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These creative ways to save money are exactly what you need to boost your savings. Get money saving tips you can use in real life, every day.

That stupid kitchen faucet was leaking again.

And because we don’t have city water (we pay to have water hauled to our home every couple of weeks), it was more than an inconvenience.

It was literally money going down the drain.

So I asked a few super handy friends what faucet they recommend.  We bought that thing not so long ago, and I didn’t love the idea of having to buy another one so soon.

Turns out, all I needed to do was replace a cartridge inside the faucet.

(Who knew?  Well…not me.)

And that right there shows you two of my favorite ways to save money.

See, saving money isn’t all about not buying expensive coffee.  There are things you can do all the time to save big.

Let’s look at some…

Unique Ways to Save Money

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Challenge Yourself

There’s tons of little ways you can save money.

But the biggest bang for our buck comes when I scrutinize our budget.  (Here’s the budget we finally settled on after years of trying a monthly budget that never worked.)

How many lines can you eliminate from your family budget?

That’s always my goal.

How to finance a car. What no one tells you about loans.

Carrying two car loans at once was killing us.  So we traded in my car for an older van.  We’re going to be able to get it paid off in two years or less.

If you can’t get rid of a payment, try to lower it.

How can you lower your phone bill? 

We love Republic Wireless…which costs a fraction of what we were paying the big guys.  We’ve been with them for over a year now and have saved over $700 per year.

Or, if you’re just about ready to get rid of the darned smartphone, give Gabb Wireless a try.  It has cheaper monthly service and no access to social media. (win/win!)

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Lower electric bill?

Find out if your state lets you shop different energy providers.  We have Duke Energy and recently switched companies. 

We’ll still be serviced by Duke and will pay the bill to them, but our monthly payment should go down.

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Rates

Maybe it’s time to refinance your mortgage or even a car payment.  Check interest rates to find out how much you can save.  

It’s a hassle to refinance, but when you save hundreds per month, you’ll thank yourself.

Just Don’t Buy It

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You know how things break and you automatically replace them?

Well, what if you just…didn’t?

Ok, so obviously you gotta eat.  And the heat or a/c is probably a must depending on where you live.

A hole in the roof has to be repaired.

But there’s a lot of things you can honestly live without.

If your oven works, do you really have to replace that microwave?  Or the grill?

They’re nice to have, but hardly necessities.

Besides, living without certain things might help you flex those creative muscles.

Ask

Here’s one I’ve been using a ton lately.

Just before I clicked the “Buy Now” button on a book my kid needed to read for school, it occurred to me that my Mom (who is a librarian) just might have that book on her shelf.

Well, she didn’t.  But she reminded me that I could grab it for super cheap from Thriftbooks instead of Amazon.

In the meantime, I’ve been able to get a baby swing, a couch, a pair of cleats, and a laptop just because I asked.

Some of those things are loaners, some they gave to me because they wanted it out of the house.

(Guess what?  I’ve got stuff I want out of my house, too.  I’d gladly give it to any of my friends or family…if they just let me know they needed it!)

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Grow It

If you’ve got any outdoor space at all, you can grow a pot of cherry tomatoes.  Or peppers.  Lettuce.  Or whatever you like to eat.

Here are some of my favorite ways to grow foods for super cheap.

Shave a little off that grocery bill and eat more fresh foods.

Check Your Appliances

Open the manual or Google it to find out which setting on your dishwasher and dryer is the most efficient. (Normal/express/pro/etc.)  

It might surprise you.  

And it’s super easy to switch settings.

Containers

I know you might not have loved opening a butter container at Grandma’s house only to find leftover chili, but hear me out.

Saving lunchmeat containers (which are clear so you know what’s inside) is a great way to store leftovers in the fridge.

My favorite part of this is that I can throw away the whole container guilt free if I find it lost in the back and turned into a nasty science experiment.

Which brings me to…

Know Yourself (And Your Family)

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Yeah, buying lunchmeat in those plastic containers is not the cheapest way to buy it.

But whenever I get it at the deli, my family doesn’t eat it.

I don’t know why.  It doesn’t taste different to me.

But I do know that I waste a lot more money buying the cheaper stuff (because it goes to waste).

Don’t step over dollars to save pennies.

Celebrate!

Why have we turned birthdays into a spending fest?

Look, I agree that taking a special day and making that person feel over the top loved is a must.

But aren’t there better ways to show our love?

Cause if you think about it, just throwing money at them is kinda taking the easy way out.

Here are some of our absolute favorite ways to celebrate a birthday.  Most of them are free, or at least frugal, and you can even do them when you’re stuck at home.

You Gotta Eat

…but you don’t have to eat steak.

Check out this meal plan that lets you feed your family for $100 per week (even in this economy!).

(Maybe less.  I used regular prices, and chances are good that at least some of that stuff will be on sale.  Depending on prices in your own area, of course.)

Buy The Expensive Stuff

Hear me out!

The difference between being frugal and being cheap is in the thinking.

A cheap person has to buy dishwasher detergent, and they get the cheapest stuff they find.

But it turns out that they have to rewash at least some of the dishes 80% of the time.  So is it really cheaper to use that stuff?

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I think not.

Frugal folks weigh their options.  They don’t buy the most expensive stuff they can find just because it will do the job right every time.

No, they’re gonna look for that product that works well most of the time, but also doesn’t cost a fortune.

Because let’s be totally honest: there are certain brands out there that are flat out overpriced…they exist for people who want to feel good about themselves for buying that brand.  

A frugalista does not buy overpriced.  A frugalista buys for quality and durability. 

And that’s the brand they’ll buy at the cheapest price they can find it.  They know a good price when they see it, and they’re willing to shop multiple stores to find that price.

It takes some extra work up front, but it’s totally worth it.

There are some creative, different ways you can save money.

It’s always fun to find out that a few minutes of time can save you a lot of money.  

No more money down the drain!

How do you like to save money?

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