Have a Money-Saving Spring Day

SKILL LEVEL 1

Spring is so energizing! Use some of that energy to tackle a day's worth of household jobs that will add to your savings and give you that warm sense of accomplishment.

1 Skill level
1 out of 5
5 Steps
10 Materials

Step 1 Wash windows with water

It's time to un-grime, inside and out. Save money by skipping the commercial window sprays, which leave a sticky residue that attracts dirt. Instead use a bucket of water with a tiny drop of dishwashing detergent in it — not the kind for dishwashers — as a surfactant.
Wash the glass with a sponge and then squeegee off most of the water and polish dry with a lint-free cloth. Be sure to get the corners.
Step 2 Plant vegetables

Create grocery savings by growing your own organic vegetables (to learn how, see Plant an organic garden). If nights are still dipping below 50F where you live, plant cold-tolerate crops such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, leeks, collard greens, peas and kale. If warm weather has arrived for good and there's no danger of frost, plant heat-lovers such as peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini.
Step 3 Prep the central AC

To prevent expensive damage to your central air conditioner, turn on power to your central AC at least 24 hours before flipping the thermostat to Cool. The switch is probably outside the house, next to the compressor.
Why the wait? In winter, the refrigerant turns from gas to liquid and combines with the oil in your compressor. The compressor can't pump liquid, and it needs a day to separate the refrigerant from the oil and boil the refrigerant into a gas.
Step 4 Put away the snow blower

If you want your snow blower to last for years, don't just shove it in the shed. Good maintenance ensures that your snow thrower will last for years, saving you time and money. (To learn how, see Store your snow blower). If you do nothing else, at least burn off all the fuel.
Step 5 Clean out your closets

Be ruthlessly honest about what clothing you're never going to wear again and bag it up. (To learn how to really clean out your closet in spring, see Spring closet organization.)
Then make some money from it by either taking the clothing to a resale shop or donating it to a charity and taking the tax deduction. If you opt for the deduction, make a list of everything or snap a picture of it, so when you do your taxes you can figure out the value, using Salvation Arm guidelines at www.satruck.com/ValueGuide.aspx.