Weird & Seemingly Random Things I Do That Save Money
Turn the AC Up
Now this one isn’t so weird, but it works oh, so well! I keep my AC set at 76F though I’d rather it be at 72F. To combat the higher temperature, I use a blade-less tower fan about 2 feet from the end of my bed and it keeps the bedroom feeling nice. I also move the fan around when I do things around the house. If you want to raise the temp, but you don’t want the shock of heat, raise the temp 1 degree each week until you get the thermostat where your wallet likes it. I feel like 76F is comfortable enough and the AC runs often enough to keep the humidity down. I really hate humidity, almost as much as the Chancellor on The Regime. I have a dehumidifier on hand for days when the humidity is high.
Buying Clothes Secondhand
This one isn’t weird either, however I buy a majority of my clothes at the thrift store. I have a very eclectic taste so it’s really easy for me to find things. If your taste is more specific, go in with a list of what you’re looking for and keep checking. Go to different thrift stores, some are more clothing centric and have great deals certain days of the week.
Buying One Onion Variety
I am very particular when it comes to food and I’d much rather have all the onion varieties, but buying one kind saves a lot of money. I keep smaller yellow onions on hand because they can work in many different dishes. They can replace white and red most of the time, sometimes they just won’t do, but I find most of the time they’re fine. I buy bags with smaller onions because they go a bit further. You still get the same weight, but you use the whole onion, making it less likely that leftovers get wasted and you’re not using an onion that weighs 3/4 of a pound.
Buy Groceries Based on Sales
It’s a little inconvenient, but it can save soooo much money. I don’t necessarily only buy what’s on sale for the week’s meal plan, I have dozens of recipes picked out that I will make once I’ve acquired all of the ingredients, on sale. I have this antipasto sandwich recipe picked out made with salami, roasted peppers, puff pastry etc. Puff pastry is $$$ but I know it’s going to go on sale, in fact I know all of the ingredients will go on some type of sale at some point. So as they drop in price, I buy them and stash them until I’ve gathered all of the ingredients.
Swapping Ingredients
Sometimes ingredients and the amounts really matter, however sometimes you can make swaps. Reducing the number of ingredients that you need. Today I made a recipe that called for chipotle peppers, fresh corn and sour cream. I didn’t have any of those. I have lots of canned corn so that was an easy swap. Would fresh corn have been tastier? You bet, but I wanted to use what I had and save money. The chipotle peppers weren’t as obvious a swap, but I thought about what I had that could bring a similar flavor profile. Smoked paprika was a great alternative and did just what I needed it to do. Instead of sour cream, I had plain Greek yogurt on hand and was almost as good as sour cream, it just has a different mouth feel.
Eyeballing Ingredients
This won’t work if you’re baking, but I eyeball spices, sauces etc etc etc. it might sound weird, like “how does that save money?”, but if you’re just using a spoon or two, you’re using less water, less soap, less wear and tear on your home, on you. The cost of a meal isn’t just the ingredients, it’s every part of the meal: the prep, the washing, the cleaning, the baking, the storing, etc. I’m sure I could think of more ways cooking costs money, but you get the idea.
Curtains & Blinds
There are certain rooms in my house that get hot in the summer and in the winter they all get cold. Using curtains when the sun hits the room in the summer, cuts down on a lot of heat. Pointing the blinds towards the ceiling helps direct some the heat away from the living areas. I am intentional during the day when using the window coverings. I’d love to blast the house with sun rays all day everyday, but it’s not practical. During the winter I try to keep the windows covered as much as possible, however it is important to get some sun, and if your windows sweat like mine, allow them to dry. I am not a fan of space heaters, they’re too much of hazard, so I avoid them.
Replace Shower Curtain Liners Every 4 to 6 weeks
I despise a smelly or moldy shower liner. Shower curtain liners can be super pricey to replace often. Washing them can be messy and I’ve had my fair share break in the washer plus it costs about $2 to run the washer not including the bleach you’ll use. I buy Dollar Tree shower liners for a $1.25 which is more cost effective than washing, allowing me to replace them before they get gross.
Buy Clearanced Candy After Major Holidays
I almost never buy candy full price. I head to Target a few days after a holiday, waiting for the 50% off sale and I go back 3 days later to score what’s left at 70% off. I have food buckets with Gamma lids where I store all the tasty morsels. The buckets keep pests and moisture out. I also make sure to keep the bucket in a cool, dry place. Chocolate lasts a long time after the holiday and if you don’t mind Easter candy at Halloween, you can save some major coin. I’ve been making my blender mousse with leftover Easter chocolate from last year…it’s still fresh and nice believe it or not.
Use Conditioner to Shave Legs
I use conditioner to shave my legs and underarms. It’s one less thing to buy and bother with a few times per year.
Shop at Food Salvage Stores
I base my grocery run by what’s on sale and what’s available at the food salvage store. If you’ve never been to a food salvage store, it might be scary, but if you can get past the weirdness of it, you can SAVE! The food is usually near expiration or just past it. The one thing I refuse to buy, is any meat that is raw. It’s usually frozen at this type of store, but I don’t know at what point in the meat’s lifespan that it started its life in the freezer. I’m not chancing it. It all depends on what your store can get, but I regularly get half n half for 50¢ a quart, Parmesan for 99¢ and 24 name brand yogurts for 99¢. At Thanksgiving, I scored name brand puff pastry for 99¢ a box and name brand pie crust for 50¢ a box. Seriously it can be great, however there are not a lot of food salvage stores in existence, so if you have one, check it out.
I sat down to make this list, not realizing how many random things I do to cut costs. There are even more things that you can do outside of this list, but it should get you started! Running a household is never just the cost of the tangible items purchased, it’s the utilities, wear and tear, time spent and so much more. If you want to save money look at your lifestyle inside, backwards, upside down and inside out, to try new ways that you can save.
