TIP Frugal Tips - 2015

[TXKajun]

Sometimes not doing or buying is just as good as doing something proactive. I walked by the meat counter at our local Albertson's (one of 2 grocery stores in town, not counting Wally World) and I made it a point of not buying their completely outrageously priced meats! Steaks are anywhere from $9.99/ lb for the lesser cuts to over $15/lb for the good stuff with tenderloin (filets) going for $22.99/lb!!! Folks, this is highway robbery!! Groun9.99. d beef for $4.99/lb up to $6.99 for ground sirloin. Pork starts at $1.39 and goes quickly up to $9.99. Absolutely ridiculous. I am downright disgusted. Save a little on gas, lose it to outrageous food prices. It's a plot I tells ya, a PLOT to keep us poor!

Kajun

 

[kittyknits]

Sometimes not doing or buying is just as good as doing something proactive. I walked by the meat counter at our local Albertson's (one of 2 grocery stores in town, not counting Wally World) and I made it a point of not buying their completely outrageously priced meats! Steaks are anywhere from $9.99/ lb for the lesser cuts to over $15/lb for the good stuff with tenderloin (filets) going for $22.99/lb!!! Folks, this is highway robbery!! Groun9.99. d beef for $4.99/lb up to $6.99 for ground sirloin. Pork starts at $1.39 and goes quickly up to $9.99. Absolutely ridiculous. I am downright disgusted. Save a little on gas, lose it to outrageous food prices. It's a plot I tells ya, a PLOT to keep us poor!

Kajun

I think I mentioned this once before, but there is a grocery store in the next town over (5 miles) where they freeze their steaks after the sell date, and if they have any when you go, you can buy any type for $5.99/lb. DH loves them. Once he went there and the meat guy said he had just sold everything they had to someone ($100 worth). So it can't hurt to see if local stores do this.

 

[Deena in GA]

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.

BW, the more you post, the more alike I see we are, lol. I do all those same things, except I'm also looking for yarn when I go to the thrift stores.

Kittyknits, that is really funny about your husband buying his own processed foods. I abhor white bread and won't buy it, but hubby thinks its the only bread for pimiento cheese and egg salad sandwiches. Usually he will tolerate my whole wheat bread for those, but every so often he goes and buys his own white bread.

We have some very old beans in storage and I've heard that they can be ground up and used in breads. Has anyone done this? I'd love to have a good recipe for it, if you have.

 

[dogmanan]

Thanks for the recipes all.

I look for ward to trying them.

 

[moldy]

Deena - you can also pressure cook old beans to soften them up. If I'm canning meat, and have an empty spot, I just add a jar of beans. Fill a jar about 1/4 to 1/3 full of dried beans, add some onion or seasonings, fill with boiling water. Seal and pressure can with the jars of meat. If you're running a canner, might as well fill it up.

Yesterday, I was cleaning up some old bee hives. there was quite a bit of comb, so I decided I'd try to save the wax. First I tried melting it in a double boiler (after I'd washed it), but that didn't work. So I took the whole yucky mess (black combs with debris and some water) and put it in an enamelware bowl, and put that directly on the woodstove. After a couple hours, it had melted into sludge, but enough that it was pourable, and that most of the combs had melted. I then poured that thru two layers of cheesecloth into a plastic cup (I would have liked a cardboard milk carton, but a plastic soda cup was what I had). I set the cup out in the garage for a few hours and..... it separated out to some 'juice' on the bottom and about 4 ounces of beeswax on top! It's tan (so probably a little darker than fresh wax - but I knew it was old when I started) and smells like honey.

It worked! Now I have beeswax for salves from something I normally would have thrown away or burnt.

 

[Deena in GA]

That is really cool about the beeswax, moldy! Congrats!

Its the pinto beans mainly that I'm thinking I'll have to grind. I have tried everything under the sun, including pressure canning, to soften them and nothing has worked. They are at least 10 years old.

 

[Zahra]

My frugal tip for the day is to get yourself a good credit card that offers rewards and has no annual fee and then pay everything you possibly can with just that card each month so you maximize your reward. I do mean everything -- have all family members use the card only - no cash! Heck, when you buy a car auto dealers will even allow you to put $5 - $10k on the card (put the max they'll allow as long as you planned to put that much cash down anyway)!

