65 Photos Of Little Ways To Save Money That Are Just So Darn Smart

    FYI: The Dollar Store offers MUCH cheaper versions of pregnancy tests and common medications.

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. For medications that are FDA-approved, check out the Dollar Store. They have much, much cheaper options for common medications like Mucinex (just not the name brand version). They also have much cheaper pregnancy tests.

    Two medications next to each other with their prices; Mucinex DM is $20, while the generic version is $1
    u/ShannonLeeBlonde / Via reddit.com

    2. If a store misprints a price on an item, most times they have to honor it (I had to do this at a clothing store I worked at!). If a price doesn't look right, it's probably a mistake — but that doesn't mean you won't be able to take advantage of it.

    3. You can easily make reusable Swiffer pads from really any fabric that's similar to the material of the pad.

    4. And for wet Swiffers, you can refill it yourself without replacing the actual cartridge by drilling a hole in it.

    5. Similarly, you can make the bag for your Roomba or vacuum reusable just by cutting it then using clips to keep it shut.

    6. There are SO many free things you can get for your birthday — and for some of them, you don't even have to prove it's your birthday.

    7. Switch from buying body wash to buying bar soap. They're cheaper and last longer, and they're also easier to travel with and store.

    8. And you may already know this if you grew up frugal, but pressing the last bit of a bar soap into the next bar is a good way to make sure you don't waste any.

    9. Consider celebrating holidays a day late, or even if you don't, look for post-holiday sales on holiday items: like candy after Valentine's Day and Halloween, or turkeys after Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    10. Never throw out things like cosmetics without first cutting them open and getting the rest of the product. You can use the cut-off part as a cap or duct tape it shut to retain the moisture.

    11. And for food items where you still have a little bit left, use them as an ingredient in other things. Like the last bit of mustard you can't get out of the container — pour some other salad dressing ingredients in and mix it up!

    12. Or a large container of honey — use it to make sweetened tea!

    13. Stain a piece of clothing or spot something at a thrift store you want that has a stain? Just dye (or even dip dye) it with a darker color to hide the stain.

    14. Alternatively, just cut off the stained part to make a crop top from a top, a tank from a long-sleeve, or even a shirt from a dress, like this person did!

    u/banannah09 / Via reddit.com

    15. Another way to get rid of stains? Iron on a patch.

    16. Or even if your clothes aren't stained or damaged, buy some cheap fabric dye to change up their color and make you feel like you have entirely new clothes!

    u/7abib / Via reddit.com

    17. There are so many cute ways to wrap things without having to use wrapping paper or bags. One is Sunday comics.

    18. The easiest way: literally just using grocery bags.

    19. There are many prepackaged single-serving snacks you can get in bulk, even if that means simply buying the ingredients. One example is Dunkaroos — you can basically make the same thing for wayyyy cheaper per serving with Nilla wafers and funfetti frosting.

    20. If you're worried about buying things in bulk and them going bad, the freezer is your best friend — and for single servings and easy storage, ice trays are your EXTRA best friend.

    21. By the way, you *may* want to invest in a used chest freezer if you plan on doing a lot of buying in bulk and freezing.

    There's also a great tip in the comments of this post — you can often find damaged or non-working items for free on places like Craigslist and Facebook. Many times, these things may require a simple fix you can do at home, or a small part you can order online. While this may not always be the case, since the item is free, it's worth trying!

    22. Don't be afraid of buying meat in bulk, either — take advantage of big sales (like the turkeys mentioned earlier!) and cube and freeze the meat for later.

    Several pieces of meat cut into cubes and strips of varying size
    u/firelitdrgn / Via reddit.com

    23. If you're someone who wants to start growing a bit of your own food, you don't need fancy starter kits. You can repurpose old containers and make pots out of toilet paper/paper towel rolls.

    24. You often don't need a full-size sponge for dishes. Try cutting one in three!

    25. Always check the price per unit/oz when deciding between two sizes and buy the one that's cheaper per unit.

    26. Sometimes, it's actually cheaper to buy two small packages than the double pack.

    27. But sometimes, a double bag is only a little more, and if so, it's definitely worth buying.

    28. There are so many things we throw away that we can actually make brand-new with a little effort. One example is using acetone to clean white on sneakers.

    29. And Friendly Plastic can help repair anything you have that's broken.

    30. And with luggage, if you've got a messed-up wheel, it's much cheaper to just replace the wheels than the whole bag — and it's not as difficult as you think!

    31. You can easily refurbish over-the-ear headphones by buying new ear pads — especially if you're like me and you ruined the last pads by wearing them to the gym until they got gross and stinky.

