"When a fellow says it ain't about the money but the principle of the thing, it's the money." - Kin Hubbard

SavingAdvice.com Blog

Bridging the gap between saving money and investing

Kathryn Vercillo

Using a Quarterly Review to Stop Feeling Perpetually Behind the Curve

By Leave a Comment

quarterly review

I have felt behind the curve in work (and life) for … well, let’s just say for a long time now. I encountered a series of health challenges that set me back. That snowballed into some financial challenges. After that came COVID-19 which required new adjustments. And now it seems like almost a way of life: always feeling like I am several steps behind what I want to be doing to move forward. I’m hoping that a new quarterly review process will help me get back on track. Maybe, if I really work at implementing it, it’ll even help me to get ahead!

Chime gets you paid up to 2 days early with direct depositˆ- Make the switch today

How I Already Use a Quarterly Review

The quarterly review isn’t entirely new to me. I’ve worked for myself for a long time. Therefore, I’ve established a variety of different work and personal finance routines that work for me. Historically I’ve done a quarterly review of all finances. Actually, I do an end-of-month review, but then at the end of each quarter I go into more depth with that.

So, at the end of each quarter, I review:

  • How much I’ve earned and where it’s coming from
  • Total debt including interest rates and repayment amounts
  • Debt-reduction opportunities including balance transfers
  • Breakdown of where all money is going (budget review)

Honestly, I’ve dropped the ball on this in the past year. 2020 was rough for many reasons. Therefore, I need to go back and do my 2020 financials. As a result, my 2021 financials started off with less review than usual as well. However, we’re only two months in, and I can get back on track. Part of the benefit of the quarterly review is that it prevents me from slipping too far behind. So by March 31, 2021, I will have this routine back in place.

New Ideas to Benefit from a Quarterly Review

I want to stop feeling perpetually behind. I’ve been behind on deadlines for a long time now, which isn’t like me. But more than that, I’m behind on the projects and ideas that I personally want to establish. I’m hoping a quarterly review will help me feel like I’m catching up.

Here’s how I imagine this going:

  • The first two months of every quarter will be for planning, starting new activities, and promoting my work
  • The third month of every quarter will be for catching up, review, and rest

So, for example, I’ve spent a lot of time in January and February trying to plan out the year. I’ve started a bunch of new projects – or at least the initial stages of them. If I kept that up the whole year, I’d always feel behind. Instead, I’m going to take March to assess and make progress on what I’ve done in January and February. Instead of starting new things or committing to new deadlines, I’ll just catch up and get organized. Then in April and May, I’ll resume planning, spreading the word, looking for new projects, etc.

My hope is that having a stop-gap every third month to just catch up will actually assist me in moving forward.

Read More:

 

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started.

Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.

8 Financial Benefits of Waking Up Early

By Leave a Comment

financial benefits of waking up early

Are you the type of person who enjoys sleeping in as much as possible? If so, then you might find yourself missing out on the financial benefits of waking up early.

1. The Early Bird Catches the Worm

People who wake up early are more successful in their jobs according to at least one study. Moreover, they have higher job satisfaction.

The first part – success – seems immediately obvious. If you’re up and at ’em then you’re taking maximum advantage of work opportunities. Therefore, your chances of success go up accordingly.

But what about that second part – job satisfaction? If you’re naturally prone to sleeping in then you might think waking up early would make you hate your job. However, if you love your job then you might want to wake up and get going.

You don’t just get the financial benefits of waking up early because you woke up. It’s the fact that you’ve taken the time to find something that makes you WANT to wake up early and go do the work that really makes the difference that leads to success. That said, you can “fake it ’til you make it” by establishing the habit of waking up early starting now. As you develop the habit, work on what would make you enjoy waking up earlier more.

Chime gets you paid up to 2 days early with direct depositˆ- Make the switch today

2. Early to Bed, Early to Rise …

“makes a person healthy, wealthy, and wise …” The same study showed that people who woke up earlier thought of themselves as healthier than people who chose to sleep in. Lingering in bed might correlate with depression or another mental / physical health challenge.

In contrast, waking up early correlates with health. Health challenges can seriously impact finances. Therefore, the healthier you are, the better financial benefits you’re likely to reap. If waking up early is a sign of health, then developing habits that allow you to rise earlier might be financially beneficial.

