Your Lesser Known Tips

[crosses]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

This is one of my timely tips. From now through to January I make extra trips to the thrift stores in my area. I go at least once a week. Why now? Because this is the time that many people give away clothes and other items for a tax deduction before the beginning of the New Year. You will find the best selection at the thrift stores now and new items will be coming in almost daily.

[seaar2000]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

crosses never thougt of going to thrift store for the reason you stated. Don't know why I didn't. I'm decluttering right now to get more tax deductions. Boy sometimes my lightbulb is on hold. LOL Renee

[crosses]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

crosses never thougt of going to thrift store for the reason you stated. Don't know why I didn't. I'm decluttering right now to get more tax deductions. Boy sometimes my lightbulb is on hold. LOL Renee

Renee, it is one of those things you just never consider. I missed out on it for years until one of my children said (being a child) "If everyone is giving everything away, then there must be lots of stuff for me" when I expalined that I always take stuff before the new year. It wasn't until then that the lightbulb went off in my head nad I had being doing it for years. But there really is a far greater selection this time of year so it is worth an extra trip when you have the time.

[seaar2000]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

Crosses out of the mouth of babes. Sometimes we can learn so much from our children if we really listen to them. Smart kid you have their. Going to go to St. Vincent de Paul's today and see if can find any christmas presents. Again, thanks. Renee

[crosses]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

I wish you luck...I hope you find lots of good stuff. I always find that the search is half the fun. My DH thinks that this time of year reasoning is just an excuse so I can go more often without him getting mad

[amomof4]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

I never have to buy dental floss. My dentist give me a free sample, and I just reuse the same piece until it starts to shred. It lasts me til the next visit. I know is sounds gross, but u don't throw away your toothbrush after one use do you?

[leewill72]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

You all are going to think i am a kook, but.... i squeeze or step on the roll of toilet paper before i put it on the roll. The reasoning for this is our 4 kids are not as quick to use 10 feet of it at once since it does not glide off the dispenser.

[the4parkers]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

for the babies. i use washclothes as wipes here. i only pack wipes ( and i make them myself) in the diaper bag.old blankets and towels get torn up for my swiffer. those pads are pricey. old mail gets turned into drawing paper for the kids.i cut my laundry detergent and softner in half.
only use dryer after it is warmed up. saves on electricity not having to keep warming it up , so i do all my laundry at once. i hang everything , but dry the towels, and socks.
cut toothpaste tubes in half. still a weeks worth of toothpaste in there
never brand loyal to anything! stock up on my coupon items to make stockpile..whatever is cheap is what we use
reuse ziplock bags
cook all our meals in one day. i usually try to make it a cold day and then when i am finished i leave the oven open a bit to help heat the house.
add water to shampoo,juice
use condioner as shaving lotion
if i am making a casserole i use 3/4 of whatever meat is asked for.
one meatless meal a week
save all boxes for ebay
grocery bags= trash bags in bed rooms and bathrooms and the car
library for movies and books

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

Thanks for all the great tips!

Here's my newly discovered one. I had searched for scratch and dent grocery stores in the past, but had no luck. I recently search again, but this time I looked for surplus or wholesale grocers. I found one wholesale grocery that has a 'cash and carry' store that's open to the public! I can't wait to go and cash in on the savings

[Momtwo]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

I don't know if these would qualify as lesser known, but I posted all of these in my journal, so I will post them here in case someone doesn't read the journal:

1. Make my own bread in breadmaker. You can buy flour for pennies around Thanksgiving and Christmas. With the everlasting yeast recipe, I can make bread really cheaply. If you don't want to make your own bread, buy at the Thrift store where it is 1/3 the price.

2. Make my own yogurt. You just need to buy a 1lb. container for a starter. You only need a couple of tablespoons per batch. And then just keep saving a little to start the next batch.

3. Cook from scratch. It is much cheaper than convenience foods unless the packaged food is cheaper with a coupon.

4. Buy the majority of my meats at reduced price. I use less meat dishes alot also.
For ex: I only use 1/2 lb. of ground meat in helper and skiller dishes instead of the called for one lb.

