TIP Frugal Tips - 2015

[Songbird7777777]

Adino, you are right about buying off season. We do that whenever possible, if we are buying new. In fact, we just bought me a jacket that we agree hubby will give me next year for Christmas, lol. It was at a great discount since they are trying to get rid of winter things now.

W&W, thanks for the Azure Standard link! I'll check them out too, although we're set for a while on that type of thing.

Amazed, that's a great idea for "wish I had done this instead of that". I'm sure I have plenty of those, but have to try to remember them. Hopefully others will chime in with thoughts too!

Be Well, I never even thought of canning oranges! Do you have a recipe for that? I can apples and pears into sauce, "butter"or preserves.

That's a great idea for jar warmers from old socks too. Btw, the scrubbies I made you work great for rough heels and elbows.

The Tightwad Gazette only lasted a few years, but they are great! I have copies of the books and think I even have some of her old newsletters around somewhere.

Thanks for all the ideas! Please keep them coming!

Canning Grapefruit, Oranges and Mandarins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KGV9SZtoIU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkyl2n51ClQ

 

[Deena in GA]

Thanks, Songbird, for all the recipes and videos!

I've said this before on these type of threads, but I'll add it again for anyone who may be new and may be thinking about wood heat. We have heated our home with wood for over 30 years now and, other than the gas spent getting it, have never paid a penny for it. We paid right at $250 for the wood heater back then (granted they are much more expensive now) and it paid for itself in the first year. We started out cutting our own wood, but quickly found that many people have trees cut down and don't want the wood. We put out the word that we would take any wood that people wanted to get rid of, and have had plenty of takers over the years. Sometimes they even deliver it to us! When hubby worked in town, he would also see it stacked up by the road and would stop and make sure the people didn't want it, then would haul it home. It helps that we are not picky about what kind of wood it is. It all gets aged for a couple of years or more before we use it, so it burns just fine.

 

[Sleeping Cobra]

There are a lot of videos on youtube to make home made foods. It gets tiring purchasing the "little expensive" bottles. I want to learn to make home made salad dressings then save money making a large batch. Bacon - Blue Cheese and Ranch Dressing are my favorites.

 

[Deena in GA]

This is a great pictorial of how one family turned their nondescript front yard into a wonderful garden area of raised beds and ended up with food for the neighborhood.

http://growfood-notlawns.com/started-boxes-60-days-later-neighbors-not-believe-built/

 

[Be Well]

Thank you for the cracker recipes. I've tried online recipes, most cookbooks don't have any, and every cracker I've made is ... hard to the point of only I will eat them. Hard tack. I will try them. I would love to make Ak Mak style crackers. I have made good graham crackers (without eggs though) years ago when my kids were small and they were good.

 

[Be Well]

Deena - we heat with all wood, too. We use mostly wood from our own property, it's only 5 acres but DH needs to cut more trees so the garden can have more sun anyway, it was thickly covered with trees when we bought it. We keep our eyes open for extra wood and he has gotten a lot of wood from people who either already cut trees or wanted them cut, and didn't want the wood. Right now we have enough wood for maybe 4 years, it just needs to be stored better! We burn any wood, stuff that other people might not, but we're not picky.

 

[Be Well]

I'm watching the grapefruit video. Wow, she cuts off a lot of the fruit and a lot of juice goes onto the cutting board. I peel by hand and peel off the membranes by hand. Saves a lot of the fruit. But that's just me, I was raised to be ultra stingy.... Interesting that she puts the rings as well as lids in the hot water, I never have done that. Shows that there is more than one way to do things.

Now I'm watching the top video. She's slicing too, I can't do that because of wastage! :-) AND she didn't wash the mandarins!! eeek.

I highly recommend canning citrus as it tastes really fresh and not ultra cooked. And if you have more than you can eat at once it's a good way to keep them without them going bad.

 

[biere]

I simply want to put some more money towards some projects later this year.

I decided that I needed to sit down and look at where money went, and then work on cutting it down.

Regular bills are regular, some can be cut back a bit with a lot of stuff mentioned and I am debating cutting some out completely for this year. Some are memberships for the year that usually pay for themselves. Basically if I can do without whatever for the year I don't need the membership. This would work best for me by loading up one year, not joining the next year, and then the following year play ketchup. Or mustard. Some risk to this concept as well, gonna run short that year of no membership.

Starting the day on the money saving ideas sights is a good way to get my head thinking right for the day.

