Inside: Try these 10 simple, doable ways to save more by using less. The changes are subtle, but done consistently over time, the savings will really add up!
Although I don’t claim to be a money-saving expert, I do still share quite a bit about saving money and living frugally because they are topics I’m passionate about.
AND I feel they are key components to simple living.
Not only that but being wise stewards of our finances is just a good habit to develop and model for our children… even if we don’t necessarily NEED to live frugally.
While some might easily be able to save a few hundred or thousand dollars every month by cutting back on fast food, entertainment, and online shopping, I know there are others who struggle to save even $20 per month because money is just that tight.
Whatever the case, I firmly believe that no matter how tight your budget is, there are always a few ways to save a bit more here and there.
One way our family saves more (without cutting anything out of our budget) is by simply using less.
I know that might sound overly obvious… but have you ever tried it?
I mean REALLY tried it?
Keep reading for 10 simple ways our family saves more by using less.
1. Dish Soap & Dishwasher Detergent:
I only use about half the recommended amount of dish soap and dishwasher detergent and my dishes still come out sparkling clean.
I also clean my dishwasher every few months which helps it run more efficiently (saving money on repairs and maintenance).
NOTE: I use this $4 product to keep my dishwasher squeaky clean.
RELATED READING: A-Z Uses for your Dishwasher
2. Laundry Soap:
Believe it or not, I actually do NOT use laundry detergent at all!
I now use these laundry balls and wool dryer balls to wash and dry our clothing without detergents or fabric softeners.
I’ve been washing without detergent for a few years now and our clothing is still super clean. I can’t even begin to calculate how much money this has saved us over the years!
I usually use half the recommended amount of any type of laundry soap, bleach, detergent, OxiClean, etc. and I’ve never had any issues with our clothing not being clean.
RELATED READING: 10 Life-Changing Tips When You’re Overwhelmed With Laundry
3. Hand Soap:
I betcha’ I can stretch a container of liquid hand soap farther than anyone you know… because I use a tiny amount of liquid hand soap to make a full container of foaming hand soap!
Get the “recipe” for my all-natural DIY foaming hand soap. Seriously, it’s SO quick and easy and a great way to save money on hand soap!
RELATED READING: Our Favorite All-Natural Cosmetics
4. Napkins:
We almost always use cloth napkins (yes, even with kids). Of course, we do buy fun napkins for the kids’ birthday parties, but other than that, we use cloth.
We each have our own napkin, we keep it on our chairs in between meals, and I swap them out every couple of days (or as they get too dirty).
RELATED READING: How and Why We Use Cloth Napkins
5. Paper Towels:
I buy the paper towels that are divided into 3 small towels and we try not to use more than 1 small towel at a time.
We also use t-shirt rags for grosser messes, and washable microfiber cloths for almost anything we need to clean or wipe.
NOTE: These are my favorite microfiber cloths (they’re cheap too!)
6. Food Containers and Water Bottles:
We pack our lunches in reusable containers as opposed to plastic bags.
We also almost always use reusable water bottles — these are our favorite water bottles!
RELATED READING: How I Drink at Least 100 oz. of Water Each Day
7. Cleaning Products:
In general, I use VERY FEW cleaning products (big savings there).
And the products I do use, I usually make myself with frugal ingredients in our kitchen. I even make even my own all-natural face wash and makeup remover for pennies… which saves quite a bit over expensive store-bought products.
I originally thought this might “waste” more time than it was worth — but after almost a decade of making my own, I can honestly say it only takes a minute or two to whip up another batch of cleaning supplies or face wash, and then I’m ready to go for a few more months.
RELATED READING: My Ultimate List of Simple DIY Cleaning Products
8. Meat:
Whenever a recipe calls for ground beef, shredded chicken, or another type of meat, I almost always use 1/2 to 1/3 less meat and then add in extra beans, rice, veggies, etc. as a frugal (and nutritious) way to stretch our meat budget.
No one ever notices and I save a little more on our ever-growing grocery bill!
RELATED READING: 3 Simple Ways to Stretch Your Meat Budget
9. Dairy Products:
Did you know there are many ways to substitute dry milk for your favorite dairy products?
Dried milk is much cheaper and easier to keep on hand since it’s non-perishable and “shelf-stable”.
RELATED READING: Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix (using dry milk)
10. Gasoline:
There was a time in my life when I consistently spent a full afternoon every week driving to different grocery stores getting all sorts of fabulous deals, driving around to different antique stores, or driving to pick up my fabulous Craigslist finds.
