100+ ways to save.

**Jeanna** · 12-29-2004, 10:39 AM

This is a list of ways to save money that came from a lady named Doris O'Connells website. The website hase been down for years but it was one of the best frugal websites I have ever seen. She always posted that she was only trying to educate people and that to share was fine so I am posting this list as it may help someone.

101+ Ways to Save Contributors: Various

It's easier to find 500 ways to save a $1, instead of finding one way to save $500

FOOD:

1. Be prepared and have things stored so you don't have to run to the store

2. Found food!! Get a couple extra meals out of each month's food through creative use of scraps. defatted ham broth is making pea soup. Vegetable broth from when you steam vegetables. Just combine and freeze. Add some seasonings to it before freezing All those veggie scraps turned into broth overnight in the crockpot make a "gravy" from the veggie broth. No fat gravy and makes the family happy.

3. Use up all the things in the freezer. Saves money & also rotates all the stock. Means freezer can be cleaned out & defrosted.

4. A price book: a simple notebook in which you keep track of prices of things you want to purchase. This helps you recognize a good deal when you see one!

5. Milk in freezer was totally separated when defrosted in refrigerator. Using that for pancakes, muffins & biscuits. Where it won't matter if it's separated.

6. Stale bread into French toast, croutons, crumbs, strata, bread salad, bread pudding

7. Make your own spice mixes from herbs and spices bought in bulk. Fines herbes costs less to combine yourself then buy from spice islands

8. Start a freezer inventory list this week. Plan meals directly from freezer.

9. Before going on vacation avoid the grocery store. Use up what's on hand.

10. Make a grocery list and then search the cupboards before going to the store.

11. OR plan your weekly menus from what's in the pantry.

12. Keep a "stock-up" fund from money saved at the grocery store. Then quarterly or ever 6 months buy in bulk

13. Or, if possible, set aside a portion of your budget to use to stock up on sale items that you regularly use.

14. Get rid of things you haven't used in 6 months. Did that in the kitchen not long ago and found all sorts of cabinet space. And made money at our garage sale!

15. Buying in bulk can save mega bucks! But always check the cost per oz, serving, etc.

16. Use the bread heels for crumbs and the last couple chunks of Italian bread for croutons. freeze the crumbs and cubes then toast croutons as needed or scoop crumbs from the baggie

17. Put the dried crumbs from slicing homemade bread into a ziplock bag & into the freezer. Croutons from any bread, rolls or biscuits that get a bit stale.

18. And of course that stale bread makes great bread pudding,

19. Leftover garlic bread makes terrific crumbs!

20. Sprinkle crumbs them with Italian seasoning, garlic and toss with olive oil

21. Heat an iron skillet, add a small amount of olive oil and some crushed garlic cloves, add the bread cubes, lower heat, stir or toss the cubes till toasted.

22. Use your family's favorite seasonings when it comes to making croutons, bread crumbs, etc.

23. Other kitchen savings: use less meat, use cheaper cuts of meat and cook longer,

24. Homemade shake & bake: Crushed corn flakes!! Dip the chicken--skinless, please. in yogurt or melted butter (just a touch) roll in crumbs, bake at 350 until juices are clear.

25. Do the cornflake thing, but use egg white and a little water instead of the butter. Also add a little red pepper powder.

26. A box of cornflake crumbs in the store is almost $3. Buy a box of corn flakes for 49 cents with a coupon and it being a loss leader.

27. Eat mostly hot cereals, shredded wheat or home-made grapenuts

28. Wait for a sale on the cereal, there have been some good ones lately too.

29. Generally stick with store brand cornflakes. Eat other things for breakfast.

30. Wait for a sale, then stock up. got 18 oz cornflakes store brand for .89. Then a .15 cent store coupon from their calendar brought it down to .74.

31. Buy the store brand of cereal if it's a little cheaper. Buy the name brand if you have a coupon and go to a store that will double the coupon.

32. Don't pay more than 99 cents a box for cereal

33. hot cereal for breakfast, cereal, bagels, English muffins for the late night snack.

34. buy bran flakes and add your own raisins. It is better too, according to Consumer Reports. The bran flakes draw moisture from the raisins leaving hard little raisins and less
than crisp flakes

35. Check labels for sugar content.

36. Don't waste $$$ on the micro chip maker though There are lots of how-to notes on the TW bb It isn't necessary to have a fancy piece of equipment to make those chips.

