Are you looking to add some time and money-saving hacks to have at least a little extra of both? Look no further–these twenty-one unexpected life hacks that will save you money.
These tricks are all relatively easy and, of course, easy on the budget! It’s an excellent way to be mindful of your finances while also working toward bettering them.
To set yourself up for success, you just need a little planning and minor swaps to start seeing things turn around.
1. Use Clips to Squeeze Out Toothpaste
I know we’ve all wrestled some toothpaste out of a tube at some point in our lives only to throw it away, knowing some of the paste remained.
A surefire way to know you’ve gotten every last drop is to add a clip like this to the end, and it’ll push everything toward the opening.
With a method like this, using the toothpaste for much longer is easy. Show children early, too, so they can properly learn and use every tube to its fullest extent every time.
You’ll also want to know these other brilliant binder clip hacks!
2. Use Cooking Water to Water Plants
By saving your cooking water, you reduce your water bill and reusing water, which is a great plus.
The different nutrients from the food also benefit the plants’ growth–think of it as a very specific type of compost.
3. Remove Fingerprints with Dish Soap
Another incredibly simple fix of homegrown cleaners is just store-bought soap to erase pesky fingerprints in stainless steel (and other) appliances.
Add a drop of soap and a bit of water to a sponge and start wiping away. Go back over with another wipe to clear any remaining soap or water.
4. Sanitise your Dish Sponge in the Washing Machine
To save money on sponges, throw your sponges in with a load of kitchen towels or something like that to sanitize them.
After a week of washing dishes, you never know what could still lurk–by throwing it in the laundry, you can re-use the sponge for the coming weeks.
You’ll also want to know these other life hacks every girl needs!
5. Replace Incandescent Bulbs with CFLS or LEDS
Classic lightbulbs work well, as we’ve seen throughout our lives, but now energy-saving options use fewer materials.
Replace the classic one with a more efficient option, either a CFL like this or an LED like this one.
6. Use Every Last Drop of Detergent/Soap
I was raised this way– adding a bit of water to get every last pump of soap out of the container can help stretch each bottle’s lifespan.
You don’t have to go overboard with this hack, but it beats tipping it all sorts of angles for a bit of soap.
7. Write a Grocery List Before Shopping
This hack saves time and money by exclusively focusing on the list’s items. It’ll save you from wandering down any aisle and keep you away from impulse buys.
8. Make a Budget List
Budgeting can be a trickier concept for some than others, but by breaking it down to a minimalist form, the cash distribution can make it easier to decide how much should go where. One of the best resources I’ve found for budgeting social media channels is the people around m
9. Prepare Your Food
It sounds too simple to be true, right? But eating takeaway or dining out immediately eats away at any budget if it becomes a regular habit.
Shopping and prepping your own food makes each item stretch farther, as well as your budget.
Check out these other practical life hacks to improve your daily life!
10. Exercise At Home
The same idea applies to exercise classes. Home workouts are free; pull what you like from the classes you have attended or find a video that matches your preferred exercise.
And if you’re missing the community aspect, start a workout club with some friends and pick different free alternatives throughout the year.
11. Sell Unnecessary Items
You probably had something flash through your mind as you read this hack. We all have that item or items–so why not sell it or them, free up some space, and make some money off of it!
12. Unplug Unused Electronic Devices
This hack may surprise some, but as long as a plug is plugged into an outlet, that electrical circuit is complete and still expending energy. You don’t have to unplug everything all the time.
Pick and choose what you’d like to do, whether it’s one or all–you’ll save energy regardless.
13. Open a Savings Account
A savings account seems like too easy of an answer, but it’s a safe place for money to sit where there isn’t immediate access to it.
Shop around to look at types of savings accounts; also, many offer various perks.
14. Bring Reusable Bags to the Store
You may think buying a few bags while at the store every time seems harmless enough, but that cost adds up over time.
By bringing your own, you’ll cut costs, and you won’t have to have a stash of flimsy bags around.
15. Try Passive Cooking
Passive cooking is the simple act of bringing something up to temperature or boiling, then removing the pot from the heat and putting a lid on.
This must-know mom hack helps cut down on your energy bill.
16. Walk More
We all know that every aspect of a car, or any mode of transportation, doesn’t come without fees and other various troubles.
By planning out your day with walking involved, that extra bus fare, or gas money, you can treat yourself by adding it to your savings or grabbing a cup of coffee.
17. Make Your Own Glass Cleaner
Commercial cleaning agents are generally overpriced, and buying a few products can completely tip your bill.
Making your own cleaners is way cheaper and lasts much longer; start with a simple glass cleaner.
18. Hang Clothes Out Instead of Using the Dryer
19. Drink Tap Water
Tap water is an overlooked but viable and great option to save with. All water services or options are expensive and create waste; the tap is simply free, and nothing extra is needed.
20. Do Not Use Disposable Plates, Glasses and Cutlery
The idea of one-and-done is nice until you look at your bills and realize how much of your budget was wasted on something you only throw away.
Grab a starter set like this if you live with a few people or alone.
21. Make Your Bathroom Cleaner
As mentioned previously, one of the best money savings hacks is by creating your own cleaners.
They have overall cleaner ingredients made from simple household items–things like white vinegar, baking powder or soda, essential oils, etc.