I really enjoyed doing those things in my pre-children life; it’s just not practical for me these days. This, combined with the current pandemic, means we use much less gas by simply staying home.
Related Reading:
- Use this Tip to Increase Your Saving and Investment Potential
- How to Stop Pesky Money Leaks
- How We Live off Half Our Income
- The Simple Method We Use to Build Our Children’s Savings Accounts
- How We Paid Off Our Mortgage 24 Years Early
I realize these ideas can’t and won’t work for every person, family, and situation. However, if you’re looking for a few extremely simple and totally doable ways to save a little extra each week, I hope my ideas will give you a starting point!
PLEASE do not discredit your ability to save.
Even small amounts each week or each month WILL add up over time!
Do you have any simple ways to save more by using less?
Linda says
You forgot to include one of my favorite tips, which I learned from you! I now water down my bottles of body wash to make them last longer. I have also been putting a little shampoo in a small squirt bottle with a pointy tip that I fill halfway up with water. This way I can target the majority of the shampoo I am using right at my roots and scalp, which needs it most. Less shampoo gets on my ends, which is also helping them to be less dry. Please note, I’m not avoiding getting any shampoo in my ends…it’s just less than what I used to subject them to.
Andrea says
ah yes — you’re right!
I guess I wasn’t thinking of that right now since we’ve been using bars of soap for the past 6 months 🙂
Natalia says
I love your tips and I use some of them (making notes to implement more).
I recently realized how much less I’m spending on groceries compared to others in my close circle of friends, and I think it’s because we eat simpler (I won’t say less…). I rarely buy treats – drinks, chips, crackers, sugary stuff… Actually, my husband is the one that replenishes the stacks of snacks. But really – we don’t feel the need to treat (or spoil) our taste buds.
Also, I reuse and repurpose everything I can (cautiously watching to not hoard stuff, which I am inclined to do…)!
Less entertainment, fewer memberships, less consumerism – it all adds up and it means more in our pockets!
Andrea says
This is so great to hear Natalia! I’m thrilled I’ve helped you (and hopefully others) to be better stewards of your time, money, and resources!
Margaret says
My favorite is my CSA basket through my local farmers’ market. A few years ago I tried a weekly CSA box from a local farm, and was “meh” about it, because it didn’t really mesh with my cooking style (WAY many greens that needed to be cooked–I prefer salads, and I got what seemed a lifetime of bok choi by week 3). And the pick-up times didn’t suit my work schedule, and I often had to rely on a friend.
But the farmers’ market works perfectly. In early spring we pay $500 up front for a half-bushel basket (half-shares also available) and a punch card good for 20 visits between the middle of May and Christmas. It’s a very good deal. I can choose what I want from any vendor at the market–the only limit is on soft fruit–and as much or little as I want on any item.
I’m vegetarian, but they also have separate meat CSAs.
It’s also very convenient, because, since other vendors have dairy, eggs, and bread, I can do almost all of my grocery shopping for the week in one Saturday-morning visit. Before COVID-19 it was a time to visit with most of the people I know. They have also gone to on-line ordering with the market staff picking up the stuff and doing curbside. I am choosing to go in during the restricted time (I’m 64, have asthma, and am a health-care worker, so I qualify), masked, gloved, and moving fast.
I consider good food to be an investment, so this is a win all the way around. I would urge people to see what options exist in their areas. Local food may be a much easier option than you think, not to mention cheaper.
Stepping off my soapbox now.
Andrea says
this sounds amazing — I love the idea of a punch card where you can pick what YOU want. I’m with you on the CSA boxes full of greens that need to be cooked (not my favorite!)
Pascale says
Hi Andrea,
I love this type of blogpost and I love all your ideas. A few years ago, I started cleaning with ecloths. Everything is just so clean and I only use water. It cannot be simpler than this. A friend of mine was skeptical, but decided to place an order. When she got her package, she started cleaning everything in her home and was amazed with the results. The only thing I don’t clean with ecloths is the toilet.
Aside from that, I have an Ecowasher hooked to my laundry machine, It’s a 5-minute hookup so anyone can do it. The Ecowasher uses ozone to wash the laundry and it only works with cold water. I don’t use any laundry detergent and everything comes out cleaner and brighter than it ever did with laundry detergent. We purchased the Ecowasher Pro almost 6 years ago and it’s still going strong. It’s really worth it for us.