3. Feeling Good About Yourself

The Ladders points out that waking up early to start work can help build confidence. You might also simply feel virtuous being up and at ’em before everyone else. Starting off your day on this foot can help you feel like you are ready to take on the world. As you enter the regular workday, you’re a step ahead of someone who has just rolled out of bed after hitting snooze five times. You’re ready to go. And that means you’re ready to earn.

4. Doing What You Love

You may or may not ever have the opportunity to do what you love as a full-time career. But you can take those early morning hours to do what you love. And you can build it into a side hustle, part-time job, or retirement business. Thus, you not only reap the financial benefits of waking up early, but also get the emotional and creative benefits of building n ew opportunities doing something that you love.

5. Preventing Inertia

If you have the ability to wake up whenever you want, and you choose to sleep in, then you might be debilitating yourself with inertia. Lazy mornings that linger into the afternoon can wind up with you at the end of the day feeling like you wasted the whole day. And then you just do it all over again.

This feeling leads to a homeostasis where you’re doing “all right” but aren’t really maximizing your time. One of the financial benefits of waking up early – and getting productive at the start of the day – is that you circumvent this inertia. In fact, studies indicate that simply learning to wake up early makes you a more proactive person in your own life.

6. Time to Plan, Not Simply React

If you’re becoming more proactive in your life then you have the ability to set and meet long-term goals. Waking up early gives you the time and space to think ahead. You can problem-solve, schedule, and organize your work life in those early morning hours. Therefore, you don’t just find yourself rushing out into the day and then reacting to whatever happens. You have more control over your own life, which leads to sounder financial decisions.

7. You’re Earlier Than Others

On the one hand, this is obvious. But how exactly does this translate into the financial benefits of waking up earlier? Here are some examples:

  • Your commute might be easier, saving you time which translates to saving money.
  • You are prepared for early-morning meetings so that they go well.
  • If you have a boss that values your early arrival, then you win points with the boss.
  • If you work in a global business, such as finance, then starting early could open you up to different, better markets and opportunities.

Additionally, getting to work early gives you time to settle in. Therefore, when people start to stream in to the office, you might be ready to give them your attention. Coming from a place of peace, instead of rushing, you’re able to meet them from a positive viewpoint. As a result, you build those relationships. Those relationships can become invaluable networking resources over time.

8. Frankly, You Just Get More Hours in the Day

On one hand, you don’t want to work yourself to the bone. After all, you need work-life balance. On the other hand, waking up early can give you a few more hours in the day to get things done. Maybe you’ll spend that time doing work that financially benefits you immediately. Alternatively, you might rest, exercise, socialize or do other things that benefit your overall health and wellbeing. Either way, you set yourself up for success.

That said, don’t try to cram too many hours in one day. Staying up all night then also waking up early means burning the candle at both ends. Instead, get the right amount of sleep … but then get up early and get going! That’s the only way to begin to reap the financial benefits of waking up early.

Read More:

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started.

Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.

 

How Do You Get Paid to Go to College?

By Leave a Comment

Get Paid to Go to College

College education is expensive. Everyone talks about the burden of debt that it brings along with it, often wondering if the cost is worth it. However, a college education can be truly invaluable on so many levels. Moreover, there are many different ways to hack the system. You can even get paid to go to college.

It’s Worth It to Try to Get Paid to Go To College

It’s relatively easy for many young people to get student loans. In fact, older people returning to college also often have easy access to large loans for higher education. Despite the availability of loans, it’s worth it to take the extra time to try to get paid to go to college. After all, college costs tens of thousands of dollars. Why would you burden yourself with that amount of debt when you could potentially get paid to go to college instead?

Chime gets you paid up to 2 days early with direct depositˆ- Make the switch today

Fill Out Your FAFSA

The first step planning out the financial side of your college education is filling out your FAFSA. Through this application, you provide the federal government with information about your financial status. They reply with information about the loans, work-study opportunities, and grants that are available to you based on financial need. Look first at the grants and work-study opportunities. Loans should be your final resort.

