You already budget carefully, cut coupons weekly, and practice mindful spending. You’re keeping your eyes peeled for the latest and greatest tips from frugal minds to add new, financially-friendly habits, but maybe the answers lie in the tried and true habits from the past. Here are five examples of old-school ways to save money, and we’re confident you’re not trying at least one of them.
Dry Your Clothes Outside
Solar power is in, but was it ever out? Many people used to dry their clothes the old-fashioned way: a combination of a clothesline, some sunshine, and time. If you’re looking for an alternative way to save on gas and electricity and live somewhere you can do this year-round, this is a no-brainer. Yet it’s still a good idea to try even if you can only do it once and a while when the weather’s nice.
Schedule “No Spending” Days
Make a point not to spend a single cent a few times a month. Maybe this is ideal for rest and self-care days, say once every or every other Sunday, as a way to recharge and be grateful for what you already have.
Or maybe you schedule it specifically on days when nothing else is coming out of your account. It’s even smart to challenge yourself and do it on a day where you do spend a lot of money — what would you do with one Friday a month where going out for a lavish dinner and drinks wasn’t on the menu? Only one way to find out.
Freeze Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs are incredibly valuable. They add flavor, color, and dimension to any dish they adorn. But most of them also go bad long before you use them all. Freezing them is the hack to get around it, and people have been doing it for years.
Simply fill up ice cube trays with olive oil and the fresh herbs. Once they’re frozen, you can pop them out into separate bags, label them, and toss them in whenever you need that hit of freshness in a dish.
Buy Reusable Cloths
People today rely heavily on paper towels, but that’s significantly more expensive than buying reusable cloths. Many of these towels, like microfiber cloths, are better for cleaning or absorption, so they’re more effective anyway.
Combine this with hang-drying your laundry to save even more on your bottom line. You only buy these cloths once, and while you have to justify the extra water expense to wash them, it’s still often more frugal in the long run.
Bake Bread at Home
Baking bread isn’t always cheaper than picking up a loaf from the store; it all depends on what kind of bread you’re making. But if you want good bread, it’s often more affordable to make yourself.
It’s also not as hard as it sounds, and you get the added delight of your home smelling like freshly baked bread once a week. It might be old-school to wake up at dawn to knead some dough, but it’s just as frugal as it is satisfying.
