A woman who regularly shares practical advice on saving money has revealed four simple daily habits that could help reduce your household expenses—and they cost nothing to implement.
Making Your Home Smell Fresh
The first tip is straightforward. 'Everyone likes a nice smelling home, but I don't waste money buying air fresheners,' she said. 'Every day, without fail, all of the windows in the house get opened. Having fresh air circulating around is the best and cheapest way to get your house smelling good.' Opening windows creates airflow, clearing out stagnant air, odours, and pollutants. This habit even has a German name: lüften, meaning 'ventilate'.
Preparing Pasta
Pasta is already a budget-friendly meal, but you can save even more with a simple trick. The woman explained: 'This is an old habit I’m picking up again. It’s to leave my pasta soaking in water for a few hours before cooking it. I left it in a sunny spot for a few hours to heat the water up a little bit too. It reduces the cooking time and the money spent on electric.'
Cleaning the Vacuum Cleaner
Like any appliance, your vacuum cleaner needs occasional cleaning. She shared a method that avoids wasting water. 'For jobs like this I don’t want to waste water just on cleaning it,' she said. Using a bowl of soapy water left over from washing dishes, she cleaned the hoover. 'I might as well get two uses out of it while it’s still hot.' She also reused a dusting cloth rather than using a new one, saving on laundry.
Bag for Life
Her final tip is about reusing what you already have. 'Social media inundates you with the idea that you need to buy something for every occasion,' she noted. 'We’re going swimming tonight, but I don’t need to buy a swimming bag. A bag for life works just fine. It’s not pretty, but it’s functional, and best of all, it was free.' While most retailers charge for bags for life, they remain affordable—often as low as 30p—and some shops replace worn ones for free. She added: 'Does anyone really notice what bags other people take swimming? I can cope with the judgement if they do.'
These four habits, shared on her TikTok account diaryofacheapskate, which has nearly 250,000 followers, prove that small changes can add up to significant savings over time.
