Save Money By Making Things Yourself

A frugal way to save money is by making things yourself. I am not suggesting that you do things that are beyond your skills or expertise, but you can save a lot of money by doing certain things yourself. Now when it comes to home repairs I live at an apartment complex, which saves me a lot of money on having to make these repairs myself. However, if I wanted to learn more about home repair I could always invest my time and resources in this venue, but I prefer to utilize my schedule on things that I know are within my interests. For instance, I usually always eat at home because I can save money and make healthy meals. For the price I would spend for a meal a buffet, I can actually buy the supplies needed to make a week's worth of meals at home.

If I wanted to take this a step further I could even grow my own vegetables and fruit, and I am lucky because I get fresh organic produce from my mom. I also grow a few vegetables and herbs in my container garden, but it would never meet all of my needs. The things I tend to specialize in are making delicious food with a variety of ingredients, styling my own hair, painting my own nails, creating my own art work, making my own jewelry, and designing handmade cards for friends. Over the years I learned how I can save when it comes to my own personal finances by using my creativity to make that happen.

You can make your own meals at home, which heavily cuts down on the time and money spent on eating out. Some people are under the impression that eating out saves time, but you can actually spend more time going out to eat than if you have a well-organized kitchen for preparing meals at home. I enjoy organizing my kitchen and making lists of the ingredients I need to buy before these run out. Eating at home helps you save money because you can avoid allowing food to spoil in your fridge, which can happen if you eat out a lot and do not plan what you buy at the store.

Make a list and be honest with yourself about what types of meals you and your family actually enjoys eating eat. Planning meals for yourself or your family is not about impressing others, so you can be as frugal as desired. One of my favorite dishes to make is a chicken stir-fry dish with vegetables and noodles, which really does not cost very much at all. I even like to make this dish with vermicelli noodles, which cuts down on the sodium. However, I recommend Ramen noodles because these are cheap, and often people have a few packages of these lying around their pantry. So do try to include healthful ingredients on your shopping list, but do not go overboard buying foods that will just end up in the waste bin. Shopping at a local farmer’s market is one way to purchase low cost organic produce and fruit, but you can always garden, or maybe trade services with a friend or family member who loves to gardens. For instance, you could repair a friend’s car in exchange for them giving you some some home grown organic apples.

You can definitely save a lot of money by styling your own hair and painting your own nails. One thing I like to do is wash my hair and then roll it up in curlers. You can spend money getting your hair blown at at the hair salon, but I would rather spend my cash on things I enjoy: like good food and clothes. Of course when it comes to styling my hair I just like it cut straight across these days, but you can buy books or watch YouTube video tutorials on how to layer and style your hair. I am not suggesting you cut your own hair if this makes you feel uncomfortable, but you could always enlist a family member or a friend who is good at this. Who knows: you may even have a beauty school student in your family, and maybe they would be willing to cut your hair in exchange for your making them dinner. Bartering is a very effective way to trade services without having to pay extra.

Now painting your own nails is definitely something many people can do on their own. All you need is: a few bottles of nail polish, nail clippers, cotton balls, and nail polish remover. You most likely can buy all of these supplies for less than the price than some salons charge for you to get your nails done. I am not saying you should never have your hair styled, or never get a manicure, but why pay for these services if you can do it yourself!

Another way I have saved money is by creating my own art work. I love to paint and draw, which enables me to make art work for myself and my family. One the best Mother's Day gifts I ever gave my mom is when I painted my mom a picture. The bonus about painting my mom a picture was I only had find a fcanvas and the paints, which were supplies I already had on hand. I also love to draw pictures with pencils and colored pencils, and frame this in cheap frames I purchase on discount, or at the second hand store. If you do not like to paint then you can always decoupage a print out to a blank canvas, or frame a print out. There are many ways to create your own art work on a budget, which means you will have a one-of-a-kind piece. Actually, I am so passionate about creating my own art projects and crafts on the cheap, which is evidenced by my column over on the Examiner where I am the national budget crafting examiner - with the additional perk being that I actually make a bit of extra money by writing about my art and crafting projects.

Some of my earliest hubs were about how you can save money by making your own jewelry. I still love to make my own jewelry when I have the time, and the supplies to make several pieces are much cheaper than the cost of buying one bracelet or necklace. If you are really crafty you can even make jewelry to give to family or friends, or you can take it to the next level by selling your jewelry on Etsy or Ebay. However, right now I just prefer just to save money and make pieces that can use to accent my wardrobe, or to give to people I know. One of my favorite places to buy beads on a budget is at Joann's, which has a wide selection to choose from. If you go the store and sign up for their coupon flier then you can save even more money on purchasing beads and other crafting supplies.

Another way to save money is by making handmade cards for friends. Many times I draw a special design directly on the card as I did when I made a birthday card for my niece, or I scan my drawing and use photo editing software to make Christmas cards. If you do not like to draw you can always use an image that comes with the photo editing software to print out your own cards. Making your own cards is creative, and saves money on buying these at the store. Besides, when you make your own cards this is a way to create a unique image no one else will be giving to their family and friends. So by being a little creative and willing to do things on your own, there are many ways to save money. Being a do-it-yourselfer can also be environmentally friendly as you can even used discarded paper products to make your card. For instance, you could use a piece of cardboard from a box to make your card and really save money. Keep and open mind and be willing to create things on your own is the key to saving money, being creative, and helping the environment as well.