Some people love to collect things. I used to collect coins and baseball cards. At some point, I realized that I didn't get any value in it. I just watched my money disappear while my collection grew. Sure I gained some objects, but they provided me no tangible benefit. Coins and baseball cards couldn't entertain me like a television, nor could they feed me or pay my rent.



Recently, I've been looking at some items that may help me save money. Every dollar saved is one that can be used to bring me that much closer to financial freedom - the point where I don't have to work at jobs that I hate. So I took a little time and looked at a few products around the house that save me money.

5. Rechargeable batteries - Everything requires batteries nowadays. I found I was buying regular batteries over and over. However, you can buy rechargeable batteries once and get hundreds of uses. They cost more upfront, but they'll pay for themselves before too long. You'll also be doing the environment a good service as well.

4. Filtered Water Pitcher - Billions of dollars are spent every year on bottled water. It's been widely acknowledged, even by some bottled water companies, that it's no healthier than filtered tap water. With these filters, the price per gallon is just a little more than 14 cents. I save my old bottles and just refill them. Like rechargeable batteries, you'll help the environment as well.

3. FoodSaver - The FoodSaver is one of my favorite ways to save money. Much of my food would spoil if I didn't have it. It has some up-front costs, but saving a couple of steaks a month will make it a quick bargain. It saves time as well, I tend to make a big salad and eat it over a couple of weeks. It saves a lot of time when compared to making many small salads. And we know that time is money.

2. The Entertainment Book - This book has been around for years. I remember my parents getting the Entertainment Book more 20 years ago. Each time we went out to dinner, I was amazed by the savings. Often we would save $12-15 per meal covering the cost of the $25 book many times over. Since I was on only 10 years old, it didn't occur to me that there's a downside to the Entertainment Book. It's easy to be tempted to go out to eat more often which can get expensive quickly - even with the savings.

1. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb - Everyone writes about these, but still many people don't use them. They can save you tens to hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs and last a lot longer than an ordinary bulb. The only catch is that you have dispose of them specially since they contain a tiny bit of mercury.