What things do you to save money?

[Katrina-Sisu]

I like frugal threads alot, so I thought a general save money thread could be cool.

What things do you do to save money throughout your household?

I turn off electronics when we leave the house. I feel less worried the home will be burnt down and I know it'll save us some change later on.

Katrina

[Lillie]

All the usual things I guess. Try to wash clothes in cold water when I can (some things I just can't wash in cold or they dont' come clean) and hang laundry outdoors or in, on laundry racks. No lights during daytime hours. Waterheater on a timer and I keep trying to shave off hours and half hours to save money. No tv but an hour or two in the evenings to watch news and a favorite program or two. If I must have entertainment, I turn on the little clock/radio instead. Everything off when I leave the home. I heat the home with wood. I do have air conditioning but use it sparingly and have fans to help. I don't drive anywhere unless necessary, even if this means not leaving the homeplace for days on end. Takes some fortitude. Gave up the Starbucks habit. I take care of my clothing by changing into my raggedy work clothes and wearing an apron when I am home and doing chores around the place. Good clothes are hung on pegs and only worn when I go someplace. Ditto for good shoes. I do spend a few dollars a month on color safe bleach for clothes because it removes odors and keeps my clothing looking good. I learned to layer cut my own hair. Minimum on insurance for my vehicles. They are older and run well and are dependable but are not worth a lot dollar-wise. Do not buy all sorts of cleaning products but only use a few like bleach, baking soda, vinegar, window cleaner. Do not buy gadget-y cleaning devices but have a large supply of rags for cleaning floors, dusting, and etc.

[Katrina-Sisu]

Thanks very much for all the handy tips! :)

Katrina

[Txanne]

This may sound strange--but I am strange.

People hanger-oners!

Yes---people.

Those that always seem to lose jobs---need to move in for awhile.

I have watched this action in my own family---the sleeping till all hours of the day--staying up all nite---playing video games [[your electric bills sky rockets]]
And snaking all nite---and the ripple affects takes place---more tp--bath soap---laundry uses--and trying to make food for 2 cover 2-3 extras.

And I believe we have to be frugal with our mental health also---these kind of people eat away at your privacy---your funds and your mental health.

Maybe a little off the wall---but I dont see this talked about--and to prepare and survive--we must make others become responsible for their own lives.

annie

[WileyCoyote]

LOL Yes indeed txanne! We call 'em "emotional vampires". Their first words are always "I need" and they never say thank you. They suck the blood, emotion, money, friendships, relationships, right out of you. They have to have a life of Sturm und Drang, always dramatic, always focussed around them. You get rid of them, your life is suddenly more peaceful, less stressful, and richer in both money and time.

[Txanne]

LOL Yes indeed txanne! We call 'em "emotional vampires". Their first words are always "I need" and they never say thank you. They suck the blood, emotion, money, friendships, relationships, right out of you. They have to have a life of Sturm und Drang, always dramatic, always focussed around them. You get rid of them, your life is suddenly more peaceful, less stressful, and richer in both money and time.


Absoluently!!

If we dont let them suffer the consequences of their actions or lack of---then they will drain you--in all areas.

I think we continue the cycle of unpreparedness in them--they havent a clue as it is.

annie

[bookwormom]

quote:
I have watched this action in my own family---the sleeping till all hours of the day--staying up all nite---playing video games [[your electric bills sky rockets]]

the sleeping till all hrs says it all.
Do you come home to a clean house, potatoes peeled and grass mowed? Is the jobs section of the newspaper full of marker? If not, they are leeches.

as for my humble frugal tip:
I have done that for years and it works. Press a bottle cap into the bottom of a bar of soap. It will last twice as long and you will be just as clean.

[RangerRick]

I'll shop online and look at sales flyers from around town before I make a major purchase but Sweetie will squeeze a dollar bill until Washington farts. She is an expert shopper, does the coupon thing and is such a nut at it I refuse to go with her because she embarrasses me. One supermarket she use to frequent really hated her with a passion as she would get her thrill by locking up the computer. Seems if when the total bill was talleyed and there was no charge the computer would lock up and make a bunch of noise requiring the manager to come over and reboot the system. She was asked politely not to come back.

She is an avid thrift store shopper and fortunately OKC has about 20 good ones and of course she is known and knows most cashiers by name. This is of course a big help because she also has a real passion for eating out of which we do at least one meal every day.

