How To Reduce Household Expenses With DIY

This post may contain affiliate links. Click to read our Disclosure Policy . Click to read our Privacy Policy

Slashing household expenses can be challenging. Once you move into a property, you must invest in it continually to keep it in good condition. And many jobs are essential. Hiring professionals to carry out work is possible, but they charge high fees. Many homeowners wind up spending thousands of dollars on essential renovations and fixes every year to maintain their property’s value. With that said, there are plenty of ways you can reduce household expenses with DIY. You don’t necessarily need to get professionals to do work for you unless it involves gas or electricity.  Here are some of our tips for reducing household expenses with good old-fashioned DIY: 

Refresh Your Furniture

You could start by refreshing your furniture. Instead of splurging on new items, you could simply give your older pieces a makeover. 

If you have some basic reupholstery skills, putting new fabric on your furniture can be a fun project. You can get rid of dirty old fabrics and replace them with new ones that complement your rooms and make your home look fresh. 

Remember, with sofas and seating in general, it is only the soft components that wear out. Solid structures, like wood, can last indefinitely (as long as you don’t jump on your seating). It’s a shame for all this material to go to waste, which is why refreshing your furniture can be so rewarding. You only need to buy new fabric and foam, which is inexpensive compared to buying the entire ready-made item again. 

Prep Meals

You can also reduce your household expenses significantly by prepping meals in advance. Investing a little time at the start of the week can work wonders later on when you feel tired and just want to call for takeout. 

Consider dedicating an afternoon each week to making healthy meals you enjoy. Then, put them into tubs and store them in the refrigerator or freezer until you need them. 

Make sure you prepare meals you can simply put in the oven or microwave. Try to minimize the need for additional preparation. 

Once you get into the habit of making meals yourself, you’ll notice your food bills plummet. Instead of calling for food delivery, you can make it from inexpensive and healthy ingredients yourself. 

Replace Broken Parts On Your Appliances

You can also reduce household costs by replacing broken parts on appliances yourself instead of buying new equipment every time something goes wrong. This approach massively reduces your costs and means you can keep things for longer. 

When a Whirlpool washing machine or Samsung refrigerator stops working, it is usually because a single part fails. Replacing this can reduce the cost of buying a new machine, similar to how reupholstering furniture eliminates the need to replace it wholesale. 

Companies like Genuine Replacement Parts list parts from various manufacturers. You can also get information online about what has likely gone wrong with your appliances, how you can check the problem, and the components and tools you need to fix it. 

Again, you will nearly always discover that repairing a broken dishwasher or coffee machine is much less expensive than replacing it outright. You could potentially save thousands of dollars over a decade by reading simple repair instructions online and purchasing a few cheap tools. 

Eliminate The Chemical Cocktails

You can also try to reduce household expenses by whipping up cleaning concoctions yourself instead of buying the overpriced stuff sold in the store. Manufacturers add big markups to most brands, increasing your costs and making cleaning more expensive. What’s more, many of these store-bought cleaners are harsh on the skin and body, making them a hazard in your home. 

Look for big bottles of distilled vinegar at your local store. Mainly acetic acid, this substance is incredibly cheap and useful for cleaning items when combined with old-fashioned baking soda. 

If you are worried about the cost, buy these items in bulk. You should be able to get a significant discount compared to bleaches and all-purpose cleaners. Plus, you will still get exceptional anti-bacterial properties and cleaning action. 

Transform Your Pantry

You can also reduce your household expenses by transforming your pantry. Reducing your reliance on pre-packaged items and increasing your ability to keep raw ingredients can help keep costs low. 

Start by investing in some airtight tubs or jars that prevent moisture from getting in. Then, create your own bean, spice, granola, grain, and herb mixes for use with your recipes. This approach prevents you from having to go to the store and buy meal kits with heavy price markups. You simply add these ingredients to other staples to create incredible meals. 

Stop Using Paper Towels To Clean

You can also reduce cleaning costs by ditching expensive paper towels and embracing microfiber cloths. Kleenex and other brands cost a fortune to replace regularly, while a set of cleaning fabrics could last you months, even if you use them often. 

