Whether you’re trying to get your budget in order or you’re saving up for a big purchase, there are a lot of ways to save money. Most people instinctively cut back on unnecessary purchases, but forget to consider the ways they could save on necessary purchases. Even when it comes to monthly household bills you have to pay (like utilities, cell service, etc.), there are plenty of ways to save more money!
Today’s post is packed with helpful tips that will help you do just that! From your TV service to your water bill and everything in between, these tips will teach you how to reduce your monthly costs while still getting the important services and utilities you need. Because paying your household bills and saving money should never be mutually exclusive! :-)
Related: 11 Little Ways You Can Protect The Most Important Resource
13 Ways To Save Money On Your Household Bills
TV Service
1. Downgrade your TV package. Check out the list of channels you get as part of your current cable or satellite package. If you are paying for channels you aren’t watching, consider downgrading to a cheaper package.
2. Cancel your cable or satellite service. There are so many affordable options out there for streaming TV and movies, which makes it easy to cut out your expensive cable or satellite bill. If you’re worried about missing out on your favorite shows, search for them on JustWatch.com to find out which streaming services offer them. That will help you decide which streaming service(s) you might want to switch to!
If you’re new to streaming but want to know more, read my guide to streaming at the link below. It has everything you need to know about what streaming is, how it works, and which streaming services you can choose from!
Related: Everything You Need To Know About Streaming Video To Your TV
Credit Cards
3. Leave your cards at home. If you have a hard time controlling your credit card spending, leave those credit cards at home! Put them away somewhere safe so you’re not tempted to use them. (Some people may prefer to cancel the card altogether, but cancelling any line of credit could potentially hurt your credit score.)
Cell Phone Service
4. Downgrade your plan. If you’re not utilizing all of the features of your current cell plan, consider downgrading to a less expensive plan. Pay-as-you-go and prepaid plans can be a great way to save money on household bills, especially if you don’t use a lot of data or minutes!
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Water
5. Put a bottle in your toilet tank. Fill a plastic bottle with water and set it into your toilet tank. The tank will then require less water to fill, meaning you’ll save water (and money!) every time you flush. (Avoid this if you have a high-efficiency toilet, because they already use less water than standard toilets.)
6. Check your toilet for leaks. A leaky toilet could waste up to 200 gallons of water every day! Here’s an easy way to check for leaks—add a drop or two of food coloring to the water tank. Wait for a few minutes, then check the water in the toilet bowl. If the color has moved into the bowl, you know you have a leak.
7. Keep a pitcher of water in your fridge. It’s an easy way to make sure you always have cold drinking water available. Then you won’t have to leave the tap running for a minute or two waiting for the water to run cold!
Energy
8. Use less A/C. When you use central air conditioning, turn your ceiling fans on too. This forces the cool air down lower, and you’ll be able to turn temperature up a few degrees without noticing a difference.
9. Use less heat. You can start to see savings on your energy bill just by dropping your thermostat a few degrees during the winter. Turn the heat down and throw on a sweater and some cozy socks!
11. Keep your freezer full. An empty freezer uses more energy than a full one, because it has to work harder to keep those items cold. If you don’t have much in your freezer, put a bag of ice or a plastic jug of water in there to help your freezer run more efficiently.
10. Turn things off. After it gets dark, walk around your house and take note of everything with a light on (power strips, electronics, appliances, etc.) These items are all using electricity constantly, so you can save a good amount of money by turning those things off when you’re not using them.
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12. Run full loads. Hold off on running your dishwasher and washing machine until you have a full load. It’s an easy way to get the best bang for your buck in terms of energy usage.
13. Clean your appliances. Clean appliances use energy more efficiently than dirty or poorly maintained appliances. Check out the links below for full instructions on cleaning the following home appliances:
What’s your best tip for saving money on your household bills?
In retirement I have become very aware of water waste. While waiting for hot water out of the tap, I have started collecting what goes down the drain. That’s water I put in the fridge for drinking, watering house plants, and filling the dog dish or the bird bath. I collect about a gallon each time. It adds up!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jo, that is very smart. Rather than wasting the water, you’r putting it to good use. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My one financial “splurge” is my cable and internet. Cancelling them is NOT an option! I don’t subscribe to streaming services. I don’t use credit cards. I’m strictly a debit-card gal. I have a Lively! cell phone – $25.00 a month. I don’t have a water bill, I have well water. As for heating and cooling, I had a ductless heat-pump HVAC system installed last year. I don’t have ceiling fans. Oh, my freezer is full, all right — of coffee! I don’t have a dishwasher. I always have full water bottles in my fridge, for drinking and sometimes for making coffee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love all these tips. I love to get as much use out of things as possible. I reuse metal containers to store coffee. I refrigerate tea bags to make cold eye compresses, I reuse coffee grounds for body scrub and for my plants. I also use eggshells. I strain my own yogurt in the fridge with a colander lined with coffee filter to make my own “ Greek style” yogurt . I then add the liquid ( whey) to smoothies.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When my bananas look limp brownish I know it’s time to make banana bread. I get a thrill out of saving money / resources by repurposing. My favorite thing is saving vegetable scraps in the freezer to make vegetable stock . The taste is far superior than store bought. There’s less sodium and way better flavor. Less waste is also a plus.
I use a rain barrel system for collecting rain water. Never have to use the hose! And more water usage!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Doing laundry in the middle of the night, like 2:00 a.m Electricity is less expensive when demand is low.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If your wayer supply is a well get a larger pressure tanl. It takes twive as much power to start the pu.p as run it. I have 3 20 gallon tanks bought 2nd hand. Evem if one has a faulty bladder one working tank will supply pressure. If your power rate changes depending on time of use putting pump on a switch means you can fill tanks at lowest rate. I always have hot water on the wood stove so turn water heater off until rate is lower. Shower/ bath do laundry when rate is lowest. Turning lights off as well has cut my power bill from $125./135. a month to 45. to 55.per month. I person household with 40 horses to water in winter if pond freezes. I use submersible sump pump in barn well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.SlingTV is just as good, if not better, than the $105 we were paying for Cable TV!! We pay $25/mo!! And we pay only $45/mo using StraightTalk cell phone service — for unlimited talk, text and data. I know there are plans that are less that don’t give you unlimited data, but we aren’t interested in those.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Those are great deals!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just ask. I called my cable company and asked they saved me $50 per month with no change to service. Called the cell phone company found a new discount and saved 10%.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We actually do keep a water pitcher in the fridge. It’s a Britta one where it filters the water. I replace the filter every few months with a Walmart one that’s comparable to the name brand. I refuse to spend money on bottled water. This is a much cheaper way to do it. There are lots of people who live in areas nearby who won’t drink their towns tap water or who’s city water is questionable.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We pay for Spring water delivery in the 5-gallon jugs. About $5/bottle, and Spring water is the healthiest. Although I love the taste of distilled water so much! And I got a free dispenser (I do reviews) so I have instant hot or cold water. I refuse to drink tap water unfiltered unless it is an emergency or I have no other choice (then I won’t be a snob, hhahha). I totally understand about not drinking tap water. :)
The fun thing is the people who deliver and own the small water delivery company, ended up being customers of my husband (who does woodworking on the side) so I feel it totally is the circle of life :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wrap the water heater with an insulated wrap (especially if it is located in a garage or basement).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.any particular brand or specs for the insultated wrap ?
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