To some extent I am a sucker for places that pay you for something. Homedepot card is in the wallet after they offered 50 bucks off 100 dollar purchase, or something like that. Card costs nothing and gets paid off each time.

 

[Emilys]

Look for discount grocers in your area. Our nearest one is about an hour away, but each time I have to go to Denver or up that way - I hit them. Last buys were blueberries for 50c for 6 oz and large cans of Nido milk for $1.99. I get my spices from glensbulkfoods.com.

I second this. We have a 'scratch and dent' grocery store near us. The prices are unbelievable. Top of the line, organics and natural/health stuff for (literally) pennies on the dollar. You never know what you're going to find so it is best to START your weekly shopping there FIRST.

 

[Emilys]

Try to have one or two days a week where you spend $0. It doesn't have to be everyone in the house, maybe just you or your spouse. It is nice to have that cushion for emergencies at the end of the week.

 

[Mixin]

Menard's has some really good rebate deals; I've gotten many, many items for free (except for tax). The refund is in the form of a Menard's credit and I have never had a problem receiving mine.

When my cousin goes to garage sales, she has a list of items she's looking for. If she doesn't see what she wants, she will ask the sellers if they have any of them and if they would be interested in selling. She also has made some really good trades at the sales.

 

[WildDaisy]

I became an Avon Rep to save money. I spend 49 cents on my deodorant. $1-$2 for my shampoo, conditioner, hair coloring, hair spray and half price for my skin care products, clothing, bras, sleepwear and shoes.

I earn enough each campaign that my customers pay for my groceries!

 

[oma]

Well, I may as well add what i do to save $$$$. I cut out all bones from beef and pork, Steaks or Roast don't matter what, raw, and freeze then. When I have enough, I make soup with them. Sometimes I roast them first in the oven, but mostly i set them up just like reg. soup. add vegetables, and these i usually dried in the summer. there scraps, Tomato peels, carrot and celery peels and ends, you get the idea. it's a healthy and rich soup and should there be leftovers you can strain it and freeze and you have wonderful broth for something else, or just freeze it for sou on another day.

 

[Be Well]

I thought of another thing I do. Any large envelopes or padded mailers (not counting priority mail types that are free from USPS) I save. I cut them down if necessary, tape paper over the address and use again.

Oh, I clean tub, sink, toilt with baking soda, a few drops of eucalyptus oil and a squirt of dish soap or Dr. Bronners, and a nylon scrubbie. Not Deena's yet, I've been using those "Japanese towels" they sell in Hawaii, cut in half. Gets porcelain tubs/sinks/toilets very clean although it does not get out stains. Very cheap.

 

[anna43]

I posted this on another thread and was asked to repost it here.

I think there are several keys to keeping grocery expenses down. First, shop according to the sales. I bought enough flour, sugar and brown sugar on sale between Thanksgiving and Christmas to last the year at 88¢ to 99¢ for 5# flour, 4# sugar and 2# brown sugar. I also bought a year's supply of butter for $1.79 to $1.99 during the same time frame.

Second, is never to buy pre-prepared packaged foods. Bake your own bread, biscuits, cookies. Give hamburger all the help it needs without buying "helper" products. Clean your own produce.

Third, know your prices so when read the ads each week you know if advertised specials are really special. If the price is right, buy enough to last until the next sale so you need to know when that might be. Some things go on sale in about 6 week cycles and others only once or maybe twice a year. Don't be a slave to any one store or brand.

Fourth, learn where to get the best price on the things you buy. Or maybe the best quality for the best price which might be more important. I like Honeyville for wheat because I think the quality is tops. I don't even check prices just order from them because I've been very disappointed on wheat purchased elsewhere.

Fifth, grow a big garden. Can, freeze, dehydrate or store your harvest. Also, if you can raise chickens for meat and eggs. Other animals too if cost effective.

Sixth, control serving sizes. Do not eat more than recommended amounts of meat, dairy and other expensive foods. As part of that do not allow family unlimited access to food. Plan meals and plan snacks. Tell the family what they can have and that they MUST stay out of everything else. Teenagers especially can eat you out of your budget in a hurry if not kept under control. Popcorn, if purchased in bulk, is an inexpensive snack that most kids like. It can be popped in the microwave in a microwave popper or in a paper lunch sack. I prefer the popper as there is little danger of fire and its a buy once use forever item. I buy 12½ pounds of popcorn and quart sized containers of popcorn seasoning at the restaurant supply place. Popcorn prices have more than doubled in the last couple of years, but its still a relatively inexpensive snack. Another part of serving sizes, is that no one needs a gallon of milk a day. One glass at each meal is plenty. Read labels for serving size and do your best to get family members to do so too. Encourage water as beverage of choice for both saving money and health.