I pay everything except taxes & the water bill which doesn't take credit cards (yet) with my amazon visa card & then use the monthly reward points for bulk household purchases from amazon -- like a case of toilet paper or paper towels, or whatever else will be useful... and it's like getting an extra $50 or so in spending power just for paying bills that occur each month anyway.

That's just the one I use because I shop at amazon a lot anyway, but there are many rewards paying cards out there so if you don't already do this you might want to look into it & find the card that best suits your needs.

Oh yeah, don't ever carry a credit card balance though - always pay it off in full each month before the due date!!!!!

 

[squeeksmom]

I no longer buy brown sugar. 4 cups white sugar in the kitchenaid (although it works just as good with a fork by hand, just a tad slower) and add some molasses. I don't really measure the molasses so sometimes I have lighter or darker brown sugar.

Powdered sugar can be made with a food processor/blender and white sugar. I don't use much powdered sugar and have a lot stored, so I just use that. Lazy me.

squeeks

 

[Be Well]

I mend clothes, make patches as needed, trying to find similar material. If I can't, I make decorative patches with contrasting material. I mend sweaters with wool thread, and if the hole is small, a small darn will do it. But with large holes or numerous ones (such as DH's work sweaters), I just do firm stitching around the hole edges to keep it from raveling any more, so we have sweaters with holes but often contrasting stitching around the borders of the holes. Looks a bit funny but who cares...

I have "town" clothes and then home clothes that may have more patches or mending or aren't so nice.

Here's a use for socks with holes in them. I have rough heels (working on them) and used to wear out the heels in socks easily. So I had lots of nice wool socks with big holes in the heels. I cut off the sock at the ankle and voila - mug or glass jar for drinks warmer! Also good wrist warmers, for people with long arms who find sleeves often just a teensy bit too short. And the foot part (better on cotton socks) can be used for cleaning things - put your hand in the cut of foot part of the sock and it is easy to clean various items than just using a sponge or rag. If icky cleaning, single use only.

 

[FREEBIRD]

If you are darning cotton socks, embroidery floss works much better than sewing thread---use the number of strands that will approximate the thickness of the material you're working on. If you leave a longish tail when you start you can weave it in when you finish---no knots!

 

[anna43]

If you are mending or darning and have difficulty matching the color try embroidery thread. The colors available are endless. Also, you can separate the threads to get the correct weight of thread for your project. For wool you can use crewel embroidery wool floss.

When I cut buttons from a garment, I string them together before adding to my button box. It makes it so much easier to find a matching set of buttons. My button box was originally my grandmothers so had quite a collection of old buttons as well as the newer ones I've added.

If you have kiddies, a button box can be an excellent teaching tool i.e. matching colors or shapes, counting or art projects such as gluing to poster board to make plaques. I recall playing "button button who has the button" with grandma and my cousins. We also played "I spy" using grandma's thimble. SHTF some of those simple games might come in handy to entertain young ones.

 

[prudentwatcher]

I just started going to gift card sites where I can buy gift cards at less than face value. Twenty percent savings is my goal, though I will take less. Today I ordered a $25 card to a movie theater. It cost me $19.94 and was shipped to me for free. We are going to see the sequel to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" for my birthday and this card will cover one adult ($9.50) ticket and one senior ($7.50) ticket, with enough left over for another senior ticket for a later movie. I thought it was a pretty good deal.

I'm keeping my eyes open for deals at Petsmart and various restaurants that we eat at occasionally. Saving 15-20% off the top and then adding a coupon or two or a special makes for some good deals.

 

[Be Well]

If you are mending or darning and have difficulty matching the color try embroidery thread. The colors available are endless. Also, you can separate the threads to get the correct weight of thread for your project. For wool you can use crewel embroidery wool floss.

When I cut buttons from a garment, I string them together before adding to my button box. It makes it so much easier to find a matching set of buttons. My button box was originally my grandmothers so had quite a collection of old buttons as well as the newer ones I've added.

If you have kiddies, a button box can be an excellent teaching tool i.e. matching colors or shapes, counting or art projects such as gluing to poster board to make plaques. I recall playing "button button who has the button" with grandma and my cousins. We also played "I spy" using grandma's thimble. SHTF some of those simple games might come in handy to entertain young ones.

