I'm a big fan of recycling. My yard is organic, no need for pesticides, nature takes over, and it works fine! I also go around my neighborhood and find things people are throwing out (you know, someone's trash is another's treasure) I once found someone tossed a little old dresser, it was antique! I brought it home stripped the paint, and got a nice oak piece of furniture with the original brass hardware! I have used tile from previous projects, am saving for the greenhouse floor this summer.. I love it.
Let's share money saving tips!
- Thread starter CarriBrown
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #23
Quote:
Why on Earth would we want to do that!
Re the laundry detergent thing check out this site on About.com
http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/laundry/a/082801.htm
I think I'm going to try it - there must be some way to counteract and survive raising 2 teenagers !
http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/laundry/a/082801.htm
I think I'm going to try it - there must be some way to counteract and survive raising 2 teenagers !
To save money we buy almost all of our clothes at thrift stores or the flea market. A lot of the clothes there still have tags on them. There are also lots of bargain grocery stores out there. To save a few dollars I'll bag my own groceries there. A big thing is to not go and buy Starbucks all the time. It ends up costing so much! Try saving the receipts from everything you buy, even those things that only cost a dollar or two, and then after a couple of weeks add up all that you spent in each catergory and see where all your money is going. It is amazing! We waste so much money on this and that and don't even realize it. I have gotten to the point where I refuse to pay retail for almost anything. There's just no reason to.
This might be common knowledge, but I didn't realize what a big deal this was til this past winter. If you have a geothermal heating system or any furnace with a heat pump, you're going to be paying big bucks in heating bills every time the heat pump kicks on. A friend who is in the business told me this is the equivalent of about fifty plus electric baseboard heaters coming on at once. The key is to not let the heat pump come on; two ways to do this are either to keep your house the same temp day and night or, if you like the house cool at night while you sleep, raise the thermostat no more than two degrees at a time when you get up in the am, then every couple hours during the day til you get where you want to be for a daytime temperature.
I've upgraded my major appliances: oven, refrigerator, freezer, washer and dryer so far to energy efficient models. I purchased some of them on the 'no interest for 6 months' plan and paid them off on time, avoiding paying any extra $$ in interest. My most recent was the oven- I paid cash, but bought the floor model that was perfect in every way, plus got a $120 store gift card for buying the floor model.
We are switching our light bulbs gradually to energy saving florescent models.
Our next major expenditure will be to replace all of our windows with energy saving ones - (it's important to pay attention to the window rating as they are rated for different climates) - you don't want to end up with ones that hold heat in the house when you live in the south!
I also try and cook extra when fixing supper so that I can put the leftovers in divided plates and pop into the freezer for home made TV dinners or quick lunches.
When I have leftover veggies, but not enough to fill a plate, I freeze them in a larger container until I have enough to throw in a pot with some meat and make soup.
I homeschool my kids which results in: better education, less $$ for 'school' clothes, lunches, the ridiculously long list of school supplies public schools hand out each year... (what do they do with 60+ boxes of kleenex, crayolas, bottles of glue/paste, markers, index cards, manilla folders and hand soap anyway???)
I have a garden, I compost, save rain water, share excess seeds with family and neighbors, DH enjoys hunting and fishing which provides much of our meat (catfish, bass, crappie, tuna, amberjack, red fish, venison, dove...), we are as yet undecided about raising meat birds, but will happily be able to add fresh eggs to the list in a few months!! The best deal so far on this is that when we offshore fish, we can trade the shrimpers a six-pack for an entire ice chest full of shrimp freshly caught..woo hoo!
Last year I traded my full size gas-hog pickup for a brand new VW Beetle w/diesel engine. I drive roughly 100 miles a day (M-F) and only have to fill up my little 14.5gallon tank once every 9 or so days. We have a 250 (or is it 500 gallon?) fuel tank at the house that DH has filled up with diesel regularly-he trades for the diesel. This alone saved me $600-$700 a month in fuel costs.
I recycle hay that is too far gone for the horses to eat into mulch for my garden.
I canned some veggies last year and will do the same this year. I shop for groceries with coupons and when needed items are on sale.
Oh, I guess the list could go on indefinitely...
I really like some of the ideas I've read here and plan to try out the laundry soap!
We are switching our light bulbs gradually to energy saving florescent models.
Our next major expenditure will be to replace all of our windows with energy saving ones - (it's important to pay attention to the window rating as they are rated for different climates) - you don't want to end up with ones that hold heat in the house when you live in the south!
