These 21 Home Hacks Could Save You Thousands Of Pounds
Save some serious cash with these weird yet wonderful money-saving hacks.
Money-saving hack searches are at an all-time high. We’re sure you’ve noticed your food shopping bill go up by a few £££. Naturally, the cost of living crisis has got a lot of us worried about how we’re going to afford our bills, food, and if we’ll ever have enough money to get us through to the end of the month.
This got us thinking about more ways we can offset the rising cost of living as best as we can. We know things aren’t easy, but we hope some of these simple (and some weird) home hacks inspire you to save a fair amount of cash in the long run!
1. Sell empty bog rolls in bulk
Weird one, we know. People actually collect them for craft projects, so consider selling a few in bulk on sites like eBay.
2. Make your own cleaning products
You don’t necessarily need to buy household cleaning products for a clean house. Using a simple concoction of vinegar and dish soap is enough to keep your surfaces clean. In fact, vinegar alone has been used to clean mould and mildew for centuries!
3. Skip Christmas gifts
Inform your friends and family that you won’t be able to get gifts this year, or that what you will be getting will be on a serious budget. That way you can manage expectations (and your bank balance).
4. Unplug your appliances
Idle appliances plugged into your sockets are energy vampires, literally. By simply turning the switches off and/or unplugging the devices altogether can save you literally hundreds of pounds a year in electricity bills.
5. Stock up on condiment sachets
Eating out and got some sachets for your meal? Take a few more if you can. You can even use them to top up your current supply of ketchup or mayo, or have them as backups when the tubs run out.
6. Pack plastic bags with you wherever you go
That extra 5-10p can really add up. Pack a couple of plastic bags with you wherever you go. You never know when you’ll need to nip into the supermarket for a little food shopping!
7. Literally freeze your credit card
This is a weird one. Some students get given a credit card by their bank, especially when they get an overdraft out. But if you find you’re reaching for it more often than you should, why not pop it in some water and freeze it?
Simply hiding it won’t work, but if it’s literally frozen, you’ll have a hard time getting to it to make a purchase.
8. Do a meatless challenge
Tons of meatless meals are super easy and cheap to make. Use substitutes such as tinned chickpeas or beans for a chilli.
9. Consult Gumtree before Ikea
Tempted to get a new desk from Ikea or the like? Why not see if anyone is giving one away for free on Gumtree instead? Sites like Facebook Marketplace are also a great place to find free or low-cost items.
10. Double your toilet roll
This one, to be frank, requires way more effort than necessary and it might put you off.
If you buy double ply toilet roll, you can separate the layers and essentially have two rolls for the price of one. It’s a lot of work to do, but if needs must, it could be a worthy home money-saving hack.
11. Cut your own hair
Watch a ton of YouTube videos and do your research on this before reaching for the scissors. Even if you don’t trust yourself, you might be able to find subtle ways to keep your mane in check. We love this split-ends tutorial that’s super easy to do at home.
12. Remove your own manicures
We wrote a huge piece about 50 nail designs for summer, that also includes some tips on how to remove your current nail design. It’s cheap to do at home and doesn’t involve going to the salon.
13. Save bill envelopes
If you’re careful enough, you can open your letters without damaging them, then reuse them when you need to send letters. No more bulk-buying letters when you only need one!
14. Check out what students are throwing away on leaving day
Moving out? You’d be surprised how many students throw out decent items because they can’t take them home. You could get lucky and bag yourself a new chair, sofa, microwave, or another kind of pricey appliance!
15. Download TooGoodToGo
Food waste is costing the earth as well as your bank balance. If you’re really in the mood for a takeaway or have nothing in for dinner, download the TooGoodToGo app to see what local places caregiving away free or low-cost food.
16. Get a family Spotify membership for your household
Does everyone in your household have their own Spotify, including yourself? You’d be surprised how much you could save if you got a family account!
Pay just £16.99 and 6 of you can have an account!
17. Do your food shop the right way
Food is a huge expense, let’s be honest. Only use a basket to buy your food shop instead of a trolley (we’ve all been there and filled it with way too much stuff), shop at specific times of day for the yellow-label foods, and get your eggs first so you’re less likely to pick up other things! Find out more about how to save when you shop at a supermarket.
18. Pack your food properly in the fridge
Our energy bills guide talks about leaving enough space between your food and the sides of the fridge stops it from overworking to keep all of your food cool. Check it out for more kitchen money-saving hacks too.
19. Stop buying precut food
There’s a premium added to precut food. It only takes a couple of minutes to dice up your ingredients, and trust us when we say it’s worth the saved £££ in the long run. We’ve got a whole list of other things you should stop spending your money on.
20. Ditch the idea of writing cards
Cards are lovely, but with e-cards around, you can send your good wishes and thank yous at little to no cost. Yes, they’re not as personal, but if it means you save some cash, then it’s worth doing.
21. Collect rainwater
Use it to add to your cleaning supplies or water plants at home instead of using tap water. A great way to save on your water bill!
What other money-saving hacks do you guys do that are common practices in your life? Sign up to Student Beans to save on all of your favourite brands with our student discounts, including fashion student deals, food and drink student offers and more.