Rick

Rick

[machinemaker]

My wife is a believer in using coupons and subscribes to a site called "the grocery game". In each region of the country there is a local representative who finds the best deals either advertised or unadvertised in store sales. The small subscription fee is more than made up in savings of over 50%. Still she only buys what we need and use, and we don't get much preprocessed or junk food.
kent

[Txanne]

My sister is a couponder--she has been asked also--not to come back. ;)

Why I dont know--the manufactors pay for the redemded coupons--??

I am an avid thrift store shopper---and yard/garage saler---bought my ole wood-burner at one for 18.00[[reg.250.00]] used it for years.

Also--I watch the paper for coupons for material--Micheals --Joanns and Hobby Lobby have 50% coupons all the time--

being alone--is a shopping problem--many items are family sizes---If i cant store it--I dont buy it--


Rick---Sweetie has my vote--go get em !!

annie

[gump]

MM -

I am a little familiar with the grocery game. From what I know, you save money because it tells you ahead of time what will be in the weekly sales.

If that is how it works, wouldn't a consumer be better off by passing on the subscription and just stocking up (filling the freezer) when items are sale? Appreciate the insight.

[gump]

BTW, if any of you all are interested, Mother Earth Mag at the library had a "75 best ways to live on less" article. All the ideas were pretty basic, nothing real unique but the part that caught my eye was when she claimed to live on $4500 a year (what appears to be a family of 3). I almost yelled "bullsh!t" in the middle of the library.

[RangerRick]

Now that there are only the two of us here at the house we occasionally can't eat a full can of some types of foods. Particularly regarding canned chicken, beef & vegetable broth for years Sweetie freezes the excess that we can/don't use in an ice tray and once frozen she just drops em in a zip lock baggie and trows em in the freezer for later use. I don't know how common this money savings is but it sure seems like a good idea.

:D

Rick

[swedishfish]

Well, this is something I think about constantly. I am younger ( 28 ), and my wife and I have been together for 8 years now. When we were starting out I remember having to save the pennies to cook a proper chicken supper in our apartment over the Jimmy John's in Normal, IL. We however started making more, and living more.. well wastefully. Now we have a two year old and another on the way. Its very hard to stop living wastefully, but circumstances are financially difficult these days in Michigan and having two little ones will slap one into shape.

-Drastically cut back on eating out. ( the fast food isnt good or good for you)
-Buy whole foods weekly and skip the prepacked or preseasoned stuff. One hungryman frozen dinner is about 5 dollars. Five dollars buys all kinds of good veggies and rice.
-Plant a garden if you can. I come from a family of gardeners and its been digging at me for the past year (after I bought a home) that I do not have one. But that changes this spring.
-Plan your driving and carpool with your family. All those 10-15 minute trips around town use gas too.
-Marry someone who knits. It wil help you turn the thermostat down :D
-Reuse what you can, get rid of stuff you dont need. Sell it on ebay, sell it on craigslist, or use a freecycle organization. This one helps me mentally. You can make better use of your garage/basement if its cleared of stuff you know you'll never use. ( this was hard and still is hard for me.. I like my stuff)

[ryanmercer]

I like frugal threads alot, so I thought a general save money thread could be cool.

What things do you do to save money throughout your household?

I turn off electronics when we leave the house. I feel less worried the home will be burnt down and I know it'll save us some change later on.

Katrina

Chances are turning them off isn't saving you a dime. If you really want to save money, unplug them or put them on a power strip and switch it off. Google phantom loads. :)

[anna]

I hang clothes outside in the summer and in the basement in the winter. I use Fels Napha, borax & washing soda and make my own laundry soap. Works great. We use vinegar for fabric softener.

We use cloth napkins instead of paper, rags instead of paper towels, handkerchief instead of tissue. We try never to buy single use throw away items. I buy boxes of old linens at auctions and remake the large linen table cloths into tea towels, napkins, and rags.

I change clothes as soon as I get home from work before I start cooking or other chores. I carefully watch clothing and household linens and mend as needed. We went on a clothing diet in 2007 and bought no clothing for a year.

I cut old bath towels into hand towels, baby bibs, hot pads and rags. Old sheets are torn into strips to be braided into rugs. When clothing is ready for the rag bag I remove buttons, zippers and trims that can be reused.

I carry my lunch every day and have forever. I also buy any soda I drink on sale and take it in my lunch bag. I refill water bottles from my Brita pitcher. None of the $1.25 drinks from the office machine for me.

