There are lots of benefits to making things at home or doing them for free instead of buying them in the store/ paying to do them. Not only do you save money, but you develop more of an attachment to the things you make. Buying a quilt from the quilt store might be convenient, but making one at home, from old scraps and clothing, is more satisfying and will make the quilt more personal.

Learning to make and do things at home definitely requires more time and effort than purchasing them from outside. However, the added time may be worthwhile when you add up the amount of money you can save. Here are some things you could consider making instead of purchasing.

1. Making your own food. There are so many benefits to cooking at home as opposed to eating out. You can feed four or five people at home for the price of one meal out. The food you make at home is almost inevitably healthier than food purchased from restaurants. Eating at home will not only help you save money, it will help you lose weight. And if you plan ahead, cooking in bulk, and freeze the extra food, you can do it conveniently and quickly when you need to.

2. Clothes. Making clothes is a skill that many, many people used to possess, but now it is extremely rare. It may take awhile to learn, especially if you do not already know how to sew or knit. Imagine, though, the amount of money that you could save. Also, you could create outfits that are completely unique, instead of showing up in the same dress from Old Navy that six other people are wearing.

3. Fashion jewelry. You can't make your own diamonds, but most of the jewelry you find in the mall and other shops is not made from precious gems. It is made from beads or stones that can be purchased at craft stores. You can put them together in unique combinations for a fraction of the price that you pay for ready-made jewelry.

4. Picture Frames. In department stores and home goods emporiums, you often pay twenty dollars or more for one picture frame. However, you can make them on your own. Buy some matte or wood frames for cheap, and paint them or attach objects that mean something to you.

5. Working Out. People pay exorbitant prices for gym memberships that they do not even use regularly. Or, they go to the gym three times a week and use only the treadmill. Instead of throwing your money away like this, just work out on your own. Find a track or a park in your area, or simply walk or jog around your neighborhood. This is much cheaper, and is a better mood enhancer than working out indoors on a machine.

This is just a sampling of the kinds of things you can make and do on your own for cheap or for free. Come up with more ideas. You will have to make choices, obviously. When you work outside the home or have other responsibilities that are time consuming, you cannot home-make everything. But even a couple of things, like making a quilt instead of going to the quilt store and working out outside instead of going to the gym, can make a a difference.