So buying a house and suddenly assuming all of the responsibility for home maintenance and repair has been nerve wracking. Once you are financially responsible for it, it is amazing how much money goes out the door to pay for your house. It is for this reason that skill number one on our list of five skills that will save you money is handyman skills.

Learning to be a half-way competent handyman will not only help you to fix issues that might (will) arise in your house, it will help you assess what is wrong and know when to spend the money to have it fixed and when to attempt it yourself. It is an unfortunate fact of life that time really does equal money. Therefore, when you pay for a plumber, you are really paying for their time. The fix itself may only cost pennies, but the labor costs are what will kill you. Once you learn to handle the small repairs yourself, you will have money hand over fist. Don’t be afraid!  Use the vast knowledge of the internet and the people around you.  Look up a skill and learn it once, save money forever!

“But Richly Reasonable,” you say, “I don’t have time to become an excellent handyman. Which skills should I focus on in my limited free time to maximize my savings?” Well, you’re in luck, I was just getting to that. Focus on these skills and with even a minimal time investment, you will save your hard-earned cash.

Plumbing. While designing and installing the plumbing for a house is quite an ordeal, most minor plumbing issues that arise in a house are usually easy fixes. Learn how to unclog a drain, fix a leaky faucet, stop a running toilet, and replace that leaky pipe under the sink and you are about 90% of the way to plumbing financial independence.

Carpentry Skills. You do not need to know how to build a table from scratch, but some carpentry skills will definitely come in handy. Learn how to patch drywall, hang something heavy (tv, mirror, etc.) on a wall, straighten up a hung door that has gone askew, and seal the openings to your house, and (barring a man cave addition) you will probably never need to call for help again.

Landscaping Skills. While its so much easier to call a landscaping service, the $100 a month for their services starts to get old quick. Learn to mow your lawn, weed, properly water and fertilize your grass, trim trees, cut back bushes, and adjust your sprinkler system and you will save money and have something beautiful to look at. Nothing beats staring out over your well-manicured yard at the end of a long day.

What do you think readers? What handyman skills do you recommend for saving money around the house? Let us know below.

Many people think that it’s simply cheaper to buy prepared food rather than learn to cook your own. That logic holds true in some other spending categories.  For instance, modern times have made it cheaper in most cases to buy clothes rather than make them yourself.  This logic fails, however, when it comes to food. Go ahead, Google search how much restaurants mark up their food. I’ll wait . . . Are you back now? SEE!!!! It’s insane! Cooking your own food is definitely cheaper than going out to eat all the time.

And if the pro column for learning to cook is not stacked enough, you should also consider the health benefits of cooking your own food. If you cook your own food, you not only avoid the restaurant price mark-up, you also avoid the out of control portion size. By preparing your own food you will eat less and you will eat better. Chances are you will eat more fresh fruits and vegetables if you learn how to do it yourself. Plus, let’s face it, well prepared home-cooked meals just taste better than their commercially prepared counterparts. Everyone is always aching for a “home-cooked meal” for a reason. I mean, that’s why we all love Thanksgiving so much, right?

So, are you convinced yet? Great! Now, starting off the development of your cooking skills can look quite daunting from the outset. As in the other articles of this series, we will discuss which skills to focus on acquiring to save cash.

Learn how to grill food. I don’t necessarily mean you should learn to cook meat on an open flame, although you should learn that too. I mean learn to apply heat to meat and have it come out in such a way that you don’t make yourself, or your guests, ill. Learn the proper temperatures to cook meat. Learn how to tell when it’s done.

Learn how to make pasta. Pasta dishes are a good place to start for someone starting out on their culinary journey. They are cheap, easy to cook, and there are endless variations you can make. Learn a couple of pasta dishes.

Learn how to cook eggs. Learn a couple ways to prepare eggs. Scrambled, fried, boiled, etc. They are a staple breakfast food and you if you learn to cook them well, you will impress people merely by preparing a good egg.

Learn how to pick and properly store produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a key part of a healthy diet. Learn how to pick the best produce at the market and how to store it so it stays fresh.

