Your most useful frugal tip

[InDiAnNa]

FDH and I have a troubled young friend who has today upped and left home to live with her boyfriend. Justine is only 16 and has had a pretty rough time of things over the years, and as much as living with the BF is SUCH a bad idea (long story), there's nothing I can do except still be there for her. If she was my sister/daughter it'd be a different story but sadly she is not. Even though most of the things her mother should be teaching her (sex ed, further education, how to cope with a break up etc) comes from Mama Indianna!


Justine has NO idea how to manage money or to live within her means. The one thing her parents did give her was a second card on their credit card, but now that is gone. She has moved across the country today with £5 in her bank account, and she doesn't even have the card to get that money out.

I'm going to keep on her case and advise and help her in the meantime, but I've told her that her Christmas present from us will be something useful and boot-up-bum-ish.

I want to put together a small folder with frugal advice on different topics on each page, anything from recipes, laundry, cleaning, travel, clothes, heating.. Anything. Anything that this silly little girl (I do love her) can have to refer to when things are hard AND when things are easier so she can save.

I think she will take more notice of it if the advice hasn't all come from me (how many teenagers want to take (subsitute) Mama's advice?!), so I thought about asking you lovely people to help me out.

I know we have the top ten frugal tips thread, but I'd like these for a specific purpose, so I can personalize her gift by showing her where all the ideas came from.

Pick your most useful frugal tip, tell me which kind of category it is in, put as much detail as you can about how to do it, and also (completely optional) Id love you to put where you are from, country or state or whatever. Also if you don't mind, I'd like to put your forum name too. (Let me know in your posts).

So then when I put it all together, each contribution will look something like this

LAUNDRY

Get the off label bar soap packs from the supermarket, grate them all up into a bowl, and mix with your usual laundry powder for a better wash and to make the powder last longer.

InDiAnNa from London, UK

If you want to include a pic of anything related to your tip, that'll be great too cos I can print them out also.

I'd like to get as many different ones as possible, my girlie needs a good helping hand here.

Thanks in advance!

[RaineyDaye]

Clothing: buy most of your clothing at the thrift or second hand stores.
Rainey Daye from Ohio, USA

[jdr250]

I don't know if this can be considered a frugal tip, but when I was first married only 19 and thought I knew everything I thought it would be ok to rob peter to pay paul so I could buy all the fun stuff I wanted. Well I wish someone had told me that eventually Peter and Paul get together and want paid at the same time. So my advice is pay your bills first: rent,utilities, and groceries. When there is money left over, then have fun. You'll find that there is more flexibility in discrecianary income when all the bills are paid first. For example if you get paid every two weeks, every pay day write out all the bills that are due before the next pay check and mail them immediately (that way you can't be tempted). Then go buy your groceries, fill up the car and pick up whatever other necessities (toilet paper etc.). Now whatever is left can be used to do fun things. If it seems like there isn't much left, decide what you really would like to do and then save it up from paycheck to paycheck. It may take a bit, but when you are finally able to do it, it will be twice as fun.
You can use my name, and I am from Pennyslvania

[Gardengal18]

Best tips I ever got was "Don't spend what you don't have" and Put at least 10% of your paycheck away for a rainy day"

[joyofsix]

Most of the time it sucks to tell yourself NO. Most of the time it's the right answer.
Lisa in IN

[chevy_chick95]

Homemade cleaners. Make Vinegar and Baking Soda your friend!!

http://chevychick95.blogspot.com/200...king-soda.html

http://chevychick95.blogspot.com/200...t-tuesday.html

[zakity]

Yep, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda are cheap and clean great.

Plan your meals out. Look in your cabinets and fridge and see what needs used up. Look at the grocery ads too. If you plan out your meals, you can use up what needs used up and you can eat what is on sale that week.



Plan in "leftover" meals but call them something like "smorgasboard" or "fend for yourself" meals. "Leftovers" sound so boring. My guys love "fend for yourself" nights, but groan heavily when I say that dinner is leftovers. Not wasting food saves a ton of money.

I always make extra at dinner so that we have some leftovers. Leftovers make great lunches. DH takes leftovers in his lunch for work. The guys and I eat leftovers for our lunches at home. They are great for a snack too.

Name a meal. My guys have eaten up casseroles and whatever else if I name it. If it doesn't have a name, they balk at it. If it doesn't have a name, create one. One of the guys' favorite casseroles is "chili rice casserole" (leftover chili, leftover rice, sliced black olives, and a handful of cheese). It was a bad day and I wasn't thinking fast on my feet when they asked what was for dinner and that is what I came up with. It had a name, they were happy.

If something you normally use is on sale and you have a little extra money, buy one or two extra, well, if it is canned or bottles or whatever. It is nice to have some extra food on hand for when you are a little short.

zak, near Portland, Oregon, USA

[InDiAnNa]

Guys these are great, please please keep more coming.

You can post more than one if you think of more good ones, just quote your original post for me when you add the second one so I know they both came from the same person and don't get mixed up.

Little phrases are also good, I could do her a whole page of those.


This will be such a good Christmas present, and well its certainly frugal!!

[rowdy35]

use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without !!

cleaning tips:

buy ammonia (scented) and mix it with water in spray bottle for all of your cleaning needs (bathrooms, kitchens, windows, etc)

use ammonia and water as a jewelry cleaner for gold and diamonds

cooking:

buy a crock pot and download recipes off the internet for cheap and yummy meals !

learn to cook from scratch, don't go out to eat

from Rowdy35, Washington State, USA

[mrsmac62]

Have a look at www.simplesavings.co.nz.
It has pages of great downloadables including frugal food, bill payment system, also a calendar planner for the new year.
There are goals to set throughout the year.
I made up several sets and put them in clear files as gifts for family and friends and added my own extras. They all love them

[fixer]

Understand the value of money. Do not try to keep up with the Jones's, they are broke.

[Persimmon Lace]

Before you go to the store for something, see if you can substitute something else for it. This is especially easy for food but I have used Ivory soap, thinly sliced to hand wash items and also to do dishes.

Find a way to hang dry your laundry!

[LynnLC]

Try to find and use the bread outlets. (to find a location-bakeryoutlets.com) They have many items other than bread and you can't beat the prices. Get extra loaves and freeze them.

Also- have what my grandmother called a " Screw you" fund... When I was young and living with a BF she told me to put away some cash just for me. If things went badly I would always have cash to leave etc. Hence the "SY Fund" was born .lol I miss her.

[Hucky]

Also- have what my grandmother called a " Screw you" fund... When I was young and living with a BF she told me to put away some cash just for me. If things went badly I would always have cash to leave etc. Hence the "SY Fund" was born .lol I miss her.

Wow, awesome idea for a young girl that one!!!

I would say, Learn to improvise until you can afford to buy things, don't buy on credit. Sheets can be hung up on curtain rails for curtains until you can find some, if you can't afford things like pillows for the bed, try using any you have on sofa etc (in a case) or stuff one full of old soft clothes, if you don't have tea-towels for drying dishes (and no dish washer either) then use anything clean you have, such as towels even, or flannels, and if you don't have many blankets in winter layer thick coats etc on top of bed and snuggle in, no pajamas wear an old tshirt and maybe some old shorts/ sweat pants or something.

(Sorry was heading a bit desitute there, but $5 in account lol, wasn't sure how much stuff she had...and trying to get the idea across)

Turn off appliances/ lights when not needed.

HTH. Hucky, New Zealand.

[DonnainME]

Take care of your health because it may not be there forever.


Donna in Maine, USA