Easy Money Saving Tips
Looking for ways to save money on a tight budget? I thought I’d share a few of the small things that we do to save money and share a recent thrift haul too! Remember that small things add up! I’d love to hear what easy things you do to save money so be sure to share your tips in the comment section (be sure to check out the comments for more tips).
Small Things I do To Save Money
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1. I wash and reuse foil & plastic bags.
We haven’t had to buy a new roll of foil in quite some time. I also wash and reuse plastic baggies. I personally don’t do this with anything that’s held meat or was messy like stuck on cheese from lasagna, but I know others who still wash those and reuse them. Whatever you’re comfortable with! This definitely helps you stretch out those purchases. You might also be interested in this post How To Replace Disposable Products With Reusable
2. We drink mostly water.
We invested in a Brita water filter and we drink water throughout the day instead of soda, juice, bottled water, store bought drinks. It’s so much healthier for you and it saves money. Sometimes we put slices of lime, or lemon or cucumber or even some fruit like berries in our water to add a different flavor.
3. I had my husband install one of those retractable clotheslines under our deck we also have this drying rack that we can use inside if weather is to bad to line dry outside. You could install one in your bathroom if you don’t have outdoor space.
We now hang most things to dry. This saves on our water and electric bill. We did three loads of laundry today (energy/water saving front loader) and we only dried one. That was towels and sheets. We tried using line dried towels and it’s like using a loofah! Also my daughter does her own laundry once a week and she uses the dryer (heh I’m just glad she does her own laundry!).
4. I keep a bowl in the sink and a bucket on the floor next to it. When we wash our hands, rinse veggies & fruit, when I drain pasta water, when I rinse out the coffee pot etc the water gets collected in the bowl. When that gets full it gets dumped in the bucket. I use the bucket water mainly to water my flowers in the front yard (we have watering restrictions anyway with the hose).
This is how we are charged for water in my town which will explain our motivation for doing this. First you get charged for water usage on a tier system. The more water you use after the base tier the more expensive it is. THEN for sewage they charge you double whatever your water usage was. So you get charged three times for the water you use. You could be watering your yard or filling your pool and it still gets charged as sewer also! So we are very motivated to keep our water usage as low as possible.
5. I also use every bit of food.
We eat leftovers for lunch or repackage into something else for dinner. I just don’t waste any food anymore. I haven’t thrown any food in the garbage in a long time. It takes a bit of doing staying on top of what’s in the fridge, what’s about to go bad, what going to expire etc. But I consider it a part of my job as a homemaker.
6. I (of course) have a grocery budget.
We keep a running grocery shopping list. But before I go grocery shopping I separate my list into needs & wants. Things that I need to buy (pantry staples, specific items for meals) and things that I would like to buy (say like ice cream or snacks). That helps me decide what to buy to stay in budget.
7. I go through our mail daily.
I know this may seem like an odd money saving tip! But….some people let their mail pile up. Out of sight, out of mind. If you don’t stay on top of it, you could be not noticing renewal notices or even bills. You don’t want late fees or surprise bills.
8. Decorate with thrift store finds.
You know I love my thrift stores! Shopping thrift stores is another great way that I save money. Especially on home decor items! Can you believe I got this toile lampshade (and it looks brand new) for $3!!
It’s toile – I couldn’t believe it was at the thrift store. I just made a pillow with some yellow and red toile!
I also found this frame for $1 brand new from Kirklands. I’m going to spray paint it since that gold isn’t going to work for me.
Those are just some of the small things we do to control costs in our household. What small or easy money saving things do you do?
You may also be interested in this post: 21 Frugal Living Tips To Try This Year
Did you know that if you make your own laundry detergent and use Ivory soap with aloe vera in it your towels and things like that will dry nice and soft on the line. I do it all the time. I have the recipe for the laundry detergent and if you want it e-mail me or comment on my blog and I will give it to you.
Our water works the same way…it is so way expensive it’s crazy!
