30 Weird but Effective Ways to Save Money 8
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The Concept of More
When you are wanting to learn to save money the only thing you really need to know is the concept of “MORE“. What the heck am I talking about?
Simple.
In order to save money, you have to you need to think of everything in your life in terms of “MORE”.
How can you get:
more uses out of an item
more time out of an item
every drop out of a product
People who know how to save money understand this concept well. They don’t care if their ideas look weird to others. They will not throw an item away until they have figured out all of the “MORE” in the item and gotten it out.
I thought about this topic recently as I was standing in my kitchen with a pair of my husband’s needle nose pliers. What was I doing with pliers? Well, I was straightening out the clasp on my bra that had gotten twisted up in the washer.
Weird, right? But the bra was nearly new and somehow the clasp had gotten tangled in the lingerie bag. The clasp was bent at an odd angle that made it stick me. It honestly took 5 seconds to straighten it out and make the bra like new again.
Many people would have thrown it right into the garbage. But a frugal (ok, cheap) person will try to figure out a way to get MORE time and use out of that item. I am getting lots MORE wear from that bra. I put off the amount of time until I have to shell out another $30.00 for a new one.
This revelation led me to start looking around at the other odd things that I instinctively do because I am cheap. Some of these things can save you lots of money and some only a few pennies. But, over time, the weirdness pays off in a larger bank account.
Here we go. Don’t judge too harshly.
Step on Your Toilet Paper
It’s weird. But it does work. Especially if you have small children in your house. Before you put a new roll onto the roller, simply step on it to cause a crease making in “not quite round” anymore. This stops children from simply pulling a huge wad off. They have to actually work to get a bit off, making them use much less. Over time, these small bits of saved paper amount to small bits of money left in your wallet. Think I’m nuts? Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Use a Funnel to get Every Drop out of Shampoo, Dish Detergent, etc
Have a funnel in your kitchen solely for this purpose. When preparing to put a new bottle of shampoo or conditioner, take the old bottle and the new bottle into your kitchen. Open both bottles and get out the funnel. Place the funnel into the new bottle and turn the old bottle upside down. Balance it and walk away. When you come back, every drop of shampoo is in the new bottle. Now you are ready to put out the new bottle. This works for dishwashing detergent and any other liquid from a bottle that is hard to remove every drop.
Keep bottles such as ketchup stored upside down
Once bottles of ketchup, mustard, etc. get below half empty, store them upside down. Gravity will help the contents go toward the lid. This helps ensure that you will get every last drop out of the bottle. If you still aren’t able to get every bit out, you can use the funnel trick from #2 or just add a bit of water and shake.
Unwrap bars of soap
This one sounds crazy until you really think about it. When bars of soap are packaged, they hold in moisture. The moisture makes the bars “melt” faster when exposed to water thus causing them to be used up faster. When you purchase bars of soap, I recommend unwrapping them immediately. This allows the bars to dry out allowing them to be used up at a slower rate. As an added bonus, if you place the bars in a nice basket in your bathroom, the air gets a nice fragrance.
Cut fabric sheets into pieces
Fabric dryer sheets come in larger pieces than is actually needed to get rid of the static in your clothing. You can easily cut the sheets in half or even fourths and get the same benefit.
Cut paper towels in half
Many times, we only need a small piece of paper towel but the pre-cut towels are much more expensive. Instead, use a serrated knife to cut the entire roll in half lengthwise all the way through the paper core. The roll will be used at half the normal rate and most people won’t notice the smaller pieces.
Spray silk flowers with hairspray to increase life/color
A little tip I learned from a professional florist. Silk flowers will keep their color and last much longer when sprayed with regular hair spray. This work extraordinarily well for flowers exposed to the elements such as in a cemetery.
Cut your own hair
A good salon cut can cost up to $20.00. You can save lots of money but trimming the ends to extend the time between cuts. If you are in “super saving mode”, keep a style that requires little maintenance. You can find tutorials for hair cutting on YouTube or trade off with a friend you trust and cut one another’s hair.
Have shoes re-soled
Believe it or not, cobblers do still exist. If your shoes are still looking good on top, having them re-soled can save you big bucks. Look in your local directory under “cobbler” or “shoe repair” to find what is available in your local area.
Wash and re-use plastic bags
This can be a controversial subject but I believe it’s worth mentioning. I am actually not certain why there is a controversy. It seems pretty basic common sense. If your ziplock or other plastic bag has had meat or other “gross” food stored in it, it’s garbage. A few pennies are not worth risking the health of yourself or your family. However, if the bag has stored bread, chips, or other “non-gross” food, wash that baby out, throw it over a glass, let it dry, and re-use it. Why would you throw away money? Duh, the question all tightwads ask themselves.
