If you are looking for household hacks to save money, then look no further! Here is a list of 30 life hacks to use at home that will help you save money by doing things differently.
These household hacks are innovative ways to do things in your house that will save money and make life a little easier, without too much elbow grease!
The secret to saving money is in the little things. The following household hacks are all easy to use and will help you save money on a daily basis.
Saving just a few dollars, is it worth it?
As the saying goes
‘A penny saved is a penny earned’
One little trick might only save a tiny amount of money. But over the course of a year, you can save hundreds of dollars by implementing some or all of these household hacks into your day to day life.
So yes, definitely worth it!
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30+ SECRET Household hacks to save money
How can I save money as a homeowner? Is a question I hear many people ask, because being responsible for your own home costs money. Whether you own or rent, there are money saving hacks to help you out.
1. start with your heating and cooling system
Heating costs can be incredibly expensive if you either live in a very cold place or need an air conditioner and ceiling fans to keep cool in summer.
So it makes sense to start with reducing your energy bills as they are ripe for making big savings.
2. Use a Programmable Thermostat
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Programming your thermostat allows you to set timers for your heating to come on at the same time each day and never when you are out of the house.
3. Don’t heat rooms you are not using
When you are at home, only heat the rooms you are using and turn off the heat in the others. Also make sure to close doors leading to unused rooms and avoid keeping the door open when the heating is on.
4. turn down the heat and your AC
With a thermostat you can also lower the temperature to keep your house cooler in winter.
Combine this with other household money saving hacks like wearing extra layers and see how much extra money and energy you end up saving.
A friend of mine, who’s on a very tight budget, keeps her thermostat at 15c (59f). And yes, she has young children. 15c is too cold for me but I layer up before turning it up and aim for never higher than 18c (64f).
If you live someplace that means air conditioning and a ceiling fan are a must, then aiming to get used to a slightly higher inside temperature is a way to save. I’m not talking about turning up the dial to 80f of warm air.
Try turning up the thermostat by 1 degree to start with. Get used to that and turn it up another notch.
How to keep the house cool? Keep curtains closed to block out the sun. Keep windows closed on hot days to stop the hot air creeping in.
Related post: How To Keep Your House Warm In Winter And Save Money
5. Keep up with maintenance
Maintaining your furnace, boiler, your home and your car will save you thousands of dollars in just a few years. Sometimes spending money on the maintenance of household items such as air filters and tools can save time, money and hassle in the future.
Regular maintenance can prevent bigger, more expensive problems happening. Keep your emergency fund intact by spending a few minutes clearing that to do list of house tasks that have been there a little too long.
6. Use baking soda as a carpet stain remover
Not only does this clean the carpet area affected, but it also deodorizes and sanitizes. Here is how to do it.
Just sprinkle the carpet stain with
7. Weather Seal Your Windows and Doors
This indoor
It keeps the heat in and the cold air out and probably one of the cheapest diy household hacks to save money on your energy bills. I used this on my first house because we couldn’t afford to upgrade our windows.
8. Rent tools instead of purchasing them
A lot of the time you can rent a tool for far less than it will cost to purchase it. Often you need one tool for a specific job, never to be used again.
It’s much more cost effective to rent a tool than purchase it. Even better if you can borrow from a neighbor and return the favor later.
9. Try The DIY yourself
This is a great way to avoid wasting money and learn some new skills. There is no shame in doing things yourself, especially when there are videos online showing you how to do it.
DIY projects are a great way to save money, learn something new and impress family with your newly acquired skills. Find your favorite DIYer on YouTube and follow them as they tackle different jobs around the house.
What can I DIY to save money?
You can try your hand at DIYing anything! Hanging a shelf, making custom wall art or even basic sewing are all things you could try. But don’t stop there. Anything that needs doing around the house can be DIY’d instead of calling in a professional.
But please, stay away from electrics, gas and water unless you really know what you are doing. The professionals are qualified for a reason.
10. Replace incandescent bulbs with LEDs
Incandescent lightbulbs are much less energy efficient than the new LEDs. LEDs aren’t cheap to buy but replacing old bulbs when needed with them is one of the ways to save money over time.
