Did you know that most of your money leave your bank account in small daily portions you ignore instead of the big chunks you usually pay too much attention to?
Yes, your mortgage is the big bad guy that bites your wallet every month, but whatever’s left should be enough for you to get by or your bank wouldn’t have given you that mortgage in the first place.
Did I just point your finger towards you and called you out on spending too much of your hard earned money? It is your money and you can do as you wish with it, but since you came here for ideas on things you should start doing at home to save money then you must be already aware that you can cut quite a few corners and put aside more coins than you do now.
And there are at least 25 things you should stop spending your hard-earned money on and start tweaking them to create, recreate and produce at home.
Once I read that the reason over consumerism exist is because we are bored and lazy and I can see the point behind it when I look at the way I spend.
I usually do that when I lay down on the sofa and scroll social media. I get splashed over with ideas on things I “need” and I “must” buy to feel in trend with the world around. I also like convenient stuff that would save me time and energy. For example, if I don’t feel like cooking at home or I know I have a busy day, I like to order takeaway, but I know very well that it would cost me triple less to just organise myself and do quick sandwiches.
That is the reason I get so excited and like to dig deep into the ways I can save more money and while ‘cook at home’ sounds logical, the other 24 ideas are actually surprising and very smart.
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Entertainment & Experiences | Things To ‘Make’ At Home To Save Money
I start with the category that most people don’t think too much about but it bites a good chunk off your monthly budget. Here are my ideas.
1. Home Cinema Nights
You can grab popcorn that can be popped in the microwave, make some sweets, pull all blankets on the floor of your living room, throw there every pillow you can find, dim the lights, turn the TV on and enjoy an afternoon with your family watching movies.
Firstly, you can go to the bathroom as often as you want skipping the uncomfortable walk in the dark in the cinema.
Secondly, you can skip the ads that usually take as long as it takes you to finish the popcorn.
Thirdly, you can watch more than one movie for the same “price”.
2. Game Nights
Use cards, paper, dice or other household objects to create your own games. Include your children in coming up with the rules, create a track with the living room furniture, compete with each other for speed, give points for creativity. There are even accounts you can follow on TikTok with plenty of ideas on how to create games at home.
3. Shop For Toys At Home
I have a friend who never gives her children all of the toys they get for Christmas, Birthdays and other occasions. She makes them pick one or two for the moment and then puts the rest aside. After a few weeks she gives them another one or two toys and so on. This way, she always has “something” already available in the house her children have never played with.
4. At-Home Date Nights
Dress up, cook together, open a bottle of wine, dim the lights, dance in the living room. You can be romantic even at home. Not every date night has to involve overspending and going out. And if you truly need to get that fresh air, you can go for a stroll around the neighbourhood.
5. Book Swaps
Swap books with your friends and encourage your children to do the same. Before you buy a new book ask a friend if they have it, check in your local library if they plan to have it or look it up online. You might find it on Vinted for a fraction of its original price.
6. Birthday Parties At Home
Birthdays can be very pricy regardless of where they’re celebrated. But organising the party at home means you get to have it as long as you wish, music is for free and you can use up some stash on both food and drinks. Homemade cake is a must as well. You might want to do that one once or twice before the occasion arrives, tough, just to be sure it will be delicious and the birthday person will love it.
Food & Drinks Things To Make At Home To Save Money
7. Bread
I’ve been making our bread for years now. Occasionally I would buy bread, but most of the time we enjoy a fluffy and delicious baked-at-home bread. It isn’t hard to do and I know exactly what ingredients go into it. It takes just 10 minutes to make, the rest is waiting and baking. On the money-saving part – I can make four to five breads for the price of one and over time these coins are piling up and saving me money.
8. Pizza
Dough plus basic toppings you already have in the fridge make the perfect Saturday night pizza. I make pizza when I need to use up some produce from the fridge. I don’t even know how much a pizza cost nowadays, but I can guarantee you my pizza would be more delicious, won’t give you heartburns and it will be bigger (oh, and it will have more cheese).
9. Coffee shop drinks
Are you sure you cannot live without your matcha or coffee with 13 different syrups? Well, then it is time you learn how to make those at home because spending $7 on a cup of coffee every day is absolutely insane if you wish to save money. It’s better you invest in a better coffee machine or work with what you have right now to prepare your coffee-to-go every morning.
10. Packed lunches
In case you’ve not heard it – bringing food from home is the new trend. It can save you hundreds every month and thousands every year, plus you get to enjoy homemade meal and you’ll throw less food away. You can easily follow social media accounts to get inspiration on things to cook for yourself, but a few boiled eggs, green salad and homemade bread can keep you full on any day of the week.
