Five ways to save money around the house

Five ways to save money around the house

Everybody knows the big ways to save money around the house these days.

Do away with cable packages in favor for cheaper streaming services like Netflix. Get rid of that old landline (seriously, who even uses those anymore?). And for goodness sake, make sure your cellphone automatically connects to your home’s WiFi so you’re not blowing through your data while you’re laying on the couch browsing Pinterest.

But if you’re not quite Millennial enough to give up your old-school TV experience, don’t worry. There are other more timeless ways to save a little bit of money in your day-to-day life.

Trash talking – In some areas, you don’t have a choice about who picks up your garbage. It’s either the chosen company or it’s you. But if you take a quick peak around your neighborhood and see trash bins from more than one company, make a couple of calls to see if any of them are offering a better deal than the one you have.

Kids are easily amused – You don’t need to spend a bunch of  money entertaining kids. You’ve heard those jokes about kids who were more interested in a big box rather than the expensive toy that came in it, right? It’s funny because it’s true. What kids want most is your time. So don’t get sucked in by all the advertising that makes you seem like a bad parent if you don’t buy the latest thing in kidertainment. They’d rather sing a song with you than hear some $30 plastic caterpillar sing it to them.

Shop for new places to shop – Don’t let an “I’ve always done it this way” mentality keep you from finding the store that offers the best deals on your most common purchases. Set up a price book for the 20 or so things you buy most often. Check out the prices on these at a variety of stores. One should emerge as a leader.

>> RELATED: Five tips to save money at the grocery store

Meal prep on the fly – Don’t believe the Pinterest hype. You don’t have to set aside a solid Sunday to make and package multiple foods in order to stock up on meals for the week. Anytime you find yourself making a recipe that can be easily multiplied, make a quadruple batch of it. That way, you’ll have a good excuse to pass on that $30 pizza calling your name in the middle of a long week.

Purge that paper – Almost any document can be viewed digitally these days. That includes magazines. Consider getting rid of those magazine subscriptions in exchange for a subscription to a more cost-effective digital service. If your money is in a bank, check to see whether your bank is charging you for paper account statements they’re sending to your house. You can easily view those statements online. Consider asking your bank to stop the statements – or consider switching to a credit union, where you’re less likely to be dinged with fees.

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