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5 Things to Buy That Will Save You Money

February 14, 2016 by Jennifer 18 Comments

You know the saying “You have to spend money to make money”? I think it mostly pertains to business and marketing, but I like to employ that technique in my household as well. There are a few changes we’ve made that save us anywhere from a few dollars a month, to hundreds. I’m especially proud of #3.

When you are living on as tight of a budget as we were, literally every dollar saved each month counts. But even now that we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we continue to do these things below, and I’m always looking for more. The best part is, many have such a positive environmental impact that we’re also contributing to the future generations… you know, being green and all.

This post contains affiliate links, but I found, purchased, and used these items completely on my own.

5 Things to Buy That Will Save You Money

1. Buy an espresso machine

It does not need to be fancy, in fact we had one sitting in our cabinet that we hadn’t used in years. I dusted it off, brought it in to work, and make myself a peppermint latte every afternoon instead of going to a coffee shop (or begging someone else to go for me, but same idea). Not only are you saving money, but instead of filling the landfills with paper cups, plastic lids, and cardboard sleeves… you can use your favorite coffee mug and feel a little greener.

2. Replace all your disposable hand soap with refillable soap dispensers.

This falls in the category of only saving a few dollars per month, but again, you’re not throwing away plastic bottles left and right so you can feel a little better about the environment. They even make mason jar adapters if you’re into that whole mason jar thing.

3. Buy a Roku Box!

I absolutely love this one for so many reasons. We were spending a CRAZY amount of money on satellite tv, and we didn’t even have any of the movie or sports packages. Not only were we spending money on it, there was never anything good on its hundreds of channels. We’d find ourselves wasting so much time just looking for something to watch, when we could’ve been outside playing, or doing something else productive. Not once have we regretted getting rid of the satellite.

4. Get a soap sudser.

I found one through the Honest Company (which I’m obsessed with). I don’t use the brush it comes with often, but just the sudser part is great! My husband is the cook in the house, so I am the lucky one that does the dishes. If I’m not using this gadget I’ll squirt soap on my sponge at least every other time. But with this thing I just put 3 pumps of soap and a touch of water into it and that’s all I’ll need for an entire day of dishes. Again, this rates on the lower end of the savings scale, but is so much less wasteful.

5. Last but not least, use rags instead of paper towels.

Don’t get me wrong, we still keep paper towels around. But I only have to buy them once every few months. We use rags for EVERYTHING. I’ll just keep one under the sink on top of the cleaning bottle, that way it’s always handy for a quick wipe down. This one also has a huge environmental impact. I know, I’ve been there, paper towels are super convenient (and let’s not even talk about the wipes… awesome but so wasteful), but you kind of get addicted to using them, and again, they just fill the landfills.

Well there you have it folks. 5 easy switches to make that will make both your wallet, and the environment happier. And in some cases you might even find more time to spend hanging out with your family and friends.

5 Things to Buy That Will Save You Money!

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Filed Under: Homemaking, Living, Money, Semi-Green Living Tagged With: budget, buy, environment, green, money, save

Previous Post: « Simple Homemade Organic Dog Cookies
Next Post: January 2016 Expenses and Blog Income »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen says

    February 17, 2016 at 10:11 am

    I made rags out of old t-shirts. Simply cut them into squares. And hey, they are rags so they don't even need to be perfect squares. ;-) Now, I wouldn't use them to wipe down my kitchen table or counters, but they are great for everything else! I would love to dump our satellite TV, but I can't get my husband on board. Maybe some year... :/
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      February 23, 2016 at 8:32 pm

      That's funny, Karen! Is your husband a sports fan? That seems to be the hardest to convert over to streaming television.
      Reply
  2. Amanda McMahon 4/16/80 www.attachedmoms.com says

    March 23, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    refills are definitely something to consider when it comes to saving money. Bulk often saves money.
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 23, 2016 at 8:07 pm

      Agreed! If you can do it, bulk is definitely the way to go.
      Reply
  3. Jolene says

    March 23, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    Personally the only thing I can relate to is the soap dispenser and the rags. The funny thing is that I have rags and paper towels. I keep telling myself to only use the paper towels when I'm cleaning with chemicals. But j end up using them all the time. The rags are more of a decoration now.
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 23, 2016 at 8:05 pm

      I know, paper towels are a tough habit to break!
      Reply
  4. Allie says

    March 23, 2016 at 6:44 pm

    Haha great! I love the espresso machine idea, however, I'd just be happy with a Keurig! ;) Good ideas though.
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 23, 2016 at 8:08 pm

      Thanks! I know, If I didn't already have an espresso machine in the cabinet I would have likely sprung for a Keurig:)
      Reply
  5. Joce says

    March 23, 2016 at 7:08 pm

    What a great list! Some of these things you would not think of for saving money. We just bought an espresso machine this Christmas and I use waayyyy too many paper towels and my partner is always getting on my case about it. I will have to get some washable ones instead!
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 23, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      Thanks Joce, I'm in the "every little bit helps" camp:).
      Reply
  6. Tanya @ Motherly Adventures says

    March 24, 2016 at 7:50 am

    Great tips!! I love my Breville espresso machine and it saves me so much money!! I pay max 4$ my espresso coffee and it lasts me at least 2 weeks!
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 24, 2016 at 8:38 am

      Thanks Tanya! I know, it's amazing how quickly going out for coffee can add up!
      Reply
  7. Kathryn says

    March 24, 2016 at 10:43 am

    Great tips! We have an espresso machine and I love it. <3
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 24, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      Thanks Kathryn!
      Reply
  8. Jess says

    April 26, 2016 at 11:05 am

    Really great post - you are so right with all of this! Unfortunately I don't drink enough coffee for the expresso machine but I can see how useful it would be to those that do. Keep up the great work!
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      April 26, 2016 at 9:32 pm

      Thanks Jess!
      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 8 Easy Ways to be a Little More Green says:
    July 8, 2016 at 10:04 pm
    […] 5) USE RAGS INSTEAD OF PAPER TOWELS – This is another one that actually saves you money.  In fact, here are four more things you can buy that will save you money and the environment. […]
    Reply
  2. December 2016 Expenses and Blog Income Report says:
    March 4, 2017 at 11:39 pm
    […] 5 Things to Buy That Will Save You Money […]
    Reply

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Welcome, I'm Jen! I'm here to offer realistic (sometimes semi-green) parenting, eating, and homemaking tips so that you can embrace life and let go of perfection. Because if I can do it, you can do it! Get to know more of Jen →

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