Hey! I thought I had subscribed your blog to my bloglines but I haven’t caught any of your recent posts…daggumit…
anyhoo…we definitely try to control our water usage…I haven’t watered the yard or garden this summer unless it was with grey water…good for ya’ll…
and we hardly use our dryer…it makes such a difference! even tho’ scratchy towels are a bear…you can hang them out until they’re just damp and toss in the dryer for a few minutes…saves energy and you don’t get cardboard towels…
you should check out your habitats! today we got 2 brand new large windows for $50 a piece for our garage conversion, a wicker settee, wicker chair and end table for, respectively $30, $20 and $10…in great shape, I’m just going to have to bust out with the olive green paint…and then on a whim we hit the Habitat here in town and scored, amazing, a tall wooden cabinet on wheels that is going to be the base for an island when we move to reconfiguring the footprint of our kitchen…it was only $40…what a steal…
all in all, we had 1 need and 2 wants filled for great prices (I’ve been wanting wicker for the front porch for a long long time but wouldn’t get off the $ for a new set 🙂
Thanks for all of the tips. We just got our water bill with increased rates effective now. We will have to do something – it is out of hand. I’m going to try the grey water thing. I already dry clothes on my lines to save on the electric bill. I really enjoy being frugal – it’s like a game!!! Sally
Some of these suggestions remind me of my mother and father and their need to save money. With 3 children and only one working in the family, she did a lot of these. The foil, plastic bags, plastic wrap etc… such as if she used a paper towel and it wasn’t soiled, she’d spread it out to dry and reuse it.
She would save her wash water that drained in a large sink and used it for watering the garden. And bath water was used to flush the toilet. If you took a shower you put the stopper in and left the water in the tub, and when you got out you simply washed your ankles off.
Using left overs to make stews or soups. Mashed potatoes became hashbrowns for the weekend.
And of course buying second hand clothes and etc..
Hanging out clothes outside was normal and good for the wasteline. Always washing full loads. And if you needed a blouse for some reason, you hand washed it or to bad.
My father dug a well in the 70’s and used that water for the grass and garden and the well still puts out water.
So there are a number of things to do.
Great Job !!!
Wow, I love that lampshade. At our cottage, I’ve hung our towels and sheets out to dry and THEN placed them in the dryer for a bit and they soften right up for us. Nothing like fresh sheets from the line *clean cotton* smell *sigh*!!
Blessings,
Sher
OH MY GOSH I didn’t even know you were back! I’m so happy! I saw someone named Manuela left a comment on my blog but I didn’t realize it was you. I’m just now getting time to go visit those who left comments…what a nice surprise!
Great tips!!! I am going to reread them and write them down so I won’t forget. We should all be more aware of what we use because as Americans we are so spoiled and wasteful! It sounds like you are on the right track with how to live. That lampshade is so cute and so me!
It is amazing how careful we are when things get a bit tight isnt it? My husband has commented on how much got wasted when we weren’t worried about the money and it’s true.
Thanks for sharing tips! Oh the toile lampshade is beautiful!
You are the queen. Gosh water is soo expensive. I confess, that water is dirt cheap here, Plus it is always coming down. But I should still look at all we waste.
My tip, is I keep a bag in the freezer, to hold leftover bits of bread. Then when I get a bunch, I cube them and make either sweet or savory bread puddings. Oh I keep two bags. One for savory bread and one for plain.
Great finds. xoxo Clarice
I think I have the same tin! Does it have anything written on the bottom of it? Mine is packed away with the Christmas ornaments so I can't dig it out easily. I bought mine at Marks & Spencer in England and it held shortbread. It was so lovely that I washed it out and saved it.
Thanks for coming to visit! I love your China garden! I have a kitchen garden so we are like minded.lol! Looking forward to seeing you on Bloomin’ Tuesday. The post goes up at 10 Monday night. Click the button on my side bar for a choice of buttons, if you’d like. Jean
Hi Manuela!! Oh it is nice to have you back blogging! I hope all is going great for you!
Wow, you are quite the standard setting woman to go to these extremes with conservation. It is wonderful and thank you for sharing your ways with us.
LOL about the toilet. I think we will practice that here at our house! At least the ones upstairs.
xo
Becky
Yay! I’m so happy to see that you are back to blogging. I’ve missed you. I found you on Deb’s blog and hope that it was you. Glad to see you around.
Take care
Adriann
This inspires me to do much more to conserve water each day.
Here is the link to the recipe on my blog. This was easier than copying it all over. It’s kind of weird because the soap hardens up after a bit so you have to fiddle with it a bit while you put it into the washer. I take a chunk of the soap and squish it in my hand under the running water into the machine. I put a bit of lavender oil into mine to make it smell lovely but the plain ivory with the aloe smells just as good. http://hipchickshome.blogspot.com/2008/06/ingredientsi-bar-ivory-soap1-12-baking.html
Great tips Manuela! It is so dusty where I live that I don’t dare hang my clothes outside. I wish I could though as our power bills are sky high!!
