It’s a fact that we are always fighting for making more money everyday to achieve peace of mind to be able to pay bills at the end of the month. And if there’s anything left, spend on buying stuffs.

But although it is good to be ambitious to a certain degree and aspire to have a good salary in our work or simply a source of income that gives us and produces enough money, the truth is that there are simpler ways to get it at the end of the month.

What is that method? Answer is SAVING.

And this don’t just mean saving a percentage of your earnings every month. But stopping overspending on things or services that aren’t necessary or have them without spending much.

So here are 25 tricks to spend less and save more at home.

1. Review your bills

If you want to start well and save as much as possible at home to see extra money at the end of the month, start by knowing exactly how much you spend in total.

A very bad habit of people is to take the bills of basic services, supermarket or any expense, and throw them as soon as they leave the place or simply keep it in their pocket and forget to check them.

This is the worst mistake anyone can make. Because it’s impossible to get an estimate of what you’ve spent. Ever logged into your bank account and wondered, “What did you spend this $ on?

So, let’s start by getting rid of that bad habit. And put all the household bills on one side and the remaining ones on the opposite side.

The idea is that in addition to knowing how much has been spent and why. For example, on a utility bill you can see the amount of energy you consumed during the month and what led you to pay that amount. This way you will have control both on what you consume and how much you could save by knowing it.

Once you have carefully reviewed each bill, take out the total and write it down in a expense notebook. And the following month spend less on fixed expenses such as services and products of need. Everyone should maintain one notebook for expense.

2. Say “NO” to warm light and “YES” to energy saving light bulbs

Did you know that warm light bulbs, or commonly known as yellow light, consume the same amount of energy as a dryer used for an hour, if left on for a long time? Replace normal light bulbs that consume a lot of energy.

Now, surely you will think that it should not make much difference between the consumption. But the truth is that, energy saving bulbs can consume between 70-80% less electricity.

Once you stop using warm light, you will definitely save good amount of money. Just compare your bills.

Saver bulbs are more expensive than normal bulbs and that’s the main reason why most people don’t want to buy them when they see them next to warm light bulbs.

What they don’t know is that, although they are a bit more expensive, the difference isn’t sky high and it’s just a couple of extra dollars per light bulb. However, you recover the investment made in them at the time of paying the electricity bill.

Besides the fact that normal light bulbs usually burn out in a matter of a month or two at the most and get damaged easily too.

While a light bulb could last up to a year and if they do get damaged you do not have to throw them away immediately as they can be repaired in some cases.

3. Plan the week’s menu

When it comes to eating, there’s nothing cheaper than preparing own food at home.

Instead of buying a salad for one person at the restaurant, you could use that same amount of money or even less to buy the ingredients and make yourself for the whole week.

We spend a lot of money eating on the street, either at a street stall or at our favorite restaurant. Even ordering food results in spending more money than necessary.

So try to give up a little temptation and especially, put the laziness aside and prepare three or more meals at home.

The food you can buy for the whole week will not make you spend as much as eating 3 times on the street and you will be eating healthier.

Now, knowing this, the most important point when cooking at home is to plan meals well.

It has always happened to all of us. We keep food items in the fridge or cupboards and don’t use it.

So first check whatever you have at hand and create a menu that includes all the food in refrigerator and pantry. This way you will use everything and not lose a single penny of what you bought.

This will also help you save the time you spend everyday looking at the fridge and asking, “What should I cook?

4. Buy energy efficient appliances

Everyone thinks that refrigerator or freezer is the most energy consuming thing in their home.But your appliances don’t necessarily consume a lot of energy.

New houses and apartments usually come furnished and with all the utensils. But nobody notices at the time of buying or renting a place, how much energy the appliances consume.

Household appliances are divided into several classes, the Triple A being the best in terms of energy savings. For example, a refrigerator has a stipulated average annual energy consumption and is equivalent to only one month of a lower class.

Of course, these appliances are more expensive. But they would allow you to save a lot of money just on electricity for as many years as it lasts. And appliances can last for more than 10 years and we tend to replace them just because we want to make a change that is often unnecessary.

5. Spend less on gasoline

The money invested to buy a car is undoubtedly worth it, even if it involves going in debt to buy it.

But although it is quite profitable and makes life easier in many ways, it also represents a big expense when we have to visit the gas station. Over time we realize that the real expense was not the car, but the fuel.

Therefore, not everyone is fanatical about having their own car, which is another very expensive source of expense and they prefer to use public transport.

But it is better to have a balance in everything and not to be so radical in some decisions. You can have a car, just don’t use it so much and you can save on gasoline.