Use grocery bags as liners for small trash cans (bathroom)
There is no need to ever buy small trash can liners for the trash can in bathrooms or bedroom. Every time you go to the grocery store, you come home with 25-30 perfectly sized bags for these cans. They even come complete with their own little handles to make them easy to tie up.
Use pickle juice for base in salad dressing
If you have read my other article called How to Use Coinstar to Jump Start your Savings you already know that my daughter is a pickle junkie. Because of this, we not only have a plethora of pickle jars around our house but we also have tons of pickle juice leftover after the pickles have been eaten. Never one to throw out something perfectly useful, I have developed a way to use the juice. I use it as a base for homemade salad dressings. You can stir in mayonnaise, greek yogurt, herbs, spices, dry Ranch seasoning and anything else that suits the tastes of your family. You can also use a bit of the juice for added flavor in coleslaw.
Shop at thrift stores and yard sales
It is unbelievable to me that some people refuse to shop at thrift stores and yard sales. I cannot understand why a person would choose to spend $50.00 on a shirt that could be bought for $1.00 at a thrift store and probably $0.50 at a yard sale. I know that the $0.50 shirt is not new but that $50.00 shirt is not new after you wear it once. So why pay 1000% more for the new shirt? You do have to be a more aware shopper when buying second-hand but if you check the items well looking for wear, fade, holes, and stains there is no reason not to keep your money in your pocket and buy used. This is especially true when shopping for babies and children. They outgrow clothes much faster than they wear them out.
Make real popcorn, not microwave
This is a rather small thing but all these pennies add up. Microwave popcorn can get rather expensive.
A small box of 6 packages of microwave popcorn can cost $2.99
While popcorn kernels cost only $5.50 for an entire 30-ounce bottle
If you family eats popcorn on a regular basis, this difference can really add up. You can make the act of popping the popcorn into a family affair by taking turns shaking the pot while it is cooking. If that is a bit too much work for you, pick up a used popper at a local thrift store.
Save Money by reusing wrapping paper, boxes, bags, etc.
We all know her. The aunt or grandma who is running around during the holiday celebration grabbing up all the wrapping paper and gift bags and refolding them. OK, that’s me. But so what? That aunt or grandma has learned that small things add up. She will also be the crazy old lady who has a little something to leave you in her will. So, be nice and fold your paper before you give it to her. It will make her (me) happy.
Burn wood
A wood burning fireplace or heater may not be possible for everyone. If you live in an apartment, your upstairs neighbor might not appreciate having a hole in their floor. But if you live in a one-family home or out in the country, this is a great money saving idea.
Winter is my favorite time of year because our electricity bill drops to nearly nothing because we heat almost exclusively with wood. A little sweat equity can go a long way. While buying wood can get expensive, if you get it yourself it is basically free. All you need is a chainsaw, ax, and maybe a splitter and you are ready to go. I’ll be sharing more about this later.
Make coffee at home
A good Starbuck’s can be an awesome treat at the end (or beginning) of a hard day but they are expensive. If you are getting a regular coffee, you can make it at home for a fraction of the cost. If you must have the experience, buy yourself a reusable Starbuck’s cup and keep the $5.00 a day you would spend on the actual coffee. Put it in your pickle jar and watch it grow.
Make frappuccino at home (recipe)
Yes, it’s another Starbuck’s saver. I get it. I love a good Caramel Frappucino. But at $5.00 a cup, there is no damn way I’m doing that. I was able to pick up a Magic Bullet at a thrift store and figured out a way to make my own that is pretty dang close. About ½ cup of strong black coffee, ½ of soy milk, Hershey’s caramel sauce, add a bit of sugar, fill with ice cubes and blend. When it’s finished, you can add whipped cream and a bit more caramel sauce and you are ready to go. Yummy! For a fraction of the cost of Starbuck’s! Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Make DIY laundry detergent
Laundry detergent is ridiculously overpriced. If you have never made your own DIY version, you are in for a real treat. The smell is like a fresh field of flowers. It cleans your clothes great. My husband works in construction so he gets really dirty and I have never had an issue getting his work clothes clean. To top it off, the DIY version costs a fraction of the price of store brands.
With a cost of about $0.10 per load compared to around $0.35 per load, it is a money saver everyone should at least give a try. The recipe is super easy and contains only 3 ingredients.
