There are many ways to save money by using less costly alternatives to everyday products. Here are five to get you started.

• You likely buy some sort of shaving cream or gel. While these products aren’t terribly expensive, they can add up over time.  Another option is to use hair conditioner. It forms the same barrier between your skin and the razor blade and it moisturizes your skin as an added bonus.  If you shop with coupons and drugstore sale matching, you can get free hair conditioner several times a year.

• Perhaps you buy fancy body scrubs to exfoliate skin cells to get that new-skin glow.  Put that cash back in your wallet. Epsom salts can be bought for pennies on the dollar in comparison and put to use for the same purpose.  Just mix some into your regular body wash or facial cleaner to get that fresh glow the natural way.

• Do you have trouble with clogged drains? Plumbers will get the job done, but the bill will put a dent in your budget.  You could buy any of a number of products available for a do-it-yourself job. Those aren’t cheap either.  Try this instead: use one cup of baking soda and chase it with a cup of hot vinegar. Give it a try- it may very well solve the problem. 

• Is it time to polish the silver? Why pay for silver polish when you can use a product you already have in the house. Plain white toothpaste will do the trick (not the gel kind.) Squeeze a small amount on a cloth, then rub it on the tarnished silver, rinse and polish with a soft rag.

• Weeds in the garden are a nuisance. Yet introducing chemical weed killers not only costs a pretty penny, it also puts toxins in your yard and soil. Who wants that? A cheap and easy weed killer is vinegar. Put some vinegar in a spray bottle and squirt it on those pesky weeds and after some time in the sun, the weeds keel right over.