15+ of the Best Little-Known Household Hacks to Save Money
At the beginning of a new year, many set resolutions or new goals they would like to accomplish for the year. One of my goals last year was to reduce my household expenses. So, I came up with some household hacks to save money that I’d like to share with you.
The little things matter and can add up very quickly. Take a look at how to save money in places you may not have realized you’re spending so much.
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Here are a few Money-Saving Hacks that can be used to cut down your Household Expenses
1. Reduce the Use of Paper Towels
I used to use paper towels for EVERYTHING from drying my hands to using it as a plate for snacks. Paper Towels cost a lot of money, and you can reduce this by being more selective when you use them. Think about how you use paper towels and then think about how you can scale back.
I still use paper towels but not as often. I always use them when I’m cleaning up from cooking chicken with bleach because I don’t want bacteria on my towels.
2. Shop Your Pantry
Before your next grocery shopping trip, check out your pantry and try to make dinner around the things you ALREADY have. When I started doing this I couldn’t believe all the stuff I already had in my pantry, and it saves me money.
3. Use Plastic Grocery Bags
That’s right. Keep the grocery bags you get from the store and instead of throwing them away use them as liners for small size trash cans. This eliminates sticky and dirty trash from defacing the inside of your trash can, and it does not cost you extra money to do it.
4. Stop Buying Dryer Sheets
If you try these Wool Dryer Sheets for doing laundry you’ll literally save hundreds, and it even shortens the dryer time. They last for thousands of loads, replaces dryer sheets, and softens laundry naturally. Just take a look at the reviews.
Wool Dryer Balls - Smart Sh...Shop on Amazon
5. Unplug Appliances Not in Use
Is your desktop computer, DVD player, toaster, Lamps, Keurig, TV plugged in? Are you using all of them right now? I know it can be a drag to unplug and plug them back in when you want to use them but these things take up a lot of energy, and you could save a few hundred dollars per year doing this.
6. Replace Light Bulbs with LEDs
Gradually replace light bulbs with LEDs. For every LED you install, you could reduce your energy use by up to 80% and save up to $80 over the bulb’s lifetime. Some LEDs last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Electric companies often offer discounted pricing on qualified LED bulbs to residential electric customers through participating retailers or try these from Amazon
SYLVANIA LED A19 Light Bulb...Shop on Amazon
7. Close the Vents in the Rooms you don’t Frequent
To save money when you turn the air conditioner or heat on, you could save a good amount of money by doing this in a very short time.
We all have a certain room in the house that we spend more time in, so why not maximize your use of the heat in the winter and the cold air in the summer by opening the vents in the rooms you use most and closing the vents to the rooms you don’t spend much time in? This will force the air to a specific area. You save by not having to turn the heat up more or using portable heaters.
8. Use a Programmable Thermostat
The Programmable Thermostat will allow you to adjust temperatures for certain days and hours you know you will be away from home. To maximize energy efficiency, turning your thermostat up or down by 8 degrees while you’re away from your home can help reduce your heating and cooling costs.
Setting your thermostat to your ideal temp and never touching it, regardless of the conditions, you could be wasting up to $180/year. Do you have one? We have one like this
Honeywell Home RTH6360D1002...Shop on Amazon
9. Weather Seal Your Windows and Doors
This is not just for the winter but also for the summer months. This 3M Indoor Window Insulator Kit is the #1 Bestseller on Amazon and it lowers heating costs and saves energy.
3M Indoor Window Insulation...Shop on Amazon
10. Don’t Sleep on the Dollar Store
Become familiar with what your dollar stores usually stocks and when you need those items, go there rather than other retail stores where you’ll pay full price. Here is a list of 67 things you should always buy at the dollar store.
11. Pay Your Bills On Time
I know you’re like duh, but this still needs to be mentioned. Do this to prevent late payment penalties. This also helps your overall credit score and you can benefit from doing this if you use a credit card like we do.
We had over $500 in cash back rewards last year aka my Christmas shopping money due to our credit card cashback rewards. My husband and I put EVERYTHING on our Chase Freedom credit card and pay our bill off every month in FULL (NEVER pay interest, don’t just give your money away). This is FREE money.
