preferred gas station. Over time, the points will really build up and they can essentially serve as another resource for your monthly spending.

#5 Go on a spending hiatus

This one's going to take a little bit of willpower, but going on a spending hiatus will do wonders for you, especially if you find you've been struggling to save money. It's difficult to resist the temptation to spend, especially with all of the online shopping you can do nowadays, but if you can manage to last from one payday to the next without spending money on anything but the bare essentials, that one period of time off from spending will really help you financially in the short-term.