5. We try to have at least 2-3 meatless meals a week. For Ex: Meatless spaghetti,
bean burritos, Chicken Caesar salad, mac and cheese, etc.

5. I use dry milk for all cooking and baking.

6. I use small appliances to cook. It saves a lot of money on the electric bills when you don't use the large oven and the stovetop. It is much cheaper to use crockpot, toaster oven, microwave, electric frypan, Geo. Foreman grill, electric steamer, Nesco oven etc. I use these appliances outdoors on the patio table when the a/c is on so as to not heat up the house. We also grill outdoors alot. Propane is cheap.

7. I always make sure the dishwasher is full before I run it. The same with the washing machine. I air dry the dishes and I try to hang as many loads of wash as possible instead of putting them in the dryer. If I do use the dryer, I dry on air only.
I use 1/3 the amount of called for detergent in the washing machine and 1/3 of a dryer sheet. I have made my own laundry detergent but right now I have so much free that I probably won't run out for another year. I also have about 3 years worth fo free dishwasher detergent.

8. I have cut my paper towel use down to about one roll every 6-8 weeks. We use a towel to dry hands. And I use rags to clean up messes. I drain bacon on paper bags. I use newspaper to clean windows.

9. We have switched as many table lamps as possible over to flourescent light bulbs. This is so less costly and they last for a few years.

10. When I do wash dishes in the sink, I draw the rinse water first and then fill up the other sink with wash water. That way I don't waste water while the water is warming up. I use the rinse water to water plants in my pots outdoors.

11. I take Navy showers when I can. It saves a lot of water.

12. I only buy snacks and soda with a coupon. I refuse to spend a lot of money on junk food that really has no nutritional value.

13. I keep the a/c on 78. That is cool enough and makes it bearable. It saves a lot more money than keeping it on 72. In the winter, we keep the heat on 72. I can't go any lower because DH is always cold.

14. I only run the pool when we are in it and then on a timer for 6 hours a day. We use no chlorine for the pool. We have a salt system. It was expensive but will eventually pay for itself. We have to add 2-40 lb. bags of salt a year(about $6, worth). The salt is so much better for your skin and hair.

15. The drip systems are on a timer to water the plants and trees every other day.

16. I try to run my errands in a circle thereby saving on gasoline. I fill up when it get down to 1/2 because the price seems to rise daily and this helps. I also make sure that our tires are properly inflated and that I don't carry around junk in the car that just adds weight to the car.

17. I did cost comparisons when I moved here and got the cheapest homeowners and car insurance policies for the coverage I wanted. I review these every year and look for cheaper rates just before renewals. I upped the deductibles to a $1000. which saves oodles of money. Insurance companies are cancelling people who put in small claims. So $1000. is a figure that I don't mind paying out of pocket if necessary.

18. I have basic telephone service with no extras like call waiting. I don't need all the extra costly services. I use my cell phone for long distance and always stay within the minutes of my plan.

19. We have cable plus and the movie tier for cable service. We had HBO for 3 weeks but the Cable Co. misquoted us the rates so we made them put us back. We only watched The Sopranos on HBO and I can buy it at the end of the season for $64. It would have cost us almost 3 times that for the year of HBO. I am also looking into DirectTV costs remembering that my Internet service will go up $15. a month if I cancel the Cable Co. I am considering getting rid of AOL. I liked it for the boards but very rarely use them anymore.

20. I never pay for magazines. I get them all free.

21. I do all of my own investing online. It is so much cheaper than a brokerage firm and I have all the control.

22. I use a credit union and 4 banks for checking, savings accounts and CD's. None charge any kind of fee and if I use their ATM machines, I pay no fees for that either. I think once over the years I have used an ATM other than my banks. The fees were atrocius!

23. I wash my own car with the bucket method. I soap it up and then rinse off with the hose. I dry it with an old towel. I wax it myself twice a year. It is so much more inexpensive than the car wash and it gives me some cheap exercise.

24. I never pay for movie rentals or for us to go to the movies. I get these free through rebates.

25. I never buy junk food at the theater. I bring water for us and a snack in my purse.

26. We do eat out once a month but I use coupons and GC's won on Reward TV most of the time. When we do splurge, we spend $100.'s but we enjoy it and don't worry about it.

