Money Saving Mom®

Looking for the best way to save money at home? Or just looking for ways to add a little wiggle room to your budget? Check out this HUGE list of 55+ ideas you can start implementing TODAY!

Tips for How to Budget and Save Money

I’m always looking at ways to save money around our house — ideas that won’t require tons of effort, but offer a good return on my time investment.

Many little things can indeed add up to big savings, and thanks to great advice from our Facebook followers, we’ve compiled a bunch of simple ways you can save more from home!

Ways to Save Money Each Month on Meals and Snacks:

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1. Plan a week of meals based on ONLY what you have in the house — you’ll save a bunch on groceries that week! We call this an “Eat from the Pantry Challenge” at our house and it’s fun to get creative and see how long you can stretch what you already have on hand!

2. Stick to the grocery list after you make it. Avoid impulse buys!

3. Eat meatless meals one day per week (or more if you can).

4. Drink tap water instead of other expensive beverages.

5. Brew your own coffee at home (you can even use fancy creamers — it’s still way cheaper than buying coffee at a coffee shop every day!)

6. Add a little extra rice, pasta, beans, or legumes to your soups and casseroles to stretch the meals a bit further.

7. Turn leftover veggies into soup. Store them in your freezer until you’re ready to make soup!

8. Use a slow cooker as often as possible to save on electricity. (Plus, you’ll save lots of time in the kitchen!)

9. Buy snacks and ingredients in bulk (not individually packaged).

10. Eat leftovers for lunch instead of going out or making another meal. You can also eat leftovers for dinner once per week!

11. Buy meat in bulk from the butcher or local farmer (like a quarter of a cow). The upfront expense is more, but much cheaper in the long run.

12. Take brown bag lunches for school and work, instead of getting hot lunch or going out to eat.

13. Cook and bake from scratch when possible to save on costly pre-packaged foods. Try your hand at homemade breads and snacks. This can save you SO much money!

14. If you enjoy hosting events at your home, stick with desserts or snacks instead of providing a full meal. Hospitality doesn’t have to break the budget.

15. Eat at home as much as possible. Avoid takeout. Need help with meal ideas to so that you avoid takeout? Grab our FREE list of 60+ Super Quick Meal Ideas!

16. Plant a garden and grow your own food!

17. Try making freezer meals ahead of time with ingredients that you bought on sale at rock bottom price. (You can also freeze many individual ingredients for later use.)

18. Shop at ALDI. Many families swear by ALDI prices, even with how much grocery prices have risen over the years. (We personally love ALDI and have used it for years and years!)

How to Save More Money on Cleaning and Laundry:

19. Hang dry your clothing instead of using a dryer. This will save on your electric or gas bill, plus extend the life of your clothing!

20. Use cold water to wash your clothes to save on your electricity bill.

21. Wear clothing 2 or 3 times before washing.

22. Open the door on your dishwasher during the dry cycle. The heat/steam that has accumulated while washing will dry your dishes.

23. Make your own cleaning products and laundry detergent — it saves money and reduces chemicals in your home!

24. Use vinegar as a cheap way to clean almost everything!

25. Reuse plastic grocery bags for your small trash cans.

26. Change your furnace filter regularly to keep it clean and so the HVAC system doesn’t need to work as hard.

Tips to Save Money on Personal Care:

27. Only wash your hair every 2-3 showers to save on product. (I only wash my hair once per week!)

28. Use up sample size or travel size products before buying more full size products.

29. Watch YouTube videos to learn how to do haircuts at home for your spouse, kids, and even pets. You’ll save a ton in the long run!

30. Buy thrift store clothing and have fun altering it or tweaking it at home to create something unique.

31. Try an at-home hair color kit from the drugstore instead of paying for an expensive salon visit.

32. Do your own nails at home.

33. Take care of your health! Eat nutritiously and get daily exercise — you’ll save a bunch on medical bills later.

Easy Ways to Save Money on Electronics and Utilities:

34. Cut the cable. Cancel subscriptions and memberships you don’t need or don’t use as often as you thought you would.

35. Use a “dumb phone” instead of paying for an expensive smart phone and monthly data usage.

36. Contact your utility companies and ask for a discount or lower rate. You’d be surprised how much you might save!

37. Try a smaller phone company instead of a big name company. They often have reduced rates that are more affordable.

38. Keep your home a few degrees cooler in the winter and a few degrees warmer in the summer to save on utilities.

39. Turn off all lights and unplug appliances when not in use.

40. Turn the heat down (or off) at night (depending on where you live).

41. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to a schedule.

42. Open the windows to cool off the house when possible.

43. Learn to do maintenance and home repairs on your own. (Try YouTube!)

Other Ways to Save Money Fast:

44. Sell things you don’t need on Facebook Marketplace, on Ebay, or by hosting a garage sale.

45. Buy store brands instead of brand-name products.

46. Shop the sales. You can find just about anything you need on sale at some point. It’s very rare you should have to pay full price for groceries, clothing, personal care items, household items, etc.

47. Use coupons and savings apps. Though couponing has changed over the years, you can still save quite a bit of money using mobile coupons and savings apps like Swagbucks, Fetch Rewards, Ibotta, and more!

48. Use “junk mail” envelopes the next time you want to mail something. (Instead of buying brand new envelopes.)

49. Use “scrap” paper for printing.

50. Keep your paperwork and bills organized so you can immediately detect if there’s a financial issue.

51. Trade babysitting with neighborhood families.

52. Group errands into one chunk of a day to save time and gas.

53. Do your own yard work and snow clearing instead of hiring it out.

54. Enjoy at-home activities like reading, playing games, a bonfire, movie night, etc. instead of going out. You can have so much frugal fun at home together as a family without having to spend a lot of money!

55. Walk, run, or exercise with neighbors instead of joining a gym and paying the membership fee.

56. Just stay home (instead of shopping or going to a restaurant or out for coffee). Staying home in and of itself can save you so much money in the long run!

57. Challenge yourself (and your family) to a “no-spending period” (a day, a week, a month) where you don’t spend anything other than absolute necessities (utility bills, gas for the car, food, etc.).

58. Track spending and budgeting. You’d be amazed how much money you can save simply by tracking what you actually spend and discovering where all your money is going each month.

How do you save money at home? What other ideas would you add to this list?