The more you charge on your card, the more cash back you’ll receive, that’s why I recommend having ONE credit card that you put everything on. If you sign up for the Chase Freedom Credit card as we did, you get a $150 bonus if you spend $500 within the first three months. That should be easy to do if you use it on everything like us.
I’m at $654.15 so far this year!
12. Reduce Cable/Internet Bill
We use Roku, Netflix and you can use Sling for $25 a month for live tv (try it out for 7-days FREE). Sling is nice because you can stop it anytime you want, you are not locked into a contract.
This is a huge lifestyle change, but you could save over $1,000 or more a year.
If you’re not ready to cut the cord totally, call TODAY to negotiate a better price. Cable companies are losing customers daily and will do what it takes to keep your business or at least they should.
When dealing with your Internet Service Provider, make sure you’re not paying for high-speed internet you don’t need. Don’t pay for high speeds when all you do is watch Netflix. Also, see if you could pair your cable and internet. Bundling your cable and internet can save you hundreds of dollars over the years.
13. Cook your Own Meals
This doesn’t need much explanation. Cooking your own meals prevent you from having to use gas to drive to a restaurant, pay restaurant prices (they have to make a profit too) and having to leave a tip for the waiter/waitress.
Tiffany at Eat at Home has a perfect plan for those who need help meal planning. She provides inexpensive weekly meal plans, grocery lists, and recipes, so you don’t have to.
14. Brew Your Own Coffee
When I was working I would take advantage of the free coffee at work and buy a hot cup of coffee on the weekends. Believe it or not, I didn’t have my own coffee maker until a year ago when my husband bought me this Keurig for my birthday. Now that I’m a stay at home mom I brew my own coffee, and I’ve left Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks behind.
I do take advantage of getting Starbucks for free when I can, holding that cup of Starbucks makes me feel like I have a certain level of prestige (Good Marketing Starbucks!).
15. Reduce the purchase of Bottled Water
Do you buy bottled water? Stop! I realized I could just use the water filter on my refrigerator or use a water bottle if I want to travel with it. Bottled water doesn’t cost much, but it does add up over time.
If you use a water filter be sure to replace the filter every six months, they are costly but consider it an investment.
While we are talking about water and saving, can you make this your beverage of choice when going out to eat? The health benefits are great and its FREE!
Bonus Tips
Use Cashback Apps to get Cashback on Items you’re going to purchase anyway.
Ebates – When I know I want to purchase something and I don’t need it right away, I buy it online (if shipping is free) to take advantage of my Ebates perks. Here’s my January statement for going through their app first before shopping online.
Not bad for purchasing items I was going to buy anyway.
Click Here to get $10 for signing up with my link.
Dosh – This is a money earning app that I love, and not many people have heard of it. All you need to do is link your credit/debit card (don’t worry I checked this out first, it’s safe) and it will automatically give you cash back when you shop, eat, travel, and more at participating local and national merchants.
I forgot I had this app, and I was out to dinner with my husband for our anniversary and received this email after we paid below
and I keep getting these when I shop at participating stores.
Click Here to Sign Up for FREE
Ibotta – I hope you are using this app because you get cashback for groceries and other items you typically purchase anyway.
Here’s How It Works:
- Download the Ibotta App and before you shop, add offers on products you normally purchase anyway.
- Buy the products you selected at any participating store. Don’t forget your receipt!
- Redeem your offers by taking a photo of your receipt. Ibotta will match the items you bought to the offers you selected and give you the cash!
Your cash back will be deposited into your Ibotta account within 48 hours.
You can sign up here and get a $10 Welcome Bonus!
Honey – Another little-known google chrome extension and it is the BOMB (do people still say this?) if you want to save money. You’ll no longer need to search for coupon codes and sales again!
Click on the Honey Google Chrome extension during checkout and Honey will automatically apply coupon codes to your shopping cart
Great way to save money and find deals without doing the work yourself. It’s FREE and you can check it out here.
Final Thoughts
I hope you were able to discover some new ways to save on household items and earn cash back for the items you buy anyway. Do you have any household hacks that I didn’t mention? Please let us know in the comment section.
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Thanks so much, Max! These tips are so helpful.