Learn how to bake a favorite dessert. While cooking healthily is nice and all, it’s fun to know how to prepare something that just tastes good. Pick a favorite cookie, brownie, or other recipe that you love, and learn it backward and forward.

Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to being a culinary master. So what do you think readers, any other cooking skills one should learn to save money? Sound off below. 

Now, I’m not disputing that mechanics should be paid for their time and expertise, quite the contrary, I believe that they perform an important service to our society, I’m just saying that if you, as the savvy consumer, can learn some basic mechanic skills, you can get away with not having to pay $50 for someone to install your $10 air filter.

Here are the mechanic skills you should focus on to save money and keep your car running in tip top condition:

Learn to change your oil. Years ago, before the advent of Jiffy Lube and the 20-minute oil change, people used to change their own oil in their own driveways. Ask your grandparents about this, I’m sure they’ll remember. So what’s changed? Why have people stopped changing their own oil? Well, there are lots of answers to that question but one main reason is people don’t know how to anymore. As cars have become more complicated, people have stopped trying to do their own maintenance and repairs. And while this makes sense if you are faced with the task of changing out the car’s computer system, the basics of an oil change have remained the same for many years. Learn how to change the oil and oil filter. Doing so can save you big money. That fully synthetic oil you pay a mechanic $60-$80 for can be replaced for $20 if you do it yourself.

Learn to rotate your tires. Yes, its easier to get someone else to do it for you, but come on people, you just take off one tire and put it on somewhere else. Make sure you know the pattern for how to properly rotate your tires and you’ll be good to go.

Learn to check your car’s fluids and to top them off. Learn to check the levels of your oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, wiper fluid, etc. There is no reason to pay someone to tell you that you don’t need to add more fluid.

Learn to replace your car battery. This can be a pain in the butt (have you felt how heavy car batteries are?) but it is completely doable for a novice.

Learn to replace your wiper blades. This is super easy and should never be something you pay for.

Learn to replace your car’s air filter. Again, super easy and not worth the $50 they’ll charge you to do it.

If you’re feeling adventurous, learn to replace your brakes. This is for the more advanced mechanic, but replacing your own brakes will save you tons of money when the time comes. Just make sure you do it correctly. Brakes are an important feature when it comes to stopping your car.

Learn these basic skills and you’ll only pay a mechanic for something that takes true expertise, not the basic routine stuff you could be saving money on. What other mechanic skills have saved you money? Sound off below.

Demystify finances/economics. Perhaps the greatest hurdle to being a financial ninja is fear. Let’s face it, for many people, finances are scary. They can be obscure, technical, and full of terminology which might as well be a foreign language. Most people bury their heads in the sand and ignore their finances because of this fear. One of the first things you can do to gain the financial skills necessary to save money is to get past this financial threshold. I have found that one of the best ways to stop this fear of all things money is to immerse yourself in the world of finance. Take a look at the Wall Street Journal. Read books on various financial topics. And there is always my favorite, financial podcasts. I listen to Planet Money, produced by NPR, at least once a week. They discuss deep economic and financial issues but they make it accessible to us lay people. By putting your toe into the world of finance, it becomes a lot less scary and lets you have the confidence to make better financial decisions.

Learn to budget. Perhaps the greatest financial skill you can acquire is to learn to budget. You not only need to learn to budget, but you need to learn to live by a budget. It can be too easy these days to simply spend away in blissful ignorance of where the money is going. By keeping track and watching how you spend money, you can put that money to better use. Nobody got rich living beyond his means. A budget will keep you on track to financial success. Learn how to track your finances and predict how much you’ll spend monthly. There are plenty of websites and software that make budgeting much easier. Use these to make the budget habit stick in your own life. By learning this skill, you will save money simply because you will be more aware of your finances.

Learn about credit. There are two sides to credit: one which will help you and one which will hurt you. If you learn what credit is, how it works, and how to properly use it, it can help you save money when buying a house, buying a car, or buying anything else on credit. Learn how the system works. Learn about the three credit reporting agencies. Learn what your credit score is and what it means. The more you can figure out the enigma that credit is, the sooner you can have it working for you rather than against you.

