This post is just a list of miscellaneous tips for saving money. Many of them our family has already been practicing. Others are new to us as we continue to pinch our pennies until our home back in NWA is rented out again and we aren’t covering 2 mortgages each month. Hopefully as you scan over this list you’ll find a few new things to try.
- Unscrew some of the lightbulbs from your fixtures to save on electricity. Leave other off completely.
- Do without (washing machine, new house decorations, bathroom vents are among the biggest on our wish list)
- Eat out only on a gift card (I have lots of Chick-fil-a and McDonald’s GCs!)
- Splurge on ice cream by trading in Chick-Fil-A kids meal prizes for ice cream cones, or use DQ kids meal treat coupons.
- Garage sale anything not being put to good use at home
- Think outside the box for things to sell on EBay or Craislist. (you’d be surprise at some of the things we’ve sold lately)
- “Shop” Freecycle (we got a couch!) and be sure to think of creative uses for the things that are offered there. There is a free section on craigslist too.
- Leave the TV off.
- Cash out of as many rewards accounts as possible to keep your OOP low and allow you some “splurge” room.
- Catch up on submissions for reimbursements from Health Savings accounts and ChildCare accounts.
- Be sparing with electric usage. Try to do as much as possible during daylight.
- Reduce your grocery budget by mixing in a couple of less expensive meals each week. Also use up things that have been in your pantry for a while.
- Try different brands of products than usual (you may find a cheaper one that you like!)
- Recharge batteries (even non rechargables).
- Walk when possible (usually to destinations under a half mile) Make it an educational trip for the kids.
- Use fans instead of the AC and only use them in rooms that you’re in at that time.
- Plant easy to maintain fruits and veggies to supplement your grocery budget.
- Darn or mend clothes instead of repurposing them into rags.
- Use cloth instead of paper/wipes for spills and napkins
- Cook as much at a time as possible to save energy costs and clean up costs)
- Carpool to school and other places.
- Turn your hot water heater down a notch (and try to take shorter showers).
I’m sure there are more things, both old and new, that we are doing. This is just what I thought of as I was writing this post. If you’ve got any other tips, feel free to share them in the comments.
How do you recharge non-rechargable batteries?
We just charge them in the charger like rechargables. They won’t last as long as they originally did, but if it makes the baby swing go, I’m happy
There is a risk that they can explode, so we just charge them for about an hour. Supposedly there are ways to do it in the freezer, with lemon juice, and with an Xbox controller, but I’ll stick with my recharger.
Don’t forget to unplug anything you are not currently using! Hair dryer, coffee pot, tv, lamps, etc! Thanks for the reminders! The little things do add up!
Thanks Jennifer!
@ Danielle, that sounds like a really great feature. I wish our thermostat had that. Just “on” or “fan” for us.
Very good to know if we get a new one though!
we just had our a/c worked on yesterday and the mechanic told me this tip: he said on our thermostat, we have 3 settings on our Fan (auto, “R” and on). He said that if we leave it on “R” that will recirculate the air every now and then. He said that uses less electricity than running ceiling fans. He said it would keep the house cooler too b/c it recirculates the cool air that the a/c has already cooled.