I also try and cook extra when fixing supper so that I can put the leftovers in divided plates and pop into the freezer for home made TV dinners or quick lunches.
When I have leftover veggies, but not enough to fill a plate, I freeze them in a larger container until I have enough to throw in a pot with some meat and make soup.
I homeschool my kids which results in: better education, less $$ for 'school' clothes, lunches, the ridiculously long list of school supplies public schools hand out each year... (what do they do with 60+ boxes of kleenex, crayolas, bottles of glue/paste, markers, index cards, manilla folders and hand soap anyway???)
I have a garden, I compost, save rain water, share excess seeds with family and neighbors, DH enjoys hunting and fishing which provides much of our meat (catfish, bass, crappie, tuna, amberjack, red fish, venison, dove...), we are as yet undecided about raising meat birds, but will happily be able to add fresh eggs to the list in a few months!! The best deal so far on this is that when we offshore fish, we can trade the shrimpers a six-pack for an entire ice chest full of shrimp freshly caught..woo hoo!
Last year I traded my full size gas-hog pickup for a brand new VW Beetle w/diesel engine. I drive roughly 100 miles a day (M-F) and only have to fill up my little 14.5gallon tank once every 9 or so days. We have a 250 (or is it 500 gallon?) fuel tank at the house that DH has filled up with diesel regularly-he trades for the diesel. This alone saved me $600-$700 a month in fuel costs.
I recycle hay that is too far gone for the horses to eat into mulch for my garden.
I canned some veggies last year and will do the same this year. I shop for groceries with coupons and when needed items are on sale.
Oh, I guess the list could go on indefinitely...
I really like some of the ideas I've read here and plan to try out the laundry soap!
I forgot this one-
Instead of dryer sheets, I pour fabric softener into a wide-mouth container and drop in a cellulose sponge. When I'm drying clothes, I just pull out the sponge, wring it out as much as possible, and throw it in the dryer. When I take out the dry clothes, I toss the sponge back into the container for next time. I still use the fabric softener in the wash, and it doesnt seem like I have to buy it any more frequently than when using regular dryer sheets.
Instead of dryer sheets, I pour fabric softener into a wide-mouth container and drop in a cellulose sponge. When I'm drying clothes, I just pull out the sponge, wring it out as much as possible, and throw it in the dryer. When I take out the dry clothes, I toss the sponge back into the container for next time. I still use the fabric softener in the wash, and it doesnt seem like I have to buy it any more frequently than when using regular dryer sheets.
I can't believe some of the great ideas I've read. What a gold mine we have in this thread! Here are some of the things that I do...
I do my grocery shopping at Aldi's...not only do they have food at lower prices, they have furniture at times, cookware, gardening items etc. When they are out of season, you can almost buy them for nothing. Recently purchased a brand name electric staple gun for $3 for DH. Right now they have the electric rice cookers (if you use them) marked down to $6.
We also do the Angelfood Ministries. Once a month at a local church you get FDA approved meals and food for a discounted price. I spend $25 and get roughly $70 worth of food. I also will do seasonal visits to the Farmers Market for fresh fruits and vegetables.
We maintain our house temp at 60 degrees. Try to conserve on the LP tank usage...ours is a 500 gallon. Even at $1.39 (cheapest price in the area) it adds up BIG time. We use our fireplace A LOT! My sister in law's brother lost a huge tree during the ice storm back in late Feb. and chained it together until warmer weather. DH, his brother and my SIL's brother cut down the tree, split it, made 6 trips to our place and we have roughly 12 quarts of wood or more. And it was free except for the gas used in traveling. We also have slowly been switching to energy efficient light bulbs.
I love the Salvation Army. I went there yesterday and found a brand new, still in the hard plastic digital indoor thermometer (that I will be putting in the chicken coop) for 39 cents. It runs on 3 batteries....even better. Our family room couch, love seat and chair came all together for $30 at the Salvation Army and they were almost brand new. So new that all the furniture stores in town were still selling them. The chair alone was selling for $260.
Much of the wood for the coop we've gotten for free or traded for something. I think we've spent $30 so far on it and it's half way built. Most of that cost was for nails, although my hubby was outside one day pulling nails and re-straightening them. The entire family is doing it together so there is no labor charge plus we get some quality family time in. Our dogs are water & drafting dogs as well, so we use their natural tendencies and abiities to help pull heavier items. Just not using the ones under 2 years old. Don't want to ruin their hips.