Figure out investing. Investing is what grownups do with their money. As you become more solidified financially, you will find that investing is how you will prepare for your financial future. Learn about the stock market and how it works. Learn about mutual funds, annuities, and other financial tools created to help your money grow. The more you can learn about how to make your money work for you, the faster it can grow.

Learn to plan for retirement. For many people, retirement seems a LONG way off. Unfortunately, it can sneak up on you before you know it. If you can gain the financial skills necessary to plan for retirement now, you can save money and secure your financial future. Much of this preparation will overlap with learning about investing (because like I said, investing is what grownups do with their money) and will serve your overall financial health. Planning for retirement now will give you financial freedom and peace of mind for the future.

Ok readers, what advice do you have for learning all things finance?

“When I was in college I had a roommate who was always broke. No matter what activity we wanted him to participate in, he was always short on cash. Yet, despite his constant lack of money, it seemed like he was always going out to eat. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, it didn’t matter, he was constantly eating out. One day, while I was eating dinner in our apartment, I finally asked him about this apparent paradox: why are you always broke but you seem to always be able to go out to eat? He responded that he was broke because he was always eating out and he could not understand how I had money to eat and also pursue other activities. I answered that I simply cooked at home, which was substantially more cost effective than eating out every meal. He looked at me with a confused stare and said, “you know how to cook?”"

This roommate was bleeding money due to one simple problem, he didn’t know how to cook. As soon as my husband showed him a few things around the kitchen, he started preparing his own meals and he was able to keep a lot more of his money in his pocket.

When one thinks about saving money, the first thing that usually pops into someone’s mind is, “how can I spend less?” Unfortunately, as most find, saving money is not only about spending less, its about making due with less. Its about taking what we already have and making it go the distance. When you boil it down to its essence, saving money is simply about knowledge. It’s about having the know-how it takes to not spend a penny when one can be saved.

It is with this basic understanding, that saving money is about knowledge, that I begin this series of articles about the five skills that will save you money. Now, these are not five random skills, because really anything could be considered a skill, but I don’t think juggling or touching your tongue to your nose will really help you out financially.  These will be, in my opinion, the top skills for saving you the most money in the long run.  I have noticed that there are certain people who are simply able to make due with less. I’ve also noticed that those people tend to be quite knowledgeable in regards to one or more specialized skills. It is my hope that by pointing out those skills which will provide the best value to you, that you will be able to invest your time and learning to create some valuable knowledge for yourself.

Now, while these articles will briefly explore these five skills, they will not serve as in-depth treatises about these topics. These articles will teach you about the skill, but they will not serve to teach you the skill. For that, you will have to do a little legwork yourself.

Lucky for all of us, we live in a special time in history. For thousands of years, information and knowledge was something only accessible by the elite. Today, we have the great knowledge equalizer, the internet. By reading articles, watching YouTube videos, and communicating in online forums, you will be amazed at how much you can learn, simply by accessing the internet. Therefore, I encourage you to learn more about the various skills we will highlight by spending some time searching the internet and building your money-saving toolbox.

So get ready readers. We are about to embark on a money-saving mission. It is my hope that as you explore and learn more about these money-saving skills, you will find yourself with more information in your brain, and consequently, more money in your pocket. Strap up, because here we go . . .

If you have a card that you are really just NOT going to use (S & M Emporium?) try an online gift card swap such as Plasticjungle.com

In my humble opinion, there is nothing wrong with regifting a gift card– you got $20 to Meat Town from your grandma who refuses to accept your vegetarianism?  Make a beef eaters day!

Don’t let a card waste away because you are “sure” the store does not offer anything you are interested in.  Maybe Tire World isn’t your thing but they carry tons of cute air fresheners and keychains!

If you have a whole deck of gift cards, set up your date night schedule around them.  Make your plans to fit the cards instead of making plans randomly and then wondering afterward “Didn’t I have a gift card for that somewhere?”

This may be a little too unconventional for some but consider paying for certain services with gift cards.  I am sure my babysitter would find more age appropriate clothes at DEB than I would anyway. Or maybe the kid down the street who feeds and walks your dog when you are out of town would love those free movie passes.  Just remember to ask about it first.  Even kids often prefer cold hard cash.

