Hi there!
Welcome back to my 3-part series outlining proven and easy ways to save more money every day. If you missed the first installment of this series, it can be found right here➡99 Genius Ways to Save More Money Series Part I.
If you’ve already read it! Great! If not, I highly suggest you do if you are looking for easy ways to start saving more money!
In today’s installment I’m going to discuss even more ways we save money in our home.
My husband and I turned our financial life around well over 10 years ago now. In this time, we’ve adopted a frugal lifestyle which has afforded us the privilege of becoming debt free, first-time homeowners and otherwise responsible with our money.
Our journey wasn’t necessarily easy because we first had to tackle a pretty significant amount of consumer debt. But, once we managed to rid ourselves of our debt we continued to live frugally so that we could move on to saving aggressively for early retirement.
Regardless of where we were in our journey though, we applied frugal living hacks to help us save more money along the way. We continue to live frugally and really enjoy the freedom frugal living helped us achieve.
Here are a 30+ more ways we save money!
99 Genius Ways to Save More Money Part II
26. Mend Your Clothes
If we lose a button, break a zipper or have other rips and tears in our clothes we always take to mending it first before trying to replace it. A basic sewing kit goes a really long way when it comes to mending clothing and accessories.
Actually, since we’re talking about clothes – we have two sets of clothes in our house. We have “good” clothes that we wear while we’re out and “lounging” clothes that we wear around the house.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, when we have items of clothing that are still very wearable but worn or with small tears and holes that are beyond repair we downgrade them from “good” to “lounge” clothes.
This way, our clothes are literally worn until they are falling apart which saves us a ton of money over the long-term.
27. Walk More
Walking more and driving less is an awesome way to save money on fuel! When possible and weather permitting I walk to run errands!
Not only is it great for saving on fueling our car but it’s super healthy too!
28. Re-purpose Items
Many items can serve dual purposes. Get creative and try to avoid buying items that you’ll only use once. Try and make do with what you have.
29. Shop Second Hand
I wrote an entire post about why buying second hand isn’t gross. Seriously folks, buying used can save you an incredible amount of money.
Whether it be housewares, clothes, baby gear or just about anything else you need – second hand options are always our go-to.
If you’re still unsure about whether or not second hand is the way to go you should totally read my post about why buying used isn’t gross.
30. Sell Things You Don’t Need Anymore
If you’ve got kids in your house or a good amount of clutter you should absolutely be looking to sell off the stuff you no longer need for cold hard cash.
With toddler stuff I always sell off what doesn’t fit anymore or what she’s lost interest in. This way I can build a solid toddler fund to cover next seasons clothes and gear expenses. Approaching it this way means I’m recycling my investment over and over without spending “new” money.
When it comes to household goods there are so many categories of things that do well on the second hand market.
If you’ve got stuff laying around that you no longer need, why not sell it to make some extra cash?
Here is a handy list of 12 categories of clutter that you can sell for cash right now!
31. Cook Your Own Food
Scratch cooking is probably one of the biggest ways to save money! The price of prepared foods, take out or restaurant meals can cost a small fortune.
Cooking your own meals allows you to stretch your grocery budget, eat delicious leftovers and save a heap of money in the process.
Scratch cooking doesn’t have to be complicated folks. There are literally a million super simple recipes out there that take no time at all to put together. If you’re looking for some super simple recipes to try this week head on over to my 5-ingredient meal post where you’ll find over 130 delicious and cheap 5-ingredient meals!
Not only is scratch cooking good for your wallet but it’s good for you too! Knowing exactly what you’re eating and feeding to your family is awesome!
32. Brew Your Own Coffee
Do you swing by Starbucks or Tim Hortons on your way to work or school every morning?
Even if you’re buying a simple house blend and not ordering pricey gourmet coffee drinks you’re spending a small fortune on store bought coffee.
So, not surprisingly one of the ways to save more money that we adopted early on was brewing our own coffee.
If you’re a numbers nerd and want to see how much buying coffee-shop coffee can cost you should totally read my post about how brewing your own coffee can save you 100k.
33. Take Advantage of Free Activities
When it comes to finding activities to do as a couple or as a family there are so many free opportunities that don’t cost anything at all.
Check your local community calendars and take advantage of any free activities that are happening in your area!
34. Don’t Eat Out
One of the biggest ways we save money is by limiting how often we eat out. Pre-frugal living we’d constantly eat out, order take out and find ways not to cook for ourselves despite a pretty well stocked fridge.
Eating out is fun, convenient and a wonderful treat from time to time. But, when it becomes a frequent occurrence it can quickly eat up a good protion of your budget.
If you’re interested in seeing how much eating out can really cost you, have a look at this post about how brown bagging your lunch can save you thousands of dollars. The numbers are really quite shocking.
35. If You Must, Go To Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free
Like I mentioned above eating out can be a huge treat from time to time.
Frugal living isn’t about depriving yourself. So, if eating out is important to you and your family you can totally try to stretch your dollar by finding and eating at restaurants where kids eat at no cost!