A pack of thirty high-quality cleaning cloths is often the same price as a reel of paper towels. While the former might last a year, the latter might only facilitate a single cleaning session. 

Repair Your Old Clothes And Give Them New Life

Another way you can reduce household expenses is by learning how to repair old clothes and give them new life. Breathing style into older, tatty items can help you be more fashionable on a budget, reusing old fabrics sitting at the back of your wardrobe. Often you only need to make simple changes to garments to have a radical effect. 

For instance, you could take an old t-shirt sitting at the back of your closet and transform it into a new crop top or headband. You could also give some ripped jeans a makeover by adding patches to fill the holes and bring them up to date. 

Learn To Clean Your Windows Yourself

You can also reduce your household costs by learning to clean your windows yourself. Don’t worry: you don’t have to go climbing any high ladders. Instead, you can clean them using the same ground-based tools the professionals use. 

This way of saving money requires a little upfront investment. However, the savings are considerable long-term. 

The equipment works by forcing water up a thin pipe under pressure to a brush head, similar to a car pressure washer. You then glide the brush over your windows. You can buy self-drying solutions that won’t leave streaks or stains on your windows once you finish using them. 

Repair Your Driveway Yourself

It’s also handy to repair your driveway yourself when you have cracks or missing pavers. Again, driveways are fairly inexpensive to fix and only require simple tools. 

For instance, if you have bricks or pavers, and you notice them coming loose, simply clean the surrounding area and put down some mortar between the gaps. If broken concrete is the problem, use sealants that can plug the gaps while allowing the material to expand or contract as the weather changes. 

Repairing asphalt driveways is a little more challenging and usually requires professional assistance. 

Paint Your Rooms

More than fifty percent of the cost of decorating goes to pay wages. Therefore, you can save a small fortune by staying home and doing it yourself. While it eats up your time, it can be something fun to do in the evenings that takes your mind off work or family. Plus, the deeper you get into it, the more you learn. Start with something simple like repainting the bedroom and then move on to more complex projects, like wallpapering or laying new laminate flooring.

More Home Decor Posts:

• Apartment Living Room Ideas on a Budget
• How to Buy a Bathtub -Size & Dimensions Guide
• Bedroom Wallpaper Ideas and How to Apply It
• Easy Home Improvement Projects for Beginners
• Renovating Your Home-8 Things You Must Remember After
• 10 Easy Removable Decor Options
• Introducing Under Cabinet Lighting by Jasco
• Large Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

Join Our Facebook Groups

• Consumer Queen Crest Foods Deals
• Consumer Queen Homeland Group
• ConsumerQueen Brown Box Shoppers, Glitches and Free stuff! 
• Frugal Living Tips and Tricks That Work
• Easy Slow Cooker Recipes – Dump and Go Crockpot Meals
• Easy Delicious Recipes- Just Like Grandma Used to Make
• Air Fryer Recipes – Easy and Delicious
• Instant Pot Community – Instant Pot for Beginners
• CQ Oklahoma Natural & Organic Support Group
• Consumer Queen Black Friday Deals & Hot Online Deals & Coupon Codes!
• Homesteading for Beginners- Off the Grid, Canning, Gardening & more!
• Explore Oklahoma – Oklahoma Day Trips, Oklahoma Restaurants & Things to Do
• Roaming My Planet Travel Fan Page
• Shop Local Oklahoma

Have you joined our Facebook group yet? We have members who share deals, recipes and lifestyle tips with each other. Click here to join and start saving with us today.

Want MORE DEALS? Check out AMAZON FACEBOOK GROUP where we post deals and codes for up to 75% off Amazon products.

People shop at thrift stores for different reasons.  Some people are on a tight budget and need to stretch their pennies as much as possible and some people just love the thrill of the hunt!  Thrift store shopping has the potential to save you lots of money while furnishing your home and clothing your family.  Check out these Thrift Store Tips.

Did you know there are a ton of coupons and deals that you can score every year on your birthday?  Check out the Consumer Queen Birthday Freebies Roundup that we have put together.