Must-Have Money-Saving Products Under $100

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Homemade Pickles - Money-Saving Products

I hardly ever buy anything for myself, but when I do, most of the things I splurge on are money-saving products. Anything that saves me money in one way or another excites me!

What follows is a list of products to help you save money. The best part is you can get them all for less than $100.00!

I have many of these products in my own home, and they’ve all been worth the small investment.

If you’re not in a hurry to get the product(s) and would love a really great bargain price, regardless of whether it’s new or used, you can look for the products that interest you at yard sales, thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace.

Money-Saving Products for Your Kitchen

Water Filter for Your Faucet

Water filter, a money-saving product for the kitchen.

Based on ThoughtCo’s thorough research and calculations, those of us who buy bottled water can save over $1,000 by switching to tap water. Yes, I realize nowadays you’re probably worried about contamination, but a simple water filter solves that problem. In fact, the PUR faucet water filter is certified to remove 99% of lead and reduce over 70 contaminants such as mercury and other harmful substances.

Lunchbox, Storage Containers and Reusable Beverage Bottles

Money-saving products: reusable beverage bottle, lunchbox and reusable containers.

If you’re still buying paper sacks, sandwich baggies and juice boxes for your lunch, your spouse’s lunch or school lunches, don’t. Instead, invest in a good lunchbox, storage containers and a reusable beverage bottle. My husband takes his lunch to work every week, and I’ve saved tons of money by eliminating the sandwich baggies and using the little storage containers and his Ozark Trail tumbler.

Speaking of the tumbler, I have the Yeti that my husband got me with “safety bucks” he earned at work. He really liked mine but didn’t want to pay the high price for the name brand, so he bought the Ozark Trail, and it works just as well as the name brand when it comes to keeping drinks hot or cold all day long.

Mini Bag Sealer

Mini bag sealer, a money-saving product for keeping bagged snacks fresh.

As you already know, once chips, crackers and other bagged snacks go stale, they no longer taste good. When this happens, you probably just throw them away. Naturally, throwing away food is a waste of money, but if you get a mini bag sealer, you won’t be throwing money away.

I have one of these nifty little gadgets, and I love it! My chips and crackers are always fresh, everytime!

The mini bag sealers really do work! However, you have to be careful when selecting them, because some are so cheap they fall apart with the first use. The first one I bought was the red one (pictured above with the X), which turned out to be a total waste of money!

I received two of the red sealers. They had magnets on the back, so I hung one on the fridge, but the magnet wasn’t strong enough and it fell to the floor and broke into pieces. Luckily, I had the second one as a backup. Nope, not so lucky, because soon after the first use, it fell apart in my hands, and I couldn’t put it back together. 😥 Thankfully, it was only less than $10.00 wasted.

I don’t have the other mini bag sealer I linked to above, but I have read reviews on it. Based on what I’ve read so far, it seems to be of better quality. It also costs a little more than the mini bag sealers priced under $5.00, but that’s because you’re paying for a better quality product.

Machine Washable Bamboo Paper Towels

Washable paper towels, a great money-saving product!

Washable paper towels? Who would’ve thought you can wash paper towels and reuse them! Apparently, you can. Neat, huh?

I’ve not tried these yet, but after reading others’ reviews, I’m definitely going to buy some and give em’ a try.

I spend approximately $12.00 a month on paper towels, so if I can spend even less, I’ll be happy. Yes, I realize $12.00 a month isn’t much, but I’m open to any savings, regardless of the amount.

I will definitely write a review on these machine washable paper towels after I try them. I assure you I’ll give them a thorough testing, too. I will even keep track to see how many times they can actually be washed before they have to be thrown away.

Reusable Pods for Your Keurig

Reusable Pods, a money-saving product for the Keurig.

When I got my Keurig (a Christmas present from hubby), I knew right away that buying the pods would be too expensive, so I went out and bought a reusable pod, which I’ve had for over 3 years now. Before each use, I just rinse it out well with hot water.

If you’ve seen the price of pods, you know a reusable pod will save you a lot of money! As for the quality of coffee, I’ve not noticed a change in taste.

Food Dehydrator

Food dehydrator, another great money-saving product for the kitchen!

Out of the many money-saving products out there I do have favorites, and my food dehydrator is one of them. In fact, it’s at the top of my favorites list. I’m telling you, my friend, this is a definite must-have for any frugal household, because this thing WILL save you money!

Produce lasts so much longer when you dehydrate it, and it’s easy to rehydrate as well. You can even make your own garlic powder by dehydrating garlic then using a food processor to make it into powder.

Not only is a food dehydrator great for extending the life of produce, but it’s also wonderful for meat. You can make your own jerky, and a quick search on YouTube will bring up videos that teach you how to dehydrate meat for canning.

Bread Maker

Breadmaker - Money-Saving Products

There’s nothing like homemade bread! It’s so much better than store-bought, and cheaper too.

