We all have a number of expenses each month. Food, utilities, car payments, fuel, premium service subscriptions, makeup, clothing, cleaning supplies, the list goes on-and-on. It’s a wonder we can afford it all. However, for those who have a little extra time and a fair amount of will, despite all of these costs we are able to keep a little extra money ours to perhaps, “treat-yo-self.”
You’d be surprised that after all the vitals are taken care of, just how much you can exercise your frugality within your household. Many homeowners have managed before you, and many will manage after you. That means taking inspiration from their knowledge, learning how to better support yourself and trying to stop throwing money away unnecessarily
Credit card debt: If you’re facing big credit card debt, consider transferring it to a card with a lower interest rate. If you can qualify for a 0% offer, those typically give you somewhere between 6 and 12 months of 0% interest. So if you think you can get the total balance paid off within that 0% interest period, it’s worth transferring the debt so you don’t pay interest on it while you get it paid off during that period.Just make sure you know you can get it paid during that 0% offer period, but after that, the interest rate typically jumps up pretty high.
Prescriptions: The costs of prescription medications have been dramatically increasing and it can have a big impact on your monthly budget. The good news is that there are actually some ways to reduce what you pay for your prescriptions! I wrote a huge blog post with all the information on how to save money on prescriptions. How to Easily Save Money on Your Prescriptions (Hidden Secret Revealed)
Cable/TV/Movies: Have you heard of “cutting the cord” yet? When we moved, we cancelled our Direct TV which we were paying over $200 a month. For convenience we decided to just get the Amazon stick and use apps to watch TV. We then got the Direct TV app that we pay $40 a month for and it includes ‘live tv.’ If you have been thinking about it, I highly recommend it. Also, if you shop amazon, when you see the shipping option to wait for delivery and get $1 for digital files, that is for music or videos, and that can really add up!
A Little Investment Now Means Big Returns Later: You’d be surprised how investing in your home can pay itself off over time, and also lead to higher quality arrangements there. For example, this replacement windows guide can help you figure out how to improve your insulation by a dramatic degree, which is especially important when this year’s winter comes in its chilly waves and your family needs to stay warm. Not only this, but as windows can last decades upon decades in some cases, it could be that once the initial investment is paid off, you continue to benefit year after year.
Meal Planning Can Go A Long Way: From buying wholesale and storing items in the freezer or a pantry cupboard to planning your meals ahead of time (as in cooking large batches and freezing them for a future date) can help you avoid the pitfalls of wasting too much on your grocery budget.
Additionally, it can also help you eat much more healthily. When you save money on the bulk buy items such as meat and carbs, you can invest in fruit and vegetables more carefully. Furthermore, you become a smarter consumer. For example, frozen vegetables are known to be much more nutritionally dense than their fresh counterparts, because they are frozen on-site after being picked instead of waiting on the shelf in a supermarket for days at a time. It’s rare you fine a win-win like this.
Grow your own produce: This might seem like a lot of work, but just planting a couple of vegetable plants a year can save you money. This year I planted tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, basil, cilantro, garlic and chives. It is so fun to watch, and your kids love seeing something come from little seeds. I got so much produce this year for pennies on the dollar.
Home Repairs: Understanding how to best apply home repairs and upholstery can potentially help you save plenty of money. From learning invisible stitching to help repair your curtains, to replacing the sofa fabric torn by your cats claws, learning a few life skills can often help you overcome the unnecessary replacements you may have otherwise considered. It is these time-honored housekeeping skills that can make the difference for anyone. You can find step-by-step guides on how to do basically any home repair from the mundane to the extravagant on You Tube or even looking up a hashtag on instagram.
With this advice, we hope you feel empowered when running your home more frugally.
Coffee: I know, I know. How dare I even suggest this as an option? Even if you switch your $5.00 coffee just three times a week for coffee you make at home for about $.63 cents a cup, you can save over $15.00 a week = $60.00 a month = $720 a year. Just think how you could put that towards your credit card debt that you just transferred to that 0% interest rate.
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