19 Simple Ways to Save Big with Small Changes

Quick money saving tips from Living Frugal Tips are sure ways to save money with minimal hassle and sacrifice. As I always say, it’s about making frugality a lifestyle and mindset. It’s an on-going thought process to find more ways to reduce, reuse and recycle for savings — without feeling deprived. Once you get going it actually becomes fun to find more creative ways to save. As I’ve gotten my friends and family into the mindset they all email me more useful tips to try and share. Everyone please keep sharing and together we will save.

Reuse Household Items for Greater Good

• Reuse an old plastic orange juice container, or any other container with a wider opening, to save your loose change. Empty pockets nightly and once it’s full you can roll it and bank it. It all adds up.

• Use old plastic bread tabs to mark and organize all your electric cords behind the TV, for example. Simply use a permanent marker and write on each plastic tab to identify each cord and item. Then just attach one to each cord and instant organization and minimized frustration.

Reduce Electric Bills with Some Easy Changes

• When cooking in the oven, turn it off a few minutes early. The heat will continue to cook your food for several minutes without the continued power use. A few minutes a day adds up over a year.

• You use less energy with a warm dryer. So, it’s more efficient to wash and dry loads back-to-back so that your dryer doesn’t completely cool down when it needs to heat up for the next load.

• Closing off an unused room in your home can actually cost you more in comfort and energy savings. It’s best to keep air vents and doors open so that air can circulate freely and properly.

• Want big savings with little to no effort? Raise your thermostat! You can save up to 10% of your cooling costs for each degree above 78.

Stop Wasting Water and Start Saving Money

• Save water and money by turning off the faucet when brushing teeth. An estimated 2.5 gallons of water are used when kept running x 2 brushes a day x 7 days a week x 52 weeks = 1,820 gallons WASTED!

• Save water by taking a shower (uses 8 gallons) versus a bath (uses 21 gallons). Also turn the tap off while brushing your teeth to save another 2-1/2 gallons.

Simple Suggestions for Household Savings

• Think before you print. The average consumer spends $240/year on ink cartridges and paper. Instead print only the text you need, save information and files electronically, reuse old paper and print on both sides if possible.

• If household items or toys require batteries, use RECHARGEABLE batteries. They can be reused hundreds of times which saves money and reduces waste over time. This savings quickly out weighs the cost premium for the initial purchase.

• Get rid of extra landline phone features such as caller ID, call waiting and call forwarding that are really not needed and may not be used often. Or, better yet, get rid of the landline all together.

Modify What You Buy at the Store

• Stop buying bottled water and drink from the tap. A 24-pack cost $4.00 – $6.00 depending on the brand. The equivalent water from the tap costs PENNIES! If you don’t like the taste, install an inexpensive faucet filter.

• Stop buying paper towels. Paper towels produce 3,000 tons of waste per DAY and wastes money. Use a dishrag instead and toss it in the wash. If you must use paper towels use 100% recycled paper towels which saves landfill waste, energy and water.

• Stop buying certain vegetables and instead grow your own vegetables and start with seeds. A packet of tomato seeds equals the price of ONE tomato but can yield 20-30 plants per packet. While time is required, the saved money and great taste are huge.

• The greenest products that you can buy are the ones that already exist. Buying a “pre-loved” sweater, for example, saves the energy equivalent of 68 loads of laundry. – ebay.com/greenteam

Travel Smart and Save Big

• If planning a plane trip, pack light to avoid the escalating baggage fees: $15-$25 for the 1st checked bag, $25-$35 for the 2nd, and up to $300 for overweight, outside the U.S. bags on Delta!

• Save money by flying at the right TIME. Flying off season to a destination, flying overnight, or scheduling departures and arrivals on a Tuesday or Wednesday will cost less.

• Budget your vacation and bring traveler’s checks versus credit cards so there is no temptation to overspend. You can track what’s spent and what’s remaining and there’s no big surprise bill later.

• Have your cable switched off while you’re away. Some cable companies will turn off your cable for the week(s) you’re away on vacation. It doesn’t hurt to ask and it could be an easy way to save money.