You can buy
11. Use power strips
If you have multiple electronics that need to be plugged in then use a
This way you can plug everything into one socket and turn off all the gadgets at once when not in use. It saves electricity since your gadgets aren’t drawing power when they’re turned off.
12. catch your rain water
A rain water barrel or water butt can be a great investment for your house. Use it to water the garden and take advantage of all that free rain! Save water to save money. In fact many plants actually prefer rain water to tap water.
You can find
I use
13. Dry clothes outdoors
You can go green to save money when you dry clothes outside. It’s more eco-friendly as your clothes aren’t getting blasted with hot air from an electric dryer. And then of course the cost savings! This is one of those genius home hacks that will save you a fortune over time.
One downside is that it definitely doesn’t save time which isn’t a big deal unless you have a lot of laundry to get through. I put a washing load on overnight so I can hang it out first thing in the morning. I can then get another large load out a few hours later.
Although it takes a little more time to hang washing outside and bring it back in again the advantages of saving more money and having fresh smelling clothes are worth it. In my humble opinion.
14. Stop Buying Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are way more expensive than wool dryer balls. You’ll reduce your budget by not buying them and you can buy a bag of these
15. Plan meals around sales at your local store
Take a look at the weekly store flyer and plan your meals around what’s on sale. If meat is on special buy enough to last until the next good sale comes up and freeze it. If you see a great deal on fresh vegetables buy as much as you can, that you know you can use.
16. line your fridge drawer with newspaper or paper bags
This is an old fashioned living tip, something our grandparents did. Lining your vegetable drawer with paper helps your veggies to last longer. The paper absorbs the moisture and keeps them fresh for longer.
17. Be flexible about meat
Eating a vegan or vegetarian meal two or three times a week can save you an enormous amount of cash. At a time when meat prices are increasing people are now looking to eat vegetarian foods to save money.
Related posts:
20 Easy Cheap Vegan Recipes Everyone Will Devour
21 budget meatless meals to save money
18. Shop your pantry
You’ve already spent your hard earned cash on the food in your fridge, freezer and cupboards.
These are the places to start with when you are thinking about meals for next week. One of the cheapest ways to shop is to create a meal plan around what you already have. You won’t have to spend so much at the store.
19. Drink more water
Bottled water is more expensive than gasoline, but you and I know the health benefits of water such as good hydration and better skin. What to do?
Drink water but don’t buy it! Use the water from your tap/faucet. It’s either completely free or incredibly low cost. Buy yourself a reusable water bottle, I have
Instead of having to pay for soda, coffee and other cold drinks when you’re out and about, never forget to take your water bottle with you.
But my water tastes foul!
If you really think your tap water is not great tasting then do two things. First put some in the fridge and see how it tastes then. Cold water is a very different taste to straight out of the tap.
If that doesn’t convince you then get yourself a water filter. You can either get one fitted to your tap/faucet
Or you can go for the cheaper option and purchase a water filter jug.
20. Buy generic at the grocery store
Don’t pay for premium brands just because. Generic and value brands cost much less than premium and taste just fine in their own right.
Premium brands cost more partly because the manufacturer needs to recoup all the advertising budget they spend trying to tell us their product is best!
For more shopping hacks to save money check out my post on the best 70 ways to save money on groceries.
21. batch cook
Batch cooking does not mean spending hours in the kitchen or cooking up huge vats of one recipe.
All it means is, when possible, cook a double batch of the recipe you are trying. Double the ingredients and follow the instructions as normal.
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Once cooked you have one meal for now and a meal for later. Pop it in the freezer and the meal becomes your own ready meal.
Related posts:
20 Super Easy Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
15 Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes For Busy Days
22. don’t waste food
Wasting food costs money. When you throw out food that’s gone off or is already rotting, it means you are throwing away the food you’ve already paid for.
If you find an item in your fridge about to go bad – use it up, don’t let it go to waste. You can use almost anything that has turned for another meal.
- Tomatoes turning brown – make fried tomatoes with your toast at breakfast.
- Cheese turning dry and hard – grate it over pasta or salad dishes.
- Leftovers from dinner last night – turn them into a breakfast burrito or an omelette for lunch.