Seventh, eliminate waste. I recently cleaned my kitchen cupboards thoroughly for the first time in a couple years. I didn't have to throw away much, but I did have to throw away several expensive items that had been shoved to the back and over looked. Keep track of what's in the fridge and cupboards so you don't have any waste.

 

[Be Well]

Deena, I have to tell you about the scrubbies you sent. DH immediately asked which one was his; I had told him about mechanics using them to clean their hands. He used it and in a few minutes came out and told me how much he loved it! His hands were covered with exterior paint and caulking, and the scrubbie cleaned his hands better than anything else he's used. I also find them so much better for dishes than green scrubbies (too sharp for glass when new, and in a few days they're too feeble for anything, or the "new" Tuffies, that used to be yellow and red and are now blue, and just unravel immediately and don't work as they used to, or copper scrubbies that dissolve in about 2 days.

YOUR scrubbies clean out easily, are flexible so I can easily clean canning jars (and they don't scratch) but strong enough for most pot/dish washing, except when I burn something...

I may buy a few more so I have a few years' supply, I am serious. I have no dishwasher (except my hands) and I know about dish cleaning stuff.

 

[Deena in GA]

Thank you for reposting that info, Anna! It is very good information!

Be Well, thank you so much for that endorsement! You will find they last longer than what is on the market too. In fact, I have a system with the ones I use here. The newest one is for washing dishes, the more worn out one is used for scrubbing sinks or the bathtub and the most worn out one is used for grungy jobs. Then my daughter has one that she uses strictly for her heels and elbows. There's another that is used for scrubbing hands.

 

[Terriannie]

Okay, we just bit the bullet and signed up for Christian Healthcare Ministries version of medical bill sharing (fits 0care's definition for healthcare). Now we have to figure out how to carve the $255 monthly fee out of our meager budget.

Those of you who have been around a while may (or may not, lol) remember that we've done these threads before, but I always need new ideas of ways to save money, so I'm hoping we can help each other with this and keep the thread ongoing.

Personally, we already shop almost entirely at thrift stores for clothing, housewares, etc, unless we find something on sale at a greatly reduced price. We also make use of all discounts, coupons, etc that we can get our hands on. If we eat out somewhere, its because we either have a very good coupon or we've bought the half-price cards on Dealsavers. For instance, we've had a Del Taco open up in town and Dealsaver offered two $5 cards for $5. We bought several. They also have a $1 discount on your next purchase, if you do their survey online. So we go, order $6 worth of food and use the coupon as well as the card and end up paying only the tax.

We also use coupons and sales at grocery stores and spend much less than most people there. One thing I'm going to go back to doing is baking our bread. Its much cheaper to bake it myself than buy it, and much healthier as well since I grind the wheat berries and bake it fresh.

We've talked here before about using rubbing alcohol as a cheap alternative to deodorants. I personally prefer a crystal block, but am having a hard time finding them around here now. Guess I need to check online. The crystal lasts me about a year, so is very economical.

I also found this idea to extend the usage of your stick deodorant - When you can no longer use the sticks because the deodorant is below the plastic line, set the container aside. When you have several near-empty containers, microwave them for about 10 seconds until the remaining deodorant liquifies. Pour the liquid deodorant into a plastic container and let harden, then you can use it again.

Please add any and all ideas you may have!

I've used the crystal block deodorant as an experiment a couple years ago and it does indeed lasts an entire year and very effectively, I'd say. (It's usually located on the bottom shelf at Walgreens.) To be honest though, I don't care to wait for the wet armpits to dry so, I keep it stored away for WTSHTF and use my preferred "Secret Deodorant." Thanks for the saving tips!!!

 

[Be Well]

Thank you for reposting that info, Anna! It is very good information!

Be Well, thank you so much for that endorsement! You will find they last longer than what is on the market too. In fact, I have a system with the ones I use here. The newest one is for washing dishes, the more worn out one is used for scrubbing sinks or the bathtub and the most worn out one is used for grungy jobs. Then my daughter has one that she uses strictly for her heels and elbows. There's another that is used for scrubbing hands.

