Money can be a tough conversation for many families, but saving money doesn’t have to be tough. There are many ways that you can save money.
I’ve compiled a list of all the ways my family saves money. These are tried and true methods that save us hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year. Keep reading to see if you can adapt some of these ideas into your life.
Managing money
Budget
We set up a budget and do our best to stick to it. We have many categories in our budget beyond the basics of utilities, mortgage, and groceries. Our budget includes fun money for each of us, home improvement, clothing and a miscellaneous category for everything that is too small of an amount to separate into individual categories or things that are inconsistent in costs.
Pay Bills On Time
Avoid late fees by always paying your bills on time. I set alarms on my phone and have automatic payments for as many things as I can. Paying late fees is like throwing money away. Do whatever you can to avoid paying any late fees.
Credit Cards
Make sure you aren’t paying money just to have your card. We get 1.5% cash back on our card and only use it for bills that are reoccurring. Our card is always paid off on time. If you aren’t able to pay your card off on time, you shouldn’t have it.
Personal Care
Hair Care
I don’t dye my hair. I never have. Hair cuts happen about 2 times a year. I cut my son’s hair and my husband’s. When my daughter needs a haircut I will probably go to a professional for at least the first hair cut. Consider cutting the costs and finding a hairdresser that has low costs.
Manicures & Pedicures
I don’t get manicures or pedicures. Maybe once a year I might go get a pedicure because it is really great for self care, but I definitely don’t go regularly. If you like having painted nails, learn how to do it yourself or look into long lasting stick-on nails like colorstreet.
Razor
I use a safety razor to shave. I don’t use shaving cream or soap or anything. The refills are dirt cheap and the initial razor handle was $15. Look into cheaper options for razors. See if you can stop paying pink tax on razors for women. The men’s razor is just as good if not better than a woman’s razor.
Facial Tissue
I use handkerchiefs. I bought mine off of Etsy. This is a similar idea to not using paper towels. Kleenex and other facial tissue options haven’t been around forever. Growing up my dad always used a handkerchief. When you use a handkerchief your nose will thank you as it will be a lot less painful than when you use a harsh paper product- even the softest ones with lotion don’t compare to cloth kerchiefs.
Feminine Hygiene
Invest in period panties. Seriously. They are the best. I bought Thinx years ago and they are amazing, even for postpartum use. You can also consider using reusable cups. They aren’t hard to use, but I definitely love how comfortable my period panties are. I would wear them every day if I could. And no, I am not being sponsored to say any of this.
Gym Membership
We don’t have a gym. In the summer my husband goes and plays disc golf (completely free). I have done some home workouts from YouTube. Look into yoga, body workouts that only use your body, or go on walks or runs. It doesn’t cost money to get outside.
Saving money on your home
Off Brand
We almost always buy off brand items. Many off brand items are made in the same factories that make their famous counterparts. Check out your store’s off brand products and see if you notice a difference.
Related: $10 Meal Plan
Water
We don’t buy plastic water bottles. I love my hydro flask (not sponsored). My husband and children each have their own as well. We refill them at home and bring them with us. Plastic water bottles cost a fortune if that’s all you’re using for drinking. Reduce that cost by investing in a high quality reusable water bottle and use it for years.
Alcohol
We don’t drink alcohol which I’m sure saves us a huge amount of money. Alcohol is expensive. If you even limit your alcohol intake, you will save money. Alternately, you can opt out of purchasing alcohol if you eat out and instead buy it from a liquor store.
Coffee
My husband and I never purchase coffee. We don’t like it and I know that this saves us hundreds of dollars each year. If you love coffee, consider making it at home. It’s a lot cheaper to make a cup of coffee at home each day than to purchase one from Starbucks. There are a lot of copycat recipes out there for Starbucks drinks, see if you can find your favorite drink and make it at home for a fraction of the cost.
Paper Towels
We don’t use paper towels. We haven’t purchased any paper towels since we got married. They’re literally like throwing away your money. You might as well clean up your messes with dollar bills. We use reusable rags. See how we live life without paper towels here.
Related: How To Live Without Paper Towels
Cloth Diapers
We use cloth diapers. We spent around $100 for some initial items and several items were bought off of our registry, but now we are working on our third year and second child in cloth diapers with no monthly cost of disposable diapers. I know we are saving thousands of dollars on disposable diapers, consider doing the same!
Related: Cloth Diapers When You’re Broke
Streaming Services
We don’t use cable or satellite tv. We have several streaming services that we can access on our phones, tablets, or tv. Cable costs hundreds of dollars each year, while we pay under $25 for all of our streaming services each month.
Car
We don’t buy new cars ever. We purchase used cars and my husband changes our oil and tires. I’m very blessed to have a husband who knows how to do a lot of car repairs. He’s even taught me how to do some as well. Check out youtube or ask a friend who’s good with cars if they can help you learn how to do some of the maintenance yourself. Look on facebook marketplace for a used car, or check out used car lots. You can often find a great deal on a used car.
Skip HOA Fees
Our house is technically out of city limits and we live in an area that has no HOA fees. We knew we wanted to save money in this area. If you live somewhere with HOA fees, consider moving somewhere without those fees. We also don’t have a garbage service so we save money in that area as well.
Lawn Mowing
My husband mows our lawn with a riding lawn mower we got at a garage sale. It was a great deal and completely worth it. It took him literally 3 hours to mow it with the push mower. With the riding lawn mower it’s just under an hour. Like they say, time is money, less time mowing means that he has more time to do other things. Additionally if you are paying a landscaper to mow your lawn, you may want to see how much you can save by doing it yourself. If your lawn needs to be mowed once or twice a week, then it’s likely that a lawn mower will pay for itself in one summer.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to even realize how many ways we are saving money. That’s because some of these are just normal life now. When starting out with ways to cut money, start small, with just one or two changes then slowly add more in as you are able.