11. Snack boxes
Cut fruits, bake yourself something sweet over the weekend, add a handful of nuts and you already have a better (and cheaper) snack box than anyone else in your office. If you need more ideas on snack ideas that don’t require actual cooking you can see 50 ideas right here.
12. Takeaway-style meals
My husband and I love shawarma, but the ones we love the most are quite expensive, so I’ve done my best to learn how to make shawarma at home. I can guarantee you it won’t have the exact same taste but it will still be delicious and much healthier.
What’s your favourite takeaway? Can you learn how to prepare it yourself? Does it freeze well? Because you can always make more of it and then freeze a few portions for later.
13. Baby food
My baby has just started having solids and I am amazed by the amount of different purees and snacks one can find in the shops. They seem cheap, but I know, over time everything piles us.
So, I’ve learned to prepare his food every day. This way I know exactly what he eats and the ingredients are fresh.
14. Flavoured yogurt
This one deserves its own spot because I know most children love flavoured yogurt, my son included. But adding any fruit (mash it if needed) and honey to a bowl of yogurt will give you the same result, but healthier and cheaper. If your kid loves her pouches you can grab these cheap ones from Amazon.
I usually check the fruit basket for fruits that are just on the edge of going bad and cut them up for homemade flavoured yogurt for myself too. Sometimes I even skip the honey because it might alter the taste of the fruit.
Household Products You Can Prepare at Home to Save Money
15. Cleaning solutions
Every housewife nows that vinegar, baking soda and dish soap are usually the perfect replacements of the usual cleaning products. They disinfect just as well and can clean almost any spot in the house. Plus, these are non-toxic products and that’s especially important if you have children and pets.
16. Air fresheners
Most of the times opening the windows and making sure your house is relatively clean is enough to have a fresh smelling home. When I was a child we used to leave the peels of oranges and lemons on the radiators to release their aroma. You can also boil apples, citrus and cinnamon on the stove for a few minutes and leave the pot for a few hours to make sure the smell travels through the house. Trying your hand in creating homemade essential oils is also a fun hobby if you need such.
17. Simple decor
Decorating our homes could easily become the biggest reason we spend money every season. Influencers and big brands are trying their best to show us how good our home would look if we just bought what they sell.
But simplicity, homemade crafts and rearranging furniture could easily give you the exact same excitement. Fresh flowers in springtime, dry leaves in full-time, open windows at summertime and pinecones in wintertime are all very simple and free ways to decorate your home.
18. Simple home repairs
Learn to patch drywall, unclog drains, replace faucet washers and other simple home repairs. There is an YouTube video for everything nowadays and with a little bit of stubbornness and luck you should be able to do most of the things around your home. Developing these type of skills can truly save you thousands.
19. Car washes
You truly don’t have to go to a special place to wash your car. A bucket, hose and microfibre cloth are all you need to make your car shine … until the next rainy day that is.
Personal Care
20. Hair Masks
Hair care can be pricy, especially for women. The one thing you can actually save on? Hair masks. There are tens of ideas on how to prepare cheap but highly effective hair masks with basically half of the ingredients you have at home (honey, eggs, olive oil, flax seed, rice are just a few of the things you can make masks from).
21. Manicures/Pedicures
When we talk about money-saving tricks, this must always be present on the list. I can even justify spending on hair masks but not on manicures and pedicures (when you’re trying to save money). Cutting those out of your expenses can save you hundreds if not even thousands every year. A nail clipper and a file are all you need to look put together.
22. Fitness routines
I used to have a colleague at work who had six packs just two years after giving birth. When I asked her if she had a personal trainer she smiled and said she has never entered a gym and her personal trainer is YouTube. She simply turns a HIIT video on and does whatever she sees for 15 minutes every afternoon. That’s it.
You don’t need expensive clothing, trainers, personal trainer or a gym subscription to be fit and healthy. You need motivation that doesn’t cost you money and Wi-Fi connection.
Organisation & Lifestyle
23. Gift Baskets
They are trendy and people love receiving them because it’s like opening a small treasure box. But they’re also pricy.
You can absolutely create your gift baskets for close to nothing. Homemade baked goods, a simple card with handwritten message, a cute but cheap mug, and some tissue paper can make anyone smile.
24. Capsule Wardrobe
It might take a while to create your own capsule wardrobe but once you do, you actually stop spending on clothes. And that is when you start saving.
Clothes are such a huge part of everyone’s expenses lists that we’ve stopped noticing it. Organising a capsule wardrobe for yourself and your family can be the best thing you’ve done for your budget. And you don’t even need a list of items. All you need to remember is that you need just a few high-quality items that can be paired together and that’s it.
25. Budget planning sheets
You don’t need anything else but a notebook and a pen to organise your family budget. If you still need ideas, you can go for a very cheap $2 printable budget planner on Etsy but that’s it.
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