That three tier system sounds excellent. One of the first ones you sent got grubby looking because it was the white one.... :-) So it got turned into the one that washes the cat dishes. Now the bright pink one is my regular one. I don't want to wait for one to wear out so I will use one for the b'room right away. I forgot about feet, I will choose for that too.

 

[Deena in GA]

Just found this wonderful blog. She also has a Facebook page with the same name.

http://alifebeyondmoney.blogspot.com/2015/02/this-weekbeyond-money-209-215.html?spref=fb


Monday, February 16, 2015

This Week...Beyond Money 2/09 - 2/15
For me, a life beyond money is making choices so that you can live the best possible life, regardless of your income level. Obviously, you have to make a living, but there are many ways to improve your quality of life without increasing your income levels and correspondingly your expenses. This regular post will be some of the ways that we improve our quality of life beyond just trying to make more money.

Gardening:
* Harvested 1/2 c of greens from the indoor garden.
* I forgot to water the indoor garden for three days. Three of the planters bounced back okay, but I lost the mustard greens. Oops. I did get a few harvests of microgreens from the container, so it wasn't a total loss, although I'm disappointed. However, since the indoor garden just uses up seeds leftover from that season, it didn't cost me anything.

Cooking/Groceries:
* I used my holiday gift card ($25) to buy groceries this week. It didn't quite cover everything, but was a big help. Breakfast sausage was on manager's special for $1 (marked down from $4.59) so I bought 16 (15 went into the freezer). Toilet paper was on sale for $.50 and my discount brought it down to $.45 (I bought 10, for the stockpile). Got breakfast cereal on sale for $2/box and had a coupon for $1 off (5 boxes for $9). We don't eat breakfast cereal a lot, but Trucker does like it as an occasional breakfast or snack so I like to keep it on hand.
* Grilled out one afternoon since it was warm. We grilled hot dogs (on sale $.69/package), eggplant (manager's special, $.50) and the last two potatoes in the bag.I also grilled a banana and made grilled banana splits with a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of goat's milk caramel sauce and a dusting of cinnamon. My favorite dessert ever.

Fun:
* We took a day trip to a nearby town. We hit some thrift stores. We also went to a National Park and explored a bit. It was a little too cold to walk for long, but we watched a half hour documentary and explored the on-site museum. It was a blast.
* Had a couple of cheap coffee dates. As always, we used our travel mugs to get a discount and enjoyed free wi-fi and refills. Super cheap date and we love it.
* One day we worked opposite shifts and only had a short time between when I got off and when Trucker had to start work. We met at a coffee shop really close to his job (his job is halfway between my job and home) and got to talk for 45 minutes. If I had driven home, he would have had to leave earlier and we would only have gotten 15-20 minutes together. Our job schedules have been pretty brutal lately, but instead of focusing on the stress of the situation, we're working on enjoying whatever time we get. We make the most use of the time apart and all those hours of missing each other makes it great when we get a whole day together.
* For our Valentine's Day, we made it simple. We only had two hours between when Trucker got home and when he had to go to sleep to open the next day. He brought home a pizza after work. I had the wine and candles waiting. He had bought me a set of four upcycled vases he'd bought from a local crafter (I'll update this post later with a photo). I'd bought him a bottle of nice beer ($4), a small package of chocolate-covered chocolate chip cookies ($1.80 after my employee discount) and a bouquet of flowers ($4.50 after my discount). I've always been a bit cynical about Valentine's Day, but I don't know if it's my age, the fact that I'm getting close to a decade of marriage or if I was just feeling sappy this year, but I really wanted it to be romantic and great and it was.


Nature:
* Walked around Hopewell National Park. It was fascinating and beautiful, although very cold.
* Went for a walk on a warmer day to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight.

Frugality:
* It was warm enough to turn off the furnace for two days.
* Our furnace had started acting up and would not kick off unless we manually turned it off. Trucker did some research and thought it was just the thermostat. He ordered the part online and replaced it one afternoon. No more issues and we didn't have to call in a handy man. So thankful for an incredible guy who is willing to learn new things to take care of us.
* I bought a scarf at a thrift store. It was $1 regularly, but was a 75% off tag, so it was $.25.

Waste Reduction:
* Ate leftovers throughout the week.
* Made stock out of leftover chicken bones.
* Composted lots of "stuff".