Andrea says
ok… this sounds amazing! How have you never shared this tip with me before? Or maybe you have but I just didn’t fully comprehend!
I just put one of the Ecowashers into my Amazon cart… I might have to buy it and try it out for myself!
Thanks so much!!
Pascale says
Hi Andrea,
If you hook the EcoWasher, please don’t use the laundry balls. The EcoWasher works without it. I only use some stain remover from My Green Fills if needed. By the way, My Green Fills is a wonderful small business that makes non toxic products here in Traverse City, Michigan.
Andrea says
yes, I assumed that. This is so interesting — I’m excited to show Dave and get his opinion!
Sherry says
I was also wondering why dates were left off. It was always the first thing I looked at which helped me know when an article was written. I do mess seeing dates.
Doreen@foxdenrd says
I’m wondering why you have stopped using dates on your posts, and would you consider going back to using them? I find it’s helpful and relevant to know when something was initially published.
Nellie says
Me too
Lorrie says
I agree! Would appreciate seeing dates!
Andrea says
you got it — dates are back 🙂
Martha says
Thank you for putting dates back on!!!
Andrea says
you’re welcome 🙂
Natalia says
I’m also glad that the dates are back 🙂 At least we can see if a comment was written pre-covid pandemic, so we won’t be jealous that someone is shopping at KOHL’s while the rest of us are looking out the window wishing for a little more freedom… – haha
Andrea says
haha — happy to please everyone who wanted the dates so badly! I guess I sort of missed them too 🙂
Ashley says
Another vote here. I don’t mind rerunning content, and will often read through them, it’s just nice to know. Especially when it comes to comments.
Andrea says
your wish is my command — I did a little research, contacted my website guru, and figured out how to get the dates back for you all 🙂
Andrea says
Hi Doreen
Thanks for the feedback! Whenever I publish a post, it is ALWAYS written (or completely updated) within the previous 2 weeks — so everything you’re reading today is current.
I can look into bringing the dates back — I’ll talk to my IT people about that.
Chris says
I love having the dates, too. 🙂
I do a lot of these things too. I also keep my coffee grounds in the coffeemaker and use them again. I even use tea bags twice a lot of times. I put the used tea bag in the fridge until the next time I want to use it. Sometimes, I use Dawn dish soap for my laundry soap. I only heard about it maybe a year ago. You can’t use too much though or you will have too many suds, 1-3 teaspoons, depending on the size of the load. We do love our meat though. It helps that we have several deer in the freezer every year that our son keeps us provided with. He and my husband love to fish so he have lots of fish, too. I consider it free food, even though they spends LOTS of money on lures and boat gas, etc. But I consider it free, because they are going to spend that money whether or not they catch anything. LOL
Andrea says
The dates are back Chris! yay!
Also, thanks for sharing your tips… I’m super curious about using dish soap for laundry soap, I’ve always heard NEVER to do this (but I do trust you!)
Andrea says
Hi again, I just wanted to follow up and let you know that after doing a little digging today, I got the dates back on the posts 🙂
Stephanie@ Big Ben Company says
This id definitely a very good post! Some of the tips and the ideas are quite useful. My hosband and I are trying recenytly to change the way we are living. We аре trying to rethink and rationalizethe way we live, the way we work, what we spend and aht we throw. If we can repurpose, or use again something – we are doing it. We don’t buy things that we know to be harmful for the environment and we aer trying to recycle everything we need to throw out. The interesting thing is that we are not depriving ourselves from anything, and though we manage to save some money. Your article is one very good example for this way of living. Thank you for all the nice ideas!
Stephanie
a woman says
smart ideas! I will keep these in my mind.
Another idea is to have a menu for 2 weeks and shopping list for 2 weeks: I reduce the time, I reduce the money on the gas, and I reduce the risk to buy ‘extra items’. In plus, for certain items I ask my friends to buy for me to reduce the number of roads.
Lynn O. says
I am staying home more too as I noted on your post today I get to work from home two days a week. So, in doing that, one of the biggest changes I have made lately is making sure my driving errands are efficient. By that I mean when I work in town, I make sure to get all my stuff done in town the days I am there and don’t make a special trip for one errand, always combining them. That is a time and money saver! Since i do the cash envelope system, I really see it adding up!
Shereen says
Great article. Where do you get the drawer dividers in the first images. I’m moving soon and will be storing my dishes in a large drawer similar to the one you have.