A quick google search can help you find local restaurants where your kiddos can eat for free!
36. Buy The Store Brand Whenever Possible
There are so many ways to save money on food items, household products and cleaning supplies by purchasing the store brand. In many cases (not all) the store brand is of equal quality and you’ll hardly notice the difference!
37. Make Your Own Cleaning Products
Many cleaning products are super easy to make and just as effective (if not better) than store bought traditional cleaners.
The options to make your own cleaning products is super vast and with a quick google search you can make everything from glass cleaner to dishwasher pods!
The options are truly endless.
38. Cut Your Own Grass
Cutting your own grass and doing your own lawn maintenance is another example of ways you can save more money. Many people outsource their lawn care and spend a small fortune on this luxury.
Cutting your own grass is an awesome way to save money and get in some outdoor activity.
39. Shovel Your Own Snow
Living in the north east means that we’re blessed with copious amounts of snow in the winter. Many families in our neighborhood pay companies to come and remove their snow.
Instead of paying out an extra $500 per year we opt to shovel our own snow to save even more money! It’s great exercise too and a great excuse to play with our kiddo in the snow!
40. Do Your Own Home Maintenance Repairs
Doing your own home maintenance repairs is another incredibly smart way to save money. I’m blessed to be married to a very handy guy who can fix virtually anything.
YouTube and google are your best friend when it comes to tackling DIY projects. You can find just about any type of tutorial and save yourself a ton of cash by not calling a repair service!
If you’re interested in seeing what tools my husband owns in anticipation of fixing household issues you should have a look at this post: 21 Must Have Tools For the DIY Home Owner.
41. Don’t Dry Clean Your Clothes
Dry cleaning clothes can get really expensive and we avoid it at all costs!
When you’re shopping for new pieces to add to your wardrobe look to add pieces that you can launder yourself!
42. Don’t Buy Convenience Foods
Snack foods are notoriously expensive. Consumerism is such that we pay hefty prices for convenience so trying to make your own snacks is a great way to save money.
If you’re looking for some family friendly snack alternatives that you can make from scratch have a look at my post about .
43. Turn Off Your TV
Are you one of those people who have the TV on for background noise? If so, you should totally turn your TV off to save on your electric bill.
The smallest changes make huge differences and every penny counts.
44. Take to DIY or Edible Gifts For Special Occasions
When it comes to gifts we often turn to DIY and edible options.
Sweet treats are loved by just about everyone! At Christmas time, rather than spending money on pricey gifts we bake a variety (often more than 20 types) of cookies and gift our loved ones and friends with delicious yummy treats!
If you’re looking for an extensive list of holiday cookies have a look at my 65 Holiday Cookie Recipe post!
45. Wait 14 Days Before Making a Purchase
This was a game changer for us. I’m a reformed impulse shopper and forcing myself to wait 14 days before making a purchase has changed my perception of what I need versus what I want.
Now, we generally mull over our purchases and wait at least 2 weeks to fork over our money. In a lot of cases we end up realizing that we can make do by re-purposing something we already own and don’t end up buying anything at all.
This saves us a huge amount of money every year!
46. Find Free Kid Friendly Activities For Your Kids
Kids activities can get super pricey am I right?
Instead of forking over a heap of money to let your kids take part in expensive activities explore free options in your area.
Play groups, organized park activities, swimming at public pools and other free outdoor or indoor activities in your community are awesome alternatives to pricey activities and excursions.
47. Don’t Play The Lottery
The odds of winning are just so low folks.
I know that you hear stories of a first time lottery player winning a multi-million dollar jackpot. But, realistically, your odds are so low that it’s not worth spending that extra money every week for a chance that is estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 in 14 million.
48. Build Your Meal Plan Based On Sales
When it comes time to plan our weekly meal plan I always build around what is one sale. I make it a point to sit down with our weekly circulars and have a look at what is on sale at our local grocers. I then build a meal plan that is either consists of family favorites or find new recipes to try online.
Building a meal plan based on what’s on sale means that I rarely pay regular price for anything. Instead I take advantage of local sales to save our family money.
49. Batch Cook Whenever Possible
Whenever I get a chance I batch cook to make meal prep even easier. If you’re making a casserole for dinner tonight, why not make double or triple the batch and freeze it?
Batch cooking is awesome (especially if you co-ordinate it with local sales) because it saves money, time and energy.
If you’re ever stuck for dinner or just don’t have the time to put something together you can just pull something you batch prepared our of your freezer for a quick easy dinner. This will save you from ordering last minute take out friends!
50. Invest in a Deep Freezer
If your budget allows for it, investing in a deep freezer is well worth the money. We love ours and load it up with frozen produce from our garden that sustains our vegetable needs basically all winter.
In addition, I freeze meat that I score on sale, leftovers, baked goods and any and all other food items that I don’t want to spoil.