Work:
* I picked up an extra shift to get some overtime. We're short staffed and the holiday is this weekend, so I figured I would...just this once.
* There were random samples in the break room that covered my (super light) lunch on three days.
* Trucker's boss accidentally broke open a package of $23/lb coffee and couldn't sell it. Trucker got to bring it home so we got about a pound (We wouldn't have paid $23/lb, but it did save us $5-6).
* Trucker closed one night and brought home a box of goodies: 2 scones and a muffin.

Preparedness:
* Added 10 packs of toilet paper to the stockpile.
* Added some over-the-counter medications to the stockpile. We don't use a lot of medication, but I thought it was important to have a few medications on hand just in case: anti-diarrhea meds, allergy medication, Primotene tablets (Trucker has asthma, and while these don't work well, I think it's important to have them in case his inhaler ran out and we couldn't get more), ibuprofen. I got store brand of everything except the Primotene and got my employee discount, lowering the price a further 10%.

Future:
* Our antique store was approved on an existing website, so we'll start listing and see what happens. Very exciting. We also purchased some more inventory and did a whole lot of research. When we go to antique stores, we aren't buying much, but we are checking out marks, styles and prices. Even if this doesn't become a full-time job, we're having a blast!

Health:
* Went for a couple walks on nicer days. Once we went for a walk through the neighborhood and once at a National park.
* Drank lots of water.
* Steve got food poisoning (not from food I made, FYI). He slept for most of the day and drank lots of water and gatorade. He was feeling better (although not 100%) the next day. I also gave him a small glass of water kefir. I didn't want to give him too much and cause problems (he hadn't had any for a week), but thought the probiotics might help.

Community:
* We bought a couple of thrift-shopped gag gifts for a couple of our friends. This couple has similar sense of humor and so we all delight in finding weird stuff for each other.

 

[Deena in GA]

We had a great score at the local Goodwill last week. We have been needing one of those mirrors that fit on the back seat so you can see little ones in the rear-facing car seats, because we have a granddaughter in a seat like that that we keep regularly. Her parents had said they were going to buy us one, but then hubby spotted one at Goodwill when we were in there. It was marked $1.51 (sells new for $15-$20), but even better, it had the right color tag so we got it for $.75. Woo hoo!

Its so funny how they price things there, just like any retail store. There are things that are good buys and there are things that are not. You have to pay attention. We have seen things in there that had the original store sticker on it for $1 and they price it over that, lol.

 

[moldy]

Graduation in May will be here before you know it. DD#2 brought home stuff from Jostens - the cheapest package was $154!! And senior photos - $$$$$$!! My solution was to talk to DD#1 - she is a great photographer, so she took her sister out to the zoo and did senior pictures. She emailed them to me, and I went to Walgreens. The photo tech there (what a blessing she was!) helped me get them printed off. DD#2 will chose the one for her pic in the yearbook and give it to the school. Then I'm ordering her announcements online at snapfish for a BUNCH cheaper. These things take time, but if you plan ahead you can save big bucks.

 

[Craftypatches]

Laundry soap

My sister said she saved a lot of money making her own laundry soap and the things you need can be found at Walmart. She said just google it and it will tell you.

 

[Deena in GA]

My sister said she saved a lot of money making her own laundry soap and the things you need can be found at Walmart. She said just google it and it will tell you.

Yes, I've been doing this for many years. There is a dry recipe and a wet one. I do the dry. Its just a bar of Fels Naphtha soap, grated and mixed with a box of Borax and a box of Washing Soda. You only use 1 to 2 Tablespoons of it for a large load of laundry, less for a smaller load.

 

[moldy]

I made the laundry sauce - it works great, but is too thick. It takes me an extra step to dilute it down so I don't have soap clumps in my clothes. Next time, I'll split it in half, add water, and add twice as much.

 

[Deena in GA]

Here's a link for over 100 budget friendly, free and delicious recipes: http://www.familyfriendlyfrugality.com/affordable-delicious-frugal-recipes/

For lunch yesterday I made what we call Egg and Cheese Sauce, which has been handed down in our family since before the Depression. Others here have mentioned that they make it or remember it as well. Its simply a white sauce (butter, flour and milk with salt and pepper), with diced hard-boiled eggs and pieces of cheese in it. Because cheese is pretty expensive, I don't put as much of it in as my mother used to do. Serve it over toast or crackers, or simply eat by itself. Its quite popular in our home, except for hubby who has never even tried it. Our adult children now make it for their children.