Apply for Grants and Scholarships

FAFSA tells you about the need-based federal aid that you’re qualified to receive. Therefore, it’s the first step if you want to get paid to go to college. The grants are “free money” that you can use to pay for college. Work-study allows you to earn money on campus to pay for college. In both cases, you reduce your college expenses by earning money.

However, these are only a handful of the grants and scholarships available to you. Take the time to seek out and apply for as many grants and scholarships as possible. In addition to need-based financial assistance, you can apply for grants and scholarships based on varying criteria including grades, family status, gender and other demographic factors, age, area of study, sports and community involvements, and essay-based applications. The more grants and scholarships that you apply for, the more money you might be able to make to go to college.

In addition to grants and scholarships, ask your college about tuition waivers. In many cases, colleges actually reduce or waive tuition fees. Each school is different but some of the qualifications for tuition waiver include financial need, cultural diversity needs of the school, status as a foster child or adopted child, disability, nontraditional student status (such as over age 60) and more.

Get Paid to Go To School Through Work or Military Service

You don’t have to go to college right out of high school. In fact, waiting until later can often open up opportunities to get paid to go to college.

Military Members Get Paid to Go to School

One of the most common routes historically has been to sign up for military service. The GI Bill helps pay military members to go to college. There are also other military tuition benefits, including some for family members.

Members of any branch of the military can get paid to go to school. However, each branch has its own rules and regulations around the terms of service. For example, according to Military.com, most branches offer assistance to both active duty and reserves members; however, the Marines only offer help to active duty members.

In addition to the GI bill and other military tuition assistance, military members as well as their family members have access to a variety of different grants and scholarships particular to their unique circumstances.

Corporate Jobs Pay You to Go to School

But the military isn’t the only career path that will send you to school. Sometimes you can get a corporate job that pays for you to go to college. For example, you might start out as an admin at a large company. After a certain period of employment, they pay you to get a degree in an area study that corresponds to the company’s job opportunities. Typically, you commit to a certain amount of work with them. Then you get paid to go to college to qualify to do that work.

There are some companies that will pay tuition for nearly all employees up to a certain amount per year. For example, according to eStudentLoan by Unigo, UPS employees are eligible to receive over $5000 per year in tuition reimbursement starting on their first day as a part-time or full-time employee. They list three dozen companies that offer corporate tuition assistance including Wells Fargo, Starbucks, Home Depot, Verizon, McDonalds, Chipotle, CVS, and JetBlue. If you’re looking to start a job now that will allow you to get paid to go to college, then check out this list.

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

If you do end up taking out student loans, then consider studying in a field that offers student loan forgiveness. Teachers qualify for student loan forgiveness. You might also consider social work or another opportunity to qualify for public service loan forgiveness. In either case, you do have to pay your tuition up front using loan money. Then you have to make your student loan payments (with varied options depending on your salary.)

However, over time, if you provide enough service in one of the qualifying post-graduation job positions, then some or all of your student loans will be forgiven without penalty. This provides a long-term way to get paid to go to college if you don’t qualify for up-front payment opportunities.

In addition to federal student loan forgiveness programs, you can find funding to forgive loans from other career-specific organizations. For example, The Balance recommends checking out Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program and National Institute of Mental Health Loan Repayment Program if you work in either of those fields after graduation.

Read More:

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started.

Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.

When Are Scholarships Treated As Taxable Income?

By Leave a Comment

If you want to be smart about saving money on college then you definitely want to apply to get scholarships. But are scholarships are straightforward as they seem? Are they really free money? When tax time comes around, you might find yourself asking: “Are Scholarships Taxable Income?”

Most Scholarship Money Is Not Taxable Income

In most cases, scholarships truly are “free money”? In other words, they aren’t considered taxable income. Therefore, the student doesn’t typically have to report the scholarship as income on their taxes. However, there are exceptions to this norm. Therefore, if you want to make sure that you have your taxes done properly, there are some nuances that you should know about.

Usually Scholarships Aren’t Taxable Income If …

According to the Charles Schwab blog, scholarships usually aren’t taxable income provided the following things are true:

  • The money goes to an individual who is enrolled to get a degree at an eligible institution (which may be online or on campus)
  • Scholarships are used to pay for specific expenses outlined by the scholarship provider. For example, scholarships usually go to pay for tuition, additional tuition-related fees, books, supplies for classes, etc. They may or may not be allowed to pay for room and board. Read the terms of the scholarship carefully.
  • It’s a true scholarship and not payment. For example, it’s not work-study payment.

