Top 10 Budget-Friendly or DIY Substitutes for Day-to-Day Expenses

The following is a guest post, with very valuable frugal tips. Enjoy reading!

Saving money is both easy and difficult. When you have access to the right kind of information and knowledge then it is easy. However, if you are deprived of such great information, then you might find it difficult. Luckily, you have landed on the right page, here we grow One Cent at a Time. Given below are ten budget friendly substitutes for your day-to-day expenses.

Cleaning Products

There are hundreds of cleaning products out there. Some of them are really useful and you want to hog them all, but then the price tag repels you. It’s a bad thing, but then there is a good thing too. You can make these cleaning products at home.

Common household items like vinegar and baking soda make really good cleaning products. However, make sure you have full information before utilizing any of these on your furniture. You can know more by searching online. There are millions of tips and tricks available.

Car Maintenance

We are not expecting you to magically turn into a mechanic, but since it is your car, you should know it a little better. You should be able to handle minor car maintenance. It will save you a lot of money. Information about minor issues (changing a bulb or replacing the battery) is also found on the manual for quick reference. You can read or watch videos on tutorials on the internet and say bye to the mechanic who charges you a lot for these little tasks.

Books, DVDs and Video Games

Don’t stop reading books, watching movies or playing games. Do it all and do it intelligently. You can easily buy all kinds of books, DVDs and video games from thrift stores at a discount rate. Next time whenever you feel like buying a book, raid a thrift store and buy used books. It will take you a little time searching for the perfect thing, but in the end it is all worth it.

The other option is E-Books. Now, almost all the books are available on the internet and can be read for free. There are also movies that are free to watch. Google is your friend in such problems.

Swap

There are things that you can easily swap with your friends/neighbors. A T-shirt or trouser is out of the list, but goods like books and video games can easily be interchanged. This way both you and your friend will be able to reduce their budget.

One trend catching up lately, to swap home cooked food. In our neighborhood we recently had one. You don’t have to go to restaurant to taste new recipes.

A Haircut

We are not advising you to cut your own hair. It’s something one can never do right, but you can always cut down your expenses by going to a local cosmetology school, where budding hair stylists will be willing to try their hands on you. This will cost you less than half of your regular bill, and you will still look as smashing as you look when you visit your favorite hair salon.

Phone Calls

Ask anyone budget relief tips and you’ll hear this option. Phone calls might not be that expensive anymore with some eye-popping offers, but they still cost a huge amount of money, especially when you are on a long distance call. The solution to this problem is simple – Skype. The free software allows you to talk to anybody you want for free, as long as the person has a Skype account.

The best part is that the application works on almost all the new phones and you will not need a computer for this. The software also allows you free video chat. It just doesn’t get better than this.

Dining Out

The solution to this problem is simple. Learn cooking and make your house look enchanting again. You can learn a new recipe daily online and try it. Some people cook so well they bid adieu to all those expensive restaurants. As far as the ambience is concerned – it’s totally in your own hands!

Beauty Products

Everyone wants to look beautiful, but no one is willing to spend millions of dollars on good for nothing products. Now beauty comes in handy!

There are tested tips and tricks that really work. Natural things like Aloe Vera and Honey are great for your skin. Instead of using a skin lotion or cream, you can apply Aloe Vera on your skin. It will give you the same shine and control warts and other skin issues. You can also make your own creams and lotions using these natural products. These chemical-free beauty products work great.

The Internet

How is the internet a substitute to day to day expenses? Simple… it is the solution to almost every problem. Thanks to the internet, you can save on a lot of things. Whenever you plan on buying something, always make it a habit to search on the internet to know about latest prices, promotions and discount offers. There are stores that are always willing to offer buyers a little extra for buying online. Never let this opportunity be wasted. Shop online and welcome debt relief.

The Newspaper

Do you buy the newspaper daily? Reading it and staying connected to the world is a good habit, but do you know you can read it without you having to pay for it? Yes, almost all the newspapers are now available on the internet – that too for free. Simply search for your newspaper online daily to read the news on the go. This will not only save you money, but also keep your house clean from those old newspapers.