 

[Weft and Warp]

One of the grocery stores in my town will give away beef bones (they still do their own meat cutting). They only give 1 small bag to each customer upon request since there is a demand.

So, every time I shop there, I get one of those bags and place them in my freezer when I get home. When I have enough bones collected, I make beef bone broth and can it.

 

[Deena in GA]

Our daughter read a tip somewhere about cutting up tinfoil to sharpen scissors. I would use used tin foil
. She says it works great. Just a bit ago we were talking about how rusty and grungy our handheld can opener had gotten and how hard it is to clean. She decided to try the tin foil on it and it did an amazing job.

 

[Be Well]

My sister said she saved a lot of money making her own laundry soap and the things you need can be found at Walmart. She said just google it and it will tell you.

I've investigated this and wanted to make it, but learned that for people with very hard water it doesn't work well. If anyone knows how to change the recipes (there are several I've seen) to make it work for hard water, I'd like to know.

 

[anna43]

Did my final grocery shop for February and my monthly total is $113 under budget. I bought enough fresh food today to go thru the next three weeks so other than a gallon of milk I should be good until March 11. My monthly budget is $250 and I'm doing my best to keep well under that amount. January total was $185.

 

[Deena in GA]

Anna, that is fantastic! For many years we were able to keep our grocery (including health and beauty, dog food, etc) budget to $50 a week, but can't do it anymore. At least we don't spend anywhere near what other people do though.

Be Well, I've seen that about hard water too, but haven't seen any ways to make it work. Sorry!

Moldy, great ideas for keeping graduation affordable! Can also be done for engagements and weddings.

 

[Deena in GA]

In this last week of the month, please share something you've learned or done to save money this month.

Yesterday we ran into Publix to pick up something and I noticed they had the large cans of Hunts tomatoes and sauce on sale bogo. That made me look, but wasn't sure about buying until I saw a stand of coupons nearby. There was a coupon for $1 off if you bought 4, which brought the price down to $.75 a can, which was pretty good. Then I saw another coupon for $2 off on produce if you bought 4 Hunts products. They had strawberries for $2.50 a pint, but the coupon would make it only $.50. Yes!! We bought a couple of those deals.

Then on to the thrift store where I found a dress on half-price, so only paid $3 for it. Another smile.

Something that I realized would help me save money is going to bed at a decent time. I'm a night owl by nature and that is when I get most of my crocheting done. Its hard to do it during the day when everyone is up and wanting something from me, so I sit up late with Netflix on and crochet until 2 or 3 in the morning. Which means, of course, that I'm using electricity for the light, TV and DVD player, at the very least. So I'm going to try to go to bed much earlier.

 

[moldy]

My biggest thing this month is: Use it up. We heat with wood, so spring cleaning will be exactly that - but not until we don't need the woodstove, so about May. In the meantime, I try to deep clean whatever is closed up (pantry, closets, cabinets). I'm finding a lot of "oh, forgot I had those" type things, so I menu plan while I clean to use them up. I found some old herb seeds which are getting started this weekend. I may need to put in some new raised beds, but I'll have the herbs started by the time comes to plant. I've pulled out old jeans that have holes or are too long and am mending/hemming them for everyday or farm use (the cows don't really care about patches). I am looking over my inventory of what I have, so I'm not buying things I don't need, but have just misplaced.

 

[Deena in GA]

That's a great reminder, moldy, to use or use up what we already have! I am the worst at putting something away and forgetting about it. Of course, its a nice surprise when I run across it later, especially if its cash.

I'm hoping to get the raised beds cleared out soon and go ahead and plant some spinach and lettuce. It will probably get a couple of weeks though, before that can be done.

 

[Sherrynboo]

We have decided to get rid of our Smart Meter but GA Power charges an additional $19/month for the privilege. To try and cut back on our power usage we have put everything on a power strip except the major appliances and those we marked the breakers for and turn on only when needed to prevent the trickle current they use. The water heater is turned on once a day for a couple of hours to heat up water for dishes and a bath. We just started this about two weeks ago so I don't know what our actual savings will be and they have yet to remove that Smart Meter. Hopefully it will be taken out this week sometime.

For deodorant I use coconut oil with baking soda mixed in and it works great!

TSC has fruit trees at a reasonable price so we got an apple, pear and peach tree. Now that some GMO apples are about to be approved I want to have my own supply.

Sherry in GA

 

[Amazed]

Apparently stormy cold weather is a money saver. Who wants to go out to dinner or shopping when it's miserable out? Saves gas too.

