Saving Money On Ordinary Household Items
As I packed up my house this week, I was struck by all the things I had spent money on that I rarely used, didn’t need or could have used differently. Did I really buy both an electric frypan and an electric wok? And, when I did, what on earth what I was thinking? And why on earth do I have so many different kinds of cleaning items when surely one would do? Here are ways to save on your general household items, when to scrimp and when to invest.
Paper Towels
The sphere of personal finance bloggers all agree, paper towels are not the best investment for your home. Cut up old t-shirts and they will do as well, while using a colander to drain oily foods is a much cheaper and more environmental option. Paper towels definitely come in handy, but use them sparingly to keep household costs down.
Cleaning Products
I suspect I buy so many cleaning products because I don’t like cleaning, and I figure that buying them counts as part of the process and can assuage my guilt for a while. Instead of investing a small fortune in frighteningly specific cleaners, buy a big bottle of vinegar. Seriously, the stuff cleans almost anything and costs close to nothing. The other big achiever is your modest dishwashing liquid. Find one that mentions ‘anti-bacterial’ on the front and you’re onto a winner.
Nice Smells
There’s an ad on television that promotes it’s product as registering bad odours and correcting them before you can even notice it. Thats’s right people, the great anticipatory odour machine is here, we’re all saved. Instead of spending a fortune on the initial set up and then the inevitable refills, buy a bag of cloves and boil a couple on your stove for a couple of hours. The smell will be much nicer and at significantly lower price. Or you can buy a bottle of essential oils, they tend to last for years on end.
Cover It Up
My mum has a sofa that she adores. She declares it’s the most comfortable sofa in all the world, the only one she has ever really enjoyed. The problem, of course, is that it also looked like ten crazed cats had set upon it and torn it with abandon. The solution? She went out and bought some fairly tough material and recovered the whole thing, saving hundreds of dollars and her beloved piece of furniture.
When To Invest
There are a couple of items that deserve investment. It’s about the frugal choice as opposed to the cheap one- you’re choosing something that will pay for itself in the long run. Often, these items have to do with their power usage. Buying newer fridges, dishwashers, washing machines and investing in a (smaller screen) LED television are frugal choices, as the older versions eat up power like it’s cereal. I would also suggest, from recent experience, sounding a little extra on kitchen goods like plates and pans. The cheaper ones tend to discolour and damage very quickly, meaning you have to replace them quickly.
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