I buy everything possible used. I love household auctions for kitchen equipment, linens, canning equipment, jars, gardening equipment and occasionally furniture and appliances. I try always to have an auction or garage sale replacement on a shelf in the basement for my mixer, toaster, food processor, coffee maker etc. It has saved me hundreds of dollars being able to "shop" in my basement.

Probably my biggest money saving project is my pantry. I live in a small town with grocery shopping 20 miles away so I don't want to run out of anything. We do have a local store but prices are 3x's as much as 20 miles away. I shop after work so never make a special trip to shop. Whenever I use something from the pantry it goes on the shopping list so my pantry always stays at the same level.

I balance my checkbook to the penny each and every month. I match my receipts to my credit card statements and I pay my credit card 100% each month. I make a budget and we keep track of every penny we spend.

We use the library for reading material and limit our buying of books to how-to type books that will be useful for years to come and I buy most of those at library book sales. The same with magazines. We subscribe to Backwoods Home, Countryside, Workbench and Sew News all of which we keep for future reference.

We plant a big garden each year and can, dry, freeze or store the produce. I order seeds every other year using a $25 off coupon on $50 order. I start my own sweet potatoes from a potato grown the previous year.

The biggest money saver is to STAY DEBT FREE. We have been debt free since 3/07 when I made our last mortgage payment 2.5 years ahead of payoff date. The above mentioned ways of saving were turned into extra $ on the mortgage.

[nancy1340]

, handkerchief instead of tissue.

This is one thing that is NOT a good thing unless you only use the hanky once and then put it in the wash. This one thing re-infects you when you are recovering from a cold or the flu.

[anna]

I have allergies and a constant drip. I haven't had a cold in several years. Dh also has a constant drip due to meds he takes. I don't think he's had but one cold in the last couple of years. I grew up with hankies and I don't think it was an issue. If you're sick, you're sick. And if you've got a cold, you'll be going thru several hankies a day so they'll be in the wash. BTW ironing hankies is a good way to kill any remaining germs.

[John_P]

Learn how to tend for your own health. I am not a fundamentalist, don't belong to any church, don't preach, don't claim Jesus as my "savior" (but rather as my dear, wise, truthful brother), and wouldn't think of telling anyone else what to believe. But I am a loyal follower of God. There are very effective modes of "self" healing that are available for free as a "gift" from God that is actually our birth right. These are available packaged in several forms, but one easy one to work with and learn is called "Reiki." Some human teachers might want to charge for the learning, but you can often find others who will teach you for free. It is not complex. Or, just practice meditation, and in meditation ask God to help you learn how to heal yourself and your family. Just be prepared for the reality that while healing can be spirtual, most all illness has spiritual roots. Or don't bother with any of this, and just accept being sick and paying dear resources to the medico establishment.

Practice meditation, and get free energy, and free wise guidance. But run away from anyone who tells you that you "should" do anything.

[nancy1340]

*I grew up with hankies and I don't think it was an issue. *If you're sick, you're sick. *And if you've got a cold, you'll be going thru several hankies a day so they'll be in the wash. *BTW ironing hankies is a good way to kill any remaining germs. *


I'll be sure and tell my doctor he dosn't know what he's talking about. Thank. ;)

[leera]

Anna,great post........ :)

Hubby and I are newly credit card debt free....as of Dec 31st.....

We've practiced a lot of the same things you posted,and it really does make a big difference....changing are lifestyle to suit our income had saved us from filing for bankruptcy,and also possibly saved what was a shaky marriage.........

We also found faith in each other,you have to work together as a couple,or family to achive a debt free life......everyone in the house needs to be looking to reach the same goals.......

Now we are working on the getting this old mobile home paid for so we can look towards getting a house on some land....... :)

[theresehirko]

I cut out the stop at the coffee bar at the hospital ($4.50), breakfast at the hospital ($1.87), lunch at the hospital (7.50) and the afternoon coffee break (4.50). At 18.50/day x four days per week, i am saving almost $75 a week. I bring a 16oz travel mug in from home filled with coffee, bring breakfast and lunch from home, and have one of those refillable water bottles that I use for afternoon water. I was SHOCKED at the amount of money I found myself spending each week. I also wash in cold, hang out to dry, got rid of $60/month cable tv, only get the Sunday newspaper (coupon day) which pays for itself in coupons, buy in bulk and pressure can.

