Your home can be as expensive or cost-effective as you want to make it. Through the years we’ve done some things inside the house to ensure it’s efficient.
1. Money Saving Post 1: https://amomthatblogs.com/simple-tips-to-save-money-in-your-everyday-life/
2. Money Saving Post 2: https://amomthatblogs.com/diy-at-home-to-save-money/
3. Money Saving Post 3: https://amomthatblogs.com/money-saving-part-3-how-to-mealplan/
4. Money Saving Post 4: https://amomthatblogs.com/not-spending-to-save-money/
Outdoor changes can also help with costs. Let’s check out some of these ideas.
As always, these are just some things we’ve done or I’ve thought of. Not all of these will work for you and your family. A lot of these ideas are better suited for a home on an acreage of any size. Living in town will provide different opportunities. Hopefully, you can find a tip in here that you can execute if you’re trying to make cuts in your spending.
Outdoor changes
We live on an acreage. There aren’t buildings around our home. If you are building or live on an acreage with little blocking your home from the wind consider planting trees. A wind block would be very helpful in winter to help save on costs for heating your home. Of course, this also depends on where you live.
Even something as simple as colors for shingles or siding can make a small difference in heating and cooling your home.
Energy
Making sure your home is energy efficient is a great thing you can do for savings. It also usually has a kickback from the energy company and even taxes.
In the city, the energy company can come and install energy-efficient products in the attic that help with efficiency. We got a kickback from doing that. It also made a difference on our energy bills.
In the country, we made another change. We both love fireplaces. With the rise in the cost of propane, my husband checked on wood-burning fireplaces and met an older man that installs them for a living. We ended up getting our wood-burning fireplace installed in our living room and using it as our main source of heat.
The propane company had come out this winter assuming we must need more propane. They were perplexed I believe. Coming back a couple days later thinking surely this is wrong. Again, no propane is needed. LOL!
Animals
If you have this opportunity, you could raise animals for food. I realize this isn’t something many can do. It’s a wish my husband has to have a couple cows, goats, and pigs. Maybe someday if we have more time to devote to something like that.
It’s common where we live for people to have animals regularly for 4H projects for their kids or because farming is simply their living.
As I mentioned in the food portion of my money-saving posts, our friends have cattle and that’s where we get our meat. Their children show them for 4H and then butcher them and make money on it that way. We are blessed to be able to buy from them.
Chickens are all the rage right now. Look at the cost of eggs! In the city and the country this could be an option. You could just get a few chickens and the cost to feed them wouldn’t be too crazy to make it worth the eggs you would receive.
Around the Home
There are a lot of options in your home you can change to save a little here and there. Simple things, like refillable soap dispensers, can save the earth from less waste and also a few dollars from buying it in bulk.
Another great resource is reusable paper towels. They work great, have cute designs, and save from buying 16 rolls of paper towels! That’s a savings of at least $15 for each reusable paper towel you use. They can be washed in the laundry too. A small adjustment with some great savings.
Locally, you can hit up Ellie’s on Main for these towels! Lots of cute options. If you aren’t local, here is the amazon link to some. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08V4YNH55/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
On Amazon, I also found reusable window wash towels. No need for a cleaner. Just get them wet and they clean the windows. Multiple uses and you’re saving again. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BVXFJ9P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I want to talk about something deeper later but touch on it quick now. Saving your home from toxins. If you don’t use a spray to clean windows you definitely aren’t using toxins. Switching products in my home to paraben, sulfate, and phthalate free cleaners I’m saving us from dangerous chemicals.
What I use for cleaning has refillable bottles with concentrated cleaner. I use one bottle of cleaner to fill up my spray bottle multiple times. Saving money and saving the environment again.
Laundry
One thing that isn’t my cup of tea, but would definitely save you, is a clothing line. Instead of using the dryer in the warmer months, you’d save energy costs by hanging them to dry.
I also use a bulk detergent that I buy locally. I got the big bucket initially and now I buy the box of refill. No plastic bottles are bought monthly or more frequently than that even.
Batteries
The cost of batteries seems to keep getting higher. One switch we made years ago was batteries. We started buying rechargeable batteries. This way you charge at home once they die and you use them again, and again. No throwing away and buying new every time they die. The cost for the batteries may be slightly higher initially but you are definitely saving in the long run. https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-4MCCA4BA-eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable/dp/B00JHKSMJK/ref=sr_1_28_sspa?keywords=rechargeable%2Bbatteries&qid=1679414542&sr=8-28-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMVBZM0k3QUQ1N1BMJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjE3NjUwM1QxMDAzMk1SVDJESyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzg5ODEyMUU5QVBYUThaWjBHRCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1
I hope some of these things are new so you can find some tips to save money in your home. I realize some things may seem small or insignificant, but remember, it all adds up. If you decide to make 5 changes you’ve read then you know you can add those up to bigger savings.
Thanks again for being here and for following along.
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