11 Simple Household Hacks to Save You Hundreds!

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, you don’t want to save pennies, you want to save dollars. Don’t we all?! But the reality is that pennies add up to dollars and every penny counts. These are a few easy things you can do around your house, with little money or effort up front, and over time see the benefits of doing!

1. Displace the water in your toilet tank

This works best in an older toilet, if you have a new and water efficient toilet then you likely have no need of this. You can simply place a brick or a full water bottle in your toilet tank, which will cause it to use a little less water with each flush.

2. Ditch the landline

Speaking of old appliances, it might be time to give up on your landline. If you can make the switch, it’s much easier and more direct to simply use your cell phone for everything these days. Some people need to adjust to the ideas, but others can’t imagine what you would need a landline for! See if you can find some savings by removing this from your monthly bills.

3. Turn down your water heater

Most people have their water heaters set just a bit hotter than necessary, but they typically arrive that way from the manufacturer. Check yours and if it is set at around 140 degrees, you can turn it down to about 120 degrees. (If your model doesn’t say degrees, check your manual for the equivalents.)

This saves a bit on energy, you have less of a chance to experience scalding, and you will likely help to extend the life of your water heater. You can also turn it down or off if you are going away, but that may depend on your equipment and the season!

4. Learn minor home repair

There are so many things you can fix around your house all on your own if you have a few hours and access to YouTube. Yes, you may pay a bit more in time, but a lot less in money.

If you’re nervous, ask a friend who you know has done a great job in their own home and try to barter with them. Maybe you can trade services!

5. Turn off the heated dry on your dishwasher

Your dishwasher both washes and dries your dishes, but you can use a little less energy if you turn off the heated dry option. This picture shows it on, but I wanted you to be able to see the feature. (You can also see that I need to clean the door of my dishwasher, haha!)

6. Turn off the water

Speaking of doing your dishes, if you are like me, you scrub or rinse them on the way into your dishwasher, all while the water is running. Try turning off the water while you scrub them, since you don’t really need them to be clean, just free from clingy debris. I’m trying to get used to this since it saves water during the rinse and gets them perfectly ready for the dishwasher!

7. Use power strips

If you plug many of your appliances into power strips, not only can that protect them, but it’s an easy 1-click way to turn those appliances off when not in use. Most of us have heard by now that our appliances are still sucking energy from our outlets even when they are “off” or not in use. It can still be a pain to unplug things we like to use often. This prevents you from needing that annoying task while still saving you some energy. Double bonus!

8. Close curtains and blinds

Whether you are trying to keep a little extra heat out or a little extra heat in, closing all of your curtains and blinds can be an easy way to add a bit of control over the temperature in your home. A little less heat either way means less AC or not having to keep the heat as high. You can go a step further buy using heavy curtains designed to trap the heat!

9. Program your thermostat

Since closing the curtains ultimately equals thermostat savings, you can do even more by addressing your thermostat directly. If you have one that you can program, take the time to learn how. This is a great way to keep temps lower at night, when you are at work, or while you are on vacation. You can always forfeit a degree or two while you’re there!

10. Save on your laundry

You may have seen our recent post about how to save money while doing laundry and there are lots of great tips there. If you didn’t get to see it you can check it out here.

11. Use natural cleaners

You can very easily clean your entire home using some of the cheap and natural items you have around your house. Baking soda and vinegar can clean almost anything, cost much less than cleaners from the store, and you’re actually doing a kindness to yourself and your household when avoid all of those toxic cleaners!  Find some natural DIY cleaner recipes here!

These are just a few simple ideas of little changes you can make around the house that can add up to a nice savings over time. Try what works for you!

What other household hacks do you like to use to save money? We would love to hear from you!