I’m sharing the ways that I save money one tip at a time. Tip #8 is Use Less.
Tip #8: Use Less
This is such a good tip. If you use less of anything, you’ll stretch your supply which costs you less money in the long run. There are a ton of things you can use less of. My favorite is food items.
Use Less Food
I tell my husband all of the time: “You use too much Peanut Butter & Jelly on the kid’s sandwiches.” Seriously, that just makes a mess. They don’t need gooey PB&J. I do, but I can handle it without making a huge mess that I have to clean up. They can’t. When I make their sandwiches, I just use a little bit of peanut butter and a little bit of jelly. I use enough that I can spread it out evenly on the whole slice of bread, not enough that there are huge globs ready to leak out and end up on my furniture & walls.
Eating less food, if you can, is a great way to save money. By eating less food, you can stretch your dollars by splitting the meals into two meals or freezing the extra for another dinner. Next time you’re at a restaurant with huge portions, ask for a box when your food comes, and put half of it in the box right away for tomorrow. You’ve got two meals for the price of one and an added bonus of weight lost!
Food items are such an easy thing use less. Condiments are a good one to start with. Try using just half as much ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, steak sauce, whatever it is. Soap is another one. Half as much laundry soap cleans your clothes the same as what the manufacturer’s suggested use size does. They tell you to use more so that you need to buy more often. Don’t play their game. Same goes for body wash, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, fabric softener, hand soap, antibacterial lotion, shampoo & conditioner. Just use half of what you normally do! Dime or quarter size amounts is usually plenty.
Use Less Energy
Don’t forget about utilities. Things like electricity and water are charged off what you use. Turn your faucet off when you’re brushing your teeth or scrubbing your face. Turn off lights in rooms that no one is using. Unplug unnecessary appliances, like mixers and toasters, when not in use. Items plugged into the wall, especially if they have large box plugs, still use a little bit of electricity even when not turned on. Only plug those items in when you need to use them, then quickly unplug them.
Use less electricity by drying your clothes outside on nice days. The sun is a natural bleach for stained items. Turn off your HVAC system on nice days and open the windows & use a ceiling fan. Switch to LED light bulbs. You can buy LED Bulbs at the Dollar Tree. Target usually has good deals on them as well, when they have a buy 2 get 1 free sale + coupons. Some electric companies, like mine, will give a rebate per LED bulb as a credit on your bill.
Cutting back on how much you use of anything saves you money in the long run, because you’re not having to buy the items as frequently. The savings add up fast! That’s why Use Less is my Tip #8 for How I Save Money.
So remember, the next time you go to use something, think about using half of what your normally use! You’ll save money!
Learn More
Follow me on Instagram for more ways to save money. Also, check out all of my easy, actionable money-saving tips in my post 15 Easy Ways to Save Money!
What are some items that you’ve cut back on recently? Tell us in the comments!
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