Being an adult comes with a wide array of responsibilities you are unable to escape. Between paying rent, other expenses associated with it, and finding the funds to travel still, life can sometimes get complicated.
Because of these reasons, we’ve come up with seven upbeat life hacks that will help your bottom line. Although these tips and tricks are small adjustments that won’t make you suddenly rich, when combined, they can help you save a pretty penny.
- Have a Piggy Bank for Spare Change
Most people believe that loose change doesn’t account for much. Nonetheless, you can often find extra cents in junk drawers and couches too. You might not think change will make much difference, but after a year of saving spare change, you could use the savings to buy a memory foam mattress! It’s easy to convert change too by going to the bank or the supermarket, where there are Coinstar machines to entice you. Among others, you won’t need to pay any fees to convert your little coins to a variety of gifts, including Amazon cards.
Especially if you are prone to buying your Christmas and birthday presents using the Prime or Subscribe option, every little bit helps. The best part: you can teach your little ones a thing or two about responsibilities and saving money –even coins!
- Purchase Solely Efficient Lighting
Old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs should be out the door, enough to make room for more affordable and energy-efficient LED alternatives. Not only will you help your bank account, but also the environment. It’s important to remember that although the initial investment will leave a sour taste in your mouth, the total lifetime savings will significantly outweigh anything else.
- DIY Cleaners, Essential Oils, and More
Making your cleaning products, including laundry detergent, is seamlessly smooth. For example, you can use baking soda, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice for rinsing kitchen and bathroom surfaces, or even the toilet.
When it comes to laundry, many minimalists and environmentalists are starting to use essential oils for cleaning clothes –with citruses being the most renowned and preferred.
Everyday household items can also be homemade, like DIY toothpaste. There are any number of things that you can make DIY—it just requires some research and preparation.
- Pack Your Lunch Ahead of Time
Buying your lunch might give you an extra ten minutes in bed, provided that you’re too lazy to pack it the night before. Brown bagging your food can save a decent amount per week, which can then be used at a restaurant with your partner or for a new toy for your baby.
Alternatively, you can think of it another way: you’ll stay healthier by using your own ingredients, and you have guaranteed peace of mind about your willpower and commitment to saving money.
- Recycle and Get Rewarded for ItPrograms like Recyclebank can offer your multiple benefits, including coupons for supermarkets, restaurants, and even free magazines. In fact, you’re even able to sell your old electronics for cash on sites like uSell, Gazelle, and NextWorth. Again, these are perfect for showing children what responsibility is, and how to responsibly get rid of junk.
- Make Your Beauty Products
Similar to making DIY cleaning and laundry products, it’s incredibly easy to design beauty products, for skin, hair, or body. More specifically, you’ll only need household items such as oatmeal, honey, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, and other similar ingredients.
Nowadays the promise of organic products comes at a high premium, and so you should take full advantage of DIY products. In fact, you might even find a new hobby, or you’ll start selling your items online.
- Prepare to Do Some Painting
There is no denying that we are, at times, too lazy for our own good. When faced with the task of painting your walls or furniture, bring out the paint and get out of your comfort zone. While you might not do the most professionally-looking job, you will learn about patience –it’s a well-known fact that painting can also reduce anxiety and stress!
You can also have a painting party should you be decorating different rooms of the house. Invite your friends over with the promise of red wine; it might even bring you closer to old and new friends. A word to the wise: drink the wine after painting and not before!
- Keep Up with Your Health
Keeping up with your health, whether it’s scheduling an annual STD check-up or making a dentist appointment, can be a huge money-saving hack. When you maintain your health, you can also ensure that you don’t end up in an emergency medical situation that could be dangerous for your life and much more expensive in the long run.
- Ditch the Repeat Buys
Things like razors that you end up buying every month can slowly add up and drain your bank account without you even realizing it. Ever heard of nickel and diming? That’s what repeat buys do. Instead of buying these items every month, consider investing in a long-last beard trimmer. It won’t need to be replaced as often, saving you potentially a few hundred a year.
- Cut Costs Where You Can
This is specifically for all the business owners and entrepreneurs out there: if you own a website, look at how much you’re spending on web hosting. You might be surprised to know that web hosting costs have gone down in recent years. Find a more affordable web hosting service for your budget and watch your monthly overhead drop drastically.
- Go for Quality
It might seem counterintuitive, but sometimes selecting quality over cost for certain items can be a money-saving hack. There are certain things that simply won’t work when they are worn out, and it ends up being more expensive to keep replacing them. If you have a family of avid outdoor enthusiasts, for instance, invest in quality hiking gear. If you wear a watch every day, shop for a durable and time-tested watch from Tissot or another reputable brand. These types of items need to be dependable, so it’s worth your money to shop for quality.
Conclusion
There you have it, seven creative ways of reducing daily costs and saving a pretty penny. While there are many more ways in which you can save money, you will need to think out of the box and try to reduce expenses, one day at a time. Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t reinvented the wheel after a few months. Every little adds up!
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