My husband fixed our washing machine so that I can water the yard with the washing water it is great…..I really want a cloths line….I love that fresh scent
Hugs
Linda
Hi Manuela,
I came across your blog from Down to Earth. I will be back to read more. If you would like your towels softer without using the dryer. Try white vinegar in your final rinse this has made my towels softer.
Have a nice day.
Tracie xx
I get all kinds of magazine subscriptions for FREE. Off the top of my head:
BH&G
Woman's Day
Lucky
TV Guide
Newsweek
Country Home
and a couple of kid's crafting ones and I bet there are still more that I am just not remembering right now.
How, I do it, is by visiting http://www.fatwallet.com and checking out their freebie forums.
Try it! 🙂
I love all of your thrift store finds!
Bella 🙂
Your mismatched drawer knobs are so cute!
I wash foil too.
Lately I have been using more plastic containers instead of zipper bags.
And I like casserole dishes with lids so I don’t waste foil on covering them.
I shop sales and stock up when things are a good price, the 3 major stores in my town are all within a few blocks of my office so I don’t waste much gas doing this.
I use coupons, shop thrift stores and garage sales.
When I am stumped about how to do some frugally, I try to figure out how my grandmothers would of taken care of it and can usually come up with a low cost solution.
I love your money-saving posts!
You are amazing! We have three resources: our time, our energy, and our money. If we want to conserve one, we usually have to use more of the others. Good for you for conserving your money while conserving water and energy too.
Oh, and you found some pretty sweet treats too.
I so love a friend who isn’t wasteful! A wonderful cheapskate like me 🙂 And you have style! I always love your toile finds and I’ve been thinking about some plaid or tartan…your tin is really cute.
My mother used to use vinegar on my hair instead of conditioner. It works but…you smell like vinegar LOL!
A blog for you on thrifty homemaking…
this is Alex at Living Without Money http://livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com/
My mom has saved take-out contaniers for as long as I can remember. She washes them and loads them up with left-overs to send to neighbors or friends. Recently I washed our styro take-home boxes from a rare trip to the Olive Garden. They work great for insulating breakables that may have sold from the website.
Thanks for the great tips! And thanks, Hip Chick, for the Ivory/Aloe news. I had no idea! Anybody got some gasoline helps? Blessings… Polly
Great finds! I love your money saving tips!!
You’re amazing 🙂 Thanks for some great tips, we got a rain barrel this year and don’t you know we had a very wet summer. We used it all summer to water the plants.
All the best,
Kathy 🙂
ps I thought your daughter was home schooled ???
Kathy, She was homeschooled from grades 2-6. We were going to homeschool these last two years of high school, but decided she should just finish it out because all the high school graduation tests are junior year. Also, it’ll just be easier if I need to go back to working outside the home.
Manuela
Hi Manuela! I remember you telling me about your gray water on earth day. You are such an inspiration! We can all learn from you. That lamp shade is beautiful! And I love the tin back splash in your kitchen!
You are so frugal and have so many wonderful things to share.
I recycle in the kitchen any way that we can. I keep the gladware that our sandwich meat comes in and have storage for other things! I rarely reuse foil, but only because my son (King of recycling thanks to scouts) grabs it and chuncks it in with his cans. He saves the money he collects from those.
It is rare that we have leftovers because I try to prepare just enough for dinner and Audley’s lunch the next day. I pack his lunch before we eat dinner. When he was going out with the guys to eat he spent at least $10 each meal, which really adds up over a 5and 6 day work week! So he has started carrying his lunch everyday which saves us quite a bit. I also fix him coffee in a to-go mug so that he isn’t stopping and spend 2.00 on a cup on the way to work. All it takes is five minutes to brew it!
We are on well water now and have a septic tank (so no bill), but when we were still in Georgia I would put a bucket and empty milk jugs in the showers with the kids to fill up while they washed for watering plants. I also filled milk jugs with water and froze them to break up for ice when we had company to keep from buying it.
That is just a few things we have done to save.
Have a great week,
Jen
What great tips!! Definitely some I will use. love the one about the sink water getting reused to water the garden. That’s one I’ll have to use!
It’s still 87 degrees there, huh? What part of the country are you in? It’s supposed to get into the mid eighties tomorrow and through the weekend here as well. yuck!!
These are wonderful tips!!! If it’s not too late to add one, I am also a magazine junkie , but I find that most of my favorite antique malls have a few sellers who sell my favorites (Mary Englebriet,Country Living, Martha) sell used copies for pocket change, or will sell a bundle of 10 or so tied up in a pretty ribbon for a couple of bucks!