Tag: #Anna Hessel savings ideas

Stay In Style In This Economy

  By , , , , , , ,

Stay In Style In This Economy 

Editor’s Note: Anna Hessel with a little help from hubby, Wes, will be offering up for the next seven weeks, 10 tips a week on How to Stay In Style In This Economy. Watch for it every Tuesday. 

How to Stay in Style in this Economy…

By Anna Hessel with Wes Hessel

Inflation is being beaten back but basic costs are still high, and service providers are charging more, but there is hope out there. Saving money has always been a challenge but in this current economic climate saving money can be get a bit tricky,  but there are certainly ways to shave your budget without losing out on things you need and want, here are today’s suggestions:

  1. I keep a small empty lotion container to drain the last dregs of creams into. Give it a good shake, and you have a new lotion mixture to keep skin smooth.
  2. Turn lights off when not in use for more than a minute.
  3. Vacuum refrigerator coils every so often to increase efficiency, and save on electricity. Also, clean your furnace or air conditioning vents for improved flow (again saving energy and cost), and change the furnace filter as recommended to help there, too. Make sure those air outlets are not blocked or covered for even better savings, unless it’s for an area you use less or little.
  4. There are products on the market to freshen clothes between wearings. A clothes dryer after sponging with a damp wash cloth is a great way to refresh clothes, and add extra life to garments but these are not substitutes for regular washing or dry cleaning. An old fashioned sponge  dampened can keep your wardrobe looking pristine. I don’t recommend a refresh more than a couple times between laundering – you don’t want to seal dirt or odor in the fabric…
  5. Buy a good used sewing machine to repair, repurpose, or recreate garments, linens, curtains, and the like.
  6. Opt for refillable or reusable items, such as pitchers to filter tap water instead of buying bottles from a store – this can save money and help the environment.
  7. Less waste packaging can also improve an item’s cost – less overhead for the company; look for vendors who pass this savings on.
  8. Avoiding red meat is not only great for animal welfare, your health, and the environment, it can be more economical to have a more plant based diet…
  9. Consider your home space – do you really need as much as you have? The tiny house movement, or downsizing in some form, is advantageous in many ways, such as less energy consumption, more time for family/ourselves and pleasure pursuits, and, of course, the lower costs…

You Better Shop Around…

  1. Utilize deferred no-interest payment plans like PayPal’s Pay in 4, After Pay, or Klarna for major purchases to save on paying credit card or other interest. Or just save up – it’s worth the effort…

 

How To Stay In Style In This Economy (#2)

  By , , , ,

How To Stay In Style In This Economy (#2)

Editor’s Note: Anna Hessel with a little help from hubby, Wes, will be offering up for the next seven weeks, 10 tips a week on How to Stay In Style In This Economy. Watch for it every Tuesday. 

How to Stay in Style in this Economy…

By Anna Hessel with Wes Hessel

Inflation is being beaten back but basic costs are still high, and service providers are charging more, but there is hope out there. Saving money has always been a challenge but in this current economic climate saving money can be get a bit tricky,  but there are certainly ways to shave your budget without losing out on things you need and want, here are today’s suggestions:

