Today I have Sarah from The Orthodox Mama guest posting on the blog. If you are trying to save more money she has some great skills you can use.
In the world of frugal living, there are many ways to save money—use coupons, set a budget and stick to it, learn to live with less, and many more. However, I have found the most satisfaction when I save money by developing a skill. Some things simply are cheaper when done yourself instead of hiring others to do them. Here are 6 skills that anyone can learn to save money.
Learn to Cut Hair
We pay a grand total of $30 per year on haircuts for our family of five. How do we do this? My husband has learned how to cut hair. For many years he was never really satisfied with the job that his barber did on his hair, so he would always finish it up at home. Finally, he realized that he could stop paying the barber entirely and just invest in a set of shears and scissors. Now, over ten years later, he hasn’t stepped foot into a barber’s shop and is even able to cut our children’s hair. He’s nervous about touching my thick hair, so I go to a salon once a year. But, because of his skill, we are able to save hundreds per year just on haircuts!
Grow a Garden
Growing your own produce is much less expensive (and much tastier!) than purchasing it from the store. If you are a little nervous about planting a whole garden, at least consider planting a few herbs in pots. I grew an herb garden for the first time last year, and our family loved having fresh basil, oregano, and cilantro all summer long. Since we regularly use those herbs in pizza, spaghetti, tacos, etc., we saved an average of $3 a week in fresh herbs.
Change Your Own Oil
As long as you have a car, you will have to do routine maintenance on it—like changing your oil. Why not learn to do it yourself? You can save an average of $20 per oil change, and you will learn more about the workings of your car. As a bonus, you can use this skill to barter with friends. Perhaps friends can watch your children one date night in exchange for a free oil change. The possibilities are endless!
Learn Basic Sewing Skills
If your children (or husband!) are anything like mine, they manage to make holes in clothing and lose buttons with great frequency. One simple way to save a lot of money is to learn some basic sewing skills. You can find great tutorials on Youtube that will teach you how to sew on a button, mend a hole, and take up a hem. I spent around $10 on a sewing kit 5 years ago, and I have used it to repair countless rips and tears in our clothing, bedding, and even kids’ toys.
Become a Painter
You may not consider yourself a crafter or DIY kind of person, but learning how to paint can really save you some serious money. If you can paint walls or furniture, you have endless options available when it comes to redecorating on a budget. Nothing brightens up a room or puts a new spin on an old piece of furniture faster than a fresh coat of paint.
Cook from Scratch
Finally, cooking from scratch will save you literally thousands of dollars per year. Instead of eating out several times a week, learn how to make a good homemade pizza or roast a chicken in the oven. You can then pack the leftovers for lunches and save yourself even more money. Once you have learned the basics of cooking, try making your own jams and baking your own bread. Delicious and inexpensive!
With a little effort, you can develop skills that will save you money. In addition to helping your budget, you will also grow as a person and gain confidence in your ability to care for your family. And, at the end of the day, you will have the satisfaction of looking back to admire your handiwork, saying, “I did that!”
Sarah Wright is an Orthodox Christian, wife to her handsome husband, mother to three little ones, full-time teacher, and writer. She enjoys playing outdoors with her children and watching old movies with her husband. She also writes about faith, family, and frugal living at The Orthodox Mama. Some of her most popular articles include The Top 10 Most Frugal Things I Do and 8 Frugal Meals for When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking.
Cheryl says
We do them all, I love picking fresh kale, parsley and other early crops from my garden. My husband changes the oil in our vehicles and he is the family barber as well. He does a great job on my children's hair, I get a lot of compliments on them. And this lady has not set foot in a salon in years, he has been cutting my hair for me since we first starting dating. I even had a friend stop over to visit while I was getting my hair trimmed, she chatted and watched how he cut my hair. When he finished she complimented his work and asked if he had the time to cut hers. I nodded my head and he said sure, have a seat on the stool. She was really pleased with the results and offered to pay him. He refused and I told her I was ok with him continuing to cut her hair for her. She is my best friend, so it felt good to share, and I enjoy having her visit. You should ask your husband to try just giving you a small trim, a 1/2 inch, nothing much to get him comfortable with your locks. Here is a great tutorial and this is the way my hubby trims mine. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ixwCfku3fY
Julie says
Thanks for the tip! I will have to watch the video and give it a try.
Stephanie of Stephlin's Mountain says
This is a good list. And they are skills, not something you will necessarily "get right" the first time. It takes practice!
Julie says
Great point! I learned this with my kiddo's haircut. It definitely took me a couple of times to get good at it.
Wendy says
Thank you for linking up with us on the Hip Homeschool Hop! I always enjoy articles about saving money!
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
I love using the crockpot! It is definitely a working mom's lifesaver. 🙂
Douglas Antrim says
These are good tips, it's the little things that add up. I learned (the hard way) make small changes and watch your saving grow.
Julie says
Your right, those little things do really add up!
Jayleen says
I'll be painting today! We are getting our house ready to sell and are spiffing it up! A friend suggested we hire someone to paint but I would rather save money and do it myself! Cutting hair and changing oil ... I'm too afraid to try! I do secret shops for oil changes though and end up being reimbursed the full amount +! Yay! It is quite gratifying when you can save yourself money with a DIY project!
Bill @ The Money Professors says
These are all good skills to have. The real savings is when you look at the volume. A haircut is not terribly expensive, but 12 haircuts per year per person can really add up if you have a large family. The same is true of multiple cars, etc. Looking at annual costs instead of individual costs reveals the big picture!
Julie @ Logger's Wife says
We have stopped growing a garden due to lack of time and no longer change our own oil for that and other reasons but we do all the others. I even cut my own hair in addition to the rest of the family's. Since I have curly hair, any mistakes I may make are hidden. 😉 There are very few food items I don't make myself and I actually just sewed a button back on one of my husband's shirts. I can't imagine how much money I would spend if I had to pay for all those things. #Titus2Tuesday
Cara says
Thank you for sharing these tips. I keep meaning to learn to change my own oil, that would be a big money saver.
I love that you included making food from scratch on here, it's amazing how much that saves every week even! It's so easy to just shrug it off and grab something on the way home, that's why I love my crock-pot so much. I am a single mom and with a full time job, so I try and find new recipes to try all the time (today I have baked beans cooking in the crockpot). I get home and just whip up a side dish and we are good to go (plus leftovers!).
Julie says
Baked beans sound so yummy! I haven't tried them making them in the crockpot yet. Sounds much better than being over the hot stove, especially in the hot summer.