[dreams_in_color]

I take the thermos of coffee to work with me. I was not spending mega bucks on coffee but was spending a couple of dollars a day.

The weird thing I started doing was when a group get Chinese or Japanese at work the girls split a meal because they give so much food. Then when we finish eating they were throwing out the soy sauce. I use a lot in marinades so I take the little packets home put them in a plastic bag till I need them then empty into my soy sauce jar I bought that is like the one in the restaurants. I wash off the packets because they seem to get handled a lot then I clip the ends and pour through a funnel into the jar. It really took less packets to fill the bottle than I would have imagined.

I am not as frugel as I would like to be but I am trying.


Susan

[theresehirko]

I typically spend 12 hours either on the hospital floor or in the classroom (I'm in nursing school) so I rarely eat sit down at the table and eat at home. Every night before I go to bed, I get my meals ready for the next day. Bob still gets home cooked meals because I cook in bulk and pressure can. All he has to do is open a jar and heat. We also shred all of our junk mail and magazines and use that for packing material. The UPS sore by us takes our styrofoam peanuts if we ever get any. The penal farm in our county also takes all of our recycling and uses it to fund their GED program. We buy a lot of their produce at the Farmers Market. We put our lights on timers for the Sabbath and put all of our small appliances on strip outlets so we can turn it off and save electricity.

[Saoirse]

Cold water wash. Air dry, especially towels, rugs and bedding. Energy efficient refrigerator. Cook all meals from scratch. Cut meat usage down to 1/2. Cut coupons. Stock up on non-perishables at sales. Handwash dishes. Wash your own car and do your own oil changes and minor maintenance. Grow a garden from mostly seeds (cheap ones work great if you only need a few plants.) Try to buy heirlooms and save the seeds for next year. Garage sales. Flea markets. Auctions. Ebay. Barter. Remember less is more. Shut off air conditioning. Turn down thermostat in winter. Drive less. Refuse to buy Southeast Asian merchandise unless it is an emergency. (This has saved me a fortune!) Have printer ink cartridges refilled. Get a sewing machine (used of course) and sew your own stuff! Don't buy candy bars or drinks at the gas station. Make this a game and you will have fun while saving huge $$$.

[matt608]

If I need to save money I don't go out, going out and having fun is what costs me by far the most money!

[Katrina-Sisu]

I agree about not going out, it's gotten insanely expensive. To rent a DVD is now around 8 bucks here, bleh! Fast food has gotten so expensive that it's an every other month thing now. Thank goodness for cheap nukeable pizzas lol.

Kat

[lateaprildawn]

Hi all, I have enjoyed reading all your hints and tips so far.

You do realise that you are the height of fashion (GRIN) I was given a leaflet by a trendily shabbily dressed teenager whilst shopping about saving food LOL. He was shocked to hear I already reused or froze leftovers, went for the staples rather than convenience foods, and horror of horrors walked rather than used my car if going to the local shops !

:o

I would like to echo ryanmercers comments regarding electricity use.

Its the "invisible" usage i am trying to cut down on. (i do live alone so I must admit this is easier)

Eg, this morning I am using my computer, when it is switched on , so is the printer and scanner ! so i have just bent down and unplugged them.

I was listening to a favorite radio station via my tv. When the tv is on so is a video machine and a dvd player. As Ryan suggests I have fitted a seperate powerstrip so they dont need to be on.

More still, my computer is on for probably 12 hours a day, for work or entertainment. I have just found my favorite radio station "online",,,,ok thats the tv switched off now.

If i want to use the video the clock will be wrong but as I rarely use the timer to record anything its not a problem for me at all.

As its early on a monday morning here I have started using a gadget that calculates the cost of electricity for any particular electric socket.I am going to see what difference there is between leaving things on "stand by" and unplugging them totally

I really want to know how much these things (even on stand by) use.

Oh dear, knowing i am wasting money doing this trial goes against the grain

:o

Best wishes,
April

[msta999]

I have floresent lights through out the house. Started a garden for the first time ( although the start up costs were a little high and the squirrils keep getting into it >:( ) Bought a nonworking heavy duty tiller and got it running-gives me the ability to make some extra money if need be and till my own garden.

