Grandma and the
women who came before them new how to pinch pennies in their day. They knew
where every bit of the money coming into their household went and on what it
was spent. That’s ok if you don’t have the same amount of control. Today we all
have apps and auto billing that reach into our accounts and just pay things. It
is hard to keep up.
women who came before them new how to pinch pennies in their day. They knew
where every bit of the money coming into their household went and on what it
was spent. That’s ok if you don’t have the same amount of control. Today we all
have apps and auto billing that reach into our accounts and just pay things. It
is hard to keep up.
Doesn’t mean we
can’t learn from grandma. I am going to spell out a few money-saving and
money-making habits that your grandparents cultivated with a modern twist.
can’t learn from grandma. I am going to spell out a few money-saving and
money-making habits that your grandparents cultivated with a modern twist.
- Rent out
your rooms.
If you have extra empty rooms in your home rent them out. Grandma did!
People back in the 50s and 60s new that extra room in a house was a gold
mine for them. Today its even easier with the advent of AirBnB or
HomeAway. Be sure to check your local regulations. Another option is to
find a roommate and become a landlord, gain tax deductions and extra
income. If you have a large open area for entertaining consider putting
the space on Splacer, an online marketplace for event planners. If you
live near an event space consider using your extra yard space for paid
parking. - Yearly
review of home insurance. Take the initiative to talk with your insurance agent
each year when your home insurance renews to make sure you are not
overpaying for insurance. Look for instances where you may be paying
double and ask what you can do to get discounts. Also if you have gotten
rid of anything that insurance covered you may be able to reduce your
replacement cost a bit. - Do your own
research. Before
you decide if you need to hire a professional, do a Google search and
understand what is needed to actually fix the problem. You may find out
that you can DIY the solution and save the cost of a professional.
Remember, most of them charge you a call fee and then charge you the cost
of the repair plus parts. - Pack up your
refrigerator.
Not something you may know about but actually packing your fridge helps
you save money. With less dead space for hot air to gather your fridge
will actually stay consistently colder. Set your thermostat to 36 – 38
degrees F for maximum efficiency. - Free stuff! Check with your local
electric, gas or water utility company to see what free items or
assistance they offer. You may be able to get an energy audit,
energy-efficient light bulbs, new shower heads, HVAC coil cleaning or
usage assessments. What is there to lose? - The power of
rags. In our
throw away society, we may depend heavily on paper towels but take another
look at keeping a good bag of rags. Use old t-shirts, cut up towels and
even old socks. When calculating the energy cost to wash them compared to
paper towels you will come out ahead. But make sure the rags is good and
dirty first.
Hope you enjoyed
reading about grandma’s tips and remedies. It seems we can all take a lesson
from the past and get back to basics. You may want to consider using this
method with your food preparation too. Get back to preparing whole foods and
drop the over-processed meals we have become accustomed to today.
reading about grandma’s tips and remedies. It seems we can all take a lesson
from the past and get back to basics. You may want to consider using this
method with your food preparation too. Get back to preparing whole foods and
drop the over-processed meals we have become accustomed to today.