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4 Lazy Ways to Save Money

By Amanda 18 Comments

4 Lazy Ways to Save Money

It often seems that saving money requires a lot of hard work and effort, and that the reason we can’t save money is because we’re too lazy. But there are lazy ways to save money and help improve your finances.

Stay Home

Chances are, if you leave the house, you’re going to spend money. It could be a few bucks worth of gas or a couple hundred on a shopping spree or for a fancy night out. By staying home you can avoid these expenses (provided you also avoid online shopping, that is).

You probably spend money each month on an internet connection, cable, and/or Netflix – so why not stay home and make sure you are getting your money’s worth? Invite some friends over or make a date night out of catching up on your DVR or watching every Ryan Gosling movie.

If you are staying home, you can skip your regular grooming routine – hair, make-up, shaving, etc. – and thus cut down on the number of times you need to replace these items as you use them up. You can also cut back on laundry and dry-cleaning expenses by putting your fancy clothes away and instead lounge in your sweats or pjs.

Skip the Fancy Meals

There is no reason why every meal has to be elaborate. A bowl of cereal for breakfast is cheaper, quicker and easier than bacon and eggs with toast. Or better yet, eat your leftovers from the night before instead of throwing it out later.

You also don’t have to follow dining etiquette rules all the time. It’s okay to eat right out of the pot every once in a while or to rinse out and reuse a glass. Or you could drink right out of the milk carton (but maybe don’t do this if you have roommates.) It’ll be less dishes to do and less hot water used.

Don’t Wash Your Hair Everyday

Studies have shown that it’s actually better for your hair not to wash it every day. When you wash your hair, you are washing away the natural oils your body produces and are replacing them with artificial, synthetic oils.

Most people can get away with washing their hair every 2-3 days – meaning that bottle of shampoo is now going to last two to three times as long. If you have oily hair and can’t possibly skip a day, try using a dry shampoo or baby powder between washes. Or if you’re really ambitious and/or frugal, you could always try the “no poo” approach and use only water or baking soda and vinegar instead of shampoo for a fraction of the cost.

Don’t Shower Everyday

On that same note, most people don’t have to shower everyday either. The hot water from showering actually dries out your skin, much like shampoo does to your hair. Most people compensate by lathering up with moisturizer, but your body will balance itself out if you shower less, meaning you can cross moisturizers and lotions off your future shopping lists.

Showering less is better for your health as well – and it’s no secret that health problems can be costly! Keeping those dead skin cells and oils on your skin acts a barrier preventing “bad” bacteria and chemicals from penetrating your skin. This will help your immune system and help reduce rashes and skin irritations.

If showering less isn’t something you’re willing to try, taking shorter showers will still help you save on your water bill and allow you to hit that snooze button one more time.

One of the most common pieces of financial advice given is that you that you need to work hard in order to improve your financial situation, but don’t overlook the simple, lazy things that you can be doing as well.

How has being lazy saved you money?

Filed Under: Saving Tagged With: lazy ways to save money

About Amanda

Amanda hails from Northern Ontario where she ambitiously tries to live a life worth blogging about at My Life, I Guess.... She writes about getting out of almost $80,000 of debt, her struggles to find the right career, and the ups and downs of being a tenant (amongst other things) while drinking beer and watching too much tv.

Comments

  1. Carole says

    February 6, 2015 at 08:46

    Staying home is a big one! If you are easily tempted (and I am), staying away from shopping malls, stores, etc. will definitely help you keep your money in the bank! I have another one: Saving Mr. Lincoln. What I mean is saving your $5 bills that you get when making a cash purchase. It’s easy and lazy – you don’t even think about it after awhile. You just put it aside (out of your purse or wallet) and deposit it in a savings account. I’ve been doing this for 2 years and have saved $3,000! Disclaimer: my husband does this, too, so there are 2 of us that have saved this $3,000! I wrote a monthly series on my blog for the first year about how we were doing and writing a monthly post helped because it made me “accountable”.
    Carole recently posted…Sweetheart Strawberry Salad with Blushing Berry DressingMy Profile

    Reply
    • Anne says

      February 7, 2015 at 16:13

      That’s a great idea! Saving in $5 increments would add up quite quickly. I never spend cash, though, so not great for me. In Canada, we have two dollar coins, and we don’t tend to spend them, which makes it fun when we go empty out the change jar. I think last time it had around $200 in it!

      Reply
  2. Steve Adcock says

    December 24, 2014 at 13:29

    Another one is about laundry – in fact, it’s interesting how much money typical Americans waste on cleaning products. There is a reason why there are 30 different types of counter top cleaners, and laundry detergents, at the typical grocery store.