37.don't waste money on vitamin supplements you don't need.

38. Potatoes are cheap, healthy food. 10 lb. usually for under $2 a bag. Check the price on some of the frozen fries and such. Not too TW!

39. Make your own oven French "fries". So good and easy to make

40. Simple things like a baked potato meal save lots of $'s too. High in fiber, potassium & other minerals. great way to use up leftover chili, spaghetti sauce, veggies, whatever too, Baked potato or sweet potato and a salad. Wonderful summer meal

41.If you read the labels on those frozen fries, they usually contain more than just potatoes

42. Send muffins to work with DH (or take them yourself) to have morning coffee

43. Make quick breads, slice, wrap individually and freeze. Then it is easy to pull out what you want and add to DH's lunch or have a snack or breakfast myself

44. Dried muffin and cake crumbs can be used for pie crusts and other baking needs I sprinkle them over cake tops like a streusel Or added to pancake batter

45. Great way to sneak in extra veggies...those muffins Those leftover carrots can be pureed or chopped fine & added to the muffins too. Squash, etc. This way folks get the extra vegies & nothing languishes in the refrigerator. you can interchange squash and pumpkin in most recipes you can also use the squash, pumpkin, carrots for 1/2 of the sugar & the oil

46. Use the empty yogurt containers for sending gelatin snacks to school.... they don't have to return the containers, but usually do.

47. Make pasta and drying it to have on hand for days that you are busy

48. Watch for a great sale on ground beef and sausage. Make a bunch of pasta sauce and other stuff to have on hand for quick meals.

49. Stock up on those sale items, can, freeze and dry as much as possible, especially if you can get stuff free

50. Cook up lentils and beans to have in the freezer precooked. Makes making a last minute lentil loaf go so much faster

51. Try to make extra for quick meals when you do, say, lasagna

52. If there's something good already prepared at home, it helps resist the temptation to grab something while we are out.

53. Make meatloat: extend the meat with oatmeal and about 1 cup pureed cooked pinto beans. Lowfat and low-cost

54. The true TW finds an alternative It is important to be flexible and use what you can get the best deal on

55. Use leftover mashed potatoes for topping for chicken pot pie, or make potato bread. Can also be used for topping shepherds pie

56. A garden is a really TW food budget stretcher.

57. Local coop extensions are great, so much knowledge for free

58. Make herb vinegars, flavored oils for gifts and your own use.

59. Grow your own herbs. Some for teas, medicinal and food. Dry and give as gifts If herbs start to go to seed, cut way back for a second crop.

60. Check the sale ads for "loss leaders." If the store is out, get a raincheck and BE SURE To use it!

61. Freeze whole Roma tomatoes--just wash and toss in a plastic bag. When they thaw, the skins slip right off The round ones don't freeze as well though, too much moisture--they deteriorate when they thaw They go right into soups, stews, chili

62. Make tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes, and them freeze right away.

63. Make sure your canning jars say for freezing and canning. Just remember not to fill it to the top. Otherwise you will have a mess make sure the jars are not chipped either. That can cause them to explode in the freezer Has to be straight sided ones CANNOT freeze in jars w/the shoulders on them. has to be for "freeze & canning" Use freezer boxes and containers plus the jars.

64. Must reads: Donna McKenna's $30/week grocery books and reviewed. Still good information and recipes.

65. And another: Sweet and Sugarfree An All Natural, Fruit-Sweetened dessert Cookbook by Karen E. Barkie. The publisher is Martin's Press

66. Make one batch that you're going to bake right away and put the same amount of dry ingredients into plastic bags for "home mixes"

67. Keep a couple of store bought mixes on hand. Usually they are free or almost free. Great for that time when you can't think what you want to make on short notice.

CLEANING SUPPLIES:

68. Save a lot of money here by not using paper towels, just use cleaning rags instead

69. How bout all those umpteen dozen cleaners for everything. Will fill up a cabinet in a hurry, and sure empty a wallet fast, and most don't do a bit better than the stuff we can
make!

70. Just using vinegar may be anti-bacterial enough. That anti-bacterial stuff is a new marketing ploy to get the public paranoid and spend more money

71. Antibacterial...just use bleach and water.

72. vinegar, baking soda, borax and some washing soda.

73. Baking soda, vinegar, ammonia are the three usuals around here used in various ways

74. Toss the kitchen sponge in the dishwasher when you run it (especially in the summer) to deodorize and sanitize it

75. borax, washing soda & super washing soda too.

