5 Ways to Save (that you haven’t thought of) –
When it comes to saving money, leave no stone unturned. Here are a few ideas that you may not have thought of, or maybe you have, but it’s good to be reminded.
Remember Your Mug
Everyone tells you to save money by skipping the specialty coffee, but if you must have your cuppa joe, buy a reusable travel mug. Starbucks will give you a 10 cent discount when using your own cup. It’s not much, but it adds up over time. To save even more, try a convenience store like Wawa, where you can find really good coffee for half the price.
Check Your Tires
Make sure that your tires are properly inflated and you will not only save money on gas by improving your gas mileage, but you’ll also prevent unnecessary wear and tear on your tires so you can replace your tires less often.
Buy the Smaller Package
In the past, bulk sizes were the better bargain, but manufacturers are taking advantage of that common belief that “bigger is better” and charging more per unit for larger size products. Check the unit price on items like detergent, shampoo and food.
Research Online Purchases
If you’re shopping online, use sites like RetailMeNot to find “secret” coupon codes. Also watch out for “free shipping” offers which may be made up for with a price increase on the item you are buying.
Skip the Paper Towels
By switching from paper to dish towels or rags, an average family of four can save about $40 a year. Combine that with other saving strategies and you could add hundreds to your bank account this year.
What are some creative ways you save money? Leave a comment so we can learn from you. 🙂
photo credit: Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Just worked on our tub’s hard water stains by placing vinegar-soaked paper towels over them- it took a ton of paper towels. The next morning, I looked at all those paper towels and just threw them in the back of the linen closet to reuse for cleaning!
Also, I always shop according to price per ounce or pound. It makes such a difference, especially since I have my personal goals, such $1-$1.50/lb. for produce. In addition to the garden, I am growing food in every landscaped spot possible in our yard this year!
Thanks for the ideas Heather!
I save any left over coffee, a. in small cube tray, and b. in a glass fridge container to use as ice coffee! save me many $$$.
I have also found that dollar store micro fiber cloths (lots of them) are so useful, instead of paper towel , especially for drying hands while cooking !! happy saving everyone . love reading all the great tips!
Ooh, I love that idea Sharri! I need to do that for my husband.
I love cloth napkins and have been using them in my home for over 40 years. I make my own and ave found that they are really appreciated when given as gifts!
That is a great gift idea – thanks Marilyn!
Along with the smaller sizes and unit price checking, go ahead and buy the pre-shredded cheese if that’s what you use. It used to be the rule that the bricks of cheese were cheaper per ounce than the shredded because you got charged for the convenience. It’s not always so. Check those unit prices! With sales and store brands, it can be cheaper to buy the shredded stuff than a large brick of cheese I’ve noticed lately. Even the slices can be a good deal with sales and promotions. (For instance a recent loyalty card promotion deal had a 5 cents off per gallon of gas if I bought 2 packages of sliced cheese that were already on a 2 per deal. Just the gas incentive alone meant an additional 60 cents off the cheese for a 12 gallon fill-up.)
I have noticed that as well Dineen. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I just saved $14 for shipping at retailmenot.com on cabela.com.
Cool!
1) If I use a paper towel to dry my hands in the kitchen, I drape it over the toaster oven or toaster to dry & then I reuse it to wipe out any remaining grease from a fry pan I have used.
2) I reuse gently used foil that I’ve wiped down.
3) If we have used a paper plate to eat a sandwich, I wipe the crumbs out & put our initials on the rim & then we reuse our paper plate too.
4.) If I make a pot of coffee & don’t get to drink it all, I pour it in a glass container & store it in the fridge. All I have to do is pour desired amount in a mug & microwave it to have nice hot coffee.
That is a good idea to re-use a clean paper towel. Thanks!
Brilliant ideas!
I always try and google coupons 😀 I’m surprised how baffled everybody is when I mention it. Recently I ordered some clothes at the H&M- online shop and found so many codes that I ended up paying 29.86€ for a pair of jeans instead of 39.95+shipping. They even gave me a 4€ voucher for stuff I sent back because it didn’t fit me.
Also, we got new tyres for our car and made sure of the right pressure etc. It saves us SO much money. We used to need nearly 8.0l/100km (sorry metric system 😉 and now we’re down to 7.0 or 7.1/100.
We’re slowly transitioning to microfibre rags instead of paper towels. I like to have the occasional paper towel on hand but we used too much of that stuff. I just stopped buying them for some weeks, had to find substitutes and then bought some paper towels as a back-up. That was about three weeks ago and we still have about 3/4 of the first roll left over.
Sounds like an awesome deal at H&M. Just a little bit of work and you can save a bundle. Thanks for taking the time to comment Andrea!
Use newspaper instead of rags or paper towels for cleaning glass, windows, and mirrors–no lint! I also reuse some zip lock bags–none that have had raw meat or anything gross, of course, but with lots of other things a quick rinse & air dry and they’re good for another use or two or three. (if not for food items, there’s always labels to send in for school, small toys to keep together, that kind of thing.) My hubby says I’m “so tight I squeak” sometimes! Oh well!
I am a ziploc bag washer too – haha! I can’t stand to throw them away if they are re-usable. The newspaper is a great addition to this list. It does make a great window cleaner. Thanks Stephanie!
Many of these great tips are also good for the environment too – less landfill! We are a cloth napkin family and love our travel mugs. Our travel mug is particularly great for keeping coffee hot, which helps me drink more slowly and much less coffee than I would otherwise.
Yes, I should have mentioned cloth napkins. Thanks Kim!
Thanks for the tips! I’m getting ready to transition my family to using rags instead of paper towels. It seems like we run out every time I turn around–I think the kids use more than necessary when I’m not there to monitor. It’s one of those things that makes me crazy to spend money on.
Another trick I use is when it seems like there isn’t possibly any more toothpaste to squeeze out of the tube, I get out the scissors & snip off the end! Low and behold I can usually discover another day or two’s worth! Works for lotion, etc also. My hubby thinks I’m a little extreme, but I can’t stand to waste stuff:)
A true cheapskate! I love it!