How to Save Money at Home

In this guide we’ll be looking at how to save money at home. The modules in this lesson work for anyone who owns or rents a home, apartment, condo, or any other place to live.

Please know, this lesson is part of a larger course on how to save money on everything (click here to read the introduction). Check out the other lessons for more ways you can save money here.

Table of Contents

1. Use Fewer Paper Towels
2. Use Cloth Napkins
3. Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
4. Use Vinegar Based Cleaners
5. Buy Generic Medicine
6. Make Your Own Tea at Home
7. Make Your Own Coffee at Home
8. Make Your Own Yogurt
9. Drink More Water
10. Grow Herbs in a Container Garden
11. Eat Out Less
12. Use Rechargeable Batteries
13. Buy Stuff that is Sure to Last
14. Build a Home Gym
15. Ask for a Discount on your Internet and/or Cable TV
16. Get Rid of Cable / Satellite TV
17. Cancel Unused Subscriptions & Memberships
18. Take Advantage of Family Plans
19. Use the Public Library
20. Take Advantage of Credit Card Rewards
21. Buy Basic Razors
22. Upgrade Your Cellphone Less Frequently
23. Use a Pool Cover
24. Avoid Using Paid Storage Units for Extra Belongings
25. Avoid Keeping Unused Stuff

1. Use Fewer Paper Towels

• 🧾 Description – Buy fewer paper towels (or stop buying them entirely) and instead use microfiber cleaning cloths whenever possible.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $20
  • $20 can get you a 50 pack of microfiber cleaning cloths
• 💲 Savings – $76 in year 1, $96 / year for subsequent years
  • If you buy 4 rolls of paper towels a month at $2 each you’ll spend $8 / month, which is $96 / year. $96 minus $20 for microfibers is a $76 /  year savings. Yes, you’ll need to wash them, but they are so small and light that you usually can just wash them alongside your other towels or mixed loads.

2. Use Cloth Napkins

• 🧾 Description – Switch to cloth napkins instead of disposable paper napkins.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $12 for 12 cloth napkins
• 💲 Savings – $29.60 in year 1, $41.60 in subsequent years
  • Napkins vary in price based on style and quality, but if we take an absorbent casual paper dinner napkin you’ll pay around $3.20 for 80 napkins, which is $0.04 per napkin. If you use 20 napkins per week that breaks down to $41.60 / year, in which case you’ll save $29.60 in year 1 and $41.60 in each subsequent year. Sure, there is a cost to washing the napkins, but it’s negligible as you can wash them with other clothes or towels without the need for an extra load.

3. Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

• 🧾 Description – Use more natural and simple ingredients to make your own laundry washing detergent. Here’s a simple recipe you can use.
• ⏳ Effort – Moderate to High
• 💰 Cost – $8.82 for 6.5 pounds of detergent
  • To make your own detergent you’ll need castile soap, Borax, washing soda, and a container to put it all in. In addition, you’ll need a box grater, measuring cup, and rubber gloves. You can get a 20 pound box of Borax for around $5.59 ($0.017 per ounce), a 55 oz. box of washing soda for $4 ($0.07 per ounce), and pure Castile soap ranges from $0.25 to $0.96 per ounce, depending on the brand. You’ll need 2 parts Borax, 2 parts washing soda, and 1 parts soap. Let’s say you want to make 6.5 pounds of your own detergent. That’ll be $0.71 in Borax, $2.91 in washing soda, and $5.20 in Castile soap (if we buy the less expensive stuff). That’s a total cost of $8.82 for 6.5 pounds of detergent. 
• 💲 Savings – $18 to $36 / year ($9.12 saved per 6.5 pounds of detergent)
  • Our total cost for 6.5 pounds of our homemade detergent is $8.82. Compared to a 6.5 pounds (105 fluid ounces) of original HE Tide at a cost of $17.94. That’s a total savings of $9.12 per 6.5 pounds of detergent. If you have a family, you probably use 2-4 big bottles of detergent a year, meaning your annual savings is in the $18 to $36 / year range. Plus, you know exactly what’s going into your laundry now! No surprise chemicals.