I’m all about hacks to save money but seriously, please don’t add to the food waste mountain! Buy only what you need and plan your meals around sales and coupons so you can spend less your food shop.
23. stop using paper towels
Paper towels are expensive and not necessary.
Replace paper towels with old, clean t-shirts you no longer wear. The t-shirt material is soft enough to wipe up spills without scratching your counters.
Alternatively, grab yourself some microfiber cloths. I have these
24. Cook Cheap Recipes
Meals with fewer ingredients are less expensive than those with many ingredients but they can still be expensive meals.
Focus your meals on using cheaper ingredients so the whole meal is cheap. Meals made with rice, pasta and beans can cost less than $1 per portion.
Related post: 100+ Of The Best Cheap 5 Ingredient (Or Less) Recipes
25. Use the 30-day saving money rule
What’s the 30 day rule with money all about? The 30-day saving money rule is designed to help you spend less and shop less. Basically, if you see something you want to buy, wait 30 days before doing so. Put the money for that item in a savings account while you wait.
If you still really want it at the end of that time then go ahead and get it. Make sure you have the money though, no going into debt.
26. Create a uniform for work
Working in an office you can often wear most things, but this means you can end up wearing all your nicer things to work then feel like you need to buy something new for going out.
Why not create a work uniform revolving around base colors such as black or navy trousers/skirts and jackets along with a number of blouses/shirts?
Go one step further and purchase them from charity shops. You also save decision making time in your morning routine.
This is one of the best ways to save money that I have used. I created my own work uniform over 10 years ago and probably spend about £50 a year on work clothes.
This is one of those genius home hacks that few people think of doing, don’t be them.
27. Make Your Own Gifts
Making your own gifts to give as presents saves money.
Jams, chutneys, other gifts in a jar and even home baking can be turned into beautiful gifts that people actually want and need.
Painting something is an easy way to save money and make your own unique Christmas and birthday cards or gifts.
28. Recycle Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be. Wrap presents in newspaper, brown kraft paper or old wallpaper sample books instead of buying wrapping paper.
Add some colorful yarn or ribbon and you have a homemade wrapping and a pretty gift. Christmas is obviously the best time to use this tip but it’s also great for birthday presents too.
The wrapping paper recycling idea is what I do every year when buying my own presents.
29. Use your thrift and charity stores
Don’t go straight to your usual store for the new item on the shelf, check your local thrift stores/charity shops first.
You may end up finding something similar and for less money. Thrift stores often get new items donated so stuff is always changing. If you don’t find what you want at a thrift store, then go online, wait another day or visit your regular store.
As per the tip above, I bought my entire work wardrobe from charity shops over the years. I’ve also bought tools, toys, books and more. I think of the money I save as free money!
30. Dollar Store and Pound shops
The dollar store and UK pound shop are great places to pick up all types of household items, at very cheap prices.
I love shopping here because I can buy cheap hardware, tools, toys and other things that I can either use to make minor repairs around the house entertain the grandkids with.
A little word of warning, for new customers to these stores, be aware that you can walk out having spent way more than you planned. Those $1 and £1 items can easily add up to 20 or 30 of them!
31. Make Homemade Cleaners
Instead of buying expensive cleaning products to clean the house why not make your own? There are recipes online for homemade cleaners that you can use to clean kitchens, bathrooms and more.
The best thing about using homemade cleaners is that they’re hazardous chemical free so great for the environment too.
I know it’s annoying when things get dirty but just think of all the money you’ll save by not buying cleaning products to replace your originals!
Home hacks to save money you can use today
Give some of these money saving household hacks a try today and see how much you can save.
You could weather-seal your doors and windows for an easy but effective change or buy generic products to get the same quality as name brand items without paying extra.
Cooking cheap recipes is also a great way to save on food costs while batch cooking will keep you from wasting time in the kitchen every day. Finally, if you’re looking for cheap hacks to save your money this holiday season, make your own gifts!
Home hacks are a great way to save money, and can make life easier. You don’t have to be an expert at anything – with these 30 secrets you will know everything there is about saving money around your home!
Start taking back control of your money by grabbing your copy of the Money Saving Starter Guide today.
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Last Updated on 20th September 2021 by Emma
