15 purchases that will save you money in the long run.
If you’re struggling to save money this might come as a big surprise to you: you can actually save money by making a few initial purchases.
“You’re telling me to SPEND my money when I’ve been working so hard to save it?!”
Well, kind of. I don’t want you to go out and spend your hard-earned, hard-saved money on useless things.
That being said, there are a couple things that I strongly believe people who are trying to save money should buy.
(THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. YOU CAN READ OUR DISCLOSURE POLICY HERE.)
15 PURCHASES THAT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY
Do you ever go grocery shopping only to realize that you’re getting charged for the bags they use to pack your groceries in? The plastic bags?!
You are paying for those bags that are terrible quality and usually end up getting ripped up before they even get in your door. Some of them don’t even make it to the car before they rip and spill your precious groceries all over the ground (or has that only happened to me?).
Buying reusable grocery bags will save you money over time and you won’t have to worry about the bag ripping and spilling everything on the ground – most of the reusable bags I have are amazing quality and can surprisingly hold a LOT of groceries.
The only struggle with reusable grocery bags is remembering to bring them when you go shopping.
These reusable silicone stretch lids are some of the coolest things. They are a plastic wrap replacement and come in multiple sizes, but the individual sizes also all stretch to fit a wide variety of containers.
No more buying plastic wrap and worrying about leaks, spills, and running out – these silicone lids fit snuggly to eliminate spills and are reusable.
This reusable food wrap is another great plastic wrap alternative. This reusable Bee’s Wrap is made of organic cotton, sustainably harvested beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin.
To use this wrap you simply warm it up with your hands and place it over food or a bowl and as the wrap cools it creates a seal.
This silicone food wrap is a very similar alternative to the Bee’s Wrap. Creating an air-tight seal this silicone food wrap keeps your food fresh and is very long lasting – and very affordable.
If you buy water bottles rather than drinking your tap water, investing (if you call $27 an investment) in a Brita water jug will save you heaps of money over time.
My husband and I have terrible tap water where we live, so for over a year I would spend a good portion of my days just boiling water so we had drinking water – because I was too cheap to waste money on bottled water – AND too cheap to buy a Brita.
We decided to make the investment and we have been very pleased with it thus far.
5. TRAVEL MUG
If you’re an avid coffee drinker buying a travel mug could be a good investment for you. My husband and I both enjoy drinking coffee, so we always make sure we have a couple travel mugs on hand for when we go on road trips.
We make our coffee at home and put it into our travel mugs to take on the road with us – this saves us money since we don’t have to then stop at a coffee shop along the way.
6. COFFEE MAKER
Going right along with the previous one, if you’re a coffee drinker then purchasing a good coffee maker that will last you years and years is a smart investment.
My husband and I have this coffee maker
Getting a reusable, good quality water bottle will save you lots of money and is better for the environment. Rather than spending lots of money on cases of water bottles, just buy one good quality reusable water bottle that will last you for years.
8. THERMOS
Like the travel mug, a thermos is another smart investment to make. If you’re a family that likes to be out and about for several hours a day, thermoses are great for keeping drinks and soups warm on those chilly days or keeping stuff cold on warm days.
9. PLASTIC FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS
Buying reusable plastic storage containers have been a great investment for my husband and I. We bought a package of containers that came with several different sizes from small to large and they are perfect containers for sending my husband’s lunch to work in and storing food in the fridge.
10. CROCK POT
I love love love my crockpot. It has always been there to save us on those busy days when I just haven’t had time to make dinner.
If I know I have a busy day ahead of me I’ll throw some meat, potatoes and veggies into the crock pot first thing in the morning and let it cook all day and we come home to a wonderful smelling house and a delicious home-cooked meal.
11. CLOTH NAPKINS
Rather than throwing your money away on napkins and paper towels, buying cloth napkins will help you save money – and you’ll always have napkins on hand.
Once they’ve been used and are dirty just throw them into the washing machine and clean them for another use.
I love that cloth napkins are just one initial purchase rather than a recurring cost any time you run out and need more.
12. DRYER BALLS
These 100% natural reusable dryer balls save you money by softening your clothes, reducing wrinkles, and shortening dryer time – and you can use them one load after another.
There’s no way around it – batteries are expensive. If you use lots of different battery-powered things throughout your day, you will go through a lot of money in batteries.
Buying rechargeable batteries will help you stretch your money further – don’t forget to get the charger, too.
I LOVE my silicone muffin cups. Not just because they’re super cute (and baking is wayyy more fun when it’s done in something as cute as these) but because I never have to be in the middle of baking a batch of muffins or cupcakes and realize I’m out of muffin cups.
These muffin cups are extremely affordable and are definitely paying for themselves. If you do a lot of baking, these are perfect for you.
Buying reusable produce bags is a cost-effective and healthier way to go than using plastic bags.
These produce bags can also be used for other stuff such as storing accessories, shoes, and cosmetics.
Whether you do one or all fifteen, each of these things will help you save money – and ultimately stop wasting your money by buying the same things over and over again that you don’t need to be.
Related:
10 Ways to Live Below Your Means + 5 Reasons Why You Should
5 Ways You’re Wasting Your Money Without Realizing It
10 Things You Should Always Buy in Bulk to Save Money