I like mending with embroidery thread, but I like to use contrasting colors. I like a lot of color... Good idea about stringing buttons together. Actually getting a box or drawer together with "old fashioned" (ie non electric/electronic) games would be a good frugally thing to do. Kids may find them actually more fun than sitting around clicking things.

I did a frugal thing today. No veggies in the house except some potatoes starting to sprout and celery, and onions. Hub shops and he hasn't lately. So I am making lentil soup with whatever I could scrounge together plus I'll add canned tomatoes. It's a challenge to cook when fresh produce is scarce, and I've surprised myself being able to make meals when the fridge is practically empty. With a wide assortment of grains and legumes there are many dishes to make and even experiment with.

 

[dogmanan]

I sew patches on my pants all the time , I get many year out of them and when I need new ones I shop the thrift stores for old fashion jeans, the new ones in the stores any more are not very good or thick any more, except for carhartt brand.

Heres one for getting a big variety of material to use, old couches and chairs, the backs of them are always facing the wall and the material is like new , so when I get rid of one or when I see one along the side of the road people are getting rid of I cut the material off and use it for what ever.

Most material on them is very heavy duty, I see twenty or more of them a year being thrown out.

I'm going to get a pattern for jeans and make me some very unusual jeans out of some of the material.

 

[dogmanan]

When I make the jeans/work pants I'm going to make some for winter and line them with old fleece blankets or with old army wool blankets they are very warm that way.

For those that the wool makes them itch/scratchy just put a layer of light flannel over the wool.

 

[ReneeT]

Dogmanan - Hubby wanted a pair of fleece lined jeans for work, but the local farm store didn't have them in his size. I bought a pair of Levi's with a 1" larger waist than his usual size from Catholic Charities and a pair of fleece pj pants from the same place - total $3. Cut off the elastic waist of the pj pants, turned jeans inside out and pinned the pjs with the fleece side where it would be next to his legs. Stitched them to the waist, crotch, and hems of the jeans, leaving a flap at the zipper - nice warm fleece lined jeans for $3 and a bit of time!

 

[Journey]

ReneeT, brilliant suggestion about the flannel lined jeans! The last pair I bought hubby they were on a clearance rack at Tractor Supply for 14.99, regularly 36.99. I would have gladly paid 14.99 but they rang up at 3.99!!!! Unfortunately that was the only pair in his size. I'll start looking at the thrift store for jeans and fleece pj pants.

 

[Deena in GA]

I agree that its a great idea for fleece-lined pants. To take it a step further, I realized as I was reading that, that it would also be an awesome idea for those of us who wear skirts or dresses. Actually, as I'm thinking it through while typing, the next time I have a flannel nightgown that gets worn out, I'm going to cut off the top (which is usually what wears out first), add elastic to make a waistband and use it for a warm half-slip.

I hope everyone else is enjoying this thread as much as I am - and learning from it as well! Hope we can do these monthly and continue to share ideas - large or small.

 

[dogmanan]

Dogmanan - Hubby wanted a pair of fleece lined jeans for work, but the local farm store didn't have them in his size. I bought a pair of Levi's with a 1" larger waist than his usual size from Catholic Charities and a pair of fleece pj pants from the same place - total $3. Cut off the elastic waist of the pj pants, turned jeans inside out and pinned the pjs with the fleece side where it would be next to his legs. Stitched them to the waist, crotch, and hems of the jeans, leaving a flap at the zipper - nice warm fleece lined jeans for $3 and a bit of time!

That works, and is very cheap, I have a bunch of flannel lined jeans and a couple fleece lined ones they are very very warm, and when it gets really cold throw on a pair of fleece lined leggings and then you be really warm.

 

[dogmanan]

This is a good thread Deena, I love to here all the ways of doing stuff cheap.
On the cheap is my middle name.

 

[ainitfunny]

TIP:
You should scrimp on SOME things so that you can BUY QUALITY on other things WHERE THE QUALITY MATTERS making a HUGE difference in performance!!

UNLESS YOU HAVE TRIED THEM, (THINSULATE BRAND LINED BLUE JEANS) you don't know what you are talking about when you advocate flannel or fleece lined jeans!!

YOU are astronomically better off by paying up to $59 for a new pair or BUYING A USED PAIR OF THINSULATE LINED JEANS on ebay if you monitor e-bay for a used pair in your size to come up for sale, cheaper.

