Okay, so you've created your budget, pinched all the pennies you can comfortably pinch, whittled down the bills as far as they can be whittled, tightened your proverbial belt (because you sold your actual belt to the guy on the corner for $5), now what?
Well, the adult in the room will tell you that you now need to start making more money. Don't know how? My Grandpa would say "Get a Job!" Already have one? Get another. (Yeah, I know, not terribly helpful, no matter how practical.) There are tons of iterations of that conversation. I'm sure you've heard them all... Ask for a raise... ask for more hours at work... sell your prized possessions... start a blog... etc. etc. etc.
Pretty much every time that conversation comes up, my inner teenager screams, "I hate you! Leave me alone!"
The alternative? Maybe it's time to get extreme. Yeah, you heard me. (Just so you know, the movie in my head showed a frenetic zoom-in on the word "extreme" with explosions in the background.)
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No, I don't mean dumpster diving for food behind the grocery store or composting your own poop, but it could quickly come to that (and if that's your thing, I won't judge). No, I'm talking a softer, gentler extreme. The kind your grandparents might approve of (think handkerchiefs and talcum powder). One in which you exert control over a situation rather than the situation exerting control over you.
Is it going to save you hella-bucks? Probably not, but this is where we are, so let's run with it.
1. Choose Cloth Over Paper Towels
I think the trendy term is "Unpaper towels," which for the rest of us just means towels, but whatever. (Those were air quotes by the way.)Enter the word problems:
If Jane buys the 12 pack of store-brand paper towels every two months, at a cost of $15, she's spending $90 a year (or $7.50 / month). —If you're buying the more expensive name brands, you're probably spending $22 every couple of months, equalling $132 a year (or $11 / month).
Look, you don't have to buy the "untowels" everyone is selling on Etsy. You don't even have to go out and buy new dish towels from the Dollar Store. You can use rags made from your worn out t-shirts, socks, and dare I say, underwear. Cost? ZERO DOLLARS.
(I'm going to assume you've already stopped buying paper napkins and plates, but if you haven't? slide them under the rug and pretend you have.)
[$7.50-$11 / month -or- $90-$132 / year savings]
2. Switch to Scott 1100 (née 1000) Toilet Paper
Not that I'm pro-Scott brand toilet paper, it's just the cheapest that I've found thus far. There may be a different cheaper brand in your neck of the woods.You should be able to find 36 rolls for $18-$22 (USD) at the big warehouse clubs or box stores. Depending on how many people there are in your household and how well they hydrate, this should last you about 3 months. This breaks down to $6-$7 a month for toilet paper—how much are you spending? (As a comparison, we were spending about $24 a month on Scott Soft / Angel Soft / Generic Soft toilet paper.)
You could go even more extreme by using cloth toilet paper (untoilet paper?) and washing it. Personally, that's a bit too extreme for me—but you could save that extra $88 a year if you really needed to.
[$18 / month -or- $216 / year savings]
3. Use Cloth Diapers / Menstrual Pads
For some reason, cloth diapers are an acceptable alternative, but menstrual pads might take some getting used to. Consider this, the average amount spent on pads and tampons each month is estimated at about $7 (multiply by 12 months and you're spending $84 a year. Multiply that by 40 years and you've spent just over $3,300). Is it a huge chunk of change? Not really, but we're doing the extreme-ish thing, so....Cloth Menstrual Pads
The cost of cloth pads, which you can buy for about $10 (for a set of 6), may cost more initially but they save you in the long run. Since they're washable and reusable, they should last you a couple of years. Even if they just last you one year, you've saved $74.
If you're really handy, you could make your own. I leave that up to you.
[$6 / month -or- $74 / year savings]
Cloth Diapers
As for diapers, Mint.com did a blog post comparing prices and over the course of a year, cloth diapers save you just over $200 (this includes the cost associated with washing them). That breaks down to a monthly savings of about $18. (Remember, we're just focusing on money, not if this actually works with your lifestyle. I make absolutely no judgments on how you diaper yourself, your children, your pets, or your parents.)
[$18 / month -or- $218 / year savings]
4. Stop Using Shampoo & Conditioner
There are a number of ways to go about tackling this particular scenario. You could...- shave your head and just use soap to keep your scalp clean. (Been there, done that. Absolutely nothing wrong with it.)
- get your friends and family to send you the travel shampoos from their vacations.