Dry razor after using to increase life
While this may sound outrageous to even consider with the cheap price of disposable razors, it’s really not about the cost. It’s a saving mentality. It’s really a simple and easy way to get many more uses from one razor blade. All you do is dry the blade after use. Clark Howard even wrote about doing this very thing on his own site. If it’s good enough for Clark, it’s good enough for me. He was able to get almost 12 months from one cheap disposable razor. How long have you gotten?
Clean with vinegar and baking soda
This heading is a little a little deceiving. You don’t need to use the vinegar and baking soda together at the same time unless you are making a volcano. However, used separately these are inexpensive and useful cleaning products for around the home.
Baking soda can be used to deodorize, scrub sinks and bathtubs, degreasing, and laundry. Vinegar is great for cleaning glass surfaces, floors, cutting boards, and laundry.
If you should have a clogged drain, use them both. Pour the baking soda down the drain followed by the vinegar. The chemical reaction will remove many clogs without a visit or bill from the plumber.
Go to library
Anyone who enjoys reading knows that the costs of new books can be a budget killer. There is no reason to purchase new books if you are only reading them once. The local library is a goldmine for readers. With the advent of electronic readers such as Kindle, there is not even the need to leave home to enjoy a new book. Your local library likely offers online checkout of ebooks. All you need is your library card to be reading in minutes. If you are unsure if your library has the capability, check their website or ask when you go in. They can provide all the information you need.
Grow your own vegetables and herbs
Growing your own herbs and vegetables can be a great way to save a few dollars on your grocery bill. If you are blessed with a large area, learning to can or freeze your leftovers will dramatically increase your savings. If space is an issue, use window boxes or place a small herb garden in your window. In addition to the savings, the food will be fresher and healthier for your family.
Order checks online
Ordering check through your bank is an outdated practice. And with a cost of around $12.00 per box, it’s borderline absurd. People aren’t using as many checks as in the past so the amount you need will likely be lower. There are many websites that allow you to order checks online at much lower prices. I use Wal-Mart Printing for my own checks. They have many designs to choose from and the prices are very competitive.
Use cloth diapers
This is not possible for everyone. It does take a fair amount of time but if you are able to put in the time to do the washing, it is an awesome way to save. With disposable diapers costing $40.00 for an economy box, diapers are expensive. By comparison, cloth diapers can be purchased for around $12.00 for 10 so the savings add up quickly.
Breastfeed
Again, this may not be possible for everyone. No judgment here. But this stuff is expensive! At $1.25 per ounce (Holy Crap!) versus FREE, breastfeeding your child is certainly something to consider. We won’t even get into the health benefits for your child (yes, I breastfed, so I am a believer).
Air dry clothes
The clothes dryer is the most expensive appliance to operate in an average home. According to the Consumer Energy Center, the average cost per load for an electric dryer is 32-41 cents. Gas dryers are slightly less expensive at 15-33 cents per load. Sunshine is FREE. It can be a bit annoying having to lug a basket outside and back inside. But for those with the inclination to save, it is a big saving over time.
Re-use old newspapers
If you have read my articles on side hustles, you know that I sell lots of stuff online, mostly using eBay and Amazon. For items that I am shipping to customers myself, I regularly use newspapers for packaging supplies. I would not recommend newspapers for any breakable items as it doesn’t really have the thickness to prevent breakage. But for items that just require a bit of added padding, newspapers can be a great and FREE packaging material.
If you are not shipping many items, you can also use old newspapers as firestarters. The comics are great for using as colorful wrapping paper for gifts, as well.
Get free magazines from local library
The local library is not just for books. You can also get old editions of popular magazines for free or nearly free. My local library has a shelf outside in the foyer for any items they are giving away. It is always filled with magazines. If your local library doesn’t have a shelf, ask what they do with the older editions. They probably just throw them away and would be willing to save them for you if you only ask.
Furniture at local college dorms at end of semester
If you live close to a college, keep track of when the semester ends. Students who are graduating, regularly leave furniture by the dumpster because they are unable to move it with them. This is a great way to furnish your house for nothing.
It can also be a source for a side hustle. I know of at least one reseller who goes around to the dumpsters of a college with his truck and trailer and loads up anything that is nice enough to resale. He rents a nearby storage unit for a month and fills it full of free furniture. Then runs an ad on Craigslist. The customers meet him at the storage unit and pay him cash for stuff he got for free. Talk about an awesome side hustle!
Are some of these ideas and methods weird?
Are you willing to look weird in order to save more of your hard-earned money?
Share your weird money saving ideas in the comments.