Multiple Blue Rings

15 of the Best Little-Known Household Hacks to Save Money

1. Reduce the Use of Paper Towels

I used to use paper towels for EVERYTHING from drying my hands to using it as a plate for snacks. Paper Towels cost a lot of money, and you can reduce this by being more selective when you use them. Think about how you use paper towels and then think about how you can scale back. I still use paper towels but not as often. I always use 

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1. Reduce the Use of Paper Towels

them when I’m cleaning up from cooking chicken with bleach because I don’t want bacteria on my towels.

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2. Shop Your Pantry

Before your next grocery shopping trip, check out your pantry and try to make dinner around the things you ALREADY have. When I started doing this I couldn’t believe all the stuff I already had in my pantry, and it saves me money.

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3. Use Plastic Grocery Bags

That’s right. Keep the grocery bags you get from the store and instead of throwing them away use them as liners for small size trash cans.  This eliminates sticky and dirty trash from defacing the inside of your trash can, and it does not cost you extra money to do it.

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4. Stop Buying Dryer Sheets

If you try these Wool Dryer Sheets for doing laundry you’ll literally save hundreds, and it even shortens the dryer time. They last for thousands of loads, replaces dryer sheets, and softens laundry naturally. Just take a look at the reviews.

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5. Unplug Appliances Not in Use

Is your desktop computer, DVD player, toaster, Lamps, Keurig, TV plugged in? Are you using all of them right now?  I know it can be a drag to unplug and plug them back in when you want to use them but these things take up a lot of energy, and you could save a few hundred dollars per year doing this.

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6. Replace Light Bulbs with LEDs

Gradually replace light bulbs with LEDs. For every LED you install, you could reduce your energy use by up to 80% and save up to $80 over the bulb’s lifetime.  Some LEDs last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Electric companies often offer discounted pricing on qualified LED bulbs to residential electric 

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6. Replace Light Bulbs with LEDs

customers through participating retailers or try these from Amazon

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7. Close the Vents in the Rooms you don’t Frequent

To save money when you turn the air conditioner or heat on, you could save a good amount of money by doing this in a very short time. We all have a certain room in the house that we spend more time in, so why not maximize your use of the heat in the winter and the cold air in the summer by opening the vents in the rooms you use most and 

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7. Close the Vents in the Rooms you don’t Frequent

closing the vents to the rooms you don’t spend much time in? This will force the air to a specific area. You save by not having to turn the heat up more or using portable heaters.

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8. Use a Programmable Thermostat

The Programmable Thermostat will allow you to adjust temperatures for certain days and hours you know you will be away from home.  To maximize energy efficiency, turning your thermostat up or down by 8 degrees while you’re away from your home can help reduce your heating and cooling costs. Setting your 

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8. Use a Programmable Thermostat

thermostat to your ideal temp and never touching it, regardless of the conditions, you could be wasting up to $180/year. Do you have one? We have one like this

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9. Weather Seal Your Windows and Doors

This is not just for the winter but also for the summer months. This 3M Indoor Window Insulator Kit is the #1 Bestseller on Amazon and it lowers heating costs and saves energy.

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10. Don’t Sleep on the Dollar Store

Become familiar with what your dollar stores usually stocks and when you need those items, go there rather than other retail stores where you’ll pay full price. Here is a list of 67 things you should always buy at the dollar store.

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11. Pay Your Bills On Time

I know you’re like duh, but this still needs to be mentioned. Do this to prevent late payment penalties. This also helps your overall credit score and you can benefit from doing this if you use a credit card like we do. We had over $500 in cash back rewards last year aka my Christmas shopping money due to our credit card cashback rewards. 

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11. Pay Your Bills On Time

My husband and I put EVERYTHING on our Chase Freedom credit card and pay our bill off every month in FULL (NEVER pay interest, don’t just give your money away). This is FREE money. The more you charge on your card, the more cash back you’ll receive, that’s why I recommend having ONE credit card that you put everything on. If you 

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11. Pay Your Bills On Time

sign up for the Chase Freedom Credit card as we did, you get a $150 bonus if you spend $500 within the first three months. That should be easy to do if you use it on everything like us. I’m at $654.15 so far this year!

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12. Reduce Cable/Internet Bill

We use Roku, Netflix and you can use Sling for $25 a month for live tv (try it out for 7-days FREE). Sling is nice because you can stop it anytime you want, you are not locked into a contract. This is a huge lifestyle change, but you could save over $1,000 or more a year. If you’re not ready to cut the cord totally, call TODAY to negotiate a 

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12. Reduce Cable/Internet Bill

better price. Cable companies are losing customers daily and will do what it takes to keep your business or at least they should. When dealing with your Internet Service Provider, make sure you’re not paying for high-speed internet you don’t need. Don’t pay for high speeds when all you do is watch Netflix. Also, see if you 

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12. Reduce Cable/Internet Bill

could pair your cable and internet. Bundling your cable and internet can save you hundreds of dollars over the years.

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13. Cook your Own Meals

This doesn’t need much explanation. Cooking your own meals prevent you from having to use gas to drive to a restaurant, pay restaurant prices (they have to make a profit too) and having to leave a tip for the waiter/waitress. Tiffany at Eat at Home has a perfect plan for those who need help meal planning. She provides inexpensive weekly meal 

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13. Cook your Own Meals

plans, grocery lists, and recipes, so you don’t have to.

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14. Brew Your Own Coffee

When I was working I would take advantage of the free coffee at work and buy a hot cup of coffee on the weekends.  Believe it or not, I didn’t have my own coffee maker until a year ago when my husband bought me this Keurig for my birthday. Now that I’m a stay at home mom I brew my own coffee, and I’ve left Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks 

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14. Brew Your Own Coffee

behind. I do take advantage of getting Starbucks for free when I can, holding that cup of Starbucks makes me feel like I have a certain level of prestige (Good Marketing Starbucks!).

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15. Reduce the purchase of Bottled Water

Do you buy bottled water? Stop! I realized I could just use the water filter on my refrigerator or use a water bottle if I want to travel with it. Bottled water doesn’t cost much, but it does add up over time. If you use a water filter be sure to replace the filter every six months, they are costly but consider it an investment. While we are talking about water and 

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15. Reduce the purchase of Bottled Water

saving, can you make this your beverage of choice when going out to eat? The health benefits are great and its FREE!

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