What are you doing to stretch a dollar?

[redoak]

Silver maple has 19.0 million btu per cord
Red oak has 24.6 million btu per cord
Shagbark hickory has 27.5 million btu per cord
Black cherry has 20.4 million btu per cord
Green ash has 20.0 million btu per cord
Sugar Maple has 25.5 million btu per cord

From Nebraska Forest Service.

 

[Daycare Mom]

Kinda sounds like I am doing the same as everyone else. We don't use our dryer at all in the warmer months(hang everything outside). In the winter I hang clothes in the basement, except for whites they get the dryer. If you have an electric dryer you can get a vent that blows in the house. It adds extra heat and humidity to your house.

I also stock up on things when they are on sale, bake all our own goodies and bread, make my own baby food, can and freeze everything we can, we buy almost all of our clothes at garage sales in the summer. We don't go out to eat at all. We combine trips to the stores as much as possible. All the common sense stuff.

 

[Buckaroo]

I have been stretching my dollars across the county, lots of good deals out there. To bad some are having problems, and selling to get by, and selling cheap. Bought a 10X10 dog run yesterday for 50 bucks, I could have got it cheaper, but figured they needed the money. I bought 4 breeding pens today, for a great price.
I started tighting up last year, I knew this was coming. I bought a motorcycle and ride to work and on small errons. Cost about 10 a week when fuel was super high. I loved filling my tank, then say, screw opec!!! But now it has cooled off, back in the Dodge, Yeah, It's got a Hemi and sucks gas like its water.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Well I been in the free section of criagslist and kind of upset I dont have a truck yet. Someone had free heating oil sinc ehtey where moving. 125 gallons and you have to pump it yourself. We got a woodstove. I will be building a brick stand and cutting the firewood we got. I am also going to call around for free firewood

 

[debilorrah]

You guys are going to crack up at this: we put our frozen food in the fridge in the garage. The kids ALWAYS forget it's there!!!!

 

[crzychickenlady]

I have cut back on electricity used in the home, all light off unless you are in that room. We even leave the light off when using the bathroom unless taking showers or baths.

Our house is usually dark until late in the evening, this helps ALOT on the bills. Plus, everything in my house is electric except for the furnace and my stove in the basement...I usually cook upstairs on the electric stove. Our gas bill is under $50 a month. Our electric bill was $120 cheaper after one month of the new rules.

Also, I used to cook huge meals for dinner and have leftovers, I have found that if I cut back on the portions (ie. 4 pork chops instead of 6) my grocery bill goes down, we also don't buy any snack foods at all, our snack foods are cereal at most.

My house has 2 fireplaces, one upstairs, one down. We use those to cut back on the heating bill when we have the wood. It gets pretty hot in here, when you run both of them at the same time....which is also a godsend when we have nasty ice storms and lose power!!

Lets see...anything else....Oh yea, we don't use paper towels at all, we have several hand towels around the house for drying hands and messes, these get washed and air dried to save on the dryer.

Most of my household items I buy at wal mart in the bulk packs....A pack of toilet paper I buy at wal mart for $6 can last us over a month. I only go to walk mart once a month, if that tells you anything?

We shop at thrift stores for our clothes, or go on freecycle.com for anything we may need. It's a great place if you havn't heard of it, give it a try!!
Just go to yahoo groups and type in freecycle.

I have gotten SOOO many things on there for free! My 32" tv, my desk, sofas, clothes, the new crib I just got for the baby, my Christmas tree.

My friends say that I am the queen of cheap & ask me for advice on saving a buck quite often, lol!

 

[Giddyup]

We cut cable and internet in the spring. Just got internet back now. Watch which vechicle we drive where (although has has dropped 30 cents in 2 weeks???). More bulk buying and going out less. Same as others...more effort at making lunches/dinners rather than the easy packaged stuff. Every bit counts. We heat by woodstove and get our wood from logged areas that sell by permit cheap cheap cheap!!

 

[buckeye lady]

Any body else have tips to share?

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Remember that coupons are your friend even though they are not alot it does help you with money. Drop the cell phones and cable/satellite. Remember to only run things when you need it. Unplug electronics when not in use.

 

[mamaKate]

Quote:
Not great, but certainly useable.