How I Save Money Tip #9: Use Every Drop

Tip #9 is Use Every Drop.  I know, the last time was Use Less, and now I’m telling you to Use Every Drop.  No, I’m not crazy, I’m being frugal.

Tip #9: Use Every Drop

You can save a ton of money buy using every drop of everything you have before opening another.  Think about it.  Do you turn bottles upside down to get the very last drop of the contents?  Why not?  You should be!

Consolidate Bottles

You’ve seen how restaurants consolidate ketchup but putting one bottle upside down on the other, right?  You can do the same thing!  We do it all of the time with everything.  One of my favorite cheap gadgets to help me with this tip is a bottle coupler.  You can get them in one size or one that can accommodate different sized bottles on each end, like this one.  They’re less than $10, and the can make using gravity to help you get every last drop easy!

Cut Open Tubes

Have you ever cut open a tube of something you thought was empty to see what was really left inside?  Check this out.

This is a 3 month, 8 oz tube of Proactiv Plus Facial Cleanser.  I’ve placed it next to an EOS lip balm so you can get a feel for the size.  I’d squeezed every last drop out of it, or so I thought.

I carefully cut the top open, just under the crimp, and low and behold there was a ton of product left in the tube.  The sides and bottom were coated in a thin layer.  I kept it in a Ziplock Bag, and I got one day’s worth – two uses – out of what I could gather by wiping my finger around the edges of the top of the tube.

The next day, I cut the top 2″ off of the tube, which allowed me to reach all the way to the bottom.  I think I’ll have at least 2 weeks worth of product in a tube that I thought was empty.  2 WEEKS WORTH!!  That’s 28 uses!  I’ve also seen these makeup spatulas to help you get every drop

Adjust Subscription Schedules

Another side tip for Proactiv, they let you determine how fast your shipments come.  If you use slightly less, you can space out your shipments further and save money.  Easy!  They recommend 12 weeks, but I tend to use my 90 day supply up in about 120 days instead.  I now use Rodan + Fields, where you have to get a shipment every 60 days, but I’m able to stretch my regimens so that I can buy other products to try in the in between months.

Remember last week’s tip, Use Less?  When you combine the tips and Use Less plus Use Every Drop, you stretch your dollar even further.

It’s ok to have a stockpile of items you got free or cheap with coupons, but don’t open one until you are absolutely positive that you’ve used every drop of the last one.

Using Every Last Drop is a smart move in your journey to save money, and that’s why it’s Tip #9 in my How I Save Money Series.

Learn More

Follow me on Instagram for more money saving tips every day! Also, check out all of my easy, actionable money-saving tips in my post 15 Easy Ways to Save Money!

What are some ways you save money?  Do you have lots of upside down bottles all over the house?  Tell us all about it in the comments!