Although fuel is expensive, many people still use their car to go to the corner or to a place that is only a 10 to 15 minute walk away.

The car is a great means of transportation, but you should not abuse it. So instead of using it everywhere, take advantage of those opportunities where public transportation is a good option.

If you want to visit a nearby mall or store but don’t want to walk, take the bus or subway.

It is proven that more fuel is consumed in the city with short stretches than on long journeys where the car is in constant motion and not stuck in traffic jams.

Drop the keys and take a couple of cents to pay for public transportation. Plus it’s very possible that you’ll save time by using it rather than going by car.

If you are someone who under no circumstances wants to use a bus, bicycle or any other alternative means of transport and are only thinking about using car, at least do it consciously and efficiently.

Maintain a constant speed and drive without braking or accelerating a lot, this will improve the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

This way you’ll be saving a lot of money on gas, that can be used for other necessary things.

6. Stick less to your cell phone

Telecom operators offer us incredible plans e.g. higher calling minutes, text messages but nobody uses them full.

But these plans are not exactly money savers and although some are exceptions and end up being quite affordable. The secret of the operators to earn money is not to offer you a plan and pay for it, but to exceed the limit.

Very few people calculate how much they consume on cell phones. And when they come to realize they have exceeded the limit and are paying a large sum of money, they use additional.

These additional data and minutes are the ones that really make the operators earn more money and the ones that make you spend more than necessary on the phone.

Therefore, control your consumption a little and try to open applications or navigate as little as possible in order to stay within the benefits of the plan.

You can recreate yourself seeing some images, a couple of videos and of course, sending messages through messaging applications that hardly consume anything. But don’t spend the whole day watching Youtube or listening to music on the internet.

If you find it tedious to keep track of how much you spend, you shouldn’t do it manually. All smartphones have an option in settings that allows to set a limit on the amount of data and minutes allowed to use. Once you reach the limit, it will stop working on its own.

Or instead of stopping it altogether, you can have it send you a notification when you’re approaching the limit and know that you need to control consumption more and adjust it to your remaining days until you reach your cut-off date.

If you are someone who needs to use cell phone all the time, better evaluate all the plans offered by the operator and find one that best suits the requirement so you don’t have to spend money on additional benefits.

7. “On SALE” doesn’t mean you have to buy

When we see in a store, whatever it is, a percentage discount on their merchandise, we do not think twice when we are already entering the door to at least browse and see the offers.

This is very common when there is only a 20% or 30% discount. And you can imagine how it is when it is 50% or 70% on some occasions.

It is good to take advantage of offers to buy necessary things. But the fact that you see an offer does not mean that all the time you must buy something to “take advantage”.

The problem with offers is that when we see something economical, we look for any excuse to buy at least one thing even if it is useless or we do not need it.

So control your hands and leave them away.

Take advantage of those discounts on products or services that you really are going to use. Or had planned to buy but couldn’t because they were very expensive and required spending more money than you could or wanted.

When the offers get to the food, don’t freak out. Many times we see a 2×1 in products that we don’t even consume and just because it’s cheap we buy it.

8. Use the dryer just enough and necessary

Among the appliances that consume the most energy, the clothes dryer is undoubtedly amongst the first.

The fact of producing hot air and having to make constant cycles of more than 20 minutes, in addition to drying the water, also drains your pocket at the time of paying the bill.

The dryer consumes a lot of energy and the worst case scenario is that we usually use it to dry anything.

But if you have the space and the tools to hang it out, why not? Let the breeze do its job.

You could use it in situations where the garment is very large or doesn’t dry well because it absorbs a lot of water, for example, bed sheets.

In those cases, use the dryer since it is not every day that you wash bedding and you would only use the dryer about 4 or 5 times a month at most.

9. Buy second hand products

When you talk to someone about second-hand products, the first thing they think is that they are over used and people just want to get rid of them.

While their owners only want them to stop taking up space in their homes, most of these products are not in bad condition. In fact, they are almost new and sometimes you will find some that are and were only kept for a long time. But since they are not packaged products and are in a direct store, they are always sold much cheaper than a first hand one.

Clothes, shoes, eating utensils, books, furniture and many other products that you can normally see in garage sales or even on the Internet.

And since you can find a wide variety of them, try buying second hand products more often and you’ll be saving a bundle.

You don’t have to buy EVERYTHING you use in flea markets. But if you are planning to buy something very expensive, look for one that’s the same or similar at a cheaper price because it’s been used a little.

For example, you can buy kitchen utensils like pots, pans and some other second-hand appliances to avoid spending hundreds of dollars on a new one.

