Over the many years of our marriage there are so many things that we have invested in that have saved us money in the long run. They are:
– Drying Racks/and or Clothes Line: They save the cost of electricity.
– Laundry Egg: No detergent is necessary for most items.
– Dryer Balls: They cut down on drying time when we use the dryer. You do not use dryer sheets.
– Pressure Cooker: It not only saves electricity over using the oven but it saves time.
– Oil Changes and Tune Ups for our cars: Regular maintenance is a huge money saver and allows us to keep our cars from 10 – 14 years.
– Convection Oven: This saves 20% on electricity over using the regular oven.
– Bread Machine: Let’s you bake a loaf for $ .40 – $ .50.
– Chest Freezers: These have allowed us to always buy meat, poultry and fish at rock bottom prices and not spend a lot of energy to keep them frozen.
– Toaster Oven: Many things can be baked and roasted for the two of us. It saves me from heating up the large oven.
– Reusable K cups: It is much cheaper to buy ground coffee instead of K cups. We make all of our coffee at home. No Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or Tim Horton’s coffee out.
– Microwave: Even if you only reheat things, it saves you money over using the stove.
– Cloth diapers: I used them for both of my children and I still am using some of those to dust with.
– Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer: So easy to mix things up from scratch. But the best is the grinding attachment which allows me to grind cheap cuts of meat.
– Meat Slicer: It allows me to cut up roasts, turkey, chicken, and hams for sandwiches which saves on buying processed and expensive cold cuts.
– Food Saver: This saves our stored and frozen food from getting freezer burned which saves money. I buy off brand plastic rolls for it from Walmart or Aldi’s because they are much cheaper.
– Canning Jars: They are great for freezing food instead of using throw away freezer bags.
– Many Different Tools: Hubby has saved us a fortune over the years fixing just about everything around our homes. He has fixed many large and small appliances. We have never hired a plumber or electrician. Yes, we did have Roto Rooter last year but that was to clean out a trap down near the road on our property. Up until we moved here, he did all of the maintenance on our cars.
– Water Softener: We have had them installed in every home. They save us money on using shampoo, body washes, hand soaps, and bar soaps. We use a lot less to get a good lather. It also saves your pipes in your home.
– Microfiber Cloths or Rags: They have saved me a fortune over buying throwaway paper towels.
– Rug Shampooers: We have owned two. They save us a fortune on getting our carpeting professionally cleaned. Stains can be taken care of right when they happen.
– Shelving In The Basement: This allows us to stockpile at rock bottom prices.
– Electric Blankets: These have kept us toasty warm at night and allows us to turn the heat down.
– Extra Blown In Insulation In The Attic: It more than pays for itself by saving on heat and air conditioning.
– Classic Good Quality Clothing: It lasts for years and never goes out of style.
– Quality Shoes and Boots: They also last you for many years. I am wearing a pair of sneakers that I have taken good care of and they are now 15 years old.
– Paying Off Mortgages on Two Homes Very Early: Saved us a ton of interest.
– Purchasing Two More Homes With Cash: No interest at all.
– A Programmable Thermostat: It allows us to set the heat back at night and to come back to a comfortable temperature just before we get up. We don’t even have to think about doing it ourselves each day.
– Our Roku Boxes: Allows us to watch movies so we don’t rent DVD’s. It also gives us hours of entertainment by watching You Tube videos which teach us how to fix things and many more things.
– Purchasing Cars With Cash: Just think of all the interest you save.
– Our Outdoor Grills: It saves us from using our stove and oven in the spring and summer. That way we do not heat up the air conditioned house.
I could add many, many more things that we have invested in that have saved us money. But I would love to hear what you have invested in that has saved you money. Please leave a comment and share with all of us.