The upkeep of a home can be pretty spendy especially if you have kiddos added into the household equation mix. I have found some pretty interesting ways to cut costs and make life easier all at the same time. These 10 tasks have helped me save hundreds of dollars! Check them out!
- Collect all your spare change – We actually started doing this several years ago and it really adds up quickly. Find a large spare receptacle and anytime you find change or have change laying in a bag, drop it into the spare change container. It’s a great way to help save for trips or other non-essential items.
- Shop thrift stores first – I know this can be hard for some people, but you can save a lot of money by shopping second hand. You can also find some pretty amazing, name brand items. I also like to hunt for Halloween costumes here. You can save a ton of dough by steering clear of those pricey Halloween stores.
- Keep a running grocery shopping list – We have a spot in our kitchen where we keep a small pad and pencil. When we run out of something, we immediately add it to the list. This helps in two ways: 1. you aren’t running around the store trying to remember what you needed and 2. It ensures that you stick with your shopping list and avoid those costly “in the moment grabs”.
- Buy in bulk & cook in bulk – A few years ago we purchased one of those super cool chest freezers. Best decision we made now that we cook and buy in bulk. Buying in bulk from places like Costco can help cut down on extra shopping trips and make food items cheaper. Cooking in bulk (and freezing leftovers) makes those evenings when everyone is late- way less chaotic because all we need to do is re-heat a frozen meal. We save money because we aren’t going out and buying some poor quality, expensive fast food item and we end up having a calmer more organized evening.
- Pay bills online – This one is kind of a no brainer, but when you don’t have to send a check in the mail you save money on postage and those expensive checks!
- Bone up on your basic home maintenance – Basic is exactly what I mean here….. Not learning how to put on a new roof or anything. We are talking about cleaning out dryer vents and changing furnace filters as well as keeping your appliances clean. By learning how to take care of the basic needs you cut costs of having to hire someone else to do it. Making a home maintenance schedule can also be really handy to help stay on top of things.
- Borrow items from friends – We have a pretty cool relationship with our neighbors. Anytime we need an item for a project that we don’t have, we will hit them up first to see if they happen to have the item we need. It is SO much cheaper than going out and buying tools for a job that you will only use once every few years. Our neighbors do the same thing so the relationship is pretty even.
- Wash your approved clothing items in cold water – You always want to check clothing labels before just tossing them in, but by washing items on cold you can skip the costly water heating process and save money.
- Learn to sew and mend items that are fixable – We aren’t talking about sewing up a t-shirt that has been ripped in half, but we are talking about mending a sock that has a small hole. I always try to mend first and replace second.
- Use your local consignment shop for baby items – We have one of the best little consignment shops in our neighborhood. I literally outfitted both my kids there as well as sell back items they had outgrown. Babies and children grow so fast that some of the items we have purchased are almost brand new.
This list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways of saving money around the house. Try these as well as some of your own and save money for things that you really want to spend it on.
Posted in Hiring a cleaning service