I found my breadmaker at a yard sale for $3.00, and I love it!

A bread maker makes the process of making homemade bread so much easier. However, after making a loaf in my bread maker for the first time, I discovered that while the bread still tastes great, it doesn’t taste as great as homemade bread from the oven. That being said, I still use the bread maker for the kneading and rising.

All I do is use the knead setting on my bread maker. Then after the bread maker completes the kneading and rising steps, I take my dough out, punch it down to release any large air bubbles, divide the dough into halves, shape the dough into two loaves of bread, place the loaves in greased bread pans, brush the top of the loaves with butter and let them rise in a warm spot for another hour, then I bake them in the oven.

Meat Grinder or the Grinder Attachment for a KitchenAid Mixer

Meat grinder, a money-saving product for the kitchen.

The meat grinder is another money-saving product that I love having in my kitchen. Rather than buying ground beef all the time, I can save money when I find beef roasts, chuck steaks and even round steaks on sale. I just buy them and ground them up using my meat grinder. I usually get more this way, and I can control the fat content as well.

In addition to beef, you can also grind up chicken (dark meat only), turkey (again, dark meat only) and pork. Chicken quarters are really cheap. With chicken quarters, just remove the meat from the bones. Then use the bones to make chicken broth/stock to save even more money.

If you do any hunting, the meat grinder also comes in handy for making ground venison, bison and etc…

Vacuum Sealer

Food vacuum sealer, great for saving money!

These are great for protecting your meat from freezer burn. The bags can be a bit pricey for my liking, but a quick Google search will reveal many cheaper alternatives that work just as well.

My vacuum sealer really comes in handy when I buy meat in bulk, which is a part of my frugal grocery budget. I always have to break the meats down by re-packaging, so I pull out the vacuum sealer for this process.

Canning Jars

Ball canning jars, a money-saving product for food storage.

Naturally, if you can or plan to start canning to help stretch your grocery budget, you’ll need canning jars. Canning isn’t the only use for these, though. I also use them for storing dry goods such as sugar, flour, dried breadcrumbs and more.

Herb Saver

Herb saver, a money-saving product for keeping herbs fresh!

We all know fresh herbs aren’t cheap unless you grow your own. Sadly, they usually don’t last long, so you have to use them as soon as you can. Some people extend the life of their herbs by wrapping them in a damp paper towel then storing them in the fridge, but for less than $20.00, you can invest in a herb saver, which does better than the damp paper towel.

Honestly, this is one money-saving product I’ve yet to add to my kitchen gadgets. The reason being is because when I do buy fresh herbs, I try to use them within a day or two. However, I’ve heard from others who have bought a herb saver that they really seem to love it. They said it doesn’t take up much space in their fridge, and they stated that the herb saver has kept their herbs fresh for as long as two weeks, sometimes longer.

Money-Saving Products for Your Home

Power Strips With a Switch

Tripp Lite Surge Protector - Money-Saving Product

According to Energy Saver, standby power could be costing you $100.00 annually. The good news is you can reduce that energy cost by investing in power strips with a switch. When using these power strips, you’ll be able to switch off appliances, office equipment and other electronics when you’re not using them. By flipping off the switch on the power strips, you’re shutting down all power on those electronics, which reduces your energy bill.

If you need a really good power strip with a switch, I recommend a Tripp Lite 120 volt surge protector. Tripp Lite offers a lifetime warranty on some of their protectors. That, along with the energy savings, in my opinion, makes the investment well worth the money.

Weatherstrip Seals

Weatherstrip Seal, a money-saving product for the home.

This is a product most of us don’t think about when we’re trying to buy things for our home that will save us money. To help cut down on your energy bill, good weatherstrips for your windows and doors help keep the cold out in the winter, and in the summer, these strips also help reduce the humidity in your home. Furthermore, they’ll help keep those pesky insects outside where they belong.

Low Flow Shower Head

Low flow showerhead, a money-saving product for the bathroom.

The frugality in us causes us to sacrifice things in order to save money. For instance, you may take fewer showers in order to save on your water bill. Well, if you change to a low flow showerhead, you won’t have to take fewer showers to save money.

When you begin your search for this money-saving product, look for one with a flow rate that doesn’t exceed two gallons per minute (GPM). If it has the WaterSense label, you can rest assured that it’s a money-saving showerhead.

Need a little assistance in your search? The Peerless 5 spray fixed shower head is WaterSense approved, and you can conserve water with the pause setting. The best part is when you restart the water, the temperature will be the same as where it was when you paused it.

Some places even offer a rebate if you buy a shower head with the WaterSense label. You can check for those rebates in your area on the EPA website.

Steam Mop

Bissell powerfresh steam mop, a money-saving product for the home.