4. Use Vinegar Based Cleaners

• 🧾 Description – White vinegar mixed with water can replace many chemical cleaners around your home, while saving you money and removing more toxic chemicals from your home.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $3 for 1 gallon of white vinegar (makes 2 gallons of cleaning solution)
  • $3 can get you a gallon of white vinegar. Mix 1 part white vinegar with 1 part water and you’ve got a great multi-surface cleaner. You can use spray bottles from cleaners you’ve already finished (make sure to rinse them well). Or if you prefer you could buy a few new spray bottles.
• 💲 Savings – $21 / year
  • For 32 oz. of a typical multi-surface cleaner (like 409) you’ll spend around $3 per bottle. That comes out to $24 to get the same 2 gallons of cleaner that will only cost you $3 to make yourself.

5. Buy Generic Medicine

• 🧾 Description – Generic medications often have the exact same active ingredients, but cost significantly less. 
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $4 for 200 pills (acetaminophen)
  • For $4 you can find 200 caplets of 500 mg acetaminophen medication. That breaks down to $0.02 / pill.
  • For $8 you can get 100 caplets of 200 mg ibuprofen. That breaks down to $0.08 / pill.
• 💲 Savings – $16 every 200 acetaminophen pills and $5 every 200 ibuprofen pills
  • For $10 you can find 100 caplets of name brand Tylenol (500 mg acetaminophen). That breaks down to $0.10 / pill, 400% more than the cost of the generic.
  • For $10.50 you can get 100 caplets of name brand Motrin (200 mg ibuprofen). That breaks down to $0.105 / pill, 31.3% more expensive than the generic. 
  • The cost savings will vary depending on the medication, but in general, generic medications (including prescription drugs) are going to be less expensive by significant margins. The more you’re able to switch to generic drugs the more you’ll be able to save.
  • In all cases of medications and healthcare matters, you should follow the instructions of your doctor. We’re not medical professionals and cannot provide medical advice. If you’re experiencing a life threatening emergency call 911.

6. Make Your Own Tea at Home

• 🧾 Description – Make your own tea at home instead of buying from a shop.
• ⏳ Effort – Low to Moderate
• 💰 Cost – $10 for a tea infuser + $15 / month for loose leaf tea (or even cheaper if you buy tea bags)
• 💲 Savings – $525 in year 1, $535 in subsequent years
  • A typical tea at a shop can be $2-4. We’ll split the difference and call it $3 for our example. If you have a tea out 5 days a week that’s $60 / month and $720 / year. For $15 you can get a very nice quality loose leaf tea, which should last most tea drinkers a full month. That breaks down to $180 / year. Your water cost is negligible, but we’ll add $5 for your annual sugar costs (or whatever you preferred sweetener is). The combined cost is $195 in year 1, and $185 / year in subsequent years. That yields a savings of $525 in year 1 and $535 in subsequent years.

7. Make Your Own Coffee at Home

• 🧾 Description – Make your coffee at home instead of buying from a shop.
• ⏳ Effort – Low to Moderate
• 💰 Cost – $25-$80 for a coffee / espresso maker + $0.50 / pod or $35-40 / month for coffee beans + $5 for sugar / year + $3 / month for cream / milk / half-and-half
  • Investment costs will vary depending on the type of coffee you want. You can buy a mini Keurig for $80, a French press for $25, and an espresso machine for around $60.
• 💲 Savings – $777 / year in year 1, $884 / year in subsequent years
  • A typical coffee out can easily be $3-5, so we’ll just call it $4. Coffee 5 days per week out is $20 and $1,040 per year. Even if you’re incredibly frugal on your coffee you’re still spending a few hundred a year. If you buy a Keurig for $80 and use 20 pods a month that’s $200 in year 1 and $120 / year in subsequent years. 
  • Add $36 / year for your sugar, cream, milk, etc. and that brings our total costs to $236 in year 1 and $156 / year in subsequent years.
  • Other coffee types can be even less per year at home.