- use the "no poo" method (not really recommended, but some people love it)
- make your own shampoo
- just use Castille soap
The average amount spent on shampoo and conditioner each month is about $11 (this doesn't include other hair care products or colorants).
Use Baking Soda & Vinegar (at your own risk)
The "no poo" method often uses baking soda as a replacement for your shampoo. It doesn't work for everyone, but (some) people swear by it. You'll need to then rinse with cider vinegar (Chemistry 101—baking soda is a caustic base and is neutralized with an acidic like vinegar, additionally, the vinegar helps reduce the baking soda pH somewhat). Here are the warnings about that:
- Baking Soda is an abrasive with a high (alkaline) pH and can be a skin irritant. It strips away the oils from your hair, including the good ones that keep your hair healthy.
- When using, you'll need to water it down: 1 part baking soda to (at least) 3 parts water. (note: this does not change the pH level.)
- Your hair / hair follicles need a pH level of 3.67 to stay healthy, and your skin needs a pH level around 5.5.
- Baking soda has a pH of 9—using it too much can cause skin irritations and strip the good oils from your hair cuticles / follicles. And, after long-time use, it can actually harm your hair & skin, making it dryer and more brittle.
Consider yourself warned.
Make Your Own Shampoo
It may not be a lot cheaper, depending on how thrifty you are with your ingredients, but it's probably a lot healthier than the sudsing shampoos with Sodium Lauryl and Laureth Sulfates, Parabens, etc....
Recipes vary, but I found this one over at the Wellness Mama website:
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup liquid castille soap
- 20 drops essential oil (like lavender, rosemary, orange)
- 1/2 tsp olive or almond oil (optional—good for people with dry hair)
1 tsp (or about a nickel-sized dollop) should be enough to clean shoulder length hair.
Of course, you can also just buy a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Castille soap and use it straight out of the bottle (or diluted) as a shampoo.
Either way, you'll want to rinse your hair with cider vinegar or another acidic rinse (citrus works too).
Condition with Coconut Oil
Once a week, if your hair needs conditioning, do a "deep" condition with a dollop of coconut oil.
If you need less conditioning, then do a regular condition with coconut oil a couple times a week.
Or Just Reduce Your Consumption & Don't Wash Your Hair as Much
You could just reduce your shampoo & conditioner usage to once a week. People used to do this and it was completely acceptable. I know that doesn't cut it out completely, but you've just cut your consumption by 6/7ths. (Yay Math!)
You can still rinse your hair (with water) whenever you bathe, but honestly, most people on the planet don't need to wash their hair daily. (It's not always good for your hair.)
[$9.50 / month -or- $114 / year savings]
5. Stop Using Deodorant
Yeah, your friends and family may have to get used to your natural "musky" scent. So be it. If they can't love you for who you are and what you smell like, well, maybe they regain that love from 10 feet away.On average, we probably spend $15-$20 a year on deodorant, so your monthly savings will be a scant $1.25-$1.67.
Need something to absorb the sweat? Try corn starch, arrow root powder, or baby / talcum powder. This probably won't alleviate the smell though.
[$1.25 / month -or- $15 / year savings (per person)]
7. No More Fast Food or Junk Food
You've probably already cut out the fast food, the soda, alcohol, juice, and most of the junk—but if you haven't, now is the time. I know that pack of Doritos is cheap and easy and may actually fill you up, but it's shit food and you shouldn't waste your money on it. Likewise, the BOGO 2 liter of Mountain Dew might be a good deal, but you know what's even better? NOT BUYING IT.I know there are a lot of opinions about tap water, but in most places (Michigan excluded), it's WAY better for you than Mountain Dew. And it's free (well, free-ish).
If you / your family drinks an average of 10 cans of soda per week, you're spending about $4.10 per week or $16.40 per month (almost $200 / year). If you consume more than this, well, you're spending more.
Need a little something more than just plain water? How about tea? It's cheaper than coffee, although coffee would work too.
[Soda alone: $16.40 / month -or- $197 / year savings]
8. No More Kleenex® Facial Tissue
It's time to bring the handkerchief back.
During allergy and cold seasons we probably spend $10 a month on Kleenex—adding up to maybe $70 a year. A set of 4 hankies might cost you $4 at Kohl's (& even less at the thrift store).