The difference is MORE pronounced than the difference between todays QUALITY flashlight and an ordinary 2 D cell $.99 dollar store bulb flash light! Or, the difference between a GOOD JACKKNIFE and the cheapest Chinese crap jackknife!

Sometimes, better quality WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!
CLIMBERS DO NOT USE THE CHEAPEST ROPE!!
MY 23 year old "FLAGGER" and construction working grandson insisted he did not NEED THINSULATE LINED JEANS, but I sent them to him anyway, and a couple weeks after he got them he called me up and told me to NEVER LISTEN TO ME, GRANDMA WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER! he said that THOSE JEANS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE in how much he enjoyed working/going to work and now he did not dread cold, wet weather any more!!! (He HAD BEEN USING ORDINARY FLEECE AND FLANNEL LINED JEANS)

PLEASE BELIEVE ME!

 

[Old Gray Mare]

I have started saving egg shells. I crush the shells and put them in the hole when I plant the tomato seedlings. Calcium tablets can be used to prevent blossom end rot but egg shells are cheaper.

 

[ReneeT]

Aintitfunny, I would imagine the cost of the thinsulate jeans would be well worth it for your grandson, who is out in the weather all day. If, like my father who was a construction electrician, Hubby had to work where he was exposed to the elements for 8 hours a day, I would happily spend whatever was needed to buy the cold weather gear he needed. However, Hubby works in a shop that is usually around 40* when he gets there, and warms up to 60* or so during the day, even on these very cold days we've been having lately. He has access to warmer areas as needed, and is outside only for very short duration in bitter weather; and he also insulated Carhartt coveralls to pull on over his usual work clothes if he does have to go outside when the weather is bad. He just wants something to keep his getting older bones from aching - and, for him, the fleece lined jeans serve the purpose. Thank you for the information on the thinsulate jeans; I'll pass it on to a co-worker whose spouse is a concrete finisher.

Old Gray Mare, I've 'watered' tomato seedlings with evaporated milk in the past - I had a bunch I'd gotten for little of nothing, so thinned it down and used it when I set out the plants; and again when they bloomed. Don't know if it actually did anything, but I didn't have any blossom end rot that year. I find that the paste tomatoes are worse for BER than the slicers.

Deena, I see fleece blankets and bathrobes at the Sallie's and Catholic Charities every time I go (I haunt the linens sections looking for featherbeds, down blankets, feather pillows, etc...) The only thing I would be concerned about making a slip out of them would be static cling - guess that would keep your legs warmer tho I also see a lot of flannel sheets at the thrift stores - it's usually just the top sheet of a set, which would have the most usable fabric in it anyway. One sheet should make a couple of long slips. I'd thought to buy one to make receiving blankets for my grandchild when daughter was expecting her first, but when I mentioned it at work, I was inundated with receiving blankets from my co-workers - some of whose babies were in their teens lol!

Sheets do make lovely curtains - I purchased a top and fitted sheet at Catholic Charities to make a set for my sewing room, but after I washed them, I liked them so well that I use them on my bed instead

 

[ainitfunny]

ReneeT-
I find that in this 1600 sq ft home I don't have to turn more than one of the baseboard heaters on to keep it around 55-60 degrees in the house and with those Thinsulate jeans I do not even notice the cold, but before getting them my old bones ached from the cold and I only wanted to watch TV/surf the internet with a blanket over me. They are GREAT for keeping older people warm in a cool house. Part of my problem was a hypothyroid condition but it doesn't matter, I now feel warm without breaking the bank heating the house.

 

[Hansa44]

My mom used aluminum chloride for 65 yrs under her arms. As far as I know she never bought any store bought deodorants and in all the years I was around her I never smelled any body odor EVER. And she loved to work outside in the heat.

She would buy these small bottles of it at the drugstore and they seemed to last forever. She only lightly used a few drops each day. And very, very cheap.

There are claims it was dangerous but it never hurt my mom. I think the fancy deodorants are far more dangerous and so are the perfumes they put in them.

 

[Deena in GA]

Speaking of body odor...I've noticed, and think I've seen others mention it, since I've been using the diatamaceous earth I have no body odor, so haven't even used deodorants in months. During the summer,it may be needed some.

 

[Be Well]

That works, and is very cheap, I have a bunch of flannel lined jeans and a couple fleece lined ones they are very very warm, and when it gets really cold throw on a pair of fleece lined leggings and then you be really warm.