8. Make Your Own Yogurt

• 🧾 Description – Make your own yogurt at home instead of buying from the grocery store. Find instructions here, here, and here.
• ⏳ Effort – Moderate
• 💰 Cost – $3 / gallon of milk
  • A gallon of milk will make approximately half a gallon of yogurt (2 quarts). The only other costs are equipment (which most kitchens should already have). You can make yogurt in any big heavy pot with a lid. Dutch ovens, pressure cookers, cast iron pot, and crock pot all work great. Even a big stock pot should work well enough. Beyond that, all you need is a thermometer. 
  • Depending on the type of yogurt you’re making, you may want to drain or leave the whey in (or reserve for other recipes). 
• 💲 Savings – $78 / year
  • A quart of plain yogurt from the store is around $4. If you eat 2 quarts per month that’s $8 / month. Your one gallon milk will make the same 2 quarts, which means you save $6.5 / month, which is $78 / year.

9. Drink More Water

• 🧾 Description – Drink less soda, juice, beer, and liquor and drink more water
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – Less than $0.11 / year
  • At a cost of $0.0015 per gallon, it just doesn’t get much cheaper than water for beverages.
• 💲 Savings – $52 / year
  • Even if you only cut three 12 oz. soda cans per week it adds up. A can of soda is around $0.33 per (if you can catch it on sale). We’ll call that $1 / week, which gives us a savings of $52 / year. It’s a small change with a good sized impact.
  • In addition, it’s no secret that drinking more soda, juice (if they have high sugar content), beer, and liquor isn’t great for your health. By drinking fewer of those drinks and more water you may see a benefit to your health, weight, and overall wellness.

10. Grow Herbs in a Container Garden

• 🧾 Description – Use small to medium sized containers to grow your favorite herbs so you don’t have to buy them at the store. Herbs do best outside, but can survive indoors given the right conditions. Good beginner’s guide here, here, and here.
• ⏳ Effort – Moderate to High
• 💰 Cost – $21 in year 1, $10 for subsequent years
  • You can get a big pack of seeds for around $5 or a variety pack of 5-10 different herbs for around $10. If you want a larger selection of herbs the variety pack is a good way to go. You can buy herb packs here, at Home Depot, your local garden store, and other locations.
  • For our example we’re going to assume you buy one variety pack for $10 per year. If you’ve got a good spot to plant them in the ground outside that’s great, if not use a container like these or any other containers you have lying around your home. We’ll use $11 for our example for 5 fabric one-gallon containers. 
• 💲 Savings – $33 in year 1, $42 for subsequent years
  • Your savings all depend on how many herbs you cook with. We’ll assume you buy two fresh herb packs per month at a cost of $3 each for a total cost of $6 per month. That adds up to $72 per year for fresh herbs from the grocery store.
  • If your herbs do well and you’ve planned well we’ll assume that your herb garden can reduce your grocery store herbs by 75%, which means you save $54 / year on herbs. $54 is our gross savings, less our startup costs of $10 for seeds and $11 for containers and we have a net savings of $33 in year 1 and $42 for subsequent years.

11. Eat Out Less

• 🧾 Description – Eat out a little less each month and instead cook at home.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $2-5 / per person
  • The cost of the food that you’re cooking
• 💲 Savings – $576 / per person per year
  • A typical reasonably priced meal out can easily be $10 per person. If you’re at a restaurant where you need to tip or you splurge a little more that can increase to $15-20 per person. Let’s say you take your family of 4 out 1 less time per month, spending $60. Instead, you cook something at home at a cost of $3 per person, or $12 total. That’s a savings of $48 for your family. Do that every month and you’ll save $576 per year ($144 / per person per year).

12. Use Rechargeable Batteries

• 🧾 Description – Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable batteries.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $40 for 16 batteries and a charger
• 💲 Savings – $0 in years 1-2, $20 per year for subsequent years
  • AA batteries are usually in the range of $0.32 to $0.80 per battery. If you use 40 batteries per year at an average cost of $0.50 per battery you’re at $20 per year. So unless you use a huge number of batteries each year, you probably won’t save money in years 1 or 2, but after that you’ll be saving money. Quality rechargeable batteries can last a long time. When I was 18 I bought an 8 pack of Eneloop rechargeable batteries that I’m still using at 31. More recently I bought AmazonBasics rechargeable batteries that are 4 years old now. Those are also still going strong.