Not into that day spa gift card you got from your mother-in-law?  Especially when the card is for just $10 to a spa where that wouldn’t even buy a five minute massage.  You can’t even get out of your clothes that fast!  Don’t fret, spas and salons often sell luxurious prepackaged products right out front, so if you don’t want to chip in 90 additional dollars to your spa day just pick up a nice leave-in-conditioner or foot soak and relax at home.  And bonus, you can ask about what products to try and get their expert advise for free!

Remember, they spend like cash so treat them like cash– put them in your wallet for safe keeping and easy access as in…

Cashier:  “Do you have any coupons or gift cards?”

You:  “Wait let we check my wallet.  Yep!  Here you go.”

Gift cards don’t do you any good at home under a pile of old mail or under your bed.

Beware the vampire Time!  For he slowly sucketh the life blood from your gift cards.  I hate this, but some gift cards lose value over time when they are not used.

Remember to use them up, even if it seems silly.  My husband and I received a gift card for $100 to a very expensive steak house.  We ended up using about $85 on a luxurious dinner leaving just $15, which would not go far at this place on a return visit.  So?  We returned another day and ordered one dessert to share and guess what?  They didn’t throw us out and we didn’t shock all of humanity.

If you are planning on giving a gift card check out the nifty new prepaid credit cards.  I call them the “anything gift cards.” Use like a credit card anywhere you would use a credit card. Available through Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

So, there you have it friends.  I hope my tips have been helpful and happy spending!

All right gift card maximizers, what are your tips for getting the most while spending the least?  Leave a comment…

Unfortunately, while a day at the spa is absolute relaxation, paying the bill is usually enough to shock you back into the real world. When it comes to a spa, relaxation comes at a cost, and that cost is almost never cheap. So, the other day when I was at my wit’s end and the siren call of the steam room was beckoning, I thought that there had to be a way to bring the spa experience home. Luckily I found that a few simple additions (and subtractions) to your own bathroom can make home feel that much more like the lusted-after spa. Try out some of these ideas and before you know it, you’ll be relaxing and saving money.

Clean your bathroom and then clean it again. Although it is a basic trait, perhaps the most essential trait of a good spa is how clean everything is. It has to be, if it were dirty, it would lead to stress rather than relaxation. Bringing this home is simple: deep clean your bathroom. Its best to clean everywhere, but pay special attention to the bathtub area, the place where you will most likely be spending your “me-time.” Once everything is clean make sure you . . .

Declutter. Spas are relaxing because there are usually simply and minimally decorated. There is no visual clutter muddying up your line of sight. Visual clutter leads to mental clutter which leads to stress.  If you do want to add to the visual aesthetic, a good way to decorate without muddying your line of sight is modern wall decals depicting relaxing locales. By decluttering and organizing your bathroom, you can obtain the clean look that leads to relaxation.  And if you simply can’t bring yourself to throw out half of your lotions and potions at least tuck them away in a basket or bin.

Set the mood with candles. Bright lights are great when you are trying to shave or brush your teeth, but when it comes to relaxing, it is the soft flicker of a candle you are after. For a few dollars in candles, you can turn down the lights and turn down your stress.

Use your sense of smell to relax. Your sense of smell it a powerful thing. By using candles, soaps, bath salts, or any other smelly things that have the right scents, you can breath your way to complete relaxation. Try anything with lavender if you’re trying to fall asleep. Nothing says clean like the smell of eucalyptus. Mint and citrus are rejuvenating. Pick the right scent for you and float away.

Invest in plush towels, robes, and bathmats. Remember, the softer the better. Nothing feels better after stepping out of the bath or shower than surrounding yourself in a luxurious and plush towel. Spas surround you with softness. Mimic this at home and you’ll never regret the cost.

Play the right music. An essential part of the spa experience is how a spa sounds. Mostly, its quiet. The little sound you do hear is soft instrumental music, usually with the sounds of nature playing with it. Simply closing your eyes and listening to this music will calm you immediately. Invest in similar music and your house will sound like a spa in no time.

