Life should be spent well. But sometimes we feel like we’re working only to pay our bills. And this is not how we should be spending our lives.
If we work, we should be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. A weekend getaway, concert tickets, or a day at the beach shouldn’t be luxuries that we can’t afford. Especially if we’re living in a country as rich as the United States.
But we’re not waiting for income equality to come around. We’re not going to wait for corporations and lawmakers to make middle-class living affordable again. We’re going to do it ourselves. We’re going to hack our way to that vacation we’ve always wanted to take or those car repairs we’ve been putting off.
Here Are 60 Easy Hacks That Can Save You A Ton of Money:
Want to save on your cooling bills this summer? Paint your roof white. Dark colored roofs will absorb more heat and make your home hotter. A white roof with solar reflective white coating can reflect 90 percent of sunlight while regular black roofs only absorb 20 percent. A whole urban neighborhood of black roofs and roads can cause a city to be 22 degrees hotter than nearby suburbs. Learn more about this here.
Don’t book an upgraded hotel room unless you really need it. You can probably get the upgrade for free anyway. When you arrive for check-in just ask for an upgrade and toss the person a few bucks. If there are any upgraded rooms available, you’ll likely get one. You can find more tips on how to score an upgrade here.
Does your car have a scratch. Don’t go buying expensive car scratch remover. Try covering the minor scuff or scratch with some toothpaste and then buff with a cloth. It should work the same way for the price of free.
Keeping unneccesary items plugged in all the time wastes energy. Things that are plugged in still consume energy even if they are turned off. Energy Star says that the average household wastes up to $100 a year to power devices that are turned off.
If you have a nail in your tire, don’t touch it! Get yourself a tire plug kit or take your car to the repair shop and ask them to plug the hole. It’s a whole lot cheaper than buying a new tire.
Clear your browsing history and your cache when you shop online. Companies will follow your search and jack up the price knowing you’re search for something specific. This is especially so with airline companies. Don’t sign into accounts either when buying, check out as a guest.
People who use cash tend to spend less than people who use credit cards. This is because they can see what they’re spending because it’s in their hands. You’re also less likely to break big bills. So, carrying $50s or $100s can cut down on your impulse buys.
Have a big in-store purchase to make? Wait until the end of the month. Salespeople have quotas to make each month and will be more likely to give you a discount at the end of the month so they can hit their numbers.
Stop buying name brands. The store brands or generic brands have the same stuff in them. You can save hundreds of dollars each year, even thousands, by buying the generic or store brand version of products.
Bottled water is expensive and bad for the environment. Get yourself some water filters and reusable water bottles. Filtered water can actually be healthier than spring water.
Need your hair done or want to enjoy a fancy meal? Head to a hair dresser or culinary school. You get people trained in the latest hair and food techniques under close supervision of highly trained professionals for a fraction of the price.
When you go to a store if they have coupons. Ask your utitlies phone companies or other people you pay to give you a discount. You’d be surprised by how much you can save doing this. But you have to ask. While you’re at it, ask for a raise or that promotion!
14) Buy Prescription Drugs At Membership Warehouses
Buy your prescription drugs from membership warehouse stores, like Sam’s Club or Costco. You can save big time on prices. You also don’t need a membership to purchase anything from their pharmacy.
You can save money by filling up your Swifter Wet Jet with cheaper cleaner that isn’t Swifter brand. You can stop buying Swiffer pads too. You can use used dryer sheets or one of those fluffy socks. You can just toss out your dryer sheets and put that sock or reusable mop cover in the wash.
Hang on to your receipts. You can upload them to apps like Ibotta and Checkout 51 to earn cash back. You can earn around $5 a week. If you save that up all year, you’ll have some money for Christmas presents or a New Years Eve celebration.
Before you call the plumber, you can check for toilet leaks with Kool-Aid. Pour some grape Kool-Aid in the tank of your toilet and let it sit there for an hour. If you see purple water in your toilet bowl then you have a slow leak. This is not that big of a deal but its’ wasting water. You can fix this on your own rather easily. But if you don’t need to fix it, then you just saved yourself the cost of a plumber’s visit to check for a leak.
Make sure that when you go to the grocery store for “a few things” that it’s actually just for a few things. A good way to help you do this is not grabbing a a shopping cart. If you have to carry what you want, you’ll be less likely to grab stuff you don’t need.
You can buy gift cards from various sites at discounted price. Then use them to shop. You can find cards for places like Best Buy and Home Depot. It’s kind of like buying a coupon.
Some health insurance plans offer discounts on things like gym memberships. Some employer might also offer extra perks like hotel discounts that come with their benefit packages. Just call up your insurance company and ask.
Rental car insurance isn’t a good investment. Your private auto policy will likely cover your rental car for personal use. Sometimes your credit card will even offer it.
Why have a lawn when you can have a money saving garden. You can save up to $5 or more each time you go to the grocery store by growing your own tomatoes, lettuce, and other veggies. You also can reduce your lawn care costs.
Sometimes refrigerator and freezer seals get worn out. This can lead to energy loss and food spoilage. Place a dollar bill in between the door, if you can pull it out then it’s time for your seal to be replaced.
You’ll also want to clean out the dust bunnies from under your refrigerator. This will ensure your refrigerator is running as efficiently as possible so you can save on utility bills. It will also keep your fridge running longer so you can get your money’s worth out of your purchase.
If you’re looking to plant some trees in your yard, plant wisely. They can be carefully positioned so that to shade your house and act as a windbreaker.
Cleaning products can be expensive. But not if you make your own. Make your own by filling a heat resistant glass container with citrus peels and equal parts boiling water and white vinegar. Close the container and let it sit for a week before pouring into spray bottles.
Cleaning out your dryer vents is important for more than one reason. First, it prevents fires. Second, it makes your appliance more energy efficient which will save you on utility costs.
Do you have a regular commute with regular hours. See if your co-workers or neighbors want to start a carpool. You can save hundreds of dollars in fuel costs. It also puts less wear and tear on your car if you take turns driving.
Don’t leave home without your grocery list. And when you get to the grocery store, stick to it. This will help you save a lot of money on impulse purchases.
Plan you meals and make sure you make something different every week. You don’t want to get bored of what’s in your refrigerator and the meals you’re eating. When we do get bored, we tend to eat takeout which gets expensive.
Set up automatic transfers so that a certain amount of money is deposited into your bank account every time you get paid. Eventually you’ll just forget that the money is being taken out. And eventually you’ll end up with a nice savings.
The convenient store is great for grabbing things on the go. But it’s not great on your wallet. These places usually raise their prices. It’s usually a lot cheaper to go to the grocery store.
Paying interest is a waste of money. Come up with plans to eliminate your debt that carries interest. Call your credit card companies and see if they’ll give you a lower interest rate. Trying transferring your balances to interest-free cards.
Do you have trouble sticking to your grocery list when you’re in the store? See if you can get someone to go to the grocery store for you. You can also try ordering online which can make it easier to stick to your budget.
Reducing the amount of toilet water you use can save you money and help reduce waste. Just a water bottle filled with sand or water in the tank of your toilet or something else with weight to it. This will reduce the amount of water in the tank which means you’ll be using less water every time you flush.
Don’t waste your money on dryer sheets. Instead, take some scrap pieces of towel or cloth and dip them in 1 cup of white vinegar, 20 + drops of essentials oils. Toss these in the dryer with your clothes.