Hub often wears flannel pj bottoms under work pants to keep warm. Long johns wear out very fast for him as he wears them almost all year.

Regarding warm slips, when flannel or even cotton night gowns get too old, or maybe a thrift store nightgown doesn't fit very well, I cut the top off, sew a casing, put in a draw string, and voila - long half slip for under longer dresses/skirts, warm and comfy.

ETA: Oops, just saw Deena's comment above, we sure do think alike:

Actually, as I'm thinking it through while typing, the next time I have a flannel nightgown that gets worn out, I'm going to cut off the top (which is usually what wears out first), add elastic to make a waistband and use it for a warm half-slip.​

 

[cjoi]

Dogmanan - Hubby wanted a pair of fleece lined jeans for work, but the local farm store didn't have them in his size. I bought a pair of Levi's with a 1" larger waist than his usual size from Catholic Charities and a pair of fleece pj pants from the same place - total $3. Cut off the elastic waist of the pj pants, turned jeans inside out and pinned the pjs with the fleece side where it would be next to his legs. Stitched them to the waist, crotch, and hems of the jeans, leaving a flap at the zipper - nice warm fleece lined jeans for $3 and a bit of time!

What a clever idea!

 

[cjoi]

TIP:
You should scrimp on SOME things so that you can BUY QUALITY on other things WHERE THE QUALITY MATTERS making a HUGE difference in performance!!

UNLESS YOU HAVE TRIED THEM, (THINSULATE BRAND LINED BLUE JEANS) you don't know what you are talking about when you advocate flannel or fleece lined jeans!!

YOU are astronomically better off by paying up to $59 for a new pair or BUYING A USED PAIR OF THINSULATE LINED JEANS on ebay if you monitor e-bay for a used pair in your size to come up for sale, cheaper.

The difference is MORE pronounced than the difference between todays QUALITY flashlight and an ordinary 2 D cell $.99 dollar store bulb flash light! Or, the difference between a GOOD JACKKNIFE and the cheapest Chinese crap jackknife!

Sometimes, better quality WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!
CLIMBERS DO NOT USE THE CHEAPEST ROPE!!
MY 23 year old "FLAGGER" and construction working grandson insisted he did not NEED THINSULATE LINED JEANS, but I sent them to him anyway, and a couple weeks after he got them he called me up and told me to NEVER LISTEN TO ME, GRANDMA WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER! he said that THOSE JEANS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE in how much he enjoyed working/going to work and now he did not dread cold, wet weather any more!!! (He HAD BEEN USING ORDINARY FLEECE AND FLANNEL LINED JEANS)

PLEASE BELIEVE ME!

O.K., should have finished reading this thread before posting, above. What's not to love about getting the benefit of all the great ideas as well as all the experienced critiques around here?

 

[Amazed]

Sometimes I don't feel like cooking dinner especially if I've been involved in a big project around home. That usually meant we went out to dinner or ordered in and there went my budget. Now I do buy a few processed items to keep in the freezer. Fish and chips or some Chinese type dinner makes a quick and tasty meal. It may not be as frugal as a made from scratch meal but it does save us money.

 

[ReneeT]

You save where you can, Amazed! I'd be willing to bet a lot of folks who sneer at frozen meals have a tub of ice cream in their freezer - and I bet it isn't homemade ice cream either! It's a rare person who doesn't have some sort of convenience food in the house - and I bet some of them don't even recognize it as convenience food! (Peanut butter, store bought crackers, cereal...)

 

[Deena in GA]

Yes, everyone probably has some convenience foods. We sure do. When frozen pizzas go on sale cheap, we buy them because we have a 16 year old son who loves them and they are easy for him to throw in the oven when he's hungry (which is a usual state for him).

I do try to "overcook" when I cook, meaning I cook more than we'll eat at a meal, so that we usually have leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer for when we need a quick lunch or supper.

Also, this has probably been mentioned before on these types of threads, but soap lasts much longer if you take it out of the wrapper and let it air dry before using. This is true of both factory-made and handmade soaps. We keep a good stock of soap and just leave them all out to air dry. It has the added advantage of making your bathroom smell good without spending more money to do so. And using soap bags to bathe with seems to make the soap last even longer. If you haven't seen a soap bag or saver before, feel free to check out my etsy shop (shameless plug, lol).

