10 Unconventional Tips for Saving Money

10 slightly unconventional tips for saving money and living frugally. Some of them may be a tad silly, but I still hope you can put a few in practice. Happy saving!

1. Warm up your house in the winter with your oven! After cooking, leave the oven doors open so the heat warms up the place when it is cooling down. It really works, I have a friend who is heating her place up like this every day.
2. This happens to me all the time; I forget to make a shopping list, but it’s ok, because I only need bread and eggs, right? Then it turns out I see pasta on sale, and, well, I’m all out of icecream. To avoid buying all this unnecessary stuff, I came up with a trick – when at the grocery store, I don’t take a shopping bag or a cart – this way I’m restricted to only buying what I can carry.
3. If you have a membership to a gym, shower there instead of wasting water and heating at home. This same tip may be applicable for school or work showers.
4. When we were kids, our parents would give us weekly allowance. This is a great technique that can be utilized even in the adulthood, except now we’re giving this pocket-money to ourselves. I personally withdraw a certain amount from my bank account every week and then try to pay for everything in cash.
5. If you’re living in the city, it might seem impossible to grow any kind of vegetables, but it’s actually not – try to grow herbs like basil or oregano on your balcony or in your windowsill.
6. In summer time, closing the window shades when the AC is on can save a significant amount of energy – even up to 30x!
7. Avoid buying things when tired, hungry or thirsty – this goes for online purchases too. The perfect time for shopping should be when you’re rested and fed…you'll be less likely to make impulse purchases.
8. We all know that meat is pricy, so why not go vegetarian at least a few days a week? It’s healthy and cheaper alternative. On the other hand, being vegan can often turn out to be a lot more expensive.
9. Okay, so sometimes you just need a tablespoon of ketchup or a tiny amount of soy sauce or a dash of crushed red pepper. You won't have to buy a whole bottle if you get in the habit of saving those little packets from fast food restaurants.
10. Google is now offering textbooks to buy and to rent directly from their Play Store, so if you're a college student or if you have one at home, go digital asap for massive savings.

Please leave a comment to share your favorite unconventional money saving tips…wacky tips are welcome!

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Written by:  Heidi

This guest post was written by Heidi from ThriftyTricks.com, where you can find the most unconvential tips for saving money without the fluff. 

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Image courtesy of cooldesign, FreeDigitalPhotos.net