[pinetreefarm]

In the grocery department, I faithfully use my price book and shop specials. When there is a good special, I will buy a case or a large quantity. Gradually I have a 6 mo to a year supply of food that will keep us eating in the event of a family financial downturn. We have a large garden and have our own eggs most of the year. We do purchase in quantity from various places on line. We bake our own bread and grind our own wheat. I try to use the 50 mile rule where I can. food is fresher and helping the local ecconomy instead of China.

In the "other stuff" department. We use cloth napkins that generally last us a week. We do not use paper towels but have lots of cleaning rags from old towels and old sheets, etc. We make most of our own cleaning supplies and also make our laundry soap. We wash and hang laundry to air dry. We do purchase toothpaste and use an electric toothbrush for we feel we save money in the long run with good dental checkups.



We are totally debt free. We have one credit card for on line purchases but pay total each month so no service charge, or interest.

Our mortgage was a 15 year that we paid up in 7 1/2 yrs by making half payments monthly and paying 1 additional payment yearly.

Since we are debt free, we were able to pay cash for our 1 car.

In the clothing department, when the kids were young I make most of their clothes, knit sweaters, hats, mittens. I have a knitting machine that helped most things along. Made snowsuits, etc. Now that our clothing needs lean more to the jeans, we try to buy "American" when we can.

With the grandkids, I refuse to purchase any toys made in China and try to buy American. My way of making a political statement.

Pine

[sioux-pepper]

My husband is a cowboy and buckaroos for the largest ranch in Oregon. We do not make much of a salary, but housing and utilities are provided. Beef is not provided; however, we can raise our own leppie calves (bum calves). One thing that we have done all of our lives is to learn to make things ourselves (as this site is all about).

Being a cowboy can get pretty expensive, given all of the gear and tack one needs. I have made for my husband approximately 90% of his tack and gear, including his saddle. I made his chinks (chaps), spur straps, as mentioned – the saddle, and mohair cinch. He braided his own McCarty (Mecate or reins).
We would have spent thousands to buy all of that, but most buckaroos and cowboys of the old tradition have at least one talent so that they can offset their purchases. I make and sell most of these items on the side as well.
I think that most of the ppl here find themselves in the same sort of position or they wouldn’t be interested in BWH.
Anything one can do to offset outside purchases is a major plus. Cowboys and buckaroos also do an awful lot of trading (at least here). Eg: my husband had an extra set of spurs and traded for a new silver snaffle bit, a rope, and a headstall.

Just my two bits!
Misty

[nancy1340]

Wow Misty, you sound like a very accomplished lady.

[sioux-pepper]

Thank you :)
I come from a long line of rawhide braiders, but leather work seemed to be my thing. I learned to make chaps when I was young and started doing it again about 10 years ago. That is when I also learned to hand tie mohair cinchas. I learned to make saddles 3 years ago. I have not made anymore however, as it is very time consuming and I have two little ones now. So...that led me to making quilts (if I couldn't build saddles, I needed a frugal and practical way to express the craftsman in me I suppose :D)
Anyway, all of this has benefited us as we cannot afford the store bought versions!

Of course we do other things out of necessity and to save money - growing a big garden etc...
We live 100 miles from the grocery store, so we only shop once a month (there is a little store closer, but they are double in price...so emergency only stuff you know).
The bad thing about only shopping once a month is that we run out of fresh quickly and we can't hit the sales.
I wish we had a better way of doing that.
Misty

[Clair_Schwan]

To save serious money, you have to focus on the things that consume the most money, and those that provide the least return on investment, regardless of what they cost.

Food is a big one - we have greenhouses, chickens, turkeys, and soon a couple of fish ponds with ducks. We are also considering goats and rabbits.

Energy - I've cut back on fuel about 75% and buy in bulk during the winter at $1 less per gallon. We heat with wood, and I will be installing wind turbines to eliminate our electric bill. We will also be installing solar panels to heat water.

Interest payments - no mortgage here, and credit cards are paid in full each month. Debt free for 3 years now.

Live in a tax free state - that saves me about $8,000 a year.

Move to a lower cost of living area - life in areas of the country that have lower demand usually have a lower cost of living. I found that real estate prices don't vary much across the country once you get away from the large cities where the demand for things is high.

Shop at private sales - rummage, yard, garage and estate sales, and auctions. You can't beat the prices on things that you and your family can use.

Reduce overall cost of transportation by driving less and driving more wisely. I share rides with my neighbors and I don't go to town unless I have a need.