You’re probably wondering how exactly a steam mop made my money-saving products list, right? Well, it eliminates the need for Mop and Glow or whatever floor cleaner you use, because a steam mop only uses tap water. That’s right, plain old tap water! The steam and heat are what kills the germs, and I can tell you from my own personal experience with a steam mop that it does a better job than the mop. Not only does it clean better and save you money, but it also saves you a lot of back aches. Steam mopping your floors is still physical labor, but it’s not as physically exhausting as mopping with an old-fashioned mop and bucket.

I bought the Bissell PowerFresh steam mop 1940W in August 2015 and paid $79.98 for it. Now I won’t mop my floors any other way. I absolutely love this thing!

Egyptian Cotton Sheet Set

Grey Egyptian cotton sheet set, a money-saving product for the bedroom.

Yes, I know, because you’re frugal you probably just buy the cheapest sheet set you can find, and you’re happy since you saved money by buying the cheapest set. Or did you save money? Not really, because if you have one of my experiences, you’ll be buying another sheet set in a month or two.

I bought a cheap sheet set at Walmart for under $20.00, and in one month’s time, the fitted sheet got a big hole in it, so I went back to buy another cheap set and the same thing happened! For the amount I spent replacing the cheap sets I bought, I could’ve spent that money on a more expensive set that would’ve lasted longer. Lesson learned!

On my third trip to replace the second cheap sheet set, I decided to go for the better quality and shopped for an Egyptian cotton sheet set with a thread count of 300 or more. I bought the more expensive set in 2017 and now it is 2024. I still have that same Egyptian cotton sheet set, which I’ve washed several times, and it’s still like new. No holes or signs of wear and tear.

Can you imagine how much money I would’ve spent in a year had I continued to buy the cheap sheet sets rather than paying about $15.00 more for better quality? So, see, sometimes you actually save money by paying more for a better quality product 😉

LED Lightbulbs

LED Bulbs, a money-saving product for the home.

LED lightbulbs last longer than regular bulbs and help reduce your energy bill. Plus, unlike CFL lightbulbs, the LED bulbs provide a brighter light.

Programmable Thermostat

Honeywell thermostat, another money-saving product for the home.

Installing a programmable thermostat can save you some money on your energy bill. In order to save money, though, you need to know how to operate it. Energy Saver offers some great tips to help you operate your programmable thermostat efficiently.

Other Money-Saving Products

Rechargeable Batteries and Battery Charger

AA Energizer rechargeable batteries.

Toys, a wireless mouse, TV remotes and other things around your home require you to replace batteries frequently. These products are what you want to buy rechargeable batteries for, because in the long run, you will save money by recharging the batteries rather than constantly spending money on new disposable batteries.

When you do buy the rechargeable batteries that you need, make sure you also get a good battery charger for those types of rechargeable batteries. If you’re like me, most everything I have that I buy rechargeable batteries for takes AA or AAA batteries, so I bought a charger that recharges both AA and AAA batteries.

Washable Menstrual Pads or Cups

Reusable pads, a money-saving product for the ladies.

Ladies, unlike disposable pads, reusable menstrual pads and cups will save you a lot of money, are more comfortable to wear and won’t irritate your skin. All you have to do is thoroughly wash the cups before reusing them. If you use the pads, just place all the used ones together in a small bucket of cold water, and when that bucket is full, dump the water, then throw the washable menstrual pads in the washer (separate from your other laundry, of course).

Coin Sorter

Coin sorter, a literal money-saving product.

Don’t pay the fee to use the coin sorters in stores. Instead, buy one for your home. You’ll be surprised how quickly all that loose change adds up!

Once you have a pretty good collection of coins, take them to the bank to deposit into your savings account. Or if you need the money for a bill or emergency, exchange the coins for cash.

In addition to a coin sorter for your home, get one for your car. This way you don’t fill your cup holder up with loose change, and you won’t have to worry about sorting the change later, since, of course, the sorter does that for you.

Solar Lighting, Including Solar Christmas Lights

Solar light, great for saving money on the electric bill.

Solar lights are awesome! They save you money on your electric bill because they’re powered by sunlight. To really cut down on your electric bill, begin by using solar lights for your outdoor lighting.

Another way I like to use solar lights is inside. You can buy the equipment and set up solar lighting inside your home, but that can be expensive. It is worth the expense, but if you don’t have the money to do that just yet, you can do what I sometimes do. I buy two solar-powered LED lights that normally go outside near a patio or garden. I make sure the ones I buy give off good light (the bigger the solar light the better), and I bring them inside at night to use in the room that I’m in at the time, which is usually my office. I use these instead of a lamp or room light to save on my electric bill, of course. During the day, I put the solar lights back outside in the sun to recharge.

Finally, if you love decorating for Christmas, they even make solar Christmas lights! I’ve not tried these yet. However, I’ve seen homes with them, and they look just as great as the regular Christmas lights.

Solar powered Christmas lights, a money-saving product for the home.

Do you know of any other money-saving products under $100.00 that I’ve not mentioned? If so, leave a comment with your recommendation(s).

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