I bought cell blinds for the downstairs windows last summer. I got a great deal at JCP. I've kept them closed day and night since the temps have been below freezing all month. I can't believe how much warmer the house stays.

 

[kittyknits]

Our current house has those on all the windows. When they are pulled down, it does feel a little warmer but not much. Also, the cold air comes in around the edges.

I prefer lined fabric drapes that you can tape shut on the ends if needed, but I'm pretty sure the cat would try to climb them.

I am so tired of freezing in this house. I run the furnace over 70 for hours every day and the house never gets above 68. At night the house gets down to 58 or 60, with no heat running.

Winter ain't as much fun when you're old.

 

[ainitfunny]

It is HARD TO BEAT the money you can save by BUYING GROCERIES, especially meats, coffee, sugar and other than fresh fruits and vegetables, (buy stuff that keeps or you can freeze) WHEN IT IS ON SALE!! You should have enough "in stock" on your pantry shelves to "ride it out" and NOT BUY whatever the price went up on until the price comes down again! I "boycotted" $1+ a can TOMATO AND CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP till it came back down (frequently on sale now) to $.50 a can! Then I stock up!
You can drive yourself NUTS with labor intensive, meaningless "economies" that ONLY make you FEEL POOR but do little or nothing to help you REALLY "make ends meet.

If you are paying $4.99 a pound for butter because you did not stock up when it was $2 a pound or paying $8.99 a can for coffee because you did not stock up when it was $5.99 a can then all the other "penny pinching" rituals are just like the TSA ~"just SECURITY THEATER", more for show and going through the motions, than actually making your money go further!
If you pay a $1.15 for a can of green beans instead of stocking up when it is on sale for $.50 a can, then IT IS STUPID TO TURN YOUR THERMOSTAT DOWN TO 60! APPLES are apples, people who are WILLING to choose the varieties that cost $2.50 or more a pound over the $.99 a pound varieties DESERVE to sit and shiver at 60 degrees! Buying potatoes individually by the pound instead of by the bag is also an insane waste of a lot of money as they usually cost twice or more per pound than bagged potatoes!

 

[Be Well]

Our current house has those on all the windows. When they are pulled down, it does feel a little warmer but not much. Also, the cold air comes in around the edges.

I prefer lined fabric drapes that you can tape shut on the ends if needed, but I'm pretty sure the cat would try to climb them.

I am so tired of freezing in this house. I run the furnace over 70 for hours every day and the house never gets above 68. At night the house gets down to 58 or 60, with no heat running.

Winter ain't as much fun when you're old.

I use flannel sheets and a down comforter in the winter, flannel nightgowns. Hub wears duofold (wool/cotton) long johns and sometimes wool gloves. I prefer sleeping in a very cool room with warm bedding; maybe if you use warmer bedding and night clothes, you won't mind the cooler nights. Sometimes he wears a wool cap, too (he has very short hair).

I am actually not comfortable when the house is much over 68, but I usually wear a down vest in the house, or at least a flannel shirt. I just figure winter means dressing warmer; are those options useful for you?

Another frugally thing I do, don't think I mentioned on this thread, is any old garment that has usable things on it like buttons, drawstring, elastic, I cut that out and save for sewing. DH cuts off belt loops from his old pants. I don't cut out zippers because I refuse to sew with them any more, too troublesome. And of course cut them up for suitable rags. I have a couple pair of old jeans that I am going to cut up and make small bags out of the legs, DH wants them for storing stuff in his shop.

Also, when I ever go to thrift stores or garage sales (no good garage sales around here any more though) I always look at sewing supplies, notions, etc. I've gotten so many useful ones - often quite old and good quality but like new - wool thread for mending, all kinds of sewing thread and needles, tape measures, binding, and so on. Much cheaper than new.

 

[kittyknits]

I don't buy any grocery store items except fresh vegetables and citrus, laundry soap and cat food. I buy the larger quantities of other fruit at Costco, as well as mushrooms.

No canned goods, no boxes or bags of food. I am willing (and able) to buy what I want elsewhere, but I don't waste money on going out to movies and restaurants or Starbucks type stuff, or "i" things which are mostly unnecessary, IMO.

I shop almost exclusively at Costco and Trader Joe's, and buy my meat online when I can because they go out of stock really fast.

BTW, none of this applies to my husband; he wants his processed food and buys it himself.