13. Buy Stuff that is Sure to Last

• 🧾 Description – Buy clothes, appliances, cars, electronics, and other consumer goods that are sure to last. Avoid buying products that break in a short period of time that you need to quickly replace. Many economists believe the inability to buy quality durable goods is a major factor in cyclical poverty. Many times those stuck in a cycle of poverty are unable to escape because they are unable to buy quality goods that last. If you’ve got the money to buy more quality consumer goods you should, as it’s almost always worth it in the long run.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – Varies dramatically depending on the good. 
  • In general, you’ll spend more upfront, but you’ll recoup those costs over a period of years.
• 💲 Savings – Varies dramatically depending on the good.
  • For example, you might buy a cheap pair of work boots for your job for $50, but those boots only last you 6 months. If you buy a $200 pair of work boots they could last you several years. If those $200 work boots last 3 years and the cheap $50 boots only last 6 months, you’ll need to buy 6 pairs of the cheap boots over the 3 year period. Ultimately, you would save $100 over the 3 year period. 
  • However, there may be other unforeseen costs…for example, do the cheap boots make your feet hurt, exacerbate back problems, or lead to other health issues? Did the lack of a steel toe result in an injury that meant you couldn’t work? These indirect costs add up. You’ll find this example in basically every facet of life. Cheap goods cost you more in the long run, often in more ways than just direct monetary costs.

14. Build a Home Gym

• 🧾 Description – Cancel your gym membership and instead build a gym at home.
• ⏳ Effort – Moderate to High
• 💰 Cost – $100+
  • Costs will vary dramatically by how complex of a gym you need in order to meet your workout needs.
  • What do you spend the most time at the gym doing? Cardio? Lifting weights? Playing basketball? Whatever it is, decide if you can do that at home and complete a basic cost analysis. If you mostly just do cardio at the gym and can get a stationary exercise bike for around $150. If you mostly lift dumbbells ($150 for a set) and bench press ($170) it still probably makes sense to do it at home, if you’ve got the room.
• 💲 Savings – $0 in years 1-3, $30-$150 / month after your break even point
  • Calculate your annual gym membership dues and multiple that by 3. If you can buy the equipment you need for less than that number then you should build your own gym at home. If your gym is $50 / month that’s $600 / year. That would give you a home gym budget of $1,800. After year 3 the gym has paid for itself and it’s all free money. Not to mention the savings in gas and your time.

15. Ask for a Discount on your Internet and/or Cable TV

• 🧾 Description – Simply call in and ask about getting a discount off your current internet and/or cable TV bill. 
• ⏳ Effort – Low to Moderate
• 💰 Cost – Free
• 💲 Savings – $5-$50 / month
  • It’s usually cheaper for cable internet, satellite, and internet service providers to keep you as a customer than it is to get new customers. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t try to gradually increase their prices. If you think the price is no longer reasonable simply call in and tell them as much and that you want a discount on your monthly rate. If they won’t give it to you, consider switching providers. 
  • When you call in, remember…be polite, be calm, and be matter of fact. Don’t be emotional and don’t get upset. Just state your reasons and what you want. That’s the best way for the customer service reps to actually help you. Tell them the price is too high, you want a discount, and if you cannot get a reduced rate you will need to switch providers. If they won’t budge on the price then you should consider switching providers. In many cases, you can get special promotional rates for anywhere from several months to a few years if you switch to a new company.

16. Get Rid of Cable / Satellite TV

• 🧾 Description – Drop your cable or satellite subscription and use streaming services instead
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $9 / month for Netflix
• 💲 Savings – $612 / year if you only add Netflix
  • Most cable plans are around $60 / month, which breaks down to $720 / year. If you replace cable with Netflix a similar alternative you’re spending $108 / year, which saves you $612 / year. Even if you decide you need more stuff to watch just add more streaming services. You could get Netflix ($9 / month), Hulu ($6 / month), Disney+ ($7 / month), ESPN Go ($5 / month) and HBO Go ($15 / month) and still save $216 / year. It’s a total no brainer.

