2. Buy generic food brands. It's amazing how much cheaper generic food is than name brand food. Most of the time they're even cheaper than using coupons.
3. Use your library! It's free for goodness sakes. More books and movies then you could ever read or watch. Plus if you have kids there's a lot of free entertainment at most libraries.
4. Use less laundry detergent. Using less soap actually cleans stuff better (less oils). It also keeps your clothes from fading.
5. Use vinegar, baking soda and peroxide for cleaning products. It goes a lot further and has a lot less chemicals then usual cleaning products.
6. Ride your bike more... if at all possible. It seriously costs you ZERO dollars to ride your bike. Plus you get a workout at the same time.
7. On that note, work out at home. Gym memberships can be redicusly expensive. In just a few months you can buy your own treadmill for the price of a gym membership. If that's not motivation enough, get someone to be your "work out buddy" my cousin and sister do yoga together almost every day to keep them motivated.
8. Buy used! cars, clothes, furniture, anything! Way cheaper and you can find a lot more unique things at the same time.
9. Get rid of your home phone (or cell phone) there's usually no reason to have both...
10. Re Use as much as you can. This can be from saving your spaghetti sauce jars for drinks or leftover containers to saving old clothes or blankets for fabric, buttons, zippers, etc...
11. There's these amazing things called Yard Sales. Enough said.
12. Trade work. Whether your a seamstress, photographer, accountant, hair stylist...anything you can probably find a way to trade work. I trade sewing or mending something for things like haircuts. My husband trades recording peoples music for gear he needs that they don't want anymore. This doesn't work out every time, but it will work more often then you think. You can even swap babysitting if you have kiddos.
13. Make as much of your own stuff as you can. It can take time, but if you have the time, it will be worth it. Soap, shampoo, salad dressing, baby food, clothes, the list can go on and on.
14. Go out to eat as little as possible. It will suck your money away faster then you know it. And when you do go out to eat, order water. Drinks can sometimes be as much as the meal itself. Invite your friends to your house for dinner. It will be much much cheaper. And you can get more visiting time in!
15. Unplug everything when it's not being used. I know it can be a pain, but a lot of things use power while plugged in, even if they're turned off.
16. Hang your clothes out to dry. Especially if the weather's nice. This will save on electricity and ware and tare on your dryer. In the summer there's rarely any occasion that you would need to use your dryer. (Also, sunshine is the best stain remover!)
17. Try some home remedies before going to the doctor (of course depending on the situation). Most of the time (from my experience) they just give you drugs to cover up the symptoms and it ends up prolonging it and causing lots of other problems while cleaning up your entire savings account. It's amazing what a few home remedies, and lots of rest can do!
18. Have a certain goal to save money for. Whether it's for building your savings account, buying a nice camera, getting a car, or going on a vacation. Saving for my shop has helped me SO much in impulse buying and helped me be determined to work more.
19. Buy in bulk. This isn't always true, but most of the time it will help a lot, especially if you have the room. Me and my husband have a teeny tiny refrigerator and one little shelf for our food so this doesn't work for us, but for my mom it works great since she has a huge pantry and a full size deep freezer. This will also help with less trips to the grocery store (less gas and less impulse buying).
20. Be creative for dates with your significant other. Do something other then going to a movie and out to eat (although that sounds nice right now...) Go hiking, go on a lunch date at the park, have a popcorn/movie night at home, go on a bike ride, or do a hobby you both enjoy. You'll save money and build a lot more memories at the same time.
21. If you live somewhere that this is possible, grow your own food. Sure it costs in water, but all the amazing things you can grow will be worth it. Plus fresh produce always tastes better!
22. Get roommates and carpool. Especially if you're single or in college!
23. Use paper bags or fabric for wrapping paper. Wrapping paper can be so expensive and most of the time paper bags look way better. You can find lots of creative paper bag or fabric wrapping ideas all over the internet.
24. Use old socks or warn towels for rags and dusting. You can save loads of money on paper towels and disposable dusters.
25. If at all possible, find a way to fix things that are broken. A lot of times you'll be tempted to just throw it away and buy a new one, which in a lot of cases is better. But you can be amazed at what a few stitches or a little gorilla glue can do!
Here's some links to some other great ideas to save those penny's.
I do most of these. The only thing I have spent money on in the past few months is gas. and that was just once. I love the feeling of accomplishment when you find a way to do something for way less or free, yourself! Today I gave my dogs a bath with liquid soap that I made from what you would normally toss down the drain when I felt soaps. (wool covered soap that you dip in hot water and rub so that you make a scrubby around the bar. the soap that comes off from rubbing it makes the best liquid soap ever!) I also now have a library card, so I'm not spending about $16 a week on books. (I'm serious, in the summer its more like 30 or more because I will reed more then than I do now with school)
ReplyDelete