    For example, there is nothing wrong with wearing clothes more than once before a wash. You probably don’t have to clean your entire bathroom every other day (or, depending on its use, every week). Cleaning for the sake of cleaning just costs money and it provides very little benefit to people according to a wide variety of research.
    Steve Adcock recently posted…Opinions wanted: How do you “live a little”My Profile

    Reply
  3. Naomi @RisingNetWorth says

    December 19, 2014 at 12:46

    Staying home as simple as it may sound its literally the best thing for me! I find that when me an my husband do tend to go out to treat ourselves with dinner I often want to go “walk off the fullness” at a retail store by just “looking around”. 9/10 you know we don’t walk out of the store empty handed even if it is something small.

    Reply
  4. John Schneider says

    December 18, 2014 at 07:24

    We skip showers on the weekend if we don’t workout. I’ll skip washing my hair on occasion, too, if I just went to and from work. We’re totally lazy, but we’ll cook a huge Crock Pot of food or make a huge batch of soup for the week, so that we don’t have to cook or eat out. We like this, too, cause it saves us calories.
    John Schneider recently posted…4 Places to Find MoneyMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Robin says

    December 17, 2014 at 19:52

    I feel like I have mastered the art of staying home to save money! :). It’s becoming easier because I love where I live and I never mind being alone or with my family.
    Robin recently posted…Bah Humbug? Hardly.My Profile

    Reply
    • Amanda @ My Life, I Guess says

      December 19, 2014 at 14:42

      I’m such a homebody, so this is easy for me to do as well. Going out sometimes takes far too much effort!
      Amanda @ My Life, I Guess recently posted…My Health is More Important Than $40My Profile

      Reply
  6. Andrew@LivingRichCheaply says

    December 17, 2014 at 13:57

    When Mr. Money Mustache mentioned not showering everyday there was a bit of an uproar. But honestly, if you drove to the office, worked, came home…you probably didn’t work up much of a sweat to take a shower. I think skipping fancy meals is a biggie…I serious don’t understand fancy dining at overpriced restaurants. I live in NYC and it boggles my mind what people pay for a meal.
    Andrew@LivingRichCheaply recently posted…Living Rich Cheaply: Have Your Cake And Eat It Too!My Profile

    Reply
    • Amanda @ My Life, I Guess says

      December 19, 2014 at 14:46

      Most of my friends (sheepishly) admitted to me that they don’t shower every day. I had no idea! Like you said, unless you work up a sweat, you can probably skip the shower a day or two each week.
      Amanda @ My Life, I Guess recently posted…My Health is More Important Than $40My Profile

      Reply
  7. Tawcan says

    December 17, 2014 at 13:35

    I usually take a shower in the morning to wake me up but maybe skipping a shower here and there would be a good idea as a way to save some money. Good idea!
    Tawcan recently posted…Recent BuyMy Profile

    Reply
  8. kay ~ lifestylevoices.com says

    December 17, 2014 at 11:43

    Oh, I love this! Any lazy way I can do anything is great. Lazy ways to save money? Even better! 😀
    kay ~ lifestylevoices.com recently posted…Dish Detergent ~ Friend … or Best Friend?My Profile

    Reply
    • Anne says

      December 17, 2014 at 12:08

      Huge win, right? Laziness ftw… actually!

      Reply
  9. Brian @ Debt Discipline says

    December 17, 2014 at 08:06

    My water bill runs maybe $40 for every 3 months, so I’m always surprised when I see advice about saving money on the water bill. I just don’t see it as a big win.
    Brian @ Debt Discipline recently posted…A la carte AirlinesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Anne says

      December 17, 2014 at 10:24

      That is really low! When I rented in a house, ours was more like $50 a month.

      Reply
  10. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says

    December 17, 2014 at 06:10

    I usually skip taking a shower when I feel I am still clean and I stay at home when no one is there to know. Haha!
    Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank recently posted…The great housing ripoffMy Profile

    Reply
    • Anne says

      December 17, 2014 at 10:31

      Haha, I won’t share your secret!
      Anne recently posted…4 Lazy Ways to Save MoneyMy Profile

      Reply
  11. Petrish @ Debt Free Martini says

    December 17, 2014 at 04:17

    Staying home has saved me so much money. I use to love window shopping and would go out on the weekends to see what was on the shelves, but learned the hard way that I was never really window shopping but plain old shopping. Learning that I was not strong enough to actually just window shop forced me to stay home more and keep my plastic in my pocket and my money in the bank.
    Petrish @ Debt Free Martini recently posted…Financial Fitness ProgramMy Profile

    Reply
    • Anne says

      December 17, 2014 at 10:30

      Nice insight into your own behaviour. It’s rare, but I definitely find that happening sometimes when I get really bored.
      Anne recently posted…4 Lazy Ways to Save MoneyMy Profile

      Reply

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