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The new year is right around the corner! Why not try to make some changes at home to save some money? Let’s break some of those bad habits and create some new ones.
1. Cook at Home
Cooking at home can save you tons of money!
2. Take your lunch to work
Taking your lunch to work is much cheaper than eating out every day. This can potentially save you several hundred dollars a month! You can learn to meal plan your lunches to help save you time as well.
3. Pay monthly subscriptions for the year
Paying monthly subscriptions for the year usually makes them cheaper (places will give you a discount for doing this). It also makes you have one less payment per month.
4. Cut down on the cell phone plan.
Try to cut down on the number of Gigs you pay for each month. If you have a pre-paid plan, try to cut down on the number of minutes you buy per month.
5. Line dry your clothes
Line drying your clothes can help cut down on the power bill since you won’t be using the dryer as much! Using a drying rack is one of the easiest ways to dry your clothes in the house without using the dryer!
6. Turn your air up & your heat down
During the summertime, use blackout curtains to keep the sun out. This will help keep the house cooler. Also, turn the air up to save on the electric bill. In the wintertime, block off areas of the house that aren’t used as often to help keep the heat in the central area. Also, turn your heat down to save on gas!
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7. Grow your own produce and herbs
Growing your own produce and herbs can help cut grocery costs tremendously! Produce can get very expensive.
8. Turn the water heater down.
Turning the temperature down on the water heater will help save on electricity.
9. Cut the cable costs
Netflix is our best friend… LOL
10. Wash full loads of laundry and dishes
Washing full loads means that you won’t have as many loads to do and will save on water!
11. Learn to coupon
Grab a Sunday paper and get to clipping coupons! You’ll be surprised at how much you can save.
12. Refinance your mortgage
Refinancing your mortgage could help you get a lower monthly payment.
13. Shop around for cheaper insurance
Insurance can get expensive. If your insurance has gone up year after year, you can shop around with different companies to see if there are any that have cheaper rates.
14. Collect your spare change
My husband and I do this. We always cash it in once a year or so and have over a hundred dollars or more in change! It adds up and can help when you are in a bind. A coin counter will help you keep up with the amount of change you have.
15. Use up the food in your pantry before buying groceries
This one is difficult for me. I usually buy groceries even when I have a ton of stuff left in the pantry. Try to use the majority of the stuff in your pantry before going to the store!
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16. Cut out the alcohol
Alcohol can be expensive. Cut this out to start saving some money!
17. Make your own household cleaners
I love making my own household cleaners simply because I know what is in them, but it is also a cheaper option!
18. Buy generic brands
Most generic brands or store brands taste just as good as name brand items! Save money at the grocery store by getting the store brand instead.
19. Buy a water filter to replace water bottles
Water bottles create a ton of plastic. They also add up when you have to buy a pack a week! Buy a water filter or a water bottle with a filter and save money on water bottles.
20. Turn off the lights around the house
My mother used to hound me about turning off the lights when I left a room at home growing up. Now I know why she did that! Make sure to turn the lights off in rooms that you are not in when at home. This may not save a ton of money, but your electric bill will thank you.
21. Make your own beauty products
There are plenty of recipes out there for you to make your own beauty products like lotion and face cream.
22. Use ceiling fans around the house
This will help cut down on the power bill by allowing you to turn the air up during the summer.
24. Use weather strips around the windows and doors
Using weather strips will help keep the heat inside in the winter and air in during the summer!
25. Make sure to eat all the leftovers! You do not want to waste any food. If you will not be eating the leftovers, make sure to freeze them so they can be eaten later.
Try not to waste any food by eating leftovers for lunch the next day.
26. Stick to the shopping list and don’t make “impulse” buys
I would have to say this is one of the hardest things for me on this list! I make “impulse” buys a lot, so I must stick to the list so that I don’t overspend!
27. Learn to fix your clothing
Instead of throwing away clothing that has a hole in it, learn to sew it yourself to make it last longer.
28. Use rechargeable batteries
Rechargeable batteries are great! You can use them over and over again and don’t have to spend money on buying more batteries. Batteries can be expensive, so this is a great investment!
29. Install LED light bulbs
LED light bulbs use less energy.
30. Change air filters in the house and in your car
Changing the air filters in your car and your home make your systems work less, therefore prolonging the life of them. It can also lower the energy bill in your home and make your car run smoother.
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31. Cancel any memberships that aren’t being used
Memberships are easy to forget about. They usually draft out every month, and even if we aren’t using them they continue to come out. Evaluate the memberships you have and see if you really need to keep them or not!
32. Shop for holiday gifts and decor after the holidays
This is one of my favorite things to do! I love to decorate our home for the holidays, but decor can be expensive. So, I always buy our decorations, some gifts, wrapping paper, etc. the day after Christmas! This saves us a ton of money!