27. I never waste food. I plan meals around leftovers. I am not going to spend all the time and effort to get a deal and then throw it in the garbage. So I do a lot of meal planning.
28. I put all refund and survey checks along with a large savings deposit in the bank every month. I put it in the account that pays us 3% interest. When I get over a certain amount, I invest it. I like to keep at least 30% of our net worth in cash. Especially in this economy and at our age.

29. I do all TMF rebates especially the Walgreens ones that end up being free and paying me 10% more. I turn this money into other GC's for gift giving. I also do the reward programs for the same purpose and for everyday expenses such as eating out or gasoline or clothing purchases.

30. I NEVER pay full price for anything. I like to save at least 65-75% on groceries if not more. And clothing and other items I try to find at 50% off. I check the Goodwill once a month for any kind of bargain. Especially books that I can read and then resell on E-bay. It is amzing how much money a month you can clear doing this.

31. I don't keep clutter. I either get rid of it at a garage sale or sell it on E-bay.
This way I don't have to buy seconds of things because I can't find the first.

32. I make the majority of my greeting cards on the computer. I get card paper thru rebates for the printer ribbons. Any store bought cards are free! I turn my empty printer ribbons in at Office Max for free printer paper. I use both sides of the sheet when I can whether it be for grocery or other lists. I reuse envelopes(for coupons etc) that come in junk mail.

33. I use free after rebate or cheap wrapping paper or I have been even known to make my own with white paper and stamps. I buy Christmas paper for pennies after Christmas.

34. I now make sure that I always have $ .23 stamps on hand for the extra ounces on mail.

35. I use my charge accounts but always pay them in full when the bill comes in.

36. I will buy coupons or bargain packages online but only if I will save 60-70% more than they cost.

37. I keep my pantry going with doubled coupons so that I am never paying full price for anything. Even when I am stocked for about 6 months like I am now, I will get the Freebies.

38. I track every penny we spend with computer software. I put all receipts in a basket till I enter them.

39. We pay all bills electronically that give us a discount for doing so. This also saves us stamps and envelopes every month.

40. I repair clothing when it needs it so as not to lose the whole item.

41. I spend the time to take good care of everything we own so as not to replace it as often-whether it be an appliance, shoes, or a piece of clothing.

42. I am always figuring out in my head whether something is a good deal or not. When I write a grocery item on a list, I first think about whether I can make it cheaper. I like doing the math!
43. A biggie for me: Stay out of the stores! If you don't see it, you don't need it!
And to go along with that, throw out most catalogs when they come in. I only keep the JC Penney catalog to use as a comparison for prices.

44. I track what our meals actually cost us each day and I spend no more than $150.-200. a month on food. And a lot of months it is evene cheaper than this. I am always trying to lower the figure.

45. I try to only shop in the markets and stores in my County because theere is no tax on food. If I go 2 blocks up the street to the next County I pay tax on food.

46. We do our own yardwork- weeding, trimming etc. I also try to only plant perrenials so as to not waste money on annuals. I am in the process of planning a graden in the side yard in the afll for a lot of our vegetables and herbs. I am going to grow then in pots. I have found that Big Lots sells the huge pots for 1/3 of the price that I have paid at Home Depot. So I am stocking up on those. Big Lots has a huge garden dept. with lots of goodies.

47. DH is going to make Precious(our cat) a cat house out of old sonatube and old carpet. They sell for $350. at Petsmart.

48. DH is volunteering at the Heart Institute. We had to pay for the clothing he needed for his uniform which for most people would be tax deductible. Also he would get .36 a mile for all his volunteer works. However we always take standard deduction, but we will track it this year just to see if it makes a difference. Every day that DH volunteers there which will be 4 hours once a week, they give him a $3.00 voucher. He can use it in the cafeteria for a meal or drink or in the gift shop. Since he will only be there 4 hours, he will probably not eat. He will use them for paperback books. He is a voracious reader.

