Frugal Remedies for the Common Cold

It's the beginning of August, and somehow I've picked up a particularly nasty cold. It's definitely been wearing me down, I almost fell asleep at work yesterday! I decided to stop by Walgreens and see what they had for cold medicine, and that stuff can get expensive rather quickly. Fortunately, there are some great remedies to take care of an everyday cold without handing over a bunch of wad at the local drug store. Here are some great (and frugal) ways to soothe a common cold.

Tea - Don't fork over money for an expensive tea, but get some inexpensive green tea or something else that can be made with packets. The hot water will do wonders for your cold. If you don't like the taste of tea, add a bit of sugar or honey to make it taste better.

Warm Salt Water - Take some warmish tap-water and mix-in a spoonful of table salt. Stir it all up real nice, gargle it, and spit it into the sink. Repeat this a few times and a couple of hours later your sinuses will clear up quite nicely.

Create Humidity - Breathing in a lot of humid air is a great way to ease the symptoms of the common cold. If you don't have a humidifier, you can boil some water on the stove to put more water in the air.

Chicken Soup - I couldn't cook to save my life, but I'm fairly sure I can figure out how to put a can of chicken soup on the stove. It's one of the easiest things in the world to make (unless you get fancy and make it the old fashioned way) and it'll do wonders for your throat.

Sleep - Force yourself to get more sleep than usual. This can be a difficult task if you're a busy person and always on the go, but make it a priority. Try to get at least 8 or 9 hours of sleep a night until your cold is gone, take a nap if you have to.

Water - It's always a good idea to drink lots of water when you're sick. The fever that comes with your cold will dehydrate you, so make it a point to drink several small glasses of water a day when you've got a cold.

These tips work great to alleviate the symptoms of a common cold, and they won't empty your wallet in the process!