Once you’re a homeowner, you know that excellent finances are a necessity. You need to budget smartly and be aware of where your money is going. There are so many little things that drain our money that aren’t so obvious. Read on to see some places where your money is going right out the window and what you can do to control it.

Food Spending And Consumption

Not only do most people admit to overspending on food, they admit to wasting food as well. It’s a smart idea to have a weekly meal plan. Do you cherish pizza night? Write that into the plan. Set a week- or even a month of menus ahead of time depending on how motivated you’re feeling. Make sure you’ll have everything you need in the house to make these meals. Try not to stock up on too many items. The simple act of knowing what you’re eating can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the course of a year. 

Financial Fees

Are bank fees and credit card late payment fees getting you down? All of those extra costs add up over time. Each time you overdraft your bank account costs you somewhere in the neighborhood of $25-$35. Every time you miss a credit card payment costs you another $25 or more. Make sure you’re enrolled in overdraft protection. You should also get alerts from your credit card as to when bills or due. If auto-pay is convenient, you can also consider that option to help you not miss payments. 

Utility Costs

Utilities can cost a significant amount of money, but these bills don’t have to be astronomical. Make sure you’re not wasting energy. Keep the thermostat either higher or lower depending on the season when you’re not home. A few degrees can make a big difference in your bill. Old appliances can also be energy suckers. When you leave the room, shut off televisions and lights to save even more on your utility costs.     

Monthly Memberships

Do you have a gym membership and never use it? That’s money going right out the window. If you subscribe to online services that you don’t frequently use, only keep the subscriptions that you need and use. You can save hundreds of dollars just by keeping track of where your money is going and if you use the products. Take a look at your credit card statements and notice any monthly charges that look unfamiliar.        

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Pretty bottles of nail polish, handfuls of eye pencils, tubes of lip colors, palettes of blushes, pots of eye color litter the bathroom vanity but the meager drawers are already full, so what to do? Short of purchasing expensive vanity organizers (or a new house with a more substantial bath and more drawers) you can tame and tidy your countertop with a few items you already have on hand.

Repurpose with purpose

Just because an item has a specific use doesn’t mean you can’t use it for your makeup. Try these on for size:

• Mason jars—Use jars of various sizes to hold brushes and pencils. Tie a ribbon around the top of the jar. If using the lid, add a circle of fabric on top of the seal-lid and slip it into the mason ring.
• Lazy Susan—If you have one of these space savers meant for spices, it’s perfect to fit your collection of lipsticks and glosses.
• On the rocks—These short glasses make wonderful organizers for mascaras, eyeliners, lip liners, and brow pencils.
• Spice racks—A tiered spice rack works great to hold your bottles of hairspray and mousse, facewash, and lotions while a wall rack fits foundation bottles and eyeshadow palettes. Hang a magnetic spice rack on the wall beside the vanity to hold all your small items neatly above the surface.
• Tins and trays—Metal tins from hot cocoa or tea are perfect for keeping cotton swabs and pads. Or use a shorter one to hold pins or hair ties. Paint the tin or wrap it with contact paper for a decorative touch. Mint tins transform into holders for baubles and bit, then stack nicely on the counter.
• Votive glass—An empty candle glass makes an excellent match holder. Create a matching set: candle holder and matching matchstick holder.

Raid the Office

Desk organizers work well for organizing smaller tubes, bottles, pencils, and brushes. A narrow version fits well on the tank lid. Transform a magnetic paperclip dispenser into the perfect holder for bobby pins. Stack powders, eyeshadow, and blush compacts vertically in a pen tray for easy access.

Borrow from the Bedroom

Many organizer items meant for the bedroom work for other places as well. Hang an over-the-door fabric or clear vinyl shoe rack in the bathroom to hold extra bottles of lotions, foundations, nail polishes—pretty much anything. Jewelry boxes can do double duty for combs, barrettes, or hairpins.

In fact, there are many ways to reuse items in your home to create order from chaos. If you still find yourself wanting your dream vanity, your local realtor can start the search for you.

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If living green is a new endeavor for you, reducing your waste output down to zero is an ambitious goal. However, it is a noble one. With some re-thinking and effort, you can make great strides in the quantity of trash you and your household produces. Put in some of these practices and what you add to landfills can be significantly reduced.

Start with one or two of these practices. Get the whole family on board. As you succeed, add in another one or two, and soon, you will have your home running smoothly green-conscious.

Zero waste tips

• Shop in bulk. Larger packaging often means less packaging, so that giant bag of toilet tissue at the big box store reduces your waste at once. Additionally, most warehouse-type stores do not offer plastic or paper bags. Instead, they recycle the boxes and crates that products come in for customers to use exiting the store. Better still, bringing your reusable bags and containers decreases your waste from shopping even more.
• When offered bags in traditional grocery, sundry, or clothing stores, say “no.” Carry collapsible sacks in your handbag or pocket to hold the items you buy. If you do take home sacks, be sure to reuse or recycle them.
• Bring home less stuff. Curb your shopping habit so that you only bring back those items that you genuinely need. Instead, spend more time window shopping and just enjoying the things on the mannequin without taking them home. If shopping is your therapy, redirect your funds to an experience such as a spa treatment or foot massage instead.
• Make memories, not purchases. When you used to use shopping to bond with your children, instead, find an activity you can do together such as an escape room, time in an arcade, or playing mini golf. Those memories last a lifetime while a new toy or clothing may only last for a season.
• Instead of baggies, cling wrap, and foil for your leftovers, invest in reusable glass containers with BPA-free lids that seal. You reduce waste, and your food tastes better. Utilizing containers made of freezer-to-oven glass reduces your water waste too since you can store and cook in the same dish.
• Rent instead of buy. For big-ticket clothing items that you will use or wear only once or twice, take advantage of local and online shops that let you rent formal wear, prom dresses, wedding clothes and other unique occasion items, and even a new wardrobe regularly. Check out sites such as Rent the Runway and Stich Fix or a local store in your area that rents clothing. Like tuxedo rentals, you will save on waste, closet space, and money.
• Make the thrift stores and charity shops part of your shopping habit. Of course, donating gently used clothing and household items is always a great idea to reduce waste, support a worthy cause, and give someone else the opportunity to buy something they will love at a great price. However, shopping there is good for you too. Take a bag or two to donate and then while away a couple of hours shopping in the same store. Other folks may have donated just the items you need for your household. You save time and money both.

If you are in the market for a home designed for green living, reach out to your real estate agent and inform them of your needs. They may have access to more detailed information about homes coming on the market with green or alternative energy sources and access to other waste reduction options.

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