Economy bad... How do you save money?

[sundance]

make my own laundry detergent.
buy couple different cereals, mix together add trail mix and raisins
buy extra canned foods, sugar, flour, cornmeal, rice, beans
make my own ACV
when beef roasts go on sale buy couple extra and cut in cubes for beef stew
If pork roasts are on sale have the butcher slice them for pork steaks
marrie

 

[thechickenchick]

Quote:
Good one! If only I could pull that off!

I feel your pain! Mine makes me nervous when he is on-line and all of a sudden goes to get his wallet.

 

[kcsunshine]

Quote:
Good one! If only I could pull that off!

I feel your pain! Mine makes me nervous when he is on-line and all of a sudden goes to get his wallet.

Lucky me - my DH doesn't know how to use the computer - doesn't want to.

 

[thechickenchick]

Quote:

I feel your pain! Mine makes me nervous when he is on-line and all of a sudden goes to get his wallet.

Lucky me - my DH doesn't know how to use the computer - doesn't want to.

You are lucky!! Keep it that way! I do need to add that half the time he is buying something for me. See I pay the bills so I have a better idea of what there is, or isn't. So I don't buy anything beyond the necessities. He feels bad because he doesn't hesitate if he wants something. So if he sees me eyeing something in a catalog or sees something he thinks I would love he orders it.

 

[TammyTX]

Turn off the cable/sat. Which we have not done because my husband cannot give up his MMA! But it's a suggestion that can save $100+ a month.

Unplug any chargers that aren't in use. We took a hint from someone on this board and we turn off the power to the plasma during the day.

We buy a lot of generic and the cheaper brands. There are some exceptions...cheap trash bags are a no-no.

Use coupons, compare ads and go to places that will match ads.

Buy fruit/veg in season and freeze or can. Sweet potatoes are .18 a pound at our Walmart. Buy cheap turkeys and freeze them. I paid .40 a pound (cheapest I've seen around here that didn't require an additional purchase) and I have eight 15-22 pounders in the freezer. One turkey and a ham is going to one of my husband's co-workers who has an elderly sick mother who he takes care of.

Make dinners / desserts / snacks from scratch. Make your meat go further by adding chopped potatoes, rice or beans. Buy textured vegetable protein or TVP to add to your meat.

Buy your clothes at a thrift store. I've been doing this for years, although Savers is getting pretty proud of their used clothing!

I'm free ranging my chickens more, but only when I'm home......and it makes me very nervous, but they are eating about 70 lbs of feed a week so something had to give.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
I feel for ya! Hearing aid batteries are expensive for two hearing aids. Medicare and Medicaid/All Kids Care will NOT cover hearing aids but they do cover hearing tests!

I found a good deal for my aid batteries from Krogers, priced at $3.79 a pack (RayOVac brand I think, the black and neon blue label), it is a double pack with six batteries each pack, so it is total of 12 batteries!

I have two hearing aids, so I "conserve" my aids by wearing just one on my dominant ear (the one you listen or tilt your ears to the source of sound more often than the other) and using one battery every week or two weeks if I turn it off on my "off" days such as getting out of shower, letthing my hair dry and your ear canals should be dry by then, reading time or computer time, napping, sleeping (I never heard of anyone sleeping it on, its so uncomfortable). While DD is at school, I can turn it off most of the day. I am thankful my husband is hearing so if someone is knocking on the door or phone ringing or alarm going off, he would let me know. Also conserving my aids will last a little longer, lifespan of hearing aids are roughly three years if used day in and day out. Then an overhaul of repairs if needed around year five. After that you would need new ones. My hearing aids are over five years old now and thanks to Medicare and Medicaid, I wont be getting any new ones. I need the strongest out there, more than the other type of canal hearing aids (ear plugs, as I call them LOL). Ear molds are paid out of pocket and done in the best manner. If you can save a few dollars, go to an individual dealer, not Beltone, or your audiologist/hearing aid supplier at the hospital, usually those mom and pop business will help a bit further.

I do not recycle those batteries. I know I should! However there are no hearing aid supplier that would take them anymore. It was not financially possible for them to take aids.

You can do a little more effort on the performance of your hearing aids, by getting those "hearing aid dryers", those blue and grey pellets in a jar that you put your aids to wick out the moisture ouf of them. You can do the homemade version of it, is taking those white packets that comes with purses, wallets, shoes that the manufactor insert them, put that package in a baby food jar, a thick porous sponge to fit inside circumfrence of the jar and put your aids in there overnight. And take a cotton swab with a spot of rubbing alochol, clean out the battery compartment of green gunk or what have yous. And clean the tubings of ear mold and connections (for behind the ear aids) as well. You would be surprised how dirty they can get in a short time.