Congratulations!

You can now use the SavingAdvice promo code to get $25 off expert tax prep with H&R Block. Click here for details. 

Exceptions When Scholarship Money Might Be Taxable Income

With all of that in mind, some of the exceptions when scholarship money might become taxable income include:

  • You don’t use the money to attend classes for a degree program. If you receive a scholarship to attend a program that isn’t a degree program then it’s always considered taxable income. You must pay taxes on that money. In contrast, if you’re taking classes towards an Associates, Bachelors, Masters or PhD then it’s not likely to count as taxable income.
  • All or some of the money goes to pay for expenses that aren’t approved for use. For example, if the student uses $2000 of a $10,000 scholarship to pay for food, and that’s not included in what’s allowed, then it’s sometimes considered taxable income.
  • The money is a fellowship, work-study, or other payment for services the student provides (such as working as a teaching assistant on campus).

Get all of your tax questions answered with H&R Block’s Tax Information Center!

Other Tax Considerations for Students and Their Parents

As a student – or the parent of a college student – you might want to look carefully at your taxes. Asking if scholarships are taxable income is a smart place to start. However, don’t stop there. Make sure that you learn about tax deductions for college students. Moreover, be sure to find out if you qualify for education-related tax credits. There are many ways to reduce college costs; smart tax filing is one of those ways.

Read More:

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started.

 

Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.

What Is the Price Match Guarantee at Fred Meyer?

By Leave a Comment

Fred Meyer Price Match Guarantee

Do you shop at Fred Meyer? If so then you probably do what you can to save money on groceries. However, if you aren’t making use of the price match guarantee at Fred Meyer, then you’re not doing all that you can. Learn all about how the guarantee works so that you can always get the best price

What Is Fred Meyer?

Fred Meyer is a large grocery store that also sells a wide range of other items. Fred Meyer stores often sell items for the home, clothing and jewelry, electronics, sporting goods, and more. You’ll often find additional services inside the store such as a bank, a pharmacy, and restaurant food. If you’re familiar with Walmart or Target stores that have grocery stores inside of them then you’ll have a sense of what a Fred Meyer store might be like.

Originally founded in the 1930s in Portland, Oregon, it’s a store you’ll find in West Coast America. Fred Meyer actually merged with Kroger in the late 1990s. However, stores in Oregon kept the well-known Fred Meyer brand name. Additionally, you’ll find Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, California, Idaho, and Washington State. If you live in another state then you’ll want to look for Kroger stores instead.

Is There a Fred Meyer Price Match Guarantee?

Yes, you can take advantage of the Fred Meyer price match guarantee. If you’re not familiar with this benefit, it’s when a store offers to match any lower price that you find in another store. In other words, the store guarantees that they’ll give you the lowest price on any item that they sell. Therefore, if you find a lower price on the exact same item in a different store, then Fred Meyer will honor that price by matching it.

Does Fred Meyer Offer Price Matching for Every Item in the Store?

Fred Meyer is a huge store. They offer a wide range of different items. Therefore, you’ll need to know exactly how this applies when it comes to price matching.

No, they do not offer price matching for every item in their store. In contrast, they offer limited price matching. You can expect them to honor price matching in their clothing department, home department, and home electronics sections.

They do not offer price matching in other areas of the store. Therefore, you won’t be able to take advantage of price matching on any of the following items:

  • Books, magazines, and greeting cards
  • Cleaning supplies including laundry and paper products
  • Fuel center products and services
  • Groceries including candy and adult beverages
  • Health and beauty department products
  • Jewelry
  • Natural choices
  • Pet food and supplies
  • Pharmacy items
  • Seasonal merchandise
  • Tobacco

Other Important Exclusions You Need to Know

Obviously, this is a huge exclusion. And it’s not the only restriction on the Fred Meyer Price Match Guarantee. Here are some other key exclusions that you need to know:

The Fred Meyer Price Match Guarantee does not include the following items:

  • Door-busters or other “special hours only” sales prices
  • Items advertised by another store without listing a specific price (listed as BOGO, percent off, or dollars off only)
  • Products shipped / sold by third-party website sellers such as Amazon or eBay; note that you can still get some price matching on Amazon and other sites so see details below in the section on how to get the guarantee
  • Customer-only or member-only prices at other stores
  • Instant rebates
  • Promotional codes
  • Voice-only sales
  • Deals where you get a free item with your purchase
  • Minimum purchase required items
  • Products sold through outlet stores or warehouse stores
  • “Raincheck” sales
  • Pricing errors
  • Items that are out of stock, limited in quantity, on clearance, discontinued, and/or refurbished

Additionally, Fred Meyers does not match prices on items during the following dates: Thanksgiving calendar week through the following calendar week.

How to Get the Fred Meyer Price Match Guarantee

Okay, so there are a lot of exclusions and limitations on the Fred Meyer Price Match Guarantee. Nevertheless, you can definitely take advantage of the guarantee to save money. In fact, if you’re careful about doing shopping comparisons in advance, then you can always make sure to get the lowest price on any item you purchase from the clothing, home, and electronics section of the store.

Shop with a List

Therefore, you should always shop with a list at Fred Meyer. Make sure that you know what you want to get. Be specific; you need to make sure that you know the exact item including brand and size if you want to do some comparison shopping.

Comparison Shop Before You Go

If at all possible, do your price comparisons online before you go to the store. It’s the easiest way to do your comparison shopping. You’ll save time and energy as compared to going to a variety of different stores. Simply go online and look for the item that you want at a variety of stores that are comparable to Fred Meyer.

Fred Meyer will match the lowest price at any local competitor that has a physical store within 20 miles of a Fred Meyer store. They will also match the lowest price at the following online stores with two caveats:

  1. As long as they are not shipped / sold by a third party seller on the site
  2. They ship to an address within 20 miles radius of a Fred Meyer store
  • Amazon
  • AutoZone
  • Bass Pro
  • Bed Bath and Beyond
  • Best Buy
  • Barnes and Noble
  • Cabelas
  • Dicks Sporting Goods
  • Gamestop
  • Home Depot
  • JCPenney
  • Joann
  • Kmart
  • Kohls
  • Lowes
  • Macys
  • Michaels
  • Newegg
  • Office Depot
  • Sears
  • Staples
  • Target
  • Walgreens
  • Walmart
  • Wayfair

Therefore, do comparison shopping at these stores to find a lower price than the Fred Meyer price on apparel, home, and electronics goods.

How to Request the Lower Price at Fred Meyer

You have found a lower price at another store. Therefore, you’re ready to take advantage of the Fred Meyer Price Match Guarantee. Now what?

Bring proof of the lower price to the Fred Meyer store. You can bring a print advertisement or pull the price up on your mobile phone. Make sure that whatever you bring shows the price as well as the date. After all, you only get the price match if the other store currently offers that lower price.

Show that proof to a Fred Meyer employee. You can show it to the cashier. Alternatively, you can show it to the person at the customer service desk or to an associate in the apparel, home, or home electronics section of the store where you’re requesting the deal.

Fred Meyer Also Matches Their Own Lowest Prices Within 30 Days

If you go to a Fred Meyer store and make a purchase, then save your receipt. If you notice that the same item goes on sale for a lower price within 30 days of your purchase, pull out that receipt. Fred Meyer will give you the lower price when you ask.

Read more:

 

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started.

Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.

9 Ways To Recycle Water and Save on Utility Bills

By Leave a Comment

Ways To Recycle Water

Here in California, we always work to save our water. Many of the great ways to recycle water also help you save money on utility bills. These efforts are good for the environment. Moreover, they’re good for your pocketbook. That’s something we can all feel good about.

Here are some of the best ways to recycle water and save on utility bills:

1. Never Toss Water Out of a Cup and Down the Drain

You can start small with easy ways to recycle water. Therefore, anytime that you see a little bit of water in a cup or bottle, ask yourself how you can recycle it. For example, take that half-filled cup of water and toss it into a plant. In this way, you use the water instead of throwing it away. Every little bit truly does add up.

