Save Money By Doing Things At Home

Money is tight. All you need to do is take a look at the gas prices at the pump this week ($4 a gallon!) so know that wallets are getting pinched.

Picking up an extra job is hard for those who are unemployed or underemployed. So we have to find different ways to cut costs and fatten up our wallets. While we hope that the economy while be on the upturn, you can’t bank on waiting for that to happen. You have to make choices to save money now.

The easiest way to save money is to do more at home. When you purchase things, you are not only paying for the item but you are also paying for the convenience. But if you can do the same thing at home, you can generally get it for significantly cheaper. To help get your wheels turning, here are some ideas for saving money by doing things at home.

  • Sew. A good dress can cost around $100. But you can sew a dress for a fraction of the cost. Plus, knowing how to do clothing repairs and alterations can save you a bundle. You won’t have to toss a shirt with a hole or pants that are too short. You can mend the hole and turn the pants into capris. Instead of purchasing new clothes all of the time, you can reinvent and refashion what you already own. Unfortunately, there are some things that are not cheaper to make at home. Compare the cost of an item and the cost plus time of making it to see if you would actually save money. For example, making a t-shirt will probably not be cost effective as just purchasing a $5 one at the store.
  • Cook. Eating out is one of the biggest money suckers out there. A meal for two at a reasonable restaurant is going to be around $20. Cooking the same meal at home will cost less than $2. Plus, if you eat at home, you get to control the ingredients making it healthier and more tailored toward your tastes. Restaurant food seems so heavy. You can lighten up a meal at home for seriously cheaper. But that does not mean that you can never eat out, especially if you love to eat out for entertainment. My eating out rule is that I will never order something that I can easily make a home. For example, spaghetti is one of the easiest (and cheapest) meals to prepare at home. Why on earth would I ever pay $10 for a plate of it? Order seafood, ribs or other technical and pricey meals to get more bang for your buck.
  • Hair cuts. A hair cut every six weeks for a man is about $20 including tip. That will be almost a $300 a year expenditure. You can save a lot of cash and money by learning to cut hair at home. Men’s haircuts tend to be simple and only require a specialized attachment for a raz0r.

Good luck and start saving money!