The percentage of the population buying second-hand products is increasing more for the simple fact that it is cheaper and helps them to have extra money in their pockets.

10. Use less heating and the heater

During winter, it is so cold in many places that people stick to a heater or put the heat to the maximum to heat the space a little.

But when you are out of season and it is only a little cold, we continue to turn on the heating without bearing in mind that it wastes a lot of energy.

If you add to that the other things, you will have extra zeros in electricity bill at the end of the month. So try not to overuse it. If you can bear the cold by wearing a sweater or thicker clothes, go for it. When sleeping choose thicker bedding, so that you can lower the temperature a little and the heating is not at its full potential.

The same goes for the water heater.

Although hot shower is very relaxing, especially after a long day of work or an exercise session, but there is nothing wrong with cold or natural water in the daily and routine shower.

In cold weather, don’t even think about not turning on the water heater. But if you are going to do so, remember to turn it off once you finish bathing and use the natural tap water to do the other activities.

11. Don’t throw away… repair

If your monitor doesn’t turn on, the microwave doesn’t heat well or something in your house doesn’t work, just don’t throw it away. Almost all these items can be repaired, if the fault is small.

Most people are afraid of “how much will a technician charge me to repair it?”. But what they don’t see is that it will always be cheaper than buying it again.

Sometimes it’s not even about money but because of the laziness of looking for someone who can repair.

There will always be some concern about not finding an expert, because earlier we had to search that huge yellow pages book to find one. But now with internet search, you can search for the person and also verify his/her rating given by other customers.

If what has been damaged or broken is something you hold in high regard, try harder to find someone who can repair it rather than discarding it.

You’ll be saving a lot of money by not buying everything new and instead first trying to repair.

12. Check pantry before going for shopping

We usually do the shopping once a week, on a Saturday or Sunday when we are free.

Occasionally, you may have to visit the convenience store because you’re out of a product or food. But these are occasional purchases for one or two things.

Going weekly to buy is the perfect time to keep the products in good condition (those that can not be kept for long) and also to consume what is there in the pantry.

However, every time we take our wallet and go shopping, we totally forget to check what we have in the pantry.

For example, if the rice container is full, if there is enough sugar or salt, as well as if any cereal is missing.

But if a habit is made, then all the food you throw away every week becomes hundreds of wasted dollars. Besides, it’s not good to throw away food either.

On the other hand, people buy items such as cereals, cookies or canned products, in large quantities. But what they forget is that these items also have an expiration date.

Yes, they usually expire in a year or two. But it won’t be a surprise to see people throwing away canned goods because they expired and all because they bought often and never kept track of when they expired. Or simply because they had many and didn’t knew it.

Take a couple of minutes to check your pantry and refrigerator and make sure you know what’s there and what’s not, so that you know what you really need to buy.

13. Keep windows open

Spending the whole day in the air conditioning inside house or with the heating on is pretty nice depending on the season. But it’s not something you need to use all the time, even when it’s hot.

There are houses or apartments that don’t exactly have many windows. But there is always at least one in the room or living and dining room, perfect enough to ventilate the environment.

So you open more windows or at least the ones with more air inflow and you don’t need to turn on the air conditioning because of the heat.

People often think that just opening a window is enough. But for the breeze to run well and create the feeling of freshness instead of humidity and hot air, you must open windows that are on opposite sides for perfect ventilation.

Even when it’s very cold, you can find good use of them without having to turn on the heating.

Close them all and place light curtains that bring in the sunlight so you can keep a cool atmosphere inside your home.

14. Actually… Do you know how to use the washing machine?

Nobody reads the instructions for use, especially for appliances like washing machine.

When we usually wash, we just do the automatic programming. We do not bother to see much temperature, whether it is hot or cold water and how much detergent the washing machine yields.

But the truth is that, depending on the model of washing machine, you can make the detergent work in different ways, but also save water and light.

For example, washing with cold water is the best option. Because this way, you avoid heating water and consume much more energy.

Another thing that will help you save a lot is to put the maximum clothes or at least get close to the full capacity of your washing machine.

This way you won’t have to carry out several loads, spend more detergent and water.

If you don’t have enough for a full load, it’s even better to wait a few more days to put all your clothes together.

15. Pay the debts

The main reason we don’t save much money at the end of the month is because we have so many accounts and debts to pay, that take that extra which could be used for savings or other things.

Read about daily habits to pay off debt.

There’s nothing wrong with borrowing to buy goods like a car or a house. You can even ask for loans, if it is something of great relevance.