Having a deep freezer not only allows us to batch cook and save food but it helps us reduce food waste. If you’re looking for some tips to reduce the food waste in your house head on over to my post about 25 Surprising Foods You Can Freeze To Reduce Food Waste.
51. Invest In a Programmable Thermostat
We use a programmable thermostat to help us keep our energy consumption under control. We live in a very small two story cottage which means that we are heating 2 floors and a basem*nt space.
To avoid heating areas of our home when they are not being used we use programmable thermostats that turn the heat up or down depending on the time of day.
This small investment has saved us hundreds of dollars of electricity consumption!
Here are a few tips to keep your home warm in the winter but keep costs relatively low!
52. To Avoid Expensive Restaurants, Have Friends and Family Over to Your Place
The one thing we learned pretty quickly when adopting a frugal lifestyle is that we had to say no sometimes. When we were aggressively paying back our debt, dining out was absolutely not part of our budget. So, we had to start saying “no” when friends or family invited us to dine out with them in a restaurant setting.
What we opted to do instead, is have game nights and dinner parties at our home. Our friends and family were more than happy to spend time with us at our house and we got to save the money of dining out at super expensive restaurants.
53. Don’t Pay For Magazine Subscriptions
With the wealth of knowledge literally at our fingertips thanks to the internet, magazine subscriptions are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
If you’re still subscribed to some magazine’s, it would be worth cancelling them to save a couple of extra dollars every month!
54. Grow Your Own Food
We grow a ton of our own food during our short growing season. We freeze more than half the produce we grow to sustain us through the winter months.
If you have a small corner of your backyard where you can plant a few vegetable plants you can save a ton of money by eating fresh produce you grow yourself. If you’re living in an apartment, condo or townhouse without access to a yard you can totally make this work with planters too!
55. Take The Bus More Often
If you’re commuting a lot and spending a good chunk of change on fuel you might want to consider public transportation to cut down on some costs. If you live near a city center your public transport system is more than likely well equipped to get you to your destination in relatively little time.
Taking public transport not only cuts down on fuel costs but helps prevent excessive wear and tear on your vehicle. Bonus! You don’t have to worry about paying expensive parking fees or getting a ticket!
56. Bike If You Can
Biking is such a great form of exercise. In the summer months we love to take our bikes into town when it comes time to run a few errands. We’ve attached bike baskets to each of our bikes which makes transporting food and any other goods we need a breeze! I once brought home over 12 bottles of Tide because it was on sale!
Biking, like walking or taking the bus helps cut down on the cost of fuel!
57. Pay Your Bills On Time
Paying bills on time is vital to avoiding late fees! Paying late fees because you forget to pay a bill is seriously a waste of money. If your budget is flexible enough, set yourself up for automated bill payments!
If you’re living in the paycheck to paycheck cycle and are struggling to pay your bills on time you might want to check my post about why your budget is failing. In that post I outline 5 concrete reasons why your budget is failing so you can get out of that paycheck to paycheck cycle for good and get to paying bills on time with no stress!
58. Shop At More Than One Store And Price Match
Price matching is awesome and nowadays a ton of stores offer it!
Price matching is especially handy if you’re heading to your usual grocery store and want to score the same deal offered elsewhere! Bring your circular with you and get that priced match to increase your savings!
Not being loyal to any one store is important too! I often shop at multiple places to score the absolute best deals and stretch every penny the furthest I can.
59. Always Do The Math On Large Quanitites
This one is super important because often, buying in bulk doesn’t equal the savings you think it does. Whenever you’re looking to buy something in bulk make sure to calculate the unit cost to make sure you are getting the absolute best deal possible.
60. Shop Only Once Per Week
We limit our grocery shopping to once per week to avoid excessive and unnecessary spending.
By shopping once per week, I’m forced to plan my breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks diligently. I make sure to get exactly what I need and don’t have to worry about heading back to the grocery for one item and leaving with 20 completely unrelated items that end up costing me more money mid-week!
61. Never Use Credit Cards
Using credit cards is tricky. If you have rewards cards and know you can pay off the entire balance at the end of the month then absolutely use your cards to earn your rewards. If however, you struggle to pay off your credit cards then it’s best to avoid using them at all costs.
Although we have a credit card we rarely use it. We have it in case of emergencies but use cash or our debit cards instead. This way, we never have to worry about outstanding bills.
62. Pay With Cash When You Can
We’re a cash family. We estimate roughly what our weekly costs will be and pull out the amount once per week. This way we know exactly how much money we have to sustain us for the entire week.
We do go over from time to time and in those cases we use our debit card. But, generally we stick to using cash because every penny is accounted for this way.
A Few More This Tiny Blue House Posts You Might Enjoy
- 10 Clever Hacks to Eat Healthy For Less Money
- 5 Grocery Shopping Tips That Will Save You Money
- 12 Realistic Expenses You Need To Cut Out Of Your Budget
- How to Budget For Baby Without Going Broke
- 5 Ways To Fix A Failing Budget
I Want To Hear From You!
What are some of your favorite ways to save money?