One of my favorite perks at a luxurious spa are the snacks.  I just feel like a queen lounging near the cool plunge waterfall nibbling dainty treats.  But if you really think about what you are eating these are not expensive food items.  Cover the top of your hamper next to the tub in a white hand towel and put a glass and pitcher of extra chilled water with sliced cucumber or fruit in it. Add a small bowl of natural granola, nuts, or my favorite– chocolate and Voila!  You’re set.

So if the hustle and bustle of the holidays has put a kink in your neck, but your spa budget was snuffed out with 2012 use these ideas to mimic one at home and get ready for a richer and more relaxed year in 2013.

What affordable additions to your home spa would you make friends?

We have previously lived in two electricity-only apartments. Lucky for us, they were small and our power bill rarely went above $100 per month. So, with an older (ie. drafter and more poorly insulated), bigger home, we are a little apprehensive to see our first power bill. Instead of sitting around fearing the inevitable faint-worthy bill with our names on it, we have decided to take action and figure out ways to lower our power usage without sacrificing too much comfort or convenience. Here are the tips we have found which seem to work the best.

I said it before in my previously-published article “Cozy Cost Savers for Fall” and it bears repeating, perhaps the number one thing you can do to save electricity is install and use a programable thermostat. Winter or Summer, heating or cooling pulls the greatest percentage of the total power you will use per month. With some smart programing you can significantly reduce how much you spend. Some people have reported savings of up to $100 per month by simply installing a programable thermostat.

Use energy efficient light bulbs. New CFL bulbs draw less power and produce the same amount of light as their incandescent counterparts. Luckily, as technology has gotten better, the prices of these more energy-efficient bulbs have lowered. Shop around and you should be able to get these bulbs for around $1 per bulb. Check with your local power company first and you may find they have partnered with local retailers to lower the cost of CFL bulbs even more. One quick word of warning, CFLs are more limited in their all-around use than incandescent bulbs, so do your research when using one with a dimmer switch or wall-mounted timer.

Water heaters can be big wasters of electricity, but nobody likes a cold shower so what is one to do? Simply turning down the temperature on your water heater to around 120 degrees can save you big bucks come the end of the month. Also, wrapping your water heater with an insulating blanket can keep the hot in and the keep the dollars in your wallet.

Battery chargers of all sorts constantly draw power, even when they are not actively charging their corresponding device. Unplug cell phone, Gameboy, computer, and other chargers when not in use and save some cash.

Most appliances do not draw lots of power so you probably won’t save much money tampering with them. There are certain exceptions to this rule. One such exception are video game systems. By unplugging your XBox 360 and Playstation 3s when not in use, you can save more money for the next Call of Duty game. Desktop computers also waste tons of electricity so shut them off when not in use.

Another easy way to save electricity is to turn off the hot air dry cycle on your dishwasher. It takes a lot of power to dry those dishes and by simply using a rinsing agent you can get the effects of a heated dry cycle without the cost.

By doing some simple fine-tuning to your electricity use you can stop fearing the monthly power bill. What about you fine reader — do you have some power-saving tips I missed? Please share below.

It wasn’t until I reached a service station in my home state – North Carolina – before a simple sign on the gas pump gave me the answer I’d been looking for.

State Gas Taxes

Uncle Sam charges you 18.4-cents in taxes on every gallon you pump. This tax remains the same whether you’re driving through the California desert or along Michigan Avenue in Chicago. (Side note: the federal government also charges a tax on diesel gas – at 24.4-cents a gallon, this higher rate explains the higher price of diesel at stations nationwide.)

But when you cross state lines, you become subject to each state’s varying gas tax. The gas tax sign on the pump in North Carolina outlined the gas taxes for states across the southeastern United States. They are, from highest to lowest:

• North Carolina: 57.5 cents/gallon
• West Virginia: 50.6 cents/gallon
• Georgia: 49.9 cents/gallon
• Kentucky: 40.9 cents/gallon
• Tennessee: 39.8 cents/gallon
• Alabama: 39.3 cents/gallon
• Virginia: 38.6 cents/gallon
• South Carolina: 35.2 cents/gallon

(Don’t see your state listed here? Click here for a state by state list of gas taxes.)