 

[Be Well]

You save where you can, Amazed! I'd be willing to bet a lot of folks who sneer at frozen meals have a tub of ice cream in their freezer - and I bet it isn't homemade ice cream either! It's a rare person who doesn't have some sort of convenience food in the house - and I bet some of them don't even recognize it as convenience food! (Peanut butter, store bought crackers, cereal...)

I am one of the rare people that has no pre-prepared food in my house unless I made it! One thing I do is I make a good pot of beans and put some into yogurt containers and freeze them as is for later meals. Or when I cook soup, same thing, freeze a couple of containers. So as long as I remember to unfreeze them, there's often a meal or two or most if one, in the freezer. I make large amounts of granola at one time, the recipe I worked out makes 1 1/2 gallons, so that is often on hand. But I am sick of it! DH eats it more than I do.

 

[Deena in GA]

Be Well, please share that recipe for granola! I've been wanting to make some, but want a good recipe.

 

[dogmanan]

I have started saving egg shells. I crush the shells and put them in the hole when I plant the tomato seedlings. Calcium tablets can be used to prevent blossom end rot but egg shells are cheaper.

I do this to and I also put in whole when I plant bell peppers to.

 

[Taz]

If you have old powdered milk, this works really good too.

 

[Deena in GA]

If you have old powdered milk, this works really good too.

That's good to know! Thanks!

Are there other seeds/plants that would benefit from this?

 

[Deena in GA]

Frugal Tips - March & April 2015

Last month's thread was so informative and fun that I'd like to see us continue. Here's the link to it: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?463567-Frugal-Tips-February-2015&highlight=frugal+tips

Please add any ideas you have for saving money, living more abundantly but using less money, etc.

Here's a blog post from 2013 that I thought y'all might appreciate. Even though I know a lot of you don't have little ones at home anymore, there are still applicable ideas.:

http://www.organizinglifewithlittle...usehold-budget-under-300-a-month-part-1-of-4/

Keeping Our Household Budget Under $300 a Month (Part 1 of 4)

By popular request, I bring you my first frugal living post. Since I don’t believe budgets can just ‘copy and paste’ from one family to another, allow me to clarify where my family is in life.

We are a four-person family with two-adults and two children under four. Our $300 budget covers our groceries and common household products (shampoo, laundry soap, toilet paper, etc). It does NOT cover any other bills like utilities, subscriptions, etc. or our once-a-week date night (which we spend about $15 total on). Our eating philosophy follows along the lines of trying to eat healthily (good protein, fruits, veggies, and whole grains) but we don’t stress about eating ‘organic’ or ‘additive-free’ or anything like that.

On average, this budget allows us $10 a day as a family (about 3-4 dollars per person, depending on what percentage you think the children eat). It’s a challenge sometimes, especially as Washington seeks to ‘help us out’ with their constant inflating game, but I’m not without my competitive streak.

I’ve decided to split this topic into four sections:

Saving by Planning
Saving While Shopping
Saving Money at Home and
Keeping Things in Perspective (which is a huge part to living on a budget)
So, without further delay… Let’s hit the planning!

Menu planning is probably the most commonly overlooked step of the four, but it’s so, so important. Have you ever heard the warning ‘never shop while hungry’? Well, shopping anytime with ONLY your appetite as a guide will end in similar results.

First, crack open that recipe book. There are a few tricks that may take a few minutes of set-up time if you’ve never done them before, but will ultimately pay-off a lot. I have a binder where ONLY my tried-and-liked recipes are kept. It will take a bit of practice to realize which dishes are both yummy and budget, but eventually you’ll find yourself with a nice stash of them to keep on hand. (Find the tour of my recipe binder here!) I love to try new recipes, and I’ve gotten to where I can scan the ingredient list and estimate at the dish’s price tag. Any dinner within the $2-$5 range (that tastes good, obviously) I try to add to our regular rotation. We eat the more expensive dishes as well, but not as frequently.

When I add a recipe to the binder, I write a ‘price estimate’ alongside it. It doesn’t have to be precise (groceries change prices all the time anyway), but it’s helpful to realize whether it’s a $4 or a $12 dollar dish.

After I’ve compiled the recipes I want for the week, I’ll make a shopping list and stick it next to my car keys so I won’t forget it. Remember, shopping without a list is like shopping blind.