  1. Jewelry and clothing rental sites can be great but read the fine print before you give your credit or debit card number. Monthly or additional fees can add up to make it un-cost effective.
  2. Look for electronic or other recycling events that offer gift card or coupon incentives, or retailers who offer discounts for trade-ins.
  3. For those who pay for your garbage collection, make choices which will keep that bill down. Check with your waste pickup agency or provider for tips on how to save, especially for “amnesty” days, where more or any items are taken for disposal, or special collection days such as for leaves in the fall or live Christmas trees after the holiday, thus avoiding extra fees. If you have bulky items to trash and an amnesty day is not available or far away, see if your refuse service allows one or two extra items for pickup without additional charge, and if you have multiple items, then you can put them out over more than one collection date to save.
  4. Check the curbs on trash nights, and especially on amnesty days, for usable items you may want – one person’s trash is another one’s treasure. Just make sure your municipality or area does not restrict this.
  5. Use outdated yogurt, or past their prime fruit or vegetables like avocados as face masks or skin treatments.
  6. Used coffee grinds are great for cellulite body treatment – if you don’t use your own, Whole Foods had been giving them away for free to anyone that asks.
  7. Used book and music stores can buy your used books, magazines, CDs, video games, or other related electronics, and items purchased there are likely cheaper than retail.
  8. Shop at garage sales – save money while meeting your neighbors or host a garage sale to make some extra funds. A bit of gas spent traveling to upscale area sales if you don’t live in one is worth the trip to find special bargains on designer duds, toys, or housewares.
  9. When using health and beauty items like liquid soaps, shampoos, conditioners, or lotions, turn them upside down (if the container isn’t already designed that way) to get as much as possible out of what you buy. If such an item won’t stand on its head on its own, prop it up against a wall or the like, or place it in inverted in a cheap plastic cup or other container large enough to hold it.
  10. Squeeze more out, literally – for items in tubes, such as toothpaste or creams, use a comb, the side of your hand, or one of those squeezing gadgets to press through the last dregs…

10 Tips To Stay In Style In This Economy (#1)

  By , , , ,

10 Tips To Stay In Style In This Economy (#1)

Editor’s Note: Anna Hessel with a little help from hubby, Wes, will be offering up for the next seven weeks, 10 tips a week on How to Stay In Style In This Economy. Watch for it every Tuesday. 

How to Stay in Style in this Economy…

By Anna Hessel with Wes Hessel

The inflation spike of the last couple years appears to be ebbing. Food costs are still high, and service providers are charging more, but there is hope out there. Save me….Saving money in this current economic climate can be a bit of a challenge, but there are certainly ways to shave your budget without losing out on things you need and want, here are today’s suggestions:

Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle
1. Go paperless: online invoices, email, or text notifications can save time (time is money) and postage, not to mention less paper to wind up in landfills.
2. Take extra weight out of your vehicle’s trunk or hatch area, maintain your proper tire inflation levels, and keep your vehicle tuned up to save on gas.
3. Buy in bulk if you can but only if it saves money – compare by per ounce, pound, square footage/yardage, or other unit measurement; the largest size isn’t always the best buy…
4. Try store or “clone” brands – they can offer near or equal quality for better price, but sales sometimes can flip that on their head, instead. Quality products can give you more mileage, so keep track and see which gets you more bang for your buck.
5. Make-your-own type devices such as a SodaStream, or using a juicer can make for fresher, healthier, less expensive choices.
6. Speaking of making, the Maker movement encourages going back to creating things for ourselves, instead of potentially energy consuming and pollution causing manufacturing. It also gives pride in our own work and honing manual skills. Maker spaces provide workspace, training, and resources. This could be crafts of all forms, sewing/fabric/leatherwork, woodwork/carpentry, metalwork – let your imagination run free…
7. Many print publications offer a free sample copy – just don’t forget to write cancel on the invoice when you receive the bill – or their online subscription can be significantly cheaper. Also, investigate services which can access multiple magazines online for one cost.
8. Repurpose – this prevents items from going into landfills and saves you money. A coat of paint, reupholstering, or a new creative way to use something are fun ways to give an old item, new life. DIY can be enjoyable and saves a bundle. Look online for free how-to’s and ideas. Just make sure you know what you’re doing if safety is involved. How about a brightly painted old bicycle with flowers in the basket.
9. Join Freecycle, Trash Nothing, or similar online groups, or try apps like Freebie Alerts to swap items for no cost. Also, many churches or other charitable organizations have clothing or toy exchanges that can be utilized by area residents. But do remember some things are actual trash…
10. Host a clothing and accessories swap, or start a community vegetable garden, if there aren’t ones in your area.