Don’t Forget The Ice

You can use your ice in the same way. Toss it into a plant, let it melt, and you’ve recycled it instead of wasting it.

2. Use the Pasta Water, Too

Truly, any time that you have extra water leftover, you can put it to use. For example, when you make pasta, don’t toss that water down the drain. Instead, place a bowl underneath the pasta strainer. Then collect that water. After allowing it to cool, use it to water your plants. Other similar kitchen water to recycle in this way:

  • Rice water
  • Water from washing your veggies off
  • Water from soaking beans overnight

3. Collect Shower Water While It’s Getting Hot Enough

Every day, you take a shower. And every day, you probably wait to get under the water until it’s hot enough for your shower. Unfortunately, all of that colder water goes down the drain. Instead of wasting it, collect it. Put a bucket under the stream. Set it aside as you shower. Then, when you’re done showering, use that water.

Ways to use extra water in buckets include:

  • Recycle the water to flush the toilet; why use fresh water to refill the toilet tank?
  • Water your garden, lawn, trees, and/or indoor plants with this water
  • Use the water for household cleaning
  • Wash the car using this water
  • Rinse down the driveway, porch, and sidewalks with this water

Americans use an average of seventeen gallons of water per shower. Therefore, you want to maximize your use of ways to recycle water from the shower.

4. The Soapy Water from Car Washes Can Water Plants

Not being much of a green thumb myself, I didn’t realize that you could use soapy water to water your plants. However, Conserve Energy Future reports that this is one of the best ways to recycle water if you wash your car at home. Make sure that you only toss that water on shrubs and other hardy plants that can tolerate the soap levels.

Tip: start using handmade soaps for washing dishes, clothes, and even the car. Know the ingredients you’re putting in the water that you recycle.

5. Wash Dishes by Hand, Use the Water

Your dishwasher uses a lot of water. If you wash the dishes by hand instead, then you can collect that water. The easiest option is to wash the dishes inside of a plastic bucket. Then the water is already in the bucket for you to use. You can reuse it just like the leftover pasta water, water from the shower, and car wash water leftovers. Even if you decide you don’t want to wash all of your dishes in this manner, you might find that it’s easy to wash utensils this way.

Wash Clothes By Hand, Too

You can wash clothes by hand then recycle that water around the house as well. Moreover, you can get in extra recycling by using recycled water to wash the clothes. For example, place a bucket in the shower. Use that bucket of water to wash your clothes. Then use the water from washing the clothes to wash the car.

6. Reuse the Water from Washing Your Hands

Again, simply collect the water in the sink using a bucket, pot, or vase. Wash your hands over this instead of letting the water go down the drain. In particular, use this when you’re just rinsing off your hands and don’t even have soap on them. All of this water can get put to use around the household.

7. Don’t Let Plants Leak Water

If you have indoor plants then they probably leak water into a dish at the bottom of the pot, right? Don’t waste that water. Collect it and pour it right back into the plant. Just because the plant didn’t need it the first time doesn’t mean that it won’t be thirsty for it the next time around.

8. Install a Greywater System

Many of the methods we’ve discussed so far are ways to recycle water bit by bit. However, if you’re serious about your efforts, then you might want to install a greywater system. A greywater system collects all of the runoff from your shower, washing machine, etc. Instead of collecting it yourself in buckets, the system does it for you.

Then you can utilize that water. Most commonly, people recycle greywater for use in their garden irrigation system. In fact, many greywater systems go straight from the collection site to the irrigation spot. This is a great way to invest some money upfront to save you time down the line. And when done well, it’s very good for the environment.

Do note that different areas have different regulations when it comes to installing a greywater system. Therefore you’ll want to research any restrictions in your city, county, or home owners’ association.

9. Use a Rain Barrel

What if you don’t have a garden? There are ways to recycle water for consumption as well as for bathing. Installing a rain barrel is one of the best options. You collect the rain water. Then you boil it to make it safer for drinking. Enjoy! Of course, you’ll use your stove to heat up the water, so this won’t save you as much on your utility bills. Nevertheless, it’s a great way to reduce your water bill total while also doing something kind for the earth.

Read More:

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started.

Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.