[$5.33 / month average -or- $64 / year savings]
9. Grow Your Own Food
Gardening is fairly versatile, as long as you have the right ingredients: Soil, Sun (or an approximation of it), Water, and Seed.
You can grow herbs, micro greens, and lettuces on your window sill or under grow lights.
Most vegetables can be grown in containers if you don't have a plot of land in which to plant. Know what your limitations / restrictions are, then problem solve around that. If you can't grow food where you are, is there a community garden you could join?
The more you grow and use, the less you're having to buy at the grocery store. And if you grow a lot, you can learn to preserve your food so it subsidizes your grocery bill throughout the year.
[Savings will vary]
10. Beyond Buying Generic—Make it Yourself
I won't go so far as to suggest you should buy your own wheat and grind it yourself (although I know people who do this). But all of those flour/grain-based products you buy at the store, even the generic label ones, you can make from scratch. We're talking sandwich bread, tortillas, pita bread, pasta, cake, etc....
You can make all of these things at home for pennies of what it would cost to buy at the store. The amount of money you save will depend on how much you normally spend on these items. We were spending $3-$5 a month on tortillas, $12 a month on sandwich bread, and $7 a month on pasta (about $25 a month or $300 a year).
[$24 / month -or- $240 / year savings]
11. Stop Buying Laundry Detergent & Fabric Softeners
I'm not even suggesting that you make your own. Just stop buying the stuff altogether. Most clothes, when washed in a machine, get clean solely through the agitation action. If you're worried about germs and bacteria, run your clothes through the hot water cycle.
- If you feel you need a surfactant, use soap nuts or Castille soap in the wash.
- If you need a fabric softener, use vinegar in the wash (I use a Downy ball filled with vinegar and just throw it in the wash at the beginning).
- If you want your clothes to have a "fresh, clean scent," hang them to dry outside, or use a few drops of essential oil on a cloth when you use the dryer.
Need to get rid of a stain? Make your own stain remover with 4 Tablespoons baking soda, 1/4 cup dish soap (it can be any hand dish soap, it doesn't have to be blue Dawn—you just need a surfactant), 1/2 cup Hydrogen Peroxide. You can pour this into a spray bottle or keep in a mason jar. Shake before applying on your stain. You may need to leave it on the stain for an hour or more. (I'd do a colorfast test first. Hydrogen peroxide does have ever-so-slight bleaching capabilities.)
On average, thrifty Americans spend anywhere from $80-$420 a year on laundry detergent (if you're buying name brands or specialty brands and/or doing more than 6 loads of laundry a week, you could be spending up to $600/year on detergent)
[Laundry Detergent: $6.67-$35 / month -or- $80-$420 / year savings]
12. Air Dry Your Clothes
I know you've seen this suggestion on every other budget blog, but for whatever reason maybe you're still not a fan of clotheslines (especially in the colder months) or clothes hanging from every possible surface in your house. I get it. I totally do. And to be honest, it's not the biggest money saver, unless you have a really old dryer that uses up a lot of electricity.
The average cost of drying a small load of clothes (with a 45 minute run time) is about 36¢ per load. If you're doing 6 loads of laundry a week, that's $2.16 / week. Multiplied by 4 weeks is $8.64 a month (or $104 / year).
[$8.64 / month -or- $104 a year savings]
The Payoff?
| Actions | Monthly Savings |
|
|---|---|---|
| Use cloth towels instead of paper towels | $11 | |
| Switch to Scott 1100 T.P. | $18 | |
| Use cloth diapers instead of disposable | $18 | |
| Use cloth menstrual pads instead of tampons | $6 | |
| Stop buying shampoo & conditioner | $11 | |
| Stop buying deodorant | $1.67 | |
| No more fast food or junk food | $16.40 | |
| Stop buying kleenex | $5.33 | |
| Grow your own food | varies | |
| Make your own bread & pasta | $24 | |
| Stop buying laundry detergent | $7 | |
| Air dry your clothes | $9 | |
Total Saved:
|
$127.40 |
How much more do these "extreme" measures save you? Like I said before, not a hella-lot, but you'll squeeze another $99 to $149 a month out of your budget.
Of course, the work that goes into saving this amount of money might be equal to the amount of time you'd spend at a part time job (where you're hopefully making $150 or more a week rather than a month). That said, you're working your bum off trying to save some extra dough and that's not a bad thing.
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