Who doesn’t want to reduce their household bills?
No really, if you don’t please comment so that I can envy your carefree life.
Stacy Makes Cents did a guest post for today at Frugally Sustainable’s Day 4 of the 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge which really surprised me and gave me a boost of confidence. Out of the “15 Easy Ways to Save Money On Your Household Bills” I was so excited to have so many of these things already checked off on my list.
Totally awesome!
A few things that I felt I needed to pay more attention though stuck out.
1. Buy in Bulk – the savings for buying in bulk are usually very high, especially on things like beans, rice, and flour. Instead of buying two bags of flour, why not buy 50 pounds at once? This is a gradual process and not one you should tackle in one month. If you wonder how to make your budget stretch for this to happen, check out this great bulk buying tutorial from Penniless Parenting
2. Use Coupons – I am a self professed Coupon Queen who has turned into a Frugal Healthy Housewife . I don’t use many coupons anymore because I find myself buying scratch ingredients and making my own household products . However, there are savings to be had with coupons – just don’t go overboard and buy a bunch of junk. Save coupons for the toilet paper, man. For great tutorials and lessons on how to coupon, check out Southern Savers.
3. Use Space Heaters – In the winter, we find ourselves cutting our heat pump down to around 65-68 degrees…sometimes even less than that because I’m tighter than Dick’s hat band. Then, if we get cold we use a space heater to only heat the room that we’re in. Wonder what the cost savings on using space heaters is? Check out this breakdown from The Simple Dollar .
11. DIY – Try making that gift yourself. Read up online and figure out how to fix your washer. Don’t just run out and buy something new or hire someone if it is something you can do yourself. I’m blessed with a very handy husband. We always try to fix things ourselves first. If it doesn’t work out, THEN we call in the help. By trying first yourself, you haven’t really lost anything – unless you break it beyond repair…..not that I’ve done that or anything. *Cough*
12. Buy Used – This is one of my favorite philosophies of the Duggars. For the most part, we try to buy used instead of buying new: used computers, used furniture, used appliances, etc. The savings are HUGE! “Yes, but Stacy you don’t get a warranty.” That’s okay with me. If I’m paying half the price and it works for at least half the time of the brand new item, I’m golden. So far, we’ve never had a problem with anything we’ve bought used. Check out Craigslist.org. Embrace it my friends. It’s a beautiful thing.
15. Make Homemade Cleaners – I’m still astounded at how much I save by making homemade cleaners. I also avoid worrying that Annie will turn into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle by breathing in bleach fumes. My homemade laundry detergent saves us a bundle! Check out Andrea’s recipes for toilet bowl cleaner and soap scum spray . Embrace white vinegar and baking soda. They are your friends.
Out of the fifteen things on the list, what things do you already practice? What are some things you would like to start doing?
As We Grow Green 
I agree with many of your ideas here especially #2 and #12. We use lots of coupons as well or should say used. Now if its free or near free only as we have stocked up on household items for many years. You do need to take care you are not buying items you won’t use unless you will donate them.
In terms of “buying used” I 100% agree with you. We haven’t had any problems thus far and everyone who visits us is astonished how beautiful our home is. Shhhh.. If they only knew!
Great Blog!
Coupon’s are such a challenge for us, mostly because we use more whole foods now and have tried a lot to stop using so much processed food. I’ve been consider stocking up on some things though, like just in case of an emergency.
I’ve only ever purchased a used bookshelf, haha, so it will be interesting for me to get some different kinds of furniture that require a bit more of a challenge.
Thanks!
Coupons are my main challenge as well. I never remember that I have them and wind up going over their expiration date haha
Thank you very much for tagging me! I am so glad to hear you’re doing great on your frugal journey! Being frugal is FUN. 🙂
Well thanks for always making such awesome posts 😀
Awesome posts only means I have awesome readers. 🙂
Estate sales are great places to find all kinds of household items at a decent price. Around mid-day of the second day of the estate sale they cut the prices in half. By that time there’s not as much to chose from but if you find something you need (or want) you can’t beat the price!! Thrift stores are another place to find great bargains. I agree with Candianbudgetbinder. Most people would be astonished if they knew that 95% of the furniture in our apartment is from the thrift store and a re-house place. We have three good thrift stores close to where we live and we visit them frequently because the merchandise is always changing. I’ve never had any problems buying clothes, dishes, craft goods or even a few jewelry items.
That is really awesome!