lol
Posted on 11/07/2012 2:43:37 PM PST by goodwithagun
What are some of your favorite frugal tips? I'm looking for more ways to save money (can you guess why?) and I already do most of the things Yahoo's frugal experts suggest. I already comparison shop, pack my own lunch, buying generic, and plant a garden. What are some of your frugal secrets?
Now, if anybody suggests that I crochet my own reusable tampons I will sick the Viking kitties on you!
You’re already married, aren’t you?
lol
The tighwad gazette
She does a nice job.
Shop for clothes at Goodwill or other similar places. I rarely pay more than $5 or $6 dollars for anything & that’s usually brand new with tags still on it. Yup, you have to hunt through the racks & maybe visit once a week if you really need something, but it’s sort of like a treasure hunt & VERY satisfying.
Also, I’m making my own liquid soaps & about to make laundry detergent for the first time - cheap, hypoallergenic & it cleans. You can google and find lots of info on ‘making your own’.
Of course! Before you go off about cutting up hubbies t-shirts, please know that they were on their last leg. They started off as duty shirts (he’s a firefighter), then the sleeves were cut off for lifting shirts, and now there’s another batch of post-duty shirts being put into the lifting shirt rotation.
Cut dryer fabric sheets in half ..you don’t need a whole one.
And even better, use clean terry washcloth with some fabric softener rubbed into it instead.
Bump for later...this might get good!
Crochet,no. Sew, yes, but there is no way I'd do that unless there was no alternative.
My husband is concerned about everything going to h3ll in a hand basket by a year from now so he wanted us to find ways to cut back-I don't give it that long. (no AC next summer was one suggestion-THAT ain't happening) I thought we were cut back rather far already.
Some things I've come up with: only use one cell phone, cut back to bare minutes,don't use for chit-chat; sell stuff; cover and seal all drafty windows-make curtains for all; change garbage contract to 3 bag limit; fix running toilet; cut driving down to almost nothing;get a second job-we have to drive far to everything, a job would really have to pay well.
“Now, if anybody suggests that I crochet my own reusable tampons I will sick the Viking kitties on you! “
My wife had the same reaction. Women...
Reduce automatic sprinklers by 2 minutes per station.
Turn water heater and thermostat down.
cook meals on weekends and reheat during the week to save energy.
Shop your homeowners insurance often.
Refi if you can, interest rates are lower than ever now.
Quit eating out, seriously.
got kids? need toys? GARAGE SALE!! (my kids quickly learned they got WAY more toy at garage sales with same amount of money than a retail store)
Lose the gym membership. most YMCA's have state of the art equipment.
ETC.
ETC.
If you want to see where else you can save money, try zero based budgeting (ala Dave Ramsey, et al) for a few month and log every penny spent in categories. At end of month, you'll know exactly where you can save money, if you want to.
We did this and reduced our monthly outflow by almost 20% without feeling it, too much.
Lol, we use niether drier sheets nor fabric softener.
Haha, Laz! First good laugh I’ve had all day. As I was reading your list, I just KNEW it was from you.
Rechargeable batteries. You pay more up front but if you use the batteries a lot, they quickly pay for themselves. For the big flashlight that you keep around for emergencies but seldom use, stick with regular batteries.
2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated)You can also try Zote or Castille
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until the pieces are very fine.
Store in an airtight container.
Use 2 tablespoons per full load.
If you want a scented detergent you can add a capful of Purex Crystals or Downy Unstopable while in the processor.
I tend to have hard water and this detergent work very well.
Buy a good used bicycle at a thrift shop or garage sale. Find a nice usable basket for it. Ride it to the grocery store, farmer’s market or to do short limited errands. This will increase your cardiovascular exercise and save lots on gas.
If you do drive group the stops by starting at the furthest and working back. That way if it takes two times you will have eliminated the farthest locations already.
I gauge my acceleration speed on the timing of the next light. So many times I arrive just as the light turns green, which allows me to keep my speed level instead of racing to wait at the next light. That burns gas and shortens the life of your brakes.
I insist on a large freezer. I stockpile bulk or sale items like bread, milk, pasta, rice, flour, meat, etc. I make my own spaghetti sauce, gravy, enchiladas sauce. I freeze large quantities of sauces, meals, and freeze them in meal sized portions. This save numerous trips to the store as well as stops impulse purchases. With a good meal plan you are less likely to eat out and can cook numerous meals at once saving time, cleanup and energy prices.
One of fav things to do is to find whole chickens on sale. Clean the inside and pull off the outer skin and the excess fat. Spice and add onion, and garlic. I Roast 2 at a time in my roaster oven at 375 for around 2 hours. The bottom of the roaster has about 2 cups of water in the bottom. The juices from the chicken makes into broth while the chicken is cooking. I let the chicken cool in the fridge and pour the broth into a large bowl to chill. After the chicken is cooled I pull the meat off the bones and pack into a one quart freezer bag. The bones are then thrown into a large pot cover with water, spices, 1 cup diced onion, several cloves of pressed garlic. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Toss out bones and chill. After the fat has risen to the top, discard the fat pour into freezer bags and freeze. Label with content and date. The broth can be used for gravy, soups, rice pilaf, etc. This makes an excellent low sodium, low fat chicken broth.
Do not own a cloths dryer here. 100% air dry. Saves a lot of $.
Percolate my own coffee on the gas stove.
Haven’t gone out to eat in ages. My gas usage is barely anything.
I won’t suggest you crochet your own, but there is a reusable alternative already out there: http://www.keeper.com/
(Not for the squeamish)
I haven’t tried it yet, but I used to know someone who loved it, because she could go on months-long camping and hiking excursions with it. I personally couldn’t get past the “ick” factor, but the way prices on feminine supplies keep going up, I’m seriously considering it.
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