But the problem with debt is that it’s not just borrowing money and still paying the exact amount you borrowed in a couple of months.

You should know that all of these loans and debts, whether with a bank or not, have a certain interest rate that actually hits hard.

Especially on credit cards that the interest can even be 10 or 15%. Check out how to get out of credit card debt.

It is inevitable to avoid those interests, but you could pay less for the loan or debt, if you give enough priority and focus on paying as soon as possible.

Instead of paying the minimum monthly amount on the cards, have you got an extra $50 left over? So instead of spending it on unnecessary things, you pay a larger loan amount.

The longer it takes, the more money you have to pay. If you hurry a little more and use the extra money that comes in monthly, you can take advantage in a few months to save all the money you had destined for the debt and you will also have saved the interest.

16. Don’t buy in season

Why spend so much money on seasonal clothing, when you can buy them during the off season? Clothes aren’t something that get damaged overnight and you can even leave it hanging in the closet until the season arrives again.

In countries where there are four seasons – summer, spring, fall and winter; once the clothes have gone out of season or even fashion, it becomes 50% cheaper, if not more.

Instead of buying in season, do one before or just a month before the cold or heat comes.

This will get you great deals on brand new clothes in stores and you won’t have to spend more than double or triple the money on new clothes when the time comes.

“Fashion” is not a matter of life or death. And if you want more variety, think that, with the money you will spend during the season, you could buy twice as many clothes out of it.

But again, it’s not something that justifies wanting to spend $100 on a coat instead of $50 or $40 for the same coat, a month before or after the season.

17. Buy fresh food

It’s been proven that it’s best to get up a little earlier, go to the market nearby, and buy the freshly salted and harvested products that look super fresh.

Most people don’t do it because they assume it’s more expensive, but the truth is that they’re the same price or cheaper than supermarkets because you’ll be buying from many people who are responsible for both harvesting and distributing the products and putting them on sale.

While in a supermarket, indirectly you are being charged for packaging, wages of their workers, facilities, among other things. The reason for this is because they need greater profit.

On the other hand, in the market, almost everyone wants to make a profit, but only for themselves.

Besides that, you will be adding to the equation a healthier life and more control in the amount of products you buy.

You do not have to go every day, but about 3 times a week and see the offers placed in the market.

Another advantage is that they can have a price, but you can even negotiate with them for a cheaper one, which you can’t even think of doing in a supermarket.

18. Shop online

Excluding the part about food and living things, shopping online is a great option if you want to save money on household products.

In almost every website, you can find offers of even 70% discount on more than one product. And although you will have to pay for shipping, it is still cheaper than going to a store and buy it.

That’s why people are extremely addicted to Internet shopping. Because, besides saving money, you don’t have to spend hours walking to find what we’re looking for.

You just have to turn on the computer or cell phone and you will find thousands of ads and results on the Internet from where you can choose to buy the products.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that because something is on sale you should buy it, which brings us a little to point 7 above.

If it’s not something you need, don’t buy it.

The point of buying on the Internet is that you can save money on those purchases that are necessary and not on a simple whim.

So if you have difficulties during your online shopping, go back to point 7 and think “do I really need this?

If you’re looking for a blender, a new cell phone or any other product, just look for the best prices and save by making the purchase over the internet.

19. Use water consciously

Haven’t you, atleast once, while brushing, shaving or washing your face, left the faucet ON? Or even when you’re lathering or not keeping the water flow for a few seconds.

People think that a few seconds isn’t much, but during that moment, more water than you think is spent.

Leaving a little bit of the environmental issue aside, let’s focus on the part about saving money.

Opening a water tap can consume around 5 to 6 litres of water. And if it’s not a very powerful water outlet, it can also consume at least 4 litres. This is a lot of water that will be reflected in your bill. And if you spend 6 liters per minute, go adding all those brief seconds or even sometimes, minutes, that you left a tap open.

And this is without counting how much water is spent taking a shower or filling a bathtub.

Have a little awareness in the use of water, if you do not want to end up with a bill for high consumption and sometimes even a fine when you have consumed too much water in just one month.

You can apply other methods of saving water such as showering more and bathtub less.

20. Disconnect what you don’t use

Leaving appliances, computer equipments or even leaving the cell phone charging for longer even if it says full charge, consumes a lot of energy.

Most of the equipment in our house consumes a certain amount of electricity even though it is not “ON” as such.

They may not be in use, but they still consume electricity because they are not completely out of order.

For example, people who have a desktop computer that must be plugged into a power outlet to turn on, often leave it plugged in and therefore, even if the computer is turned off, still consumes energy.