Hope this helps!

 

[McCord6]

Quote:
I feel for ya! Hearing aid batteries are expensive for two hearing aids. Medicare and Medicaid/All Kids Care will NOT cover hearing aids but they do cover hearing tests!

I found a good deal for my aid batteries from Krogers, priced at $3.79 a pack (RayOVac brand I think, the black and neon blue label), it is a double pack with six batteries each pack, so it is total of 12 batteries!

I have two hearing aids, so I "conserve" my aids by wearing just one on my dominant ear (the one you listen or tilt your ears to the source of sound more often than the other) and using one battery every week or two weeks if I turn it off on my "off" days such as getting out of shower, letthing my hair dry and your ear canals should be dry by then, reading time or computer time, napping, sleeping (I never heard of anyone sleeping it on, its so uncomfortable). While DD is at school, I can turn it off most of the day. I am thankful my husband is hearing so if someone is knocking on the door or phone ringing or alarm going off, he would let me know. Also conserving my aids will last a little longer, lifespan of hearing aids are roughly three years if used day in and day out. Then an overhaul of repairs if needed around year five. After that you would need new ones. My hearing aids are over five years old now and thanks to Medicare and Medicaid, I wont be getting any new ones. I need the strongest out there, more than the other type of canal hearing aids (ear plugs, as I call them LOL). Ear molds are paid out of pocket and done in the best manner. If you can save a few dollars, go to an individual dealer, not Beltone, or your audiologist/hearing aid supplier at the hospital, usually those mom and pop business will help a bit further.

I do not recycle those batteries. I know I should! However there are no hearing aid supplier that would take them anymore. It was not financially possible for them to take aids.

You can do a little more effort on the performance of your hearing aids, by getting those "hearing aid dryers", those blue and grey pellets in a jar that you put your aids to wick out the moisture ouf of them. You can do the homemade version of it, is taking those white packets that comes with purses, wallets, shoes that the manufactor insert them, put that package in a baby food jar, a thick porous sponge to fit inside circumfrence of the jar and put your aids in there overnight. And take a cotton swab with a spot of rubbing alochol, clean out the battery compartment of green gunk or what have yous. And clean the tubings of ear mold and connections (for behind the ear aids) as well. You would be surprised how dirty they can get in a short time.

Hope this helps!

Medicaid does cover for hearing aids but only 1 for adults unless they qualify for a 2nd. I got my new one Free but it costs to have them fixed if brake. As for kids, they are covered for 2 but once again, it costs if they break.
I been wearing hearing aids since i was 6 years old and my mom was VERY strict on keeping up with them, cleaning ear molds, battery compartments everything. Been almost 19 years now that I been using them.

 

[EweSheep]

Good for you McCord! I've been hard of hearing all in my life. Wore aids since I was four. Remember those harness straps for hearing aids?? Those things are clumsy! Glad they are totally gone. You are lucky to have Medicaid to cover you but they will not cover me. I know, I know.....they only do individual cases even they had copies of my old records.

As for TP, Yellow pages sounds good! But not good for #2!

 

[McCord6]

I never had that type of hearing aid. I had mine when I was a lil older. I was born hearing impaired but I was a very alerted child that my parents didn't know until I was in 1st grade. Now as for my daughters, they have regular BTE hearing aids but they have cords that attach to them then clips to the back of their shirt to keep from falling and breaking. We do NOT allow them to wear them while playing outside since they break easily like that. I hardly ever let my youngest daughter wear hers, she is only 1 years old and she doesn't keep them on, still a lil too young IMO. My oldest is 3 years old and she had her since she was 2, almost 3 and she has better awareness of what they are then my 1 year old does (who is still putting things in her mouth).

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

We haven't done anything different so I guess we were pretty frugal to begin with.

Never used the clothes dryer anyway so we sold it and got a small chest freezer.
The dishwasher hasn't been used in years
Have a timer on the hot water heater, it's only on about 3 hours a day
Programable thermostat on the heat/ac - we haven't used either for a couple months now just build a fire in the fireplace on the chilly nights
Don't eat out hardly at all
We both pack our lunches for work
Big garden
The garden pretty much goes year 'round we can grow greens etc just about all winter
The only meat we buy is pork and beef (the beef once in a blue moon) the meat we eat comes from chicken, rabbit, duck, turkey, pheasant, quail and deer
Can and freeze lots of veggies.

Steve in NC