Get things delivered - the cost of driving a 35 mile round trip could be more than having something delivered, especially if free delivery is offered.

Work from home - this saves lots of money in gas, lunches, wear and tear on the vehicle, and you save lots of time as well.

Turn off the TV - television programming is wrapped around a solid core of advertising that is meant to make us feel less satisfied with our lives. If you watch less, you want less, and you'll buy fewer useless things. I haven't watched TV in my home for over 10 years, and I haven't missed it one bit.

I have a website dedicated to frugal living. These and many more suggestions are described and shown in detail. Feel free to take a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com

I try to update the site once a week with new text and pictures. When it comes to saving money and living a frugal life, there is no end to the stuff you can write about. I am happy to include new pages and add to the ones I have based on suggestions, so let me hear from you.

In the meantime, I hope the site is helpful and inspires you to do some of the things that I am doing to cut my bills and be more independent. My biggest project right now is finishing my third and largest greenhouse.

Good fortune to all of my self-reliant friends out there,

Clair

[Cil]

As a newbie and living in the big city of Los Angeles, I do have a couple of tips. Grocery stores are not the only place to find household stuff. Here in L.A., I shop at Big Lots alot. Especially for my laundry soap. So much cheaper there. Tip 2 comes from my mother and stepfather. Try shopping at specialty stores. Sometimes they have things that are in bigger in bulk for cheaper. They love to shop at this certain Italian store/deli. They can buy herbs in 5x the size containers [and reusable when herbs are gone. ;)] for almost more than half the price of regular grocery store herbs. Tip 3 also comes from mom and stepdad. Learn to reuse pasta sauce and other jars like that.

I hope this helps.

[Cil]

Almost forgot. I am going to a free movie. We had a fundraiser for the youth group at church today and we had a raffle. I won a free movie ticket for AMC. I'll go for that.

And my last grocery trip, I got enough "points" to get a 5% off my next purchase.

[Funkhouser]

I have become a firm believer in the stay-cation (spending my week or two of vacation time at home sweet home). You save on gasoline and other travel expenses, as well as the cost of eating out (which most folks do when on vacation, right?)...plus there's so many cool things to do withing a few miles of where I live anyway. I know not all have that luxury, but you'd be surprised what fun can be had close to home in lieu of taking a far-off trip. ;)

[smileylove162]

I see alot of us on this forum know how to play the grocery game-I find here in Ontario,Canada we don't always get the great coupons that U.S stores offer, but we've been able to get along pretty good. We buy NO prepackaged food, have a garden, have chickens, and I learned as a young bride to cook lots of things from scratch. My 2 boys aren't real big meateaters, but I shop at our butcher's for most of our meat. That way I know where the meat comes from(she'll tell me what farmer the beef is from, etc)-always great when living in a small town.. ;)
One thing I haven't seen on this thread is how do you save money with kids? Well, I still have a 16 yr old & a 12-yr old at home, both boys, so here's what we do. They always help me make our family's food & clothing budget. DH & I feel it's of utmost importance to teach kids to budget & spend money wisely! And to know money is not endlessly available! My oldest likes the more expensive shoes ($75) so I tell him his dad & I will put in $40 and he adds the rest. Both our kids have jobs (FT in summer) and they add to their clothing or toy/video game budget as needed. In our house, nobody rides for free! LOL. I think that's the most important thing.
My kids learned to look for sales, watch the cash register with me when shopping(and they're vocal about it if it scans wrong!) They love to check out Value Village (our local 2nd-hand store) and sometimes even Goodwill or Sally Ann (which are very well run here, BTW). The only new item they get is shoes, since my pediatrician recommended kids not wear used shoes (bad for growing feet, apparently).
Also, my kids are thankfully not into sports!! We had offered to keep them involved (they both played soccer when little) but my 16-yr old says hockey stuff is really expensive now, into the THOUSANDS by the time you get gear, pay the fees, and drive your kid everywhere. So he plays golf (Grampa gave him his old golf set) and he saves up out of his paycheck to go every Sunday with a friend. The 12-yr old rides his bike, given to us by friends who have only 1 spoiled rotten kid. My 12-yr old is a future mechanic, and he fixed that bike all up (it was just neglected) and now it looks like a $200 bike!

