Let’s face it. You’re probably spending more money than you want to each and every month. With car payments, rent, mortgages, student loans, food costs, and dozens of other expenditures constantly draining your bank account, it’s a smart idea to save as much money as you can on the little things.
Plus, did you know that saving money can lower your stress level? It also opens the door for you to never have to say “no” to making a purchase that you really want or need.
Saving money is difficult, right? Surely only those who have mastered the art of self-control can possibly manage to create an aggressive budget that makes room for savings. You could make a budget and save some money but then you’d have to deprive yourself of all the things you like.
Actually, there are plenty of easy ways to save money right at home! That’s right! By making a few small changes to your habits you could start saving money right now. Check out these eleven great tips for saving money at home and add yours in the comments!
1. Buy Gift Cards on eBay.
Love going out to eat? Do most of your shopping at a particular store? Do you know that you can shop eBay and find loads of people selling their old gift cards for a discount? In most cases you can save 10-20% off of the value of the gift card! In fact, I’ve got my eye on a few cards right now.
2. Use Coupon Websites.
If you’ve ever seen an episode of the TV show “Extreme Couponing,” you know just how incredible the savings can be when you shop with coupons. Tough work, you say? Coupon sites like Money Saving Mom can make saving with coupons a snap. There are also cash back sites like TopCashback, eBates, or Giving Assistant that can get you anywhere from 1% to 10% cash back on ordinary purchases that you make online. Not as hard as you thought, right?
3. Change Your Drinking Habits.
If your beverage of choice at home is a soda, you’re throwing money out the window every single time you open a can or bottle. Even more expensive than bottled soda is bottled water, which routinely costs 30% more than soda and about 20x as much as tap water. Do yourself a favor and stick with tap water. If you don’t trust your local drinking supply, a filter for your tap– or a filtered water pitcher– can still save you hundreds every year.
4. Use This Water-Saving Shower Trick.
We’ve all stood under the shower for what seems like an eternity, letting the warm water relax and soothe us. You just want to stay in the shower for hours. A money-saving technique I learned from One Good Thing by Jillee could cut your wasted water in half. Instead of standing under a running shower while you lather your hair and skin, simply use the water to wet and rinse yourself. By turning off the faucet while soaping up you can save gallons of water each time you shower.
5. Set up Automatic Deposits into a Savings Account.
If you’ve looked at your bank account at the end of the month, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Where did all of my money go?” It’s easy to spend at the moment and leave nothing for later. If that’s true in your case you might need to “trick yourself” into saving money.
Try setting up automatic transfers to move $5, $10, or $20 at a time from your checking to your savings account throughout the month. In most cases, you won’t notice the money leaving your account until you see it begin to stack up in your savings at the end of the month! You could also try a service like Acorns, which rounds up each purchase you make and puts the extra money toward a stock portfolio of your choice.
6. Make Home Repairs.
You can save money by making small improvements to your home. Even simple changes like adding draft stoppers to your door or changing your furnace filter regularly can make a big difference, according to AC repair company Right Now Air. You should also consider installing low-flow faucets and/or toilets and adding more insulation to your home. The savings can add up big time throughout the year.
7. Unplug Appliances.
Are you familiar with the phrase “vampire power?” It’s your appliances using energy when they are not running but are left plugged in. Your television, phone charger, hair dryer, and laptop can all be unplugged when not in use, saving you money on your electric bill.
8. Make Popcorn!
Have you ever noticed just how pricey your favorite brand of potato chips is? Despite the fact that potatoes are one of the cheapest commodities in the world, potato chips (and other salty snacks) can cost more money per pound than steak!
Instead of buying potato chips, try making popcorn at home. It’s cheap, simple, and can be flavored in dozens of different ways.
9. DIY Your Home Decor.
Buying expensive decorations at stores like Hobby Lobby or TJ Maxx (I love both but they’re pricey) can really hurt your bank account. Instead, find a great project on Pinterest and create these decorations yourself! You’ll cut the costs quite a bit and you will have a fun craft project to enjoy alone or with your family.
10. Ditch the Gym Membership.
An average gym membership can cost upward of $25 per month. That’s $300 in a year! Yowza. Save yourself a bundle by working out at home. YouTube is filled with an incredible number of workout guides that you can watch anytime, anywhere. My personal favorite is The Fitness Marshall.
11. Cut the Cord.
If you’re still paying for a cable or satellite subscription, you’re missing out on huge savings. A membership to Netflix or Hulu will cost one-fifth the price of a satellite subscription and can provide just as many quality TV episodes and movies as your old dish or cable provider. Do yourself a favor and cut the cord.
Saving money doesn’t have to be boring, and it’s far from impossible. In fact, with these eleven simple tips you can start saving money right now without even leaving your house,
Leave a comment and let me know which tip you’re most excited to try!
Featured photo credit: 401(K) 2012/Flickr via flickr.com