21. Don’t iron multiple times

The most common mistake is to think that what consumes the most energy at the time of ironing is the time we take to do it.

In reality, what consumes most electricity is the process of heating the iron.

It takes a lot of energy to heat something. And the iron is one of those appliance that requires the same amount of energy as a hair dryer after being used for about 10 to 15 minutes.

But when it is already at heated, it consumes less electricity to maintain it since it is not necessary to make an excessive action to go from cold to hot.

Therefore, when you are ironing you are not spending as much as you think. And that is why it is recommended that instead of ironing when you are going to put on the garment or just a pair of pants and shirts for the week, try to iron ALL the clothes you have accumulated.

This doesn’t mean that you accumulate clothes. But if you have several clothes, iron them all.

In other words, don’t iron multiple times. But when you do, make sure you don’t leave any clothes for later. Because that will require you to heat the iron again.

22. Compare prices and look for the best

Did you see the fan you needed at the corner store? Don’t settle for just that one and put on your most comfortable shoes and look for the best price.

We are impulsive when we buy. And this does not mean to buy everything we see, but we buy the first thing we visualize in one place without knowing if another product is available at a cheaper price.

Don’t settle for a price and take at least a few more minutes to browse other stores and see if you get what you’re looking for at a better price.

Comparing prices can take a bit of time, but it will be worth even if you end up buying in the initial place. Why? Because that way you’ll know which store is cheaper than the others of the same type and you’ll be able to save time and money later.

The same thing happens with purchases made over the internet. There are so many ads/sites that it is difficult to choose one and with each second that passes, you find one with the same product either more expensive or cheaper.

If you don’t feel to do it all the time, it is recommended you compare and look for the best price when it comes to something with great economical value.

23. Recycle and Reuse

It’s not about repairing, but about seeing those objects or materials you have at home that are no longer used for what they were originally intended.

The first impulse that everyone has is to throw them away or give them away, when you could take advantage of them and not waste the money invested in them.

Also, you might be surprised by the things you can create with some objects that can fulfill the function of a product you were thinking of buying.

For example, glass bottles of wine, game, milk or any other product can serve as vases for your home and thus place the flowers you buy every morning.

One of the positive things is that you can also customize it as you wish.

There are countless options to reuse and recycle what you have at home.

You can always make a couple of modifications to those old objects you have at home and find another use of them to get most out of them.

24. Teach children how to save

If you’re a family member or have a lot of kids around you, it’s not a bad idea to start creating habits that will help them save money.

It’s a good idea to teach them one point a week from this list, such as turning off taps when not in use, even for a short period of time. That way you’ll be training another saver at home.

Imagine, if only you save a little and apply the tricks shown above, you will be saving a lot of money, how much can you save if everyone does their part at home? Starting with the little ones.

It’s normal for kids not to have a sense of how much things cost and get used to everything being there for them.

That’s why it’s good to instill in them from an early age how much electricity and water cost, and to tell them that the more they consume, the more they spend.

Of course, you will do all this in a pleasant way because it is understandable that they do not understand at first and should not talk to them in a hostile way.

This also applies to the purchases you make and the tastes you give them.

A child’s fascination is always a toy and his family always want to see him happy about what he/she wants. Although it is not against spoiling them a little, they must learn to accept NO as an answer from a young age.

Participating with them is not because you don’t want to, but because you can’t buy it or it’s not something really necessary, which must be prioritized.

25. Cheap can turn out to be expensive

It is common to find products or food that are at a bargain price and it is not because they are on offer, but because that’s what their value is.

Many times we let ourselves be carried away by the few zeros in comparison to others and we buy it without thinking twice.

However, on several occasions, cheap can be expensive as those products may not even last a day or month.

What is excessively cheap is not usually of even a decent or average quality, and is rather super bad.

This is not all the time. But every time you run into a bargain like this, it’s better to be suspicious and think about it.

If you end up buying the product and it doesn’t last even half compared to another one with better quality and good reputation, then it’s not worth in any way.

In the end you will be spending again for buying another one. And in a very short time, while you could have bought a better quality one, a little more expensive, but the safest thing was that it would last you more than three times longer than the cheaper one.

Do you think it’s a good buying opportunity? Take a few minutes and investigate with your cell phone or asking acquaintances if they have tried it before and how it has been.

If it is worth it, give it a try, but if at first sight you notice that it is not of such good quality and what you have read or have been told is not very favorable, better invest a little more in one, that promises.

Hope above listed tips are helpful. If you like it and implement, let us know how these benefited in the comments section below.