33. Make your own laundry detergent
Making your own laundry detergent can be time-consuming but it is so worth it! It is much cheaper than buying it from the store, and you know what products your clothes are being washed in.
34. Skip buying groceries for at least one week each month. Raid the fridge and cabinets to clear them out.
Try to use all the things you have in the kitchen before heading back to the store.
35. Get books from the library instead of buying them.
Books can be expensive. I know. Barnes & Noble is one of my favorite places. I had to start checking the library before buying books to see if it was something I could read for free versus over-paying for a book!
36. Try a no spending weekend to save some money at least one weekend a month.
Watch a movie. Go for a walk. Spend some time with your family. These are just a few things you can do during a no-spend weekend to make the time go by faster!
37. Unplug electronics like TVs, wireless routers, laptops chargers, etc. when you are not using them.
These items can still use electricity when they are plugged up but not being used. Unplug these items so that you can save some money!
38. Cut down on coffee runs & learn to make your favorites at home!
Buying coffee out is super convenient, and oh so good! But you can save a lot of money by learning to make your favorites at home!
39. Buy a smart thermostat
A smart thermostat can be a huge help! It runs off WiFi, which allows you to change the temperature from your phone. I love this feature because a lot of times, I forget to turn the heat down or the air up when I leave the house!
40. Only wash your clothes in cold water
Washing your clothes in cold water saves money because the hot water heater isn’t being used.
41. Stop buying dryer sheets and buy dryer balls instead
Dryer balls are reusable and can save a little extra money because you won’t have to keep buying dryer sheets every time you go to the store.
42. If you have the option to re-gift, do it!
Have something that was given to you but you don’t want it? Have someone in the family you think would like it? Re-gift it! Just don’t give it to the same person you got it from.. oops.
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43. Find ways to pamper yourself instead of going out and paying a fortune.
Getting your hair, nails, massages, etc. done every month can start to add up. Find ways at home that you can pamper yourself rather than paying a professional to do it.
44. Call all of your bill companies and see if you can negotiate cheaper prices
Many times, your bill companies will lower your price if you complain or say that you’re going to move your business somewhere else.
These are a few of the ways I have started cutting costs at my house and saving money! There are plenty of other things you can do to save money, and 2020 is the perfect time to act on them. It’s never fun paying too much, spending too much, and not having money.
Do you have your own ways of cutting costs around the house? I would love to hear about them! Drop a comment below or send me an email.
Also, don’t forget to connect with me on social media!
Until next time,
Catherine
Great list of tips! Thank you! December can get overwhelming financially so I will definitely take advantage of a number of your suggestions this month. We are often so busy that we overlook certain things but these seemingly small expenses or monthly subscriptions add up so quickly!
Yes they do! It’s the small things we always forget about.
Great list! I’ll have to start doing some of these!
Yes! They really do help 🙂
Definitely Number 2. My husband used to always forget to pack a lunch and end up buying one. After I added it up and showed him how much he was spending he started to remember to take one every day.
Mine too! He didn’t forget everyday, but he forgot one enough that it was costing us a fortune!
What an awesome list! I’ve done many of them and it really helps to keep my household expenses at a minimum. I’ll admit though that repairing old clothes is probably the most difficult one for me!
It is for me too! I always get my mom to repair mine… for now. But I have my eye on that small sewing machine that I tagged! I can’t wait to buy it and learn to fix my own.
Definitely great tips for cutting down costs. I never thought to cut down to one week/weekend a month to help save. I will have to try that along with some other tips. Just started reconfigure finances now we’re down to one income these tips will help
I hope you can use these tips to save some money. Being on one income can be difficult.
Such a great list. Some things on here I have never thought of before, and others I’ve just been too lazy to do. ha! Here is to doing better in 2020! Thanks for sharing these tips.
You’re welcome! I’m hoping to do better in 2020 as well!
Memberships & subscriptions are such a great thing to mention! It’s so easy to forget that you’re paying for something every month and sometimes you’re not even using it anymore! I just paid for a year of a subscription I was paying monthly on and saved about half. HALF!
I just did the same thing with a subscription! It really does save a lot of money to pay them in full!
Catherine,
I love your blog.
Saving money vs spending money ads do not match at all. The lavish lifestyles we see shared via YouTube videos and other social media platforms have switched on the ‘spending switch’. Even making coffee at home instead of picking up a latter at Starbuck goes such a long way in the long run. Nothing is as fresh as a home-cooked meal too. Sharing the blog.
Thank you! Even the small things go such a long way! I’m glad you liked the post and hope you continue to follow! 🙂