Finally, my spouse & I LOVE to barter! The house we live in is FREE to us-my hubby's boss owns it (and was renting it out at $650/mth) and he bartered with the guy so that we could live here free for as long as hubby works at the farm.
We trade honey/eggs/garden stuff with neighbors, and we got free "doggie daycare" plus 1 free week of dogboarding for our rambunctious Shepherd pups by offering to watch the 3 dogs of our nearby kennel owners when they go away.
Well, I could go on & on, but these are just some of the things we do to save money. One of our family rules is to try and do stuff yourself (except maybe for electrical work..lol) so we get on the internet or hit the library (kids included) and gather up all the info we'd need to do a certain project. Being able to build our own polebarn, kitchen counters, doing our own drywalling,tiling, etc has likely saved us a bundle as well. Keep in mind, though, that you must know your limitations! I have no patience for hammering stuff, but I enjoy painting...you get the idea.
So those are some of the money-saving things we do. :D

[smileylove162]

Oh, BTW, I should add that since I still hafta work away from home-I work in a tax office, I am the ONLY person in the office that brings a brown-bagged lunch every day. We have a microwave at work so I can do up soups, stews, stir fry's, etc at home and then bring them along in Rubbermaid food containers. My colleagues are always asking me what smells so good when I reheat stuff... :D
I figure our office of 4 people probably spends a combined $40/day (the 3 that eat out each day) on fast food and coffee. I bring my coffee from home, too and keep tea at the office. No bloody way am I giving half my paycheck to Kentucky Fried Chicken!! Or Starbucks!

[thebiglebowski]

Something I find that saves me money especially when things are on sale is to figure out the price per gram or ounce. Even though it may be on sale, sometimes it may not be a sale compared to the same product under a different name per gram/ounce costs.

Here is a example, I have found myself a collector of toilet paper.... my family or friends come over and have to open up one of the many closets I have and its stuffed with toilet paper and they just laugh. Some of them have actually ended up buying some from me as it was more convient to then stop on the way home.

I just have this .....urge to purchase toiletries when they;re on sale. I think that they will be far more valuable then say any amount of money if there is some type of economic collapse.

Anyways I have lots of tooth paste, shampoo etc. But for the toilet paper this is what I have noticed.

Over the last few years the size of the rolls and sheets have gotten smaller. Example I had been away for the last five months and had put all my stuff into storage, put the boy at my sister's and had no need to buy the stuff. But I tell you it was hard not to.

Anyways I have since moved into a house and last week started to buy toilet paper once again to add to my 700 roll inventory! I saw some on sale and picked it up without looking, when I got home I found to my horror that they had made the roll smaller once again.

Here is what the roll started out as a few years back, they had 196 or 200 sheets per roll and were 10.5 x 11 (I still have a couple packs left of this size thats how many I have) then they went to 196 sheets 10.1 x9.9, well we sailed away at that status for a couple of years then they started this "Double" roll bs, which you need to look because its not always double as far as sheet count goes. Then shortly after that they went to 176 sheets / 10.1 x9.9 size roll and we have been like that for the last four or five years.

Well as I mentioned earlier I bought some this past week only to find out that the roll has gone down to 150 sheets per roll, then without thinking or (just assumed) i asked the boy to pick up some toilet paper that was on sale on his way home, never thinking that this brand would be the same as this is the brand I have predominantly in my home. Well you guess it, not only did they follow suit but made the rolls even smaller, their rolls are now 140 sheets per roll. I figure that based on a standard size package of 24 roll I'm losing almost 4 rolls, they're still selling them at the sale price but it makes the product about a dollar more now.

I know that this may seem a little silly to some but its an example of how companies squeeze profit and most of us don't realize the extra cost.

They have done it with cheese here in Canada. I use to be able to get approximately 2lbs of cheese (900 grams) on sale for about 5 bucks then a few years back they shrunk the package back to 600 grams same price then last year they went to 520 grams.

Anyways I was able to source out toilet paper that is still at 176 sheets per roll and was on sale for 3.99 for 24 rolls, so now I'm almost up to a thousand rolls.......does anyone need any?

[walls0stone]

woman in our town would go out after haloween and pick it out of trees. if you used her bathroom, you'd find a baskeet of it, just look out for the needles and leaves. :)

[Cil]

Today I needed bath soap, so I went to the 99 Cents store and got 3 bars for yep, .99 cents. I need to shop there more often. They have some great deals.

