With 2017 finally here, you’re probably well on your way to making your money saving goals a reality. However, working on this resolution can be a bit of a challenge if you’re not sure where to begin. There’s lots of great tips and tricks to follow out there, but sometimes you have to spend a little money to save a little money too. For instance, these ten items can fast track some of your money saving goals, so you’ll be well on your way to making your nest egg even larger. Better yet, most of the items won’t set you back too far, so you won’t have to feel guilty about spending the money on them. In fact, they should pay for themselves and then someone before the year is over.
1. Crockpot
If you don’t already have a crockpot in your life, then now is the time to head out and get one. With after holiday sales going on, you should be able to find a large crockpot for under $50. Of course, you can also customize it to suit your kitchen size as well as your cooking needs. A crockpot is great for large families or even a student living in their first dorm, so don’t hesitate to wonder if it can work for your needs. The great thing about crockpots is they work to stretch your food further. You can make soups, stews, casseroles and a wide variety of filling and delicious foods in one of these bad boys. They’re also perfect for cheap cuts of meat that would otherwise be too difficult to eat when baked or fried. There’s a ton of frugal recipes online to help guide you as well. You may find that shopping for crock pot meals allows you to buy in bulk, which is certainly a money saver and may even prevent you from having to grocery shop as often. The crockpot will also decrease the amount you have to spend on electric and gas, because it uses very little power to get the job done. Last but not least, having a crock pot means you’ll be less tempted to order in. You can toss in the food at the beginning of the day and forget all about it until you’re home from work and it’s time to sit down and eat.
2. Energy Efficient Light Bulbs
Let’s face it, it’s hard to get the family to cooperate when it comes to turning off lights when they’re not using them. At any given time, you’ll probably find you could turn off half of the house without anyone even noticing. This can be a huge problem for your energy bill and the environment. Luckily, energy efficient bulbs are a great way to take away the burden of a household that loves to keep the house lit. These bulbs take up very little energy at all and are designed to last for years, so you won’t have to worry about replacing them. With just a small investment on your end, you can forget about lightbulbs on your shopping list for some time and you’ll quickly notice a fast change in your energy bill.
3. Food Saver
Buying foods in bulk can be bitter sweet sometimes. On the plus side, you save a whole lot of money on food that will last your family for a while. On the down side, you often end up with freezer burned meat, vegetables and convenience meals. With a food saver, you can skip out on this portion of your shopping experience though. This handy device will vacuum seal and secure every item you seal, so you’ll have great quality food every time you cook. With your food stored properly, you won’t have to stress about items going bad, which means you can stock up when you run into good deals. There’s more than one kind of food saver though. You can also buy items that actually pull gases out the refrigerator, which will help your produce stay fresher for longer. There’s also lots of products designed to help you store produce that has already been cut. This gives you a couple of extra days to get back to the produce before it goes bad.
4. Coffee Maker and Accessories
One of the biggest costs for many households is buying coffee outside of the home. With this expense costing around $3-5 a person every day, you can certainly save a small fortune just by cutting out this expense. One way to do this is to grab a coffee machine that is going to make it worthwhile to pick up your coffee at home. Sometimes, regular pot coffee makers aren’t the key to help the family break this bad habit, so you may want to consider investing in an espresso maker, French press or high quality machine that will make your coffee taste as good as it does from the café. Apart from the coffee machine, you’ll need a few accessories to make this all worthwhile. For instance, if your machine doesn’t come with a frother, then you may want one of these. There’s also a wide variety of coffee flavoring that can help you enjoy your coffee more. You’ll also want reusable travel cups or mugs to make everything even more convenient.
5. Reusable Grocery Bags
Many states are moving towards a more eco-friendly outlook this year, which may mean you’ll have to spend a little more at the grocery store if you like to carry your groceries home in bags. With plastic bag taxes,charges and bans, you might find it a whole lot easier just to invest in your own reusable grocery bags. These special totes tend to cost very little and will allow you to put a little bit of money back into bank account. These bags can be used for other items too, so you may find that they come in handy in more ways than one. If you really want to invest then you can even buy grocery bags that help keep your items stay hot or cold, which is perfect for those who love to shop from one grocery store to the next.
6. Battery Charger
Most households go through a lot of batteries every year. This is especially the case if you have children or a gamer in the house. Buying batteries constantly can be really expensive though and isn’t exactly the best for the environment. Thus, you may want to consider buying a battery recharger to ensure your household budget doesn’t go under. Most battery rechargers come with its own set of batteries, so you’ll be ready to go whenever you open the package. Some will even charge a variety of different batteries, so you’ll be ready to supply the household with the sizes they need. You may want to invest in extra rechargeable batteries to ensure you won’t go empty handed for a little while, but other than that your household should be set for all of the games, tools and entertainment they can come up with.
7. Smart Surge Protectors
If you have surge protectors in the home already, then you’re already doing good. A basic surge protector can help you cut back on electricity as well as protect your electronics from surges in your power. Of course, there is a better option nowadays. Smart surge protectors will ensure your items don’t fall prey to a surge in power, but they will also reduce the power that is drawn from your electronics. This is especially great when it comes to televisions, game consoles, computers and other electronics. When these items are off, the smart surge protector will prevent it from pulling power from the outlet, which can save you a small fortune. The smart surge protectors also draw less power because most are Energy Star certified. With these in your home, you’ll find your power bills a whole lot easier to handle.
8. Reusable Water Bottle
Keeping hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your body. However, if you’re out and about all day long then chances are you will end up buying water from a store to quench your thirst. Plastic water bottles are one of the most pollution forming items on the planet these days, which means we need to cut back on how often we use them. Apart from that, it can really tap into your budget when you buy drinks like this frequently. Instead, you may consider buying yourself a reusable bottle to help keep you hydrated. If you’re working on drinking more water in the New Year then a gallon jug could help find the perfect balance in your life. Of course, if you’re not away from the home often then a small and portable bottle should do the drink. You may even consider buying a bottle with a filter in it, so you can have fresh water whenever you want. Buying a bottle for the kids can even be helpful, so they have plenty to drink when they’re at school.
9. External Memory
If you spend a lot of time on your computer, or you simply store all of your valuables on one then you may want to consider buying external memory. This device can be plugged into any computer so you can transfer your music, movies, photographs and other material from one computer to the next. This is a great way to prevent loss of the important items you hold near and dear. Not to mention, you won’t have to pay a monthly fee to host your items like you would with online memory services. The external memory is often large enough to hold games, operation software and other programs too, which is great if you ever experience a hard drive malfunction. This will help you replace your hard drive for cheaper as you won’t have to buy an operating system with it.
10. Streaming Subscription
Cable isn’t exactly seen in the glorious light that it was years ago. In fact, many people are ditching their cable service and using streaming services instead. These services only cost a fraction of the price of cable, even if you choose to subscribe to more than one of them. You can choose which subscription you want to go with based on shows they are streaming each month, which will help you get more out of your service. The best thing is you don’t have to commit to any of these services like you do with cable. This means there will be no cancellation fees, nor will you have to worry about the price skyrocketing with very little notice. You may be surprised as to how much fun you can have with a streaming subscription and how much you can save by using one or more instead of dealing with a cable service.
Being frugal this year doesn’t have to bring on headaches. With these ten items, you’ll find simple ways to save lots of money with only a little bit of an investment. Without a doubt, 2017 is sure to be your ticket to a frugal lifestyle and a larger savings account thanks to the help of these ten items.
