Tuesday Tips-Make life easier (and cheaper)!
Sometimes “sweating the small stuff” can yield big results when you’re trying to save money. Today’s tip is to save money by using less.
By using less of the products you use every day you can save money overtime because you purchase the products less often. Here are a few ideas to help you implement your “less is more” savings strategy:
Use less bodywash.
Did you know that using a bath poof enables you to use less body wash? Simply wet the poof and add a very small amount of body wash. You will achieve much more lather than when using a wash cloth and you’ll save on laundry costs as well because you don’t have to throw it in the laundry as often.
Use less shampoo.
Speaking of body wash, another way to use less body wash and shampoo is to use a pump bottle. This is especially great to help kids use less. Teach them that one pump is enough.
Use less hand soap.
Did you know that you can re-use a foaming hand soap bottle to save money? Add 3-4 tablespoons of liquid soap to the bottom of the bottle and fill the rest with water. The foaming action makes it seem like the same amount of soap, but you have used much less.
Click here for my simple, cheap, DIY All-Natural Foaming Hand Soap.
Use less toothpaste.
Even though the toothpaste ads show an inch long strip of toothpaste, you really don’t even need toothpaste to brush your teeth. The brushing action and flossing clean your teeth just fine. If you still don’t want to give up the toothpaste totally, use a pea-size amount.
Use less dishwasher detergent.
If you read the manufacturer’s instructions for your dishwasher, you will probably find that you only need 1 tablespoon of detergent. Think how much longer your detergent will last when you only use a tablespoon per load!
What are some areas in which you save money by using less? Leave a comment. 🙂
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I use bar soap in the shower. I find that a suction soap holder on the wall of the shower away from the spray of water makes soap last longer, it dissolves and washes away when it’s in the line of the shower spray.
Good point Tina–thanks!
Love the tips! I also make our laundry soap & fill the fabric softened compartment with vinegar. Works great!
We’re very tight this week and my fiance always packs his lunch. we were running low on plastic baggies and he came up with the idea of just reusing them. most of the time they didn’t get dirty at all, and if they did get a little something inside you can just turn them inside out, lightly rinse them, and dry with a clean cloth. we also make sure we get at least 2 or 3 wears out of our clothes before washing (with the exception of socks and underwear of course, and if the day made our clothes particularly dirty)
Re: the foam soap dispensers- when you reuse them, fill 2/3 water and 1/3 reg soap to create a nice foaming soap.
For a regular soap dispenser (ie non foaming soap) tie an elastic underneath the pump so only a little squirt comes out, and watch it last three times longer!
For body wash, I recently took 3 bars of dove soap and turned it into about 1 litre of liquid body wash! (recipe from onegoodthingbyjillee.com)
I also use homemade laundry detergent (3 tbsp each washing soda and borax, and 2 tbsp dawn dishsoap makes 4L of soap!)
I do the homemade ‘bounce’ sheets using a cloth cut into quarters, in a jar of liquid softener and water (eyeballed it) and reuse each sheet 2-3 times before putting it back in the jar!
All these ideas from pinterest and onegoodthingbyjillee.com!
The rubber band on the soap dispenser is brilliant. Thanks!
I use less shampoo by not using it at all, but washing it with baking soda. I also use it as a body scrub.
My daughter (now four washes) with water alone and I’ve only used shampoo on her when she’s had outbreaks of cradle cap/sebhorrhea. So we only use soap for really dirty feet, cleaning cuts/scrapes, for after bathroom use and prior to food use/prep.
When I use those white “eraser” scrub pads (I even use the dollar store brand), I cut them in thirds so that the whole thing doesn’t dissolve on me. It helps get into the tight spots for the stain and grease removal too.
One tip my Mom in Law gave me-cut Brillo pads in half! Box lasts soo much longer! Loving the tips!
Great tips! We just got the kids’ shampoo into a hand soap pump bottle a few weeks ago because they were using probably five times the amount they needed to wash their hair. I’m not ready to tell them to use less toothpaste, though — I think they can use all the flouride they can get! Ha! Plus, I don’t think I’ve paid for toothpaste in over two years now since it’s usually free somewhere with a coupon, so I won’t worry about that one. 😉
Fabric softener! Every time I use liquid fabric softener (concentrated) I refill the cup with water and dump it back in then shake. It still works just as well and I haven’t had to buy any in over two years doing it this way.
Great tips!
I’m using a lot less clothes detergent than I was just weeks ago. After reading your post I think I can use even less. I’m also using less gas (auto fuel) by bundling appointments on the same day and trying to do errands on that day too. I’m doing much less of the frivolous trips than I used to do. That’s saving us quite a bit.
I’m a big fan of rags instead of paper towels as well. I agree that I will sop up grease with them and add pet vomit and feces as the only things I really use paper towels to clean up. Everything else I use rags for. Some rags are especially ragged so I use them for the less pleasant tasks (e.g. if compost is spilled or something like that). It works great and saves a fortune on paper towels.
Great suggestions! I especially love the idea of a pump bottle for shampoo and re-using foam soap bottles! I have seen foaming soap dispensers for sale and considered purchasing one to save in the long-term, but how much more convenient to get some from my local store and actually have soap in it already! (Probably for less than ordering a “specialty bottle” online too!)
One thing I use less of is paper towels. I grew up in a house where we could go through 1 mega roll a day! Now, I have a package of about 10 dish towels that I use to clean off the kitchen table and counters and then I just throw it into a load I was already going to wash. They are great for drying hands and dishes and they air-dry very quickly so there’s no waste at all! I love them!! There are times when I go on massive cleaning sprees where 10 doesn’t seem like enough, but by and large it’s the perfect amount for our family of 5. I think I paid less than $4 for them about 2 years ago, so I’ve definitely won out financially too! We probably use a small roll of barely-absorbent paper towels about every 2 weeks or so unless one of the kids spills a drink or something unusual. Ordinarily their main use is to soak grease from anything we may happen to fry. That I am happy to throw in the garbage. 😉
I switched from bodywash to bar soap last year (January). I bought an 8-pack of soap and I’m now on the last bar. I was surprised at how often I had to buy bodywash and how infrequently I have to buy bar soap at a fraction of the price!
I used to get the Bouce dryer sheets and cut them up in thirds. Now I use the liquid receipe I found on pinterest and use some of our old wash cloths we cut in 1/2 and it’s working great!
I do the same thing…..I made my own dishwasher detergent last (using a pinterest recipe) so simple,so cheap,and one small scoop really works! Also have the foaming hand soap, saves a ton on soap,and I like to use some castile soap and water ,clean,and pure-
Toothpaste is an issue in my home, no one believes me when I tell them they only need a small amount! we use too much,IMO,though I’m glad they’re a clean bunch! 😉
My next goal is to make clothes detergent myself,I know I can,but have been lazy….