3 Uncommon Ways to Slash Your Monthly Expenses
Need more ways to save money? I previously shared 5 easy ways to cut your living expenses. Well, there are so many more ways to save in every area. You know my motto: save on what you need so you can spend (and save more) for what you want!
Here are 3 more ways to save more on your monthly expenses, some may be considered uncommon.
Grow Your Own
If you haven't already, start a vegetable and herb garden in your backyard. Alternatively, you could grow them just as well in decorative pots on your patio. There are also miniature varieties of fruit trees, which can provide you mounds of fresh fruit in a small space.
Even if you choose to grow just one vegetable, such as tomatoes or onions, it's one less $3 purchase at the grocery store each week. In fact, if you save $3 per week on just on vegetable, you can save $156 per year. Growing a variety can save you at least $10 per week, or $520 per year, on fresh produce.
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Make Your Own
What is on your grocery list every week? We have several items: bread, eggs, milk, granola bars, waffles to name a few. With our family of 5, we easily go through 3 loaves of bread a week, and at least a dozen waffles for breakfast alone. Calculate the cost of a loaf of bread being around $1 each, and waffles at about $1 (or less, depending on the sale). That equals $4 a week, or $16 a month.
Consider making your own bread, waffles or whatever else you consume. Flour and yeast are inexpensive at Aldi or the warehouse clubs. Do a bit batch cooking day and make up several loaves of bread, waffles, granola bars, etc. You'll save more time with a batch cooking approach, and save more money because you can mark those items off of your grocery list each week.
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Make the Most of Freebies
Companies give samples for a reason. It helps them spread the word about their new product and build customer loyalty in the process. Sign up for free stuff from well-known brands whenever you see them available. Our Free Stuff page is constantly updated to reflect the most current offers we know are available.
While you rarely receive full-size products, the sample size is good enough and many will come with coupons. Sometimes you can combine samples and create a meal for a small family. Or feed your dog for a day. Or clean a week's worth of laundry by simply using the samples.
By devoting just 10 minutes each day to signing up for free sample offers, you can drastically minimize your expenses and have free samples delivered to your mailbox a few times each week. In addition, you'll often receive high value coupons with your freebie, which you can later use to get a free full sized item when combined with a store sale.
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There are so many ways to save money on your monthly expenses; you just have to be willing to think out-of-the-box. Start small with your saving efforts. And, once you see how much money you can save each month by incorporating these simple ideas into your life, you'll be addicted to slashing your expenses!
What ways have you been able to reduce your monthly expenses?
We use rain barrels to lower our water bill (watering plants outside) and we turn off our air in the mornings when it is below 90 and not humid. Sometimes we don’t turn it on until after 1:00 p.m. because with the ceiling fans going it is quite cool inside. My house is always 10 degrees cooler than the outside temperature because of the hundreds of trees we have around the house. It keeps the house shady which lowers the temperature I guess.
Great ideas, Patricia!