So you’ve seen your monthly bills and have a bit of a headache. After all, it’s often tough keeping up with the utilities and other expenses. The good news is you can almost always resolve your financial woes with a bit of planning — and some extreme saving methods.
Really extreme.
Of course, some of these suggestions may leave you asking, “Wait … what?” But some of them may actually help you save a ton of money!
Let’s dig in, shall we?
Adjust your entertainment and leisure options. Let’s start with perhaps the hardest part of saving money — adjusting entertainment options. That’s right, we can’t save money properly if we don’t adjust the way we deal with the leisurely things we experience in life. For example, saying goodbye to Netflix and other services, as well as expensive nights out with friends doesn’t mean we can’t have fun!
- Take advantage of free accommodations. Many cities have free concerts, or even have free entrances such as museums. Some of these establishments even have public amenities such as Wi-Fi, or even free food.
- Opt for lunch gatherings. If you have a date, or if you want to have a day out with friends or a significant other, try opting for lunch dates.
- Entertain at home. Organize small potlucks and gatherings at home.
- Enjoy free entertainment. Instead of paying for cable or a music subscription, look for sites and applications that offer free music and video streaming.
- Minimize credit card use. To avoid temptation, keep your credit card use to a minimum.
Make the most out of personal care. One of the best ways to make the most out of your savings goal is to actually make a lot of compromises with regards to personal hygiene. A lot of elements in our day-to-day hygienic routines can actually be removed or replaced with more cost-efficient methods that won’t necessarily harm our health.
- Reduce showers and shampoo every day. You can save up on soap and water usage if you don’t shower every single day, and not shampooing might even be healthier for your hair. If you do take a shower, try taking a “navy shower,” where you only turn on the water when getting the body wet and rinse the soap off.
- Knit and sew your own clothes. This saves you a ton of time and money compared to going to stores and buying them. And if sewing ain’t your thing, buy clothes from thrift stores and reuse the cloth there for your own clothes.
- DIY. Cut your own hair, or opt out of make-up until you’ve saved up the money you need. You can also make your own toothpaste (peppermint oil, baking soda, salt), or moisturizer (mayonnaise and vinegar).
Change your food choices. There are a ton of ways for you to save money on your food if you look at the people and things happening around you.
- Learn how to cook. Learning how to cook will help you be smarter with the dishes you can make and the adjustments you can make to servings in the long run.
- Grow your own food. You can even try raising your own livestock. This can save a ton of money off your groceries, and it guarantees you’ll always have a stock of fresh food and produce.
- Stick around after parties. By offering to clean up after fundraisers and parties, you usually get to take home the leftover food that would otherwise get thrown away.
Take advantage of recycling and reusing belongings. Make the most out of what you have and to reuse objects until you’re certain there’s no reuse value for them.
- Check the lost and found. Look for items that haven’t been claimed. While you’re at it, try finding abandoned appliances and furniture; a little fix here and there can make them extremely usable.
- Look for cheap resales. Thrift stores usually resell items for ridiculously cheap prices. You can often find tremendous bargains online at places like eBay and Craigslist.
Downsize on your house and property. Focus on smarter ways of saving money across the many processes inside your household.
- DIY. Do your own home renovations. But for really huge savings, build your own house.
- Downsize on house operations. Sell your current house and move into a smaller one. Or invest in an RV — or a good tent. As an added bonus you’ll get to see more of the world.
- Conserve electricity. If possible, don’t use electricity for things that aren’t necessary (think: air conditioning during the winter). Even better, try adjusting to a life that doesn’t use air or heat conditioning. You can also put appliances that consume a ton of electricity on a timer.
The Bottom Line
Yes, these methods might seem like overkill for some, but they’re the very methods they’ll need in order to save the maximum amount of cash for their needs. Remember, the trick is to focus on the extreme methods that you can actually practice consistently — because it’s the consistency that will help you slowly gain momentum and save money in the long run.
Photo Credit: James Reynolds
In mid-April, I decided to list my guest room on Airbnb. It’s a small room with a double bed, and I added a desk and chair as well as a comfy reading chair. Just $35/night. I’m astonished — it has really taken off. That guest room has paid out $5,703 so far this year! And the people have been wonderful.
That’s terrific, Carolyn! Congratulations! 😊
Unfortunately sewing your own clothes tends to be more expensive in most cases than thrifting or buying if you’re using new material.
However, sewing skills come in handy to make alterations on thrifted clothing. For my daughter, she’s a difficult fit and couldn’t find shorts. But she found some capris that we were able to turn into shorts. Total cost for 4 pairs of “new to her” shorts – $12 + $1 for the thread.
“Unfortunately sewing your own clothes tends to be more expensive in most cases than thrifting or buying if you’re using new material.”
Wow. That’s good to know, Becky. Nothing worse than something that saves you neither time or money.