Andrea says
Thanks Shereen! We LOVE the dish drawer in our kitchen… but that’s just how we ordered it when we renovated our kitchen 3 years ago. It’s basically just a peg board in the bottom of the drawer and then wooden dowels that screw into the peg board where ever it works. You could probably make your own if you found the dowles!
You can see a better picture of the drawer in this post: https://andreadekker.com/i-heart-organized-drawers/
Happy Moving!
Karen says
I use many of your tips, but am grabbing a few more…….. 5 months each year our water bill runs right around $300 (ugh) so this past summer we cut down on plant, tree and grass watering and were surprised that we were able to keep things nice and green. I also started using the fast cycles on both my washing machine and dishwasher and I always machine wash everything in cold water unless someone has been sick. I have seen no difference in my clothes or dishes. I actually read that since I rinse my dishes well before placing them in the dishwasher it isn’t good for it to run and waste it’s energy doing the pre-rinses.
Andrea says
wow, that is a high water bill! glad you figured out a way to get that down a bit — and glad you gleaned a few useful tips from this post!
Daria Harvey says
I also use vinegar instead of JetDry! I make my own laundry detergent, dryer sheets, window cleaner and all purpose cleaner. Easy to do and much less expensive! I also use the library instead of buying books. Also, when planning my meals, I look into my pantry and see what I already have to create meals around. I spend much less at the grocery store this way.
Mrs. Frugalista says
Aside from strictly using drying racks to dry our clothes, my husband recently installed a line in our basement to hang bulkier items such as bed sheets. Our basement is dry, unusually warm for New Jersey winters and it is not musty. Also, I make my own stock using ham bones, turkey and chicken carcasses, turn off lights when not being used, shop around for the best heating oil prices, etc. Small changes can lead to long-term savings.
Chris K in Wisconsin says
I haven’t been shopping since before Christmas. But… I received the dreaded 30% from Kohls! So today we went and as I picked things up, I asked “is this something I need….. or is it just something I want?” It worked pretty well as I came home with just a few things (but, one of them was just a “want”), but I did buy it anyway and even after getting home, I was OK with it. After Christmas we went through every bin we have as we packed everything back up, and I ended up w/ a large garbage bag full as well as a lg box to take for donation. Why I would have to shop for ANYTHING is kind of crazy as we are retired and I can certainly wear the same 4 sweatshirts and sweatpants and jeans around the house ~ esp in the winter. I DO, after all, have a washer and dryer!! Also, we bought gift certificates at Culver’s before Christmas and got the free basket coupons with them. Again, being retired we can go out for lunches instead of suppers. The same food on the lunch menu is almost always less expensive in “sit down and order” restaurants than it is for supper/ dinner.
I also wonder if people know how valuable their libraries are. I don’t purchase books very often, and instead get them from the library. As soon as a new book is released that I know I will want to read, I go on-line and put my name on the hold list. It might take a month or two, but I can wait! There are many videos (wonderful to use for kids) and audio books, too.
It almost becomes a game to see how much we can save. Our house was paid off before we retired and we always pay cash for cars and any renovation projects, etc. We just wait until there is enough so we can pay and not borrow or use a credit card. My husband wanted to buy a car once with 0% financing. He tried to make it easier by telling me we had the money anyway, but this way we could hold onto our $$ without losing any interest. By the first weekend I was sick to my stomach thinking about a payment, and within 2 weeks we went in and paid it off!!
Great post!!!!
Andrea says
haha — oh those Kohl’s coupons! I really am laughing at this though — because I just got the 30% off coupon AND I have $10 of “yes too” rewards that I need to spend by the end of the month, so I have it on my to-do list to go to Kohl’s on Friday (i’m already dreading it!)
Janet says
We use cloth napkins the same way you do! Love the $ savings and the space saved in my cabinet by not using paper napkins.
Great post.
Jan Ramsey Brick says
These are all great ideas Andrea. I love vinegar. I use it in my laundry but never thought to use it in the dishwasher. I’m going go put some in right now. Thanks! 🙂
Andrea says
I’ve had really good luck using it in the dishwasher!
Nancy Johnson says
I do practically everything mentioned in your post (don’t do the homemade soaps). In addition, I use vinegar as a fabric softener in the laundry. Started doing it because perfumed fabric softeners on my sheets make me break out, and after buying the fragrance free softener for years, decided to try vinegar and the dryer balls you recommended. Works great, and no itchy skin!
Andrea says
yay! Glad the vinegar and dryer balls are working for you too!