9 Hacks We've Heard Before But Worth Repeating

Frugal Hacks Home edition 

Life is getting more and more expensive each day. Today we’re going to cover   simple hacks, tip and tricks you can do to help stretch that dollar. 

Frugal doesn’t mean cheap. Frugal means smart. Frugal means knowing what matters to you and spending accordingly. It means cutting back on what doesn’t serve you so you can have more of what does.  

1. Automate savings. It doesn’t matter if it’s just $5 a check. When you see what the little $5 is becoming, that will motivate you. You’ll see compounding. Yep that simple $5 can turn your finances completely around. 

2. Cancel subscriptions you hardly use. Do you watch Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Prime, HBO, and the list is endless. If you don’t watch it, cancel. You can always rejoin. There’s a good chance they’ll offer you a come back to us discount. If you watch them, keep it. You’re allowed to be happy. I will never get rid of Prime. I will also never get rid of my Fab Fit Fun box. That one makes me so happy. 

3. Borrow, rent or swap. Do you need a tool for just one job? See if your neighbor or friend has it. Just remember to return it or they’re never lending you another thing again. I don’t own a carpet cleaner. When I need it, I go to my grocery store. They rent them. Cheaper than buying. I don’t have to store that bulky thing. Not everyone lives in a house with storage. Do you have something you no longer use. Swap it with a friend or just give it to them because you’re a nice person and they’re a good friend who has helped you with your projects. You can also bribe your friends for cheap labor. I helped my bff pull up carpet from her new house. Previous owners had cats and her husband is deathly allergic so he couldn’t do it. 2 girls ripped up all the carpet. They took me to a nice restaurant to thank me. 

4. Cold water to wash laundry. For my work clothes, I use cold water and the delicate cycle. I sit on my butt all day, my clothes don’t really get that dirty. Using cold water and gentle soap helps my clothes stay nice looking. I don’t put all of it in the dryer. I hang dry some of it. There are things I use hot water for. I always make sure it’s a full load. I would wash my work out clothes in hot water, but I don’t work out.  

5. Discount codes. When shopping online, look for discount codes and coupons. Some people use browser extensions. I don’t. After the issue with the Honey extension, their scam left a bad taste in my mouth. 

6.The 24-hour rule. Leave the item in your cart for 24 hours. If after 24 hours you still remember it’s there, then go ahead and buy it. How many times have I put things in my cart and then forget. Obviously, it wasn’t that important. 

7. Vampire electricity. That’s when you leave electronics plugged in. Even though it’s off, it’s still using electricity. Nationwide, it’s 19 billion dollars. The worst offenders are the things we can’t unplug like Fridges and TV’s. There are things you can unplug. Phone charges, computer chargers, coffee machines, microwaves, video game consoles and hairdryers. Unplug them or use a power strip.  

8. Smart thermostats. The upfront cost is worth it. You can control the temperature from your phone. Have a kid who wants to store meat outside of the fridge? Or wants to live on a tropical island in February? You can get alerts on the app and make the change. 

9. Smart appliances. We needed to replace our washer. I got a high efficiency. The clothes come out with less water, and I don’t use the dryer for as long. My dryer is in perfect condition, so I didn’t replace it.  

That’s my list of 9 hacks. Which do you do? What’s missing from my list.