49. We spend about $3000. a year on trips back East between airfare, hotel rooms, and rental cars. Some years it is more, some years less. We enjoy seeing family so consider it a necessity. We do look for the cheapest fares and then upgrade with miles to First Class. I always try to get airmiles on our favorite airline for the rentals and hotel rooms also.

50. Right now I buy my produce at the produce market. I only buy what is cheap and in season.

51. When my free soda stash runs out, I will be making sun tea every couple of days. It is cheap and good for you.

52. I shop $ stores for a lot of food, paper and cleaning items. They also have cheap giftbags and paper and freezer products.

53. I color my own hair with free haircolor(after coupon and rebate). I used to go get my haircut every 4 weeks but decided to do every 6 because Patty, my hairdresser kept remarking that it only needed a little trim at 4 weeks. This schedule saves me about $75. a year.

54. I wash clothing in cold water except for whites which I wash in warm. But DH and I don't get very dirty. We also try to wear our jeans and shorts at least twice before putting them in the laundry basket.

55. We keep all lights off except at night when you need them. And then we only turn them on in the rooms we are in.

56. I keep a pricebook so that I always know who has the cheapest price on most staple products. Just doing this saves a ton of money.

57. If I can't get cleaning products for Free or pennies, I make my own. It is so easy and so cheap.

58. Using cloth napkins is so much cheaper than buying paper ones. When my stash of free is gone, I am going to Goodwill to pick up some cloth ones. It is easy to throw them in the washign machine with= the regular laundry.

59. I read my library of frugal books alot. It keeps me focused and I get lots of ideas from them.

60. If you are quitting work, make sure you let your insurance company know that your car will only be used for pleasure. It is a lot cheaper than a car that drives to work.

61.Decide what is a priority and what is not. When my kids were at home, private schools were a priority. But other things weren't. A monitored security system is a must for me. For other people, it may not be.

62. I pay my monitoring on my security system one year in advance thereby saving me one months service($40.) I do the same with the bug service. I save about $30.(one months service) by paying a year in advance.

63. I have learned how to make all kinds of things by using the internet for recipes: baking powder, cleaners, laundry detergent, salad dressings, mayo, spice mixes, marinades,Boboli type pizza crusts ,hotdog and hamburg buns etc. Making these things saves a lot of money-escpecially making your own pizza.

64. I use this site all the time for lots of ideas. It has saved me so much money.

http://www.budget101.com/

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

This one isn't so much a money saving tip, but a time saving tip which we can all use some more of! Also, it keeps me more motivated to know it will be a quick chore.

I hang all of our laundry to dry. When it's nice out, I hang it outside and in the winter I hang it on two folding racks. Recently, I started sorting one type of clothing out from everything else, when I take them off the racks. It depends on what I have the most of. It's usually socks or my hubby's unmentionables. The point is, if I have all of the items that will end up in one drawer already separated, it will make the sorting, folding and putting away so much faster because its the majority of the load.
I've done this for a week now, and it definitely shaves a few minutes off of this chore.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

Folding racks, what sort of folding racks? I am trying to come up with a way to dry laundry in my bathroom, the one we don't use much. It would be the only place I can ensure the kids wont pester the stuff, but there is only so much stuff I can fit on the shower rod. So I am looking for a homade way to get more room to dry stuff.

[miclason]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

I buy jigsaw puzzles by the dozen to keep at home and give away as gifts for children's birthdays....I "recycle" gift-wrapping paper and bows...

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

Folding racks, what sort of folding racks? I am trying to come up with a way to dry laundry in my bathroom, the one we don't use much. It would be the only place I can ensure the kids wont pester the stuff, but there is only so much stuff I can fit on the shower rod. So I am looking for a homade way to get more room to dry stuff.

The usual kind you find at lower end department stores. You can fit one of these standing up in a bathtub - I've done that before.
You may be able to special order, or buy online a drying line that you can stretch over your bathtub. I've seen these in European hotels. There's a small hook on one wall that the tub is between, and the string is stored in the opposite wall. You just draw it out when you need it.

I'm sure there's a DIY way to make one yourself.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Your Lesser Known Tips

that would be cool, a retractable drying line!