76. If you use a clean cloth and plain old plant based detergent. That usually will kill germs. Germs like a moist environment so keeping things dry helps a lot

77. Things like E. Coli & others that come into the kitchen w/meats & such need bleach.

78. vinegar...for the shower door, straight if it's really bad, and use a scrubbie that won't scratch the glass. try a baking soda and water paste and rub like crazy with a soft
cloth?

79. The dollar store has the body scrubbers (soft nylon) & they are wonderful for getting the shower or windows clean! Then follow up with a light coat of car wax to keep the water beading up on it.

80. Save nylon mesh that came with onions and some other veggies and made your own scrubbies. Just take sponge and cover it with the mesh

81. The TW cleaning lady mentioned that if the scum is really bad, you might want to consider changing the brand of your soap.

82. A Realtor friend suggested lemon oil furniture polish for the shower doors. Never tried it though--afraid of the slipperiness in the shower.

83. Leave a squeegee in the shower. When done showering, squeegee the door. This cuts down on a lot of the build up.

84. Leave an old towel on top of the shower. Use it to wipe down the shower when you get out.

85. If you use auto paste wax on your shower wall, the water will not spot it.

86. You can wash plastic shower curtains. Put in the washer with a towel or two. Hang to dry Do it with the white towels and/or underwear. Add some bleach. Also the bathtub mat, just stick it in with the towels. the one inside the tub! Gets rid of any molds or mildew. However only wash it in the machine. Then it goes into a big bucket & back into the shower for a warm rinse

87. Don't use vinegar on the no wax floors. Use a tiny amount of liquid. hand dish detergent on the no wax floors.

88. Try vinegar on the floors, ceramic tile only.

89. Floors get shinier if you don't let them air dry--wipe dry with an old towel

90. Saving in the laundry dept. Use cold water and probably 1/3 to 1/2 less soap. Experiment and see what you can get by with. Hang clothes to dry if possible

91. If you do use the dryer, make sure the lint screen is cleaned, use only half a fabric softener sheet, and use a timer. Take the clothes out when they are a bit damp.

92. Avoid drying 100% cotton T-shirts, and jeans in the dryer, they'll shrink.

93. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup vinegar to an extra rinse of the towels. You can't believe how much more soap comes out

94. Make sure that you are washing only full loads but don't overload the washer Overloading the washer or any other appliance will make it inefficient.

95. It's the soap build up that makes the clothes look either yellow or gray, so by using less you rinse out all the detergent. Saves money & detergent.

96. If you have to hang clothes out to dry in the winter add a couple tbs of salt to the rinse water. They won't freeze stiff.

97. If you're using the dryer, try to dry 2 loads one right after another...the dryer is already heated up from the first load, so I have heard that this helps save energy.

98. If your clothes look a little dull you can add a couple tablespoons of Epsom salt to the wash cycle. Makes them brighter and is cheaper than the store stuff

99. 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse water of your washer will take out the soap or detergent residue. So does baking soda. Also helps to keep the clothing fresh longer using
either product.

100. Wash your clothes less if possible. Assign everyone a towel to use for the week, wear an apron in the kitchen, change out of good clothes before doing a messy job

101. One load right after the other in the dryer saves $'s on your utility bill as it is already heated up. Folding the clothes immediately instead of throwing into a basket also cuts ironing.
Bonus tips:

102. Don't wash anything unless it's dirty! OS learned that lesson while at college, doing his own laundry
103. Give everyone a color coded towel and move the rest from the bathroom to a place only I know about!

UTILITIES:

104. By carefully turning off lights, insulating the HW heater, using AC only if really necessary and other measures keep the bill low.

105. Don't heat bedrooms in winter.

106. Insulate the water heater, caulk and seal around the windows, put up plastic on the windows in the winter if needed, compact florescent light bulbs, or halogens.

107. Use wood heat eves & weekends when possible. Oil burner hot air the rest of the time.

108. Low flow showerheads, and flow restrictors on the faucets cuts down on the water heating too.

109. Turn the thermostat back to 55 at night or if you are going to be gone all day. (in winter) Same with AC if you use it.

110. Close off the rooms that you're not using so you don't pay $$ to heat them

111. Fill that oven when you cook, or use a different appliance to cook with.

112. Don't turn heat below 