I love a simple trick or tip that saves me time and/or money! Most of the time these are stupid simple tips that I wish I had known about sooner! I’ve included a collection of photos of tips I personally use, as well as links to some creative tips and tricks.
You can also follow my Pinterest board Simple + Smart (or all my boards) for more great ideas.
Check back often as I’ll add more tricks to this page frequently.
In the Kitchen
Save $1000s with Meal Plans
I’m a meal planning convert. In 2012 we saved over $4,000 with meal planning. Less money spent on convenience foods and eating out meant more money in the bank. Learn more here.
Chill a Bottle of Wine in 10 Minutes:
Ever have a warm bottle of wine that needs chilling? Here’s how to chill it in 10 minutes!
Clean Out the Fridge Night:
Put out all your leftovers for a feast once a week.
Mark sandwiches with initials:
To help keep everyone’s favorites from getting mixed up mark sandwiches with everyone’s initials or their favorite shape.
Shopping Tips
Upgrade electronics and devices for FREE!
Learn how you can trade in or sell your iPhone to cover the cost of your new phone and how you can trade in games and gaming systems to get the latest-like getting the Xbox ONE for free.
Cleaning and Housekeeping Tips
Use a lint roller to clean.
Lint rollers are great at picking up dust, dirt, and fibers. They capture all the yuck so you can toss it instead of making it fly into the air. Works really well on fan blades which are often over beds where you don’t want dust falling onto.
Keep a donation bag in the laundry room.
You can instantly spot items that need to be tossed or donated as you wash and take care of it immediately. Once your bag is full grab drop it at your local donation center.
Use fabric softener sheets to keep dust away.
This trick works surprisingly well! Use it on baseboards, cabinets, paneling, and stair moldings to make dusting easier.
Renew Discolored Grout
Grout grows discolored over time, and while cleaning products claim to work often that’s not enough. I made over our old kitchen grout for under $15 and it took only 3 hours. Read more about the process for renewing your grout here.