17. Cancel Unused Subscriptions & Memberships

• 🧾 Description – Audit all of the subscription services and memberships in your life and cancel any that you are not using. Ex. streaming services, movie services, music, magazines, reward credit cards, ebooks, video games, gyms, Amazon prime, etc.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $0
  • The only cost is the time it takes to audit and cancel
• 💲 Savings – $0-$1,000 / year
  • It’s easy to gradually forget about memberships and services in your life, but keep paying for them. Audit your bank account over the last 30 days and see if there are any charges that look like subscriptions you no longer use. For some subscriptions and memberships, you may need to look back 90 days or even over the last year, if they bill quarterly or annually. 
  • Your savings will vary depending on the number of subscriptions you’re able to find. Even if you’re diligent, it can be easy to let a $10 / month charge slip through the cracks. Over the course of a year that’s $120 / year.
  • There are apps available that will help you monitor subscriptions, like Trim or TrueBill.

18. Take Advantage of Family Plans

• 🧾 Description – Many streaming services, Amazon prime, cell networks, and other subscription based services offer a family plan. This let’s you get a discount on stuff you’re already buying.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – Free
• 💲 Savings – Varies
  • This will of course vary based on how many subscriptions you and your family are using and that: 1) have a family plan and 2) you have multiple members of your family on them. Let’s take Spotify for example. Spotify is $9.99 per account, but a family account is $14.99. If you’ve got 4 family / housemates that use Spotify you could reduce your costs from $40 / month to just $15, a savings of $25 / month, which is $300 / year.

19. Use the Public Library

• 🧾 Description – Use your public library for entertainment and fun. Borrow books, movies, audio books, and even games. Libraries today have much more than just books.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – Free
• 💲 Savings – $120+ / year
  • The savings will vary depending on your use. But let’s say you’re in the habit of renting movies from Amazon at $4 per and now you can borrow a movie from the library instead. Or perhaps you have an audio book subscription for $10 / month. Instead of paying for that you could borrow audio books from the library. For most it would be easy to off-set at least $10 / month in entertainment expense via the library, which breaks down to $120 / year.

20. Take Advantage of Credit Card Rewards

• 🧾 Description – Use a rewards credit card, make sure it has no fee, and pay it off every month. Adjust your spending habits to maximize the benefits of the rewards. 
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $0
  • Avoid rewards cards that have any type of monthly, annual, or startup fee. If you have to pay for a rewards card then it’s almost certainly not worth it.
• 💲 Savings – $50-$250 per year
  • Credit Card rewards can be both lucrative and dangerous. First, if you think there is any chance you need to carry a balance or you are going to miss a monthly payment then you should not get a rewards credit card. Rewards credit cards are really only worth it if you pay off the balance every month. If not, you end up paying more back in interest than you gain in rewards. If you have to carry a balance on a credit card then probably shouldn’t have bought that item in the first place.
  • All of that said, if you use the credit card and pay it off monthly you can gain rewards that add up over the course of a year. Credit card rewards vary widely from prizes and freebies to actual cash back. For the purposes of our math here we’ll just assume the rewards program is a 1% cash back. Let’s say you spend $5,000 on your card over the course of the year you’ll get $50 back. All of that, basically, for free.
  • If you’re like us and shop lots on Amazon you may be able to take advantage of the Amazon Prime Rewards card. You can see all the details and apply here.

21. Buy Basic Razors

• 🧾 Description – Try and buy more basic razors or at least non-big brand razors.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – $4-10 / month for Dollar Shave Club
• 💲 Savings – $60-$132 / year
  • Gillette’s 5 blade razor refills are anywhere from $15 to $20 for a 4 pack. Dollar Shave Club’s 6 blade razor refill is $10 for a pack of 4. 
  • Let’s use the $15 Gillette example. If you need 4 refills per month that saves $5 per month, which is $60 per year. However, maybe you can get away with the Dollar Shave Club twin razor, which is only $4 for a 5 pack. Buy one of those per month that’s $48, which saves $132 per year. 
  • Also, considering the Amazon Basic razors, which are inexpensively priced.
  • Here’s the bottom line: Don’t buy big brand razors and at least try the more simple razors. If they work well for you then you’ll save yourself a ton of money. 

