Money Saving Tips You Likely Never Thought Of Using

Let's face it:  being concerned about finances can be extremely stressful. Most of us are always looking for ways on how to save money. Whether you want to save money on food or entertainment, there are some unique money saving tips you can explore that range from recycling to upcycling.  Take a look:

Home Utilities.

Your parents were right…turn off the lights when you leave the room! Turning off that hallway light or and shutting off lights in unused rooms can save you a bit of dough on a daily basis.

Wash your clothes in cold water.  The most expensive part of washing clothes is heating up the water. Using cool water saves money, around 50 cents per load, on heating bills. Depending on the size of your family, this money saving tip can save you quite a bit over the course of a year. Hot water does in fact clean better, but save it for seriously soiled clothes rather than the just-slightly grungy stuff.

Grocery Shopping.

You already know stick to your grocery list, clip coupons and never grocery shop on an empty stomach.  But one unknown money saving tip is to use a basket instead of a cart if you need just a few items. It'll keep you from tossing in more than you need and succumbing to temptation of that expensive gourmet frozen pizza as you walk down the aisle.

Shopping on Wednesdays can help save you money on your food bill. Since many grocery stores launch their new sales mid-week, shoppers who browse the aisles on Wednesday get first access to the new deals. At the same time, stores will often honor the previous week’s coupons, as well. That means you can maximize your savings while also shopping during a relatively less crowded time of week.

And don’t be afraid buy the generic or store brand.  The majority of the time the ingredients are identical, but the packaging is less flashy. You will be amazed how much this money saving tip will help your bottom line.

Recycle.

We all grew up knowing that we can cash in on recycling cans and bottles to put a little extra change back in our pockets. But the idea of recycling other items, such as electronics, can put some serious cash in your pocket and is a creative process to save money.

Many retailers offer trade-in programs that give you cash for your old devices. For example:

• Several big box retailers allow you to exchange old phones, laptops and video games for a gift card. This money saving tip is great for those individuals who feel compelled to have the most current technology gadget

• Amazon will pay you for your old Kindle  and hundreds of other old devices

• GameStop will take everything from old video games and consoles to smartphones and tablets so you can save money on future purchases

• Direct-buy used electronics site like Gazelle will send you payment after evaluating your technology device. You will be astonished at the amount you can earn with this simple money saving tip

Upcycle.

This is not a typo.  Upcycling is the process where a an item that is no longer needed or wanted is given new life as something else that is either useful or creative. Upcycling is a great money saving tip.

Unlike recycling, upcycling drives up materials back up the supply chain to be reused.  Today, that idea is interpreted as creating a useful item from what would normally be discarded. People looking to save money (and the planet) are huge fans of upcycling.

For example:

• Home owners can renovate with salvaged, and in some cases, free materials. A kitchen table made from salvaged barn wood is a sample of upcycling and is a simple way on how to save money with some big ticket items

• Plastic bottles can be upcycled into carpets, toys, messenger bags, furniture and even kitchen ware as seen on the website of Hipcycle

• A girl’s skirt can be made a man’s shirt to save money and a mom on a budget may upcycle her old clothes into upcycled clothes for her children

• A college student (who is always short on cash) can save money when they upcycle their “out of fashion” jeans by adding a few seams and trendy rips instead of buying a new pair

Give Up Unhealthy Habits.

Ditch the cigarettes and excessive 30-racks of beer. It won’t be easy, but this stuff is not only a detriment to health, but it's a huge money waster. Need convincing? The average smoker spends more than $2,000 on cigarettes every year.

Try a New Habit.

Save your loose change. Putting aside just fifty cents a day over the course of a year will allow you to save close to $200. And who couldn’t use a little extra money for holiday presents at the end of the year?

If you are trying to save money, it is essential that you monitor and track your success. Before venturing on ways to save money over the course of the next 30 days, identify what the goal is for the month. Is it to save $50? 100? 250? Once you have this established, the effort you put into saving money will have more meaning.  You’ll be amazed how simple implementing these money saving tips can be in your daily routine.

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1. http://intercongreen.com/2010/02/17/recycling-vs-upcycling-what-is-the-difference/

2. https://www.quitterscircle.com/sites/default/files/Cigarette%20Time_Cost%20Calculator.pdf