[denham]

I feel like I am close to my limit of what I can do to save money without making my life miserable. I am enjoying all these ideas because they are challenging me to do more! Here are some of mine-

I bought a big fan to use when I sleep so I can turn off the air. Indiana summers can be brutal with the humidity. So far it is working okay, even got a little chilly with it.

Use cruise control as much as possible - my gas mileage is over 34 mpg average.

Learned how to make seedling pots out of newspaper. Growing all sorts of different plants from dried beans I bought at the grocery store.

I need a patio area - right now it's just dirt and weeds outside my back door. So I called my town's street dept. and they have free wood chips as long as I pick up. So I'm going to make a patio of wood chips and use inexpensive pavers as a border.

I need to work on a rainwater catchment system for my garden - anybody who wants to chime in with ideas for a cheap/free one please do.

I can't break myself of the habit of splurging on chocolate donuts at least once a month. Must be hormonal :P I wish I could because I like the expensive kind!

[reyecat]

how much can they be???? a few bucks a month, you should splurge or you're going to go crazy!!!! Much work and no play make a dull girl!

[denham]

They are like $4. But I also splurge on pop too often! At least I get the store brand usually which is a few bucks cheaper.

Oh, and I have found that dollar general has prices below other store's sales on pasta, some cleaning supplies, and soap. I got 3 good size bars of basic soap for 90 cents.

[Cil]

I see absolutely nothing wrong in treating yourself to a favorite splurge every so often. As long as it isn't every day that you spend that $4, only once a month or so, don't beat yourself up for your treat.

[obutiamcalm]

I developed a quirkly mode of grocery shopping that saves me a fortune. I don't make a list - I shop based on what is on sale. If I use it regularly, I buy 3-6 of it when it is on sale (you will learn the sale cycles and will eventually know how many you will need until the next time it comes on sale). Unless I have run out of something (RARELY happens) I ONLY buy what is on sale (with the exception of fruits and veges, then I buy what I need and try to buy fruit and veges only in season, and then freeze or can them). According to my grocery store that tracks what I buy, I saved over $1000 last year with this method and I eat the brands I like instead of eating coupon brands which are rarely my favorites.

For fun, I will make up the weekly menu based ONLY on what is on sale. You have to be creative and willing to try new combinations but it sure is fun to "beat the house" buying only their loss leaders.

I can all my own soups (except for cream of mushroom which I buy by the case but only when it is on sale!) using homegrown veges or veges I buy on sale and freeze until I need them for soups, and my own spaghetti sauce (my tomatoes, vension). When I get tired of eating off a roast, or chicken or whatever, I make a new version of soup and can it up. That way I don't burn out on an item. I have over 15 different recipes for using up pork roasts (pork soup recipes are really hard to find!)

I did the numbers on a chest freezer and discovered that if I bought meat only on sale and rewrapped it for the freezer, I could recoup the cost of the freezer within 6-12 months. So I bought a chest freezer and saved a bundle. I buy pork loins only on sale and cut/wrap and freeze them into chops for grilling or roasts. When the summer cost of loin chops hit $4.99 last week, I pulled out my 1" thick $1.99 chops that I put up a month or so ago - and did my little superiority dance!

I spin my own yarns and knit all our sweaters.

I dilute juice with at least 25% water - I need to drink more water and have found juices are usually too strong for my palate anyway - this works well.

I learned how to groom/clip my dogs, which saves me a fortune!!!

I have a beekeeper use my land and get free honey in return.

I buy eggs from local farmers or 4-H kids - this is usually less expensive than the urban farm markets which tend to sell at premium prices.

When we allow someone to hunt on our property, we take the first deer for us, and then they can hunt for themselves.

And if I have a bucket or a container, I plant something edible in it.

I grow herbs and hot peppers inside in the winter.

I tried recycling newspapers and cardboard tubes into papier mache birdhouses - had a blast and a lot of laughs but the newspapers piled up faster than I could use them up. Although I sealed the birdhouses with paint and polyurethane, they got soggy (everything does in Virginia!). If anyone has a better way to do it, I'd like to know!


;D

[RenieB]

We use energy saving bulbs in all our lightening, wash laundry in cold water, have a switch in my kitchen to shut hot water off when not needed, have a plan to shop on a day with other necessary trips, stalk up on sale items of food. I am sure there are more but that is all I can think of right now.

RenieB

[Cil]

I've noticed, in at least my area of Los Angeles, that gas prices are dropping dramatically. Even though I don't drive, I bus it.