22. Upgrade Your Cellphone Less Frequently

• 🧾 Description – Try to extend the life of your cellphone to at least 3-5 years, instead of upgrading every 2 years. Cellphone performance increases are getting smaller each year, so it’s not really necessary to get a new phone every 2 years.
• ⏳ Effort – Low
• 💰 Cost – Free
  • Even if you decide to get the newest flagship every 4 years instead of every 2, the cost will be the same. But the costs could be less if you decide you don’t need the most bleeding edge tech every time you upgrade (and for many of us that is true).
• 💲 Savings – $500-$1,200 per upgrade cycle
  • If you can extend the life of your phone from 2 years to 4 years you can effectively cut your upgrade costs in half. That could mean effectively saving hundreds of dollars per year.

23. Use a Pool Cover

• 🧾 Description – If you have a pool you should consider using a cover. It keeps the water warmer, prevents evaporation, and prevents debris from getting in the pool.
• ⏳ Effort – Low to Moderate
• 💰 Cost – $30+
  • Costs range widely depending on the type of pool and cover. Can be as cheap as $30-$50, or as much as $10,000. There are more factors than just saving money when choosing a pool cover, the most important being safety. So you’ll need to consider all of these when deciding on what’s right for you.
• 💲 Savings – $35-$71 / year (on water) and $50-$150 / year in other costs
  • Savings can vary dramatically based on the cover you choose. From a strictly cost savings perspective, a pool cover prevents evaporation, which means less refilling the pool. 
  • In addition, it also prevents debris in the pool, which means less cleaning, fewer chemicals, filters and pump work less hard, etc. 
  • Normal pool evaporation can be 2-4” per week, which for a typical sized pool means 25,000 to 50,000 gallons per year (source). At a cost of $0.0015 / gallon that means you’ll need to spend $37.50 to $75 per year just on refilling the pool. A pool cover can reduce evaporation by up to 95% (source). That means you could be saving $71.25 / year on reduced water costs. 
  • The costs saved by fewer debris falling in your pool will vary dramatically, as the quantity and type of debris, as well as the necessary cleaning and chemicals required as a result of that all vary based on your specific pool. I would estimate it’s somewhere in the $50 to $150 range per year for most pool owners.

24. Avoid Using Paid Storage Units for Extra Belongings

• 🧾 Description – Don’t use paid storage if at all possible. If you really have no other option, then paid storage can be a fine option in the short term. However, what you really want to avoid is storing a large number of items for a long period of time. This is especially true for extra stuff that you don’t want / need at your home. If it’s not good enough to have in your home then why pay extra money to store it? Sell, donate, or trash those items in storage, cancel the storage unit, and save the money.
• ⏳ Effort – Moderate to High
• 💰 Cost – Free
• 💲 Savings – $600-$2,400 / year
  • A storage unit can be anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred dollars. Costs of course vary based on location and storage unit size. However, even at a reasonable $50 / month that adds up to $600 a year. Always consider the cost of the items you are actually storing. Is that 20 year old couch worth $600 a year in storage fees? Probably not.

25. Avoid Keeping Unused Stuff

• 🧾 Description – It’s easy to want to store items that you paid good money for, but if you don’t have an intended use or need for it then you should consider selling or donating it. You could have thousands of dollars sitting in an attic or storage space somewhere that could be money in your bank account. This is especially true for electronics. If you don’t need it now, you’re better off selling it because electronics will rapidly decrease in value due to changing trends and updated models. Use Craigslist and Ebay to help sell unwanted stuff around your home.
• ⏳ Effort – Low to Moderate
• 💰 Cost – Free
• 💲 Savings – $50-$100 / year
  • You won’t necessarily “save” money by selling the stuff you don’t use, but you will get cash for stuff that would otherwise be just collecting dust. How much you can make will vary massively based on how much extra stuff you actually have. For many families it would be easy to find $50-$100 / year in sales from unused stuff around the home.