When you go to reach for something to use in your house, you just want it to be there. Whether it’s the right size light-bulb, a bottle of laundry soap, or another roll of toilet paper, these are the little things that just make your home function day to day!
In order to do all of this, you have to keep it well stocked and supplied at all times. Here are 13 great ways to save money on household products and cleaning supplies.
1. Get organized first.
Ask yourself this: How many times have you gone to the store to buy light-bulbs only to come home and find there was a whole box of them in the cupboard somewhere? This happens all of the time for lots of people, and over time it can really lead to a lot of excessive overspending.
Break the habit by getting organized. Make sure all of your household items have a proper and unique place where they can go and easily be seen when needed. Then, when it comes time to stock up, you can do a quick visual inventory and know which things you truly need to buy.
2. Skip the pen and paper.
When it comes to making shopping lists or writing myself notes, I hardly ever use paper and pencil anymore. Now I simply write it into my phone or take a photo. Though the “not using paper” part doesn’t save me a huge amount of money, the fact that my phone is always with me and I never lose the list does help me to stay on track and get what I really need from the store.
3. Consider joining a membership club.
Warehouse-style membership clubs have grown in popularity over the years because its very difficult to beat some of the awesome deals that they’ve on bulk items. If you’ve got things that you know you buy often (like toilet paper, paper towel, dog food, etc.), then check the prices at the warehouse clubs to see if you could take advantage of some additional saving.
4. Join the club.
Most “normal” shopping stores also now have some type of club or membership that you can sign up for (usually for free) to get automatic discounts. While it can be annoying at first, do it! The savings really do add up.
5. Check your regular stores too.
Remember that you can also score decent deals at regular stores too. Every now and then our grocery store will through some buy 1 get 1 free deals that feel almost like you’re stealing from them. You have to compare to know for sure.
6. Check Amazon Pantry.
Did you know that you can buy things like laundry soap, fabric softener, and paper towel from Amazon? It’s a service called Amazon Prime Pantry. If nothing else, check into it and if you could be getting price. With Prime’s free shipping, having all of that stuff delivered straight to your door isn’t too bad of a perk either!
7. Remember your coupons.
Don’t forget to check if there is a manufacturer’s coupon that can be used. You can either find these in the local paper or online.
8. Get double on your coupons.
If you’re really clever, find out if the store you shop at “doubles” coupons and on which days. It could lead to some even deeper discounts.
9. Stock up on laundry supplies.
In our house, laundry supplies like the soap and fabric softener are a killer! Generally around $10 per bottle. When we see there’s a dollar off sale or better yet buy 3 get 1 free deal, that’s a deal! Time to stock up.
10. Bulk up on paper towel and toilet paper.
Paper waste products are another of our biggest expenses. In the same manner as the laundry supplies, when I see any sort of deal on these products, its time to buy in bulk as much as possible.
11. In fact, buy just about anything when its in bulk and on sale.
This strategy doesn’t have to stop with just toilet paper or laundry soap. It can also be used for cleaning products, furnace filters, and bathroom necessities. For example, I always buy the double pack of shaving cream because its cheaper and I know that I will use them both eventually.
12. Don’t be afraid to buy generic.
Though marketing is powerful and having you believe that most products are supplier to other brands, deep down you’ll probably find that most of the time generics are the same exact thing. So why pay more. If you don’t feel very passionate for a particular brand, then do yourself a favor and save the money. Chances are that you probably won’t notice a difference anyways.
13. Check to see if your furnace allows re-usable air filters.
Did you know that some furnaces will allow you to use air filters that can be re-used over and over again? Ours does. All we do is clean them off with water once per month. It’s super easy, and way better than spending $30 on those flimsy paper filters that you just end up throwing away.
Featured image courtesy of Fiverr
All fantastic ideas!
I would add that you can make your own household products for pennies. I used to be an extreme couponer until I realized that it was still cheaper and healthier to make my own. Today I currently make my own all-purpose cleaner, floor cleaner, laundry soap, and dishwasher soap. I also started using cloth hankies instead of tissues to save more money each month.
See what disposable items you can replace with hardier multi-use items. Opt for rags instead of paper towels. We’ve been able to chop our household spending by doing more DIY instead of relying on the stores.
Good points. If you can make it for cheaper and it works for you, then why not!