Top 10 Ways to Save Money
With prices going up more and more each year after covid it's time to buckle down on ways to save a little money. The money you save with these tips can be put towards saving for that new car, house, or big-ticket item you've been wanting but can never seem to afford.
1. Make your own cleaning products.
Buying cleaning products can add up to a lot of money. There are some things you can do to keep some of that money in your pocket, but making your own cleaning products at home is by far the best decision. The products I make at home are an all-purpose cleaning spray and liquid laundry detergent. You can start with trying out a few recipes you find online and then tweak them until they are exactly what you're looking for in a cleaning product.
One huge benefit of making your own products is that you are eliminating harmful toxins from your home, clothes, and body. I noticed that my son was less itchy, and he stopped getting rashes on his body.
2. Cook at home more
Put those cooking skills to great use. If you're not much of a cook, well its time you get to learning. Not only will this save you money, but it can aide in weight loss and an overall healthier lifestyle. Add taking morning walks and you'll be set.
3. Making things from scratch
This can kind of fall under the second tip as well. All those little things you add to you cart can be made at home... condiments, pickles, and bread items can all be made at home. It's cheaper to buy the ingredients than the actual product. You can just make more sandwich bread because the ingredients will take a little longer to run out.
4. Wait 48 hours
Ask yourself do you really need that item or is it just a want. Is it something you saw and wanted to grab while the deal was hot. I've been there and no you don't need it. Infact, you didn't really want it or have a use for it. It just sits in the back of your closet collecting dust.
5. Budget
Budget, budget, budget. When you get paid the first thing you should be doing is paying your bills and budgeting for necessities. You need to eat (GROCERIES), put gas in your car. Make sure you budget for any upcoming events or things that need to be done like a dentist appointment or car repair.
6. Use cash
For things other than bills you should use the envelope method. Put your budgeted cash in an envelope for each category. Once the money is gone that is it.
Photo by NORTHFOLK on Unsplash
7. Use your gift cards
Being a teacher assistant, I get my fair share of gift cards during the holidays and teacher appreciation week. I love making great use of gift cards, so I can be able to try something new, or have that chick fil a sandwich I didn't budget for. Sometimes I collect the cards and put them to the side, and I always seem to forget about them until times are hard.
8. Meal planning
Plan out all of your meals for the week and make your grocery list based on your meals. Before you even leave the house make sure you have eaten already. Go shopping alone if possible so there isn't anyone persuading you to get something that isn't on your list. My husband does that a lot. I try to go without him as much as possible.
9. Get rid of disposable items
We don't realize how much disposable things we buy until we start the process of getting rid of them in our homes. There are paper towels, plates, cups, utensils, and more. There are some people who have gone far enough as to remove toilet paper from their shopping list. I'm not that frugal now! I started by getting rid of paper towels and making my own fabric napkins. I also use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheet.
10. Buying store brand products
Sometime the store brand products are just as good, maybe even better than the big brands. I'm loving Target's Good and Gather food brand and it's so affordable. Also shopping their clothing brands for kids is a win. They allow you to return their owned brands back within a year of purchase. Some moms use this advantage to swap out their kids outgrown clothes. I haven't tried it out yet, but if you do, please leave your experience in the comments below.
Now that you have these money saving tips you can get started stashing away that extra change or paying down some debt.
xoxo Essence