- Sell any items you can and use that money to either pay off debt or buy emergency supplies.
- Get rid of any streaming services. A whole generation complained that cable tv was just too expensive, and now we have 4-5 services that tally up to what we were paying for cable.
- Borrow books from the library or purchase used off ebay.com
- Purchase clothing from a goodwill or buy clearance items from your local big box store.
- Make your own coffee at home. There are many big name coffee shops who are selling beans or ground coffee in the average grocery store.
- If you want pizza or burgers, make them from scratch at home.
- Compile a pantry with multi use ingredients to prepare a variety of meals.
- Return to an old flip phone versus the new hotness.
- Learn how to use substitutes for common ingredients to help prevent you from making an extra trip to the grocery store.
- Grow your own salad ingredients. Lettuce, green onions, radishes, tomatoes and cucumbers are all fairly easy to grow in a small area.
- If you need something, try locating a bartering group to see if you can barter instead of buying it new.
- Reduce the light bulbs to one per room and make sure you cut it off when you leave the room.
- Whenever you need to purchase something new, shop around for the cheapest price.
- The library usually carries a selection of movies that you can reserve online and go pick up, instead of renting through an online service.
- Buy spices in bulk, either Frontier Co-op or Starwest Botanicals.
- Don’t waste money on vacations, especially if you are drowning in debt.
- Portion control on your plate can help stretch left overs even further.
- Be content with what you have.
- Limit your clothes washing to full loads and don’t forget that you have items in there, otherwise it will sour and you will have to spend water and more soap to get out the funk.
- Repair holes in your clothing and learn how to treat stains.
- Take short showers instead of baths.
- Compost your produce waste and turn it into rich black soil.
- Reduce the amount of gifts you give during the holidays.
- Buy a reusable water bottle instead of single use disposable.
- Get rid of your gym membership and work in your garden, walk your neighborhood, or go fishing.
- Choose a reliable car over the new hotness.
- Barter with neighbors or those in nearby neighborhoods.
- Buy board games when they are discounted and use those for entertainment.
- Consolidate trips so you can save gas.
- Cook in batches, if you are making pancakes or waffles, mix up an extra batch for the next day to save time and electricity.
- Rise in the morning and go to sleep at dark. If you can get in the habit or rising and sleeping at certain times, you aren’t wasting electricity.
- Don’t make impulse purchases.
- Eat leftovers.
- Downsize your house and consider purchasing an RV.
- Save all your change in a jar and when it fills up, you can get free coin wrappers from the bank.
- Set up a budget and stick to it.
- Pay your bills on time.
- Use coupons when possible.
- Don’t pay for wood to be brought to your home, scout your land and find your own wood.
- Reuse tin foil if it’s not dirty and messy.
- Only eat when you’re hungry, just because it’s noon doesn’t mean you have to eat. This will help with weight loss goals too.
- Set the temperature in your house and stick to it.
- Reuse your glass jars or plastic butter dishes.
- If one of your appliances breaks, scout out a replacement at a garage sale. Ideally, you want to look for some model from the 40’s or 50’s that works well and is in good condition. It will outlast you and your grandchildren. Most likely.
- Use cash to pay for things.
- If you have a newspaper subscription, cancel it. I promise you, there will be less stress in your life.
- When a bath towel looks less than stellar, move it down to kitchen use, then finally give it to your husband to use as an oil rag.
- Instead of throwing away frayed toothbrushes, use them for cleaning tight spaces that you can’t get with other cleaning brushes.
- Have a yard sale to declutter, especially after Christmas if you have kids.
- Plant a garden.
- Erect an outdoor clothesline and line dry your clothes.
- Wear an apron while cooking to prevent staining your clothing.
- Raise chickens, ducks or other fowl.
- Keep a ledger to see where every penny goes.
- If your hobby cost your money, find one that can be turned into a side hustle.
- Use natural remedies where you can.
Published by Cherie de Vidal
SAHM of 3 special needs kids, wife to Christopher, Permaculture enthusiast, food forest consultant
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