Quick Tips You Probably Never Heard To Save Money: Part One

Every once in a while here at Financial Health Blog I’ll be adding five new unusual tips for saving money.  Feel free to contribute your ideas – they might just make it into the next edition!  This is Part One.

1) Hold a warm cup of coffee or tea to make a room seem several degrees warmer!  Save on your heating bill by sitting under a blanket with a hot cup.  As an added benefit, psychological studies have shown that people’s moods lift when holding a warm beverage or other object.

2) Buy a French Press. Rather than buying coffee filters and the wide range of other things that go with a coffee pot, this simple household device will save you time and money.  And it makes better coffee too!  You can also use it for tea, or anything else that needs to be brewed and filtered.

3) Fill the freezer. Buying in bulk can save you money on items that store well.  In addition, due to the way freezers work, excess air circulating can actually lead to wasted expense.  Be careful though – if you overfill it, your fridge won’t work properly.  Keep your freezer filled with things you normally eat.

4) Utilize natural cooling/heating. If the weather outside is freezing, fill some old half-gallon milk jugs most of the way with water.  Let it freeze outside overnight, then stick it in the back of your fridge.  This will help keep the food cold without your compressor kicking on, as well as give you nice cold ice water when it has melted!  The same applies on hot days – if you are going to be cooking something for dinner that is frozen, rather than a hot water or microwave defrost, let it warm up naturally.  This can save you energy both on heating, and on your AC costs – the cold from the food will dissipate into your room.

5) Work out. People who are in better shape and more physically fit have fewer health problems – and not just with their heart!  Overall health improvement means fewer sick days, visits to the doctor’s office, medicines, and other costly experiences!  Spending a half and hour a day getting into shape will pay dividends for the rest of your life, and all you really need is a good pair of shoes.

Using these and other tips can greatly improve your financial (and physical!) health.  Take the time to try just one new idea per week, and soon you will see the difference they can make!

Tags: budget activities, cheap, food, goals, Quick Tips, savings