Are your house-related bills keeping you up at night? Wish you could opt for energy-saving appliances, but just don’t have the funds? If you’re feeling the pressure of rising costs (from water companies, gas companies, electric companies and other sources of household expenses), we’ve got some money-saving household hacks you won’t want to miss.

Here are five simple ways to cut costs at home…

1) DIY a LOW-FLOW TOILET

A typical toilet uses approximately 1.6 gallons per flush, but older toilets can use up to 7 gallons per flush. That’s a lot of water. If you have a low-flow toilet, you’ll only use about 1.28 gallons per flush, which is better, but, who has the money to buy a low-flow toilet? 

Did you know you can make your own low-flow toilet with items you probably have lying around the house right now? That’s right!

Grab a plastic water bottle. Fill it with pebbles or sand. Place it in the water tank of your toilet and voilà, you’ve got yourself a low-flow toilet.

The extra weight from the bottle displaces the water in the tank and so less water will be used each time you flush.

TIP: Want to save even more water when flushing? Follow the old, water-saving slogan, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”

2) Switch to Bars

Are you one of those people who always finds themselves adding water to their shampoo bottle, body wash or dish soap, to make it last longer or make sure you get all the last drops?

A simple, money-saving hack is to switch to bars. Buy a shampoo bar, a conditioner bar and a bar of soap for the shower. Then, buy a dish soap bar for the kitchen.

Bars tend to have more concentrated ingredients (i.e. not watered-down) and generally last longer than liquid alternatives.

3) Put Your electronics on a time-out

One of the simplest ways to cut energy costs is to put your electronics on a time-out. Anytime you have electronics or appliances plugged in, power is being used, regardless of whether those electronics are on or in-use. In fact, about 25% of the energy used in your home is being used by electronics that are off or not in use.

So…it’s time for a time-out!

If you don’t want to go around unplugging your electronics every night and plugging them back in every day, then put them on a smart power strip, use a smart plug or put them on a timer. This way you take back control of your electrical use and cut down on the unnecessary expense of vampire, aka standby, power.

TIP: As for counter-top kitchen appliances, unplug these when not in use.

4) Keep Your Water Heater Warm, not hot

Did you know approximately 18% of a typical home’s energy expense comes from heating water?

Fortunately, with a few simple actions you can take your water expense down a notch.

First step is to lower the temperature on your water heater. Factory setting are often higher than they need to be. Setting yours to 120 degrees F should be more than sufficient.

Then, give your water heater an insulating jacket or blanket to keep it warm. The $30-$40+ dollars you’ll spend on can help you save between 5-15% on your water heating bill for the year.

TIP: Using less hot water can also save you money….duh! So, set your washing machine to cold and avoid the hot water settings on your dishwasher. Cut down your shower time, too.

5) Ditch Your Cleaning supplies

Okay, I don’t mean don’t do any cleaning. But, why spend so much money on cleaning supplies, especially when you can make natural cleaners yourself?

Natural cleaning supplies don’t cost much at all and you can have your home looking and smelling like you want it to in no time.

Add orange peels (or lemon peels) and vinegar to a mason jar, or other sealable glass container, and let it soak for a few weeks. Then strain the liquid out into a spray bottle or two. You can add half to a larger spray bottle and dilute the liquid with water. This mixture is good for general, day-to-day cleaning. The concentrated liquid can be used for more stubborn grease and spills.

Another option is to do a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar, then add in about 15-20 drops of your favorite essential oil. This mixture can help with the day-to-day cleaning and keep your home smelling nice.

Need something with a little more grit? Try one part vinegar and one part baking soda.

Bonus hack:

One last bonus hack that’ll help save you money at home is to take the water you use to boil pasta or make hard-boiled eggs, let it cool and water your plants with it. Your plants will appreciate the nutrients.