Your Tax Dollars At Work

If you’ve ever spent a mind-numbing amount of time driving two miles an hour through an interstate construction zone, then you’ve probably had a chance to carefully observe the posted signs that read “Your tax dollars at work.” It’s true: while the exact amount varies from state to state, a large proportion of the funds collected through your state’s gas tax does go to pay for road work and other transportation infrastructure improvements. But that’s not all it does. In Texas, a small percentage of the state’s 20 cents/gallon gas tax goes to public education. In North Carolina, and many other states across the nation, the gas tax not only pays for repairs to state-owned roads, but to roads owned and maintained by city and other local governments (side note: I drive on North Carolina roads every day. I don’t understand how we have one of the highest gas taxes in the nation, yet our roads are still in horrible condition. If these are my tax dollars at work, then they need to work harder). Other states use funds generated by their gas tax to support Medicaid programs.

And The Rest Of The Money…?

Between North Carolina’s 57.5 cent state gas tax and the federal 18.4 cent tax, I’m paying 75.9 cents/gallon in taxes alone. But with today’s national average for the price of a gallon of regular unleaded above $3.80 and climbing, what accounts for the additional $3/gallon?

While Republicans will tell you that Democrats to blame for rising gas prices, and Democrats will tell you Republicans are at fault, Mostly market conditions – everything from the price of crude oil, to refinery shutdowns in the Gulf, to the international tension caused by Iran in the Straits of Hormuz.

What about the gas station owners? While they are the ones posting the prices you see on the marquee, they play a minimal role in determining the price you pay at the pump. For every gallon sold, a portion of the price goes to pay the refiners, the companies that transport the gas (both from overseas to the refinery, and from the refinery to your local gas station), the oil companies themselves, and all those taxes. And those station owners? The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates they make between 7 and 10 cents on every gallon they sell – and that’s before they pay their employees.

How High Is Too High

Even with gas prices reaching all-time highs, state governments are still considering increasing their gas taxes. In Maryland, where the state gas tax hasn’t risen in nearly two decades, the Governor is pushing for a six percent increase over several years; Iowa legislators are also increasing raising their state’s gas tax by eight to ten cents a gallon. Michigan and Arkansas are also considering similar increases.

Readers, do you think states should cut back on their gas taxes – or is it a good way to raise revenues?

Hobby Jobs

If you can fit in a few shifts on top of what you do already, hobby jobs are an excellent way to score some extra money or pad your bank accounts as you prepare for tougher months.  I have worked a hobby job as an assistant at a small book store.  I’m also currently a mascot for Chick-Fil-A.  I couldn’t survive on either job, but I appreciate extra money.

My husband has worked as a sports official for more than 7 years now and brings in about $500 a month during whatever seasons he works.  For example, he makes $80-$120 every Friday in the Fall by reffing varsity football.  He’s gearing up now for softball from January through May and Pee-Wee football next Summer.

He also brings in $400-$600 a month by working a couple of shifts a week as a mechanic at our local bowling alley.  If you have a skill or the ability to learn, you can also find a place that needs some help once in a while.

Depending on the job, this is a great way of bringing in a few hundred a month without giving up absolutely all of your free time.  My husband and I still go to a poker night, a bowling league, and hang with friends on Saturdays, but all of our hobby job income adds a nice $1000 padding to most of our months.

Freelancing

If an actual side job is just not your thing, you can think about freelancing on a case by case basis.  When we were saving for a vacation a few years ago, I started advertising my services as a petsitter on Craigslist.  Within a few weeks, I was taking care of a dog overnight at least once a week and bringing in $150-$250 a month.

Or how about babysitting?  During that same time, I grabbed an evening job once or twice a week as a babysitter and brought in about $10 an hour.  That was an additional $400 a month and I just gave up a few Friday nights and a couple of Sunday afternoons.

I’ve also seriously considered poop pick-up as a side hustle as well as house sitting or sign holding.  Honestly, if you are looking for ways to make some quick cash, just browse the “Gigs” section of Craigslist for some ideas on what is needed in your area.

Earning some extra money doesn’t have to be impossible.  Just figure out your likes and make a plan.  Good luck!