Five ways to save money without a big effort

This year, ditch the lofty goals and focus on simple money-saving moves you can handle while binge-watching the "Great British Baking Show." These quick changes take less than 30 minutes each and can help you hit your goal without cramping your style.

Save the change without the piggy bank

Connect your bank account to an app like Qapital or Acorns to round up each transaction. Spend $12.50 on an Uber ride, for example, and the app rounds up to $13, putting the extra 50 cents into a savings or investment account. The change adds up quickly, said Tim Kenney, founder and financial adviser at TK Pacific Wealth Inc. in Del Mar, Calif.

Make your money work for you

Do you have money saved at a brick-and-mortar bank? Move it to an online savings account. Your annual percentage yield, or APY — the money your money earns — will increase from 0.09 percent (the national average at traditional banks) to over 2 percent. So if you have $1,000 in your savings account, it would make $21 instead of $1.

Increase your 401(k) contribution now

A small bump in your contribution to a 401(k) retirement account can have a sizable impact on your eventual nest egg, especially if you are young. Say you are 25, earning $30,000 and contributing 5 percent to the account. Stay steady at that rate, and the account will be about $285,451 when you turn 67. At a 6 percent contribution rate — about $25 more a paycheck — the account will be about $342,541.

Sign up for a credit card that gives you cash back for specific purchases like gas or groceries. Some don't even discern what purchase it needs to be. If you don't want another credit card, try an app that pays you if you buy from specific merchants. Different apps will give you coupon codes or issue gift cards for accumulating a certain number of points.

Cancel subscriptions you no longer use

Netflix. Hulu. HBO Go. Spotify. Monthly fees add up. Do an audit of your subscriptions and cancel the ones you forgot you had and consolidate with a family member or roommate where you can. "The amount can seem very little, but the amount isn't the point," said Miguel Gomez, a financial adviser at Lauterbach Financial Advisors. "The point is being mindful about what you're spending."