We are raising rabbits and some chickens for meat. Not to mention the eggs. My husband and I both hunt so we usually have at least one deer a season that provides venison for the table.
We have our own garden and we can food. Also will trade with friends or family for this or that.
When I hit a store like Walmart, Big Lots or Dollar Tree I go straight for the clearance isle first. I always make a list. This weekend Farm King is having "no tax day" so DH and I will be going to get some more dog food and items for the chickens. A few dollars saved can go in the gas tank or school lunches etc.
My husband works for the local trash company and he makes decent wages. Even then I checked with the school district to see if we qualified for free or reduced lunches. You can have a family of 5 and make $3400 a month and still qualify for reduced lunches. Once I realized that and got past my pride, I signed up for it and $20 will take all 3 of my kids through a month's worth of school lunches. So instead of paying $1.75 for the high school and $1.65 for the junior high for one lunch for each one, I am paying $1.05 for all three for one day of lunches.
Like everyone else, I try to combine all my trips into town to save on gas. Gas is $2.89 a gallon right now and I spent $35 yesterday to get 3/4 a tank of gas. Or I trade with another parent if the kids want to get together or something. One takes and one picks up.
I'm sure there are a million more things that I do, but I've taken up enough space for the time being. Keep those ideas coming.....I love them!
I do my grocery shopping at Aldi's...not only do they have food at lower prices, they have furniture at times, cookware, gardening items etc. When they are out of season, you can almost buy them for nothing. Recently purchased a brand name electric staple gun for $3 for DH. Right now they have the electric rice cookers (if you use them) marked down to $6.
We also do the Angelfood Ministries. Once a month at a local church you get FDA approved meals and food for a discounted price. I spend $25 and get roughly $70 worth of food. I also will do seasonal visits to the Farmers Market for fresh fruits and vegetables.
We maintain our house temp at 60 degrees. Try to conserve on the LP tank usage...ours is a 500 gallon. Even at $1.39 (cheapest price in the area) it adds up BIG time. We use our fireplace A LOT! My sister in law's brother lost a huge tree during the ice storm back in late Feb. and chained it together until warmer weather. DH, his brother and my SIL's brother cut down the tree, split it, made 6 trips to our place and we have roughly 12 quarts of wood or more. And it was free except for the gas used in traveling. We also have slowly been switching to energy efficient light bulbs.
I love the Salvation Army. I went there yesterday and found a brand new, still in the hard plastic digital indoor thermometer (that I will be putting in the chicken coop) for 39 cents. It runs on 3 batteries....even better. Our family room couch, love seat and chair came all together for $30 at the Salvation Army and they were almost brand new. So new that all the furniture stores in town were still selling them. The chair alone was selling for $260.
Much of the wood for the coop we've gotten for free or traded for something. I think we've spent $30 so far on it and it's half way built. Most of that cost was for nails, although my hubby was outside one day pulling nails and re-straightening them. The entire family is doing it together so there is no labor charge plus we get some quality family time in. Our dogs are water & drafting dogs as well, so we use their natural tendencies and abiities to help pull heavier items. Just not using the ones under 2 years old. Don't want to ruin their hips.
We are raising rabbits and some chickens for meat. Not to mention the eggs. My husband and I both hunt so we usually have at least one deer a season that provides venison for the table.
We have our own garden and we can food. Also will trade with friends or family for this or that.
When I hit a store like Walmart, Big Lots or Dollar Tree I go straight for the clearance isle first. I always make a list. This weekend Farm King is having "no tax day" so DH and I will be going to get some more dog food and items for the chickens. A few dollars saved can go in the gas tank or school lunches etc.
My husband works for the local trash company and he makes decent wages. Even then I checked with the school district to see if we qualified for free or reduced lunches. You can have a family of 5 and make $3400 a month and still qualify for reduced lunches. Once I realized that and got past my pride, I signed up for it and $20 will take all 3 of my kids through a month's worth of school lunches. So instead of paying $1.75 for the high school and $1.65 for the junior high for one lunch for each one, I am paying $1.05 for all three for one day of lunches.
Like everyone else, I try to combine all my trips into town to save on gas. Gas is $2.89 a gallon right now and I spent $35 yesterday to get 3/4 a tank of gas. Or I trade with another parent if the kids want to get together or something. One takes and one picks up.
I'm sure there are a million more things that I do, but I've taken up enough space for the time being. Keep those ideas coming.....I love them!
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