I am on a mission to free myself from debt. I am closely following Dave Ramsey and his baby steps program – I have my emergency savings, my budget is down, now I am just working on the snowball effect. I am trying to find different ways to save and earn some extra cash. Here are 5 practical ways you can save on home expenses.

Create a Stock Pile

You don’t have to go extreme coupon shopping and have rooms dedicated to your stock piles! But it doesn’t hurt to have a reasonable stock pile of items that you buy regularly if you can grab them when they are on sale.

Do Your Own Repairs (if you can)

I am lucky to have a handyman in my life who can pretty much fix any problem. But when he can’t, we have a great network of other people who might be able to help. Being able to fix/repair our own issues has saved us so much money thus far.

Research Before You Buy

Need a new vacuum? Computer? Washing Machine? Ask around before making a big purchase. Do some online research to figure out what time of year is best to buy or even get a tax credit. You may not be able to wait but you can compare prices to see who has the lowest deal. Don’t forget to check for coupons!

Light Candles

Not only is it romantic, you save energy which saves money! Keep the lights and electronics turned off as much as possible to keep the electric bill under control.

Check Out Craigslist

Craigslist is a great tool when looking to making a purchase for your home. Sometimes people are moving or renovating and so they’ve made a new purchase of their own. It does’t hurt to check out your options this way and the classifieds in your local paper if you still have one!

Do you have any useful tips for saving money in your home? Follow my Frugal Living board on Pinterest for more inspiration!

Follow Michelle D’Auteuil’s board Frugal living on Pinterest.