A couple of helpful tips:

1) Plan to cook for leftovers, or even double the recipe and freeze it! Often, doubling the recipe is a much more efficient way of using up the leftover ingredients, and it saves you labor later on as well! You paid for all that whipping cream, didn’t you? Especially if it’s the most expensive ingredient in the dish, make sure it doesn’t go to waste!

2) Don’t get bored with the cheap stuff! Thanks to pinterest, there are now ten gazillion ways to cook potatoes, rice, noodles and other cheap ingredients. Dress it up, be creative, and make it appetizing. Take it as your personal challenge to make cheap food taste great! Seasonings are cheap, after all. The worst thing that can happen would be to look at your menu plan just before dinner, groan because it’s THAT unappetizing dish AGAIN, and hop in the car to get better-sounding restaurant food.

3) Guesstimate your shopping bill from your shopping list to prevent any shock at the cash register. Usually I underspend when I do this before my shopping trips, since I tend to estimate on the higher range of things. It definitely helps me discover which things are ‘wants’ and not necessarily needs. If you’ve never paid close attention to ingredient pricing in stores, then start now. It may take a few months, but soon you’ll find yourself able to write them down without thinking twice. It will also make you better able to stock up on things when you find an item for a really good price!

4) Don’t forget to shop your fridge and pantry before you take off.

Since I know you all are going to ask, here are a few of my favorite ‘dirt cheap’ dishes.

Patatas Bravas (Brave Potatoes)

6 potatoes
6 T mayonnaise
6 cloves garlic
3 hot dogs, diced
Salt to taste
Fry the potatoes and hot dog pieces, dry off excess oil on a paper towel, and toss with remaining ingredients. Serve hot alongside a green vegetable and salad. Estimated cost: 50 cents per serving.


Capellinni Pomodoro (a classier version of spaghetti night)

3 large tomatoes diced
Basil to taste (fresh is better, but dried is cheaper)
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt to taste
3 large cloves garlic, minced
A box of angel hair pasta
Heat up the tomato sauce mixture over the stove and serve over cooked pasta. This recipe is basically free if you are able to grow the tomatoes or basil yourself, but otherwise should be about 75 cents per serving.


Haystacks

Tortilla chips
Refried beans, seasoned with taco seasoning
Cheese
Lettuce, sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Onions. diced
Sour Cream
Salsa
Basically a taco salad, with beans replacing the pricier meat option, this quick dish comes to about 75 cents per serving.

 

[straightstreet]

We have bought 2 large smoked hams (leftovers from the holidays) from Aldi's that had been marked down $5 each-also, a smoked butterball turkey-and put them in the deep freeze. I can cook them up, divide them up into packages and use it for multiple meals/recipes to feed our family. Boiling the ham bone afterwards and then cooking up white beans is one of my personal favorites to eat! Our local small town grocery had our prefered Folgers Columbian coffee on sale last week for $7.98/28 oz container-bought 6 of those to put back. I appreciate and always read the frugal tips thread!

 

[Doc1]

Frugal tool tip: Quality tools are expensive, but like many other items they do not hold resale value well. Additionally, most people don't know very much about tools. By "most people" I am referring to the entirety of the population. Obviously men and especially blue collar men are generally going to know more about tools than will attorneys or hairdressers. Use this demographic to your advantage. You can find tremendous deals on tools at yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. Often you will find sellers who don't know the difference between Craftsman, Snap On, Blue point or Proto and some no-name Chinese wrench. I see quality tools for sale frequently in a bin with junk tools, al lat the same price.

Another thing to consider is that mechanics often try to sell their entire tool collection when they are strapped for cash. You will see this frequently on Craigslist where a guy is trying to sell his top chest and bottom rollaway cabinet filled with tools. These are almost never a good deal because the seller has already picked through the really expensive tools and they are usually trying to get a price too close to retail. It can work to your advantage in two circumstances: If the guy has had no luck selling his tools, you can make a really low ball offer (which the seller is going to refuse initially) and then leave him your phone number. If he gets desperate, he may call you back. The other situation is if you notice an unusual, special application tool in his collection. If you need this, you can say something to the effect of "I know these things are expensive, but they're almost impossible to sell. I'll give you $XXX for it." Sometimes the seller will bite.

If collected intelligently over a period of years, you can acquire thousands of dollars worth of tools for very little outlay.

Best regards
Doc