With spring officially here, you may have begun to already think about how you will go about doing a little spring cleaning around your own home.
While some of us either love or hate the idea of having to clean up after the remnants of the previous winter season, one thing is for sure, spring cleaning can in reality actually be kind of expensive. With the products, services and the tools you may need to make sure you home and overall living environment is spick and span can quickly add up.
If you have been struggling with your finances and want to try and save money this time of year, yet after a long winter still want to give your home and possessions the cleaning they require, there are methods to go about that that can help reduce your overall spring cleaning costs.
As mentioned, here are 3 ways to save this spring!
1) Make Your Own Cleaning Products
If cleaning around your home is first on your list this spring, there are lots of cleaning products and tools you may rely on to get the job done. With that being said, a quick trip to the store to purchase these items can prove to be quite costly.
Don’t fret however, as you may instead be able to find all of the supplies you need are in fact already in your possession. There are many homemade cleaners and alternative products that can do the trick and save you money.
When it comes to cleaning indoor parts of your house, such as countertops and appliances, you can enlist the help of, for example, a baking soda – water combo. Specifically, a solution compromised of 1 part baking soda and 5 parts water can easily be found and prepared in a very short amount of time.
Other commonly found household products such as toothpaste and cold black tea can be used to polish furniture (toothpaste). In fact, there are many more natural solutions you can use when going about your spring cleaning, all you have to do is a little bit of product research, take a look in your cupboards and in turn reduce your spring cleaning spending costs.
2) Be Creative When Cleaning Your Vehicle
Saving on cleaning supplies does not just apply to your house, this strategy can also be implemented when it comes to spring cleaning your vehicle. One thing’s for sure, after the long harsh effects of the winter, your car is sure to be in need of a thorough cleaning.
Again, you can start by going through your cupboards and looking for various products that can be used as cleaning solutions. Vinegar, for example, can effectively clean car windows, leaving them residue-free, bright, and shiny. This can be a lot less costly then purchasing an actually window cleaning product, especially since you are likely to already have vinegar in your home – and all you have to do it mix it with some water.
In the end, drivers will be able to see a lot better out of their windows, thus improving the safety of their daily commute.
The dashboard of your vehicle can also get fairly dirty very quickly. Instead of opting for an expensive interior car cleaner, you can use a solution that also incorporates vinegar, but also includes mineral or baby oil, and some dish soap. This solution is best administered through a spray bottle, and if you don`t already have one lying around your house, you can also pick one up rather inexpensively from the dollar store, continuing to keep your costs down.
Finally, another hard winter element you will not want to overlook when it comes to cleaning your vehicle, are of course the salt stains that are likely embedded in the carpet and fabric of your vehicle.
While you can invest in a store bought cleaner that is designed to target these stubborn stains, as an alternative you can instead look to your go-to vinegar-water mixture. One cup vinegar, one cup water should do the trick and you can spray and then rub those stains right out, removing the final evidence of winter and accomplishing more of your spring cleaning needs, while also cutting costs.
3) Look to Cash-in on Your Clutter
While this last spring cleaning method does not necessary follow along the same lines as the first two, it will still tie in nicely with your pursuit of saving money. The difference here, however, is not how you will reduce your costs, yet still embraces the importance of saving money.
This final point of course refers to cashing-in on your clutter – aka, selling some of your gently used, clothing and other household possessions. While spring cleaning, it is also common to want to sort through your belongings, either to organize and put them away, as well as to purge some of the items you no longer need.
While you can simply donate them (another admirable course of action), you can also look to earn some additional money from these items by selling them at various locations. Some of the places you can look to sell these belongings include, kijiji as well as other online sites such as eBay, Etsy, and Craigslist. Additionally, you can look to sell you clothing, even antiques on consignment, receiving a portion of the total sale price when your items sell.
Lastly, you can also turn to a tried and true method of selling things you don`t need . . . having a garage sale. Especially now that the weather is turning nicer, it is a good time of year to start thinking about having a yard sale. You can sort those items you think are garage sale worthy, also keeping in mind that people sell all kinds of things at garage sales, so this shouldn’t be too hard.
That being said, the hardest part sometimes is parting with certain items that may hold nostalgic meaning for you. However, also keep in mind that if you haven’t use them or know of a use you will have for them in the near future, it may be time to let go, and in turn free of some money instead.
In the end, clutter can sometimes cause more stress than good. Therefore, if you really want to save money in order to pay off debt or starting an emergency fund, then perhaps parting with some of your possessions will also declutter and lift your frame of mind at the same time.
As you gear up for your own spring cleaning, remember that there are alternatives to more expensive cleaning supplies, such as homemade solutions that might also just turn out to be more environmentally conscious.
Furthermore, if you have bad credit and want to improve your finances in a variety of ways, saving some additional money in these areas can definitely help with this goal.