    32. You can also get a fabric shaver (or in a pinch, use a razor) to get pills off clothing.

    33. Speaking of razors — you can hold out on buying a new one for a bit by using it against jeans to clean and align it.

    34. You can extend the life of food you were going to throw out, too. While you should never put your health at risk, there are some hacks you can do, like getting your celery crisp again with some water. Just don't eat anything that's actually gone bad!

    35. If you're a knitter, one cheap way to get yarn is buying an old secondhand sweater (or finding one in your closet) and unraveling it.

    Follow the TikToker above at ourshieldmaiden!

    36. And if you love puzzles, puzzle swaps can be a great way to exchange your old puzzles for new (to you) ones. Check out Facebook or Reddit, or even gather some friends or neighbors to do a swap!

    37. If you're a parent with a kid who never finishes their full plate/snack (or live with a partner or roommate who never seems to finish their fruit), save and freeze leftover fruit and veggies to use them in a smoothie later on.

    38. In fact, you should really always save cooking scraps. There are so many ways to repurpose them, but my favorite — which is also a way to make a super cheap, yummy, and easy meal — is to just throw it in a pot with a bunch of mixed eggs and make a frittata.

    I used to LIVE on egg frittatas post-college. Eggs were cheap back then, and I'd literally save every tiny scrap from anything else I made and throw it in the pot. And then it'd last multiple meals!

    39. Another way to repurpose old veggies — especially bagged salad — is to blend and freeze them. You can use them later in smoothies and other recipes.

    40. Instead of buying special hangers for shorts and skirts, just put binder clips on regular hangers.

    u/lorpye8 / Via reddit.com

    41. Cheap cloth or sheets can do a ton to keep your house cool without air conditioning — or will at least make it so you don't need to use quite as much AC.

    42. The same goes for wintertime — your heat bill will go way down if you insulate your windows. One cheap way to do this is with moving blankets.

    You can also just use an old comforter — just make sure to check it for moisture and keep washing it and the windows to prevent mold growing.

    43. If you have central air, it may be cheaper to stop using it and use window air conditioners instead, as long as you're allowed to install them.

    44. This will likely have a small effect on your bill, but it also doubles as a privacy screen and is easy — you can stick bubble wrap to your windows with just water.

    45. As for your water bill...if you're someone with a lot of plants, try to see if you can get away with simply using water that's already around, like the second half of a glass you accidentally left out all day.

    46. If you're looking for a more expensive item, it may be worth googling Goodwill and Salvation Army locations in wealthy neighborhoods and making the trip.

    47. Estate sales are another good way to get high-quality items for cheap prices.

    48. If you don't have cuff links, in a pinch something else could work — like nuts and bolts, for instance.

    49. If it isn't much more expensive to get a longer curtain size, go ahead and get the longer version and hem it. You can use the extra fabric for accent pieces, like pillow covers.

    50. There is so much plastic packaging you can reuse rather than buying plastic bags. Cereal bags in particular are especially strong and useful due to their size.

    51. And you can always wash and reuse Ziploc bags.

    52. A larger storage option for bulk foods are 5 gallon buckets. Look for a tractor supply store or something similar to get them cheap!

    You can apparently get $3 versions from Firehouse Subs, if you have one of those nearby.

    53. If you don't have/can't afford an iron, there are a few hacks you can utilize to get out wrinkles. Besides the below, you can leave something hanging in your bathroom as you shower, or even use a hair straightener to get out a few wrinkles (just be careful with materials and don't keep it on for a long time — treat it like you would on your hair).

    54. Don't forget about clearance at grocery stores! Pay attention to sell-by dates, but you can usually get things much cheaper.

    55. Or check out a bakery outlet.

    56. Also, check out the abandoned paint can section in stores like Lowe's for big discounts on paint!

    57. There are sooo many things you can make look new with paint. Like yard sale finds!

    u/KingOfTheHillisgreat / Via reddit.com

    58. You may be able to use sample paint on something from the trash, making it entirely free!

    59. You can use cheap paint to repurpose small things you find around the house.

    60. Or much larger things, like cars.

    61. You can also use old fabric — or new fabric or couch covers, if you want to splurge — to completely redo a couch you find on Craigslist or the side of the road. This isn't for the faint of heart, as it takes a long time, but you can get a really nice couch for hundreds instead of thousands.

    u/throwawayyyy02202202 / Via reddit.com

    62. Check out apps like Too Good to Go to get restaurants' leftover food at the end of the day, especially if you have a lot of people to feed, so it doesn't matter if it'll go bad quickly.

    63. This may be obvious, but always buy store brand. Sometimes it's literally the exact same thing from the same factory.

    u/SalC1 / Via reddit.com

    64. And sometimes, the cost difference between generic and name brand is MASSIVE.

    Amazon / Via amazon.com

    65. And finally, there are tons of foods you can regrow at home simply from scraps. See some of them below:

    Check out the blog this graphic is from at thesoccermomblog.com!