“How can I save money at home that really helps me keep my bills up to date and ease my budget?” — this is a common question in times of crisis, when saving and controlling expenses is not only useful, but, above all, essential.
After all, a large part of your monthly income goes towards household expenses, right? Therefore, organizing your finances is the first step to overcoming these moments more easily and quickly.
With that in mind, we’ve brought you some tips that will help you save money and discover the advantages of two new habits: reusing and replacing. Curious? Then read the post!
Adopt a more conscious energy consumption
To begin with, it is important to be more conscious about energy consumption. This involves, among other things, using LED bulbs, which are the most cost-effective model when it comes to reducing costs.
It is also a good idea to replace air conditioning with fans (which are more economical devices), not leave cables or power sources connected to the socket without charging any electronic devices and restrict the use of electric showers to cold days.
Finally, make the most of natural light throughout the day by leaving windows open and passages to balconies and terraces unblocked. This way, the interior of your home will be brighter and you won't need to turn on the lights before nightfall.
All of these steps can even be passed on as you teach financial education to your children, nephews and other children in the family.
Learn how to reuse water
Another interesting household savings tip is to learn how to reuse water in your daily life. “But how do I do that?” you might be asking yourself. Don’t worry, we’ll explain a simple way to do it!
Do you have a washing machine at home? When scheduling your next wash, remember to select the economy mode option. This will prevent the appliance from immediately discarding the water in which the clothes were soaked.
Instead, this will give you time to collect most of it using small containers, collectors or buckets. From there, you can use this water in a variety of ways.
For example, to wash your car, clean the outside areas of your home, to sanitize your windows, etc. It is also worth mentioning that some machine models save part of this water to clean the inside of the machine.
Share entertainment services
Home economics does not mean giving up the things you enjoy and that entertain you in your free time just because they have a price. Not at all!
In fact, it means continuing to enjoy each of them while reducing the expenses you had. Want an example to make this clearer? Let's go!
Imagine that you subscribe to a football championship streaming service to follow your favorite team in all the games. If you pay for it yourself, the cost comes to R$$30.00 per month.
However, when you share your account with a friend, each of you pays half the monthly fee. Therefore, what previously cost R$30.00 becomes just R$15.00.
In other words, it is possible to enjoy your leisure time and still save money. And the best part is that this tactic can be put into practice in several services, especially those for streaming movies, series, music and digital reading.
After all, many of them offer accounts with up to five simultaneous accesses for a fixed price that can be shared among a group of friends or family.
Start replacing/rotating foods
Did you go shopping this week and notice that some food is more expensive than usual? Don't ignore this increase and keep buying it as if nothing was happening!
Instead, start replacing it with more affordable alternatives. For example, instead of buying the traditional boxed juice, how about trying fruit pulp — which also has fewer preservatives and sugars?
Instead of a package of bread, how about taking 1kg of tapioca starch — which makes several units and can be easily mixed with chia, flaxseed and other nutritious seeds?
This is the simplest way to keep your food expenses from getting out of control and affecting your budget. As a bonus, you can diversify your meals, have fun in the kitchen and even adopt new eating habits.
Oh, and one extra tip about the supermarket: remember to make a list of the items you need before you go to the supermarket. This will help you look deeper for deals and avoid unnecessary purchases (especially those made on impulse).
Sell what you no longer use
Finally, there is a tip that does not exactly involve saving, but rather earning extra income that will help with your expenses: sell the things you don't use, just accumulate.
It may seem silly, but many people have this habit. Over time, they buy or receive clothes, accessories, decorative objects, household appliances and the like.
However, instead of keeping only what they will actually use or what will be useful for decorating and organizing their home, they store everything, turning their home into a real warehouse!
So, it's time to let go. Make a list of items that are in good condition and working properly and offer them to friends, family and acquaintances.
Many people may be interested in buying something, you know? In addition, you can create a profile on social media, for example, and set up a virtual bazaar to sell clothes, books, shoes, CDs, DVDs, etc.
Did you see how you can cut costs and save more by adopting a household economy that rethinks your habits and proposes some practical changes to your routine? Start getting inspired by our tips now! Take advantage and discover how leading a minimalist life can change your relationship with money and consumption!
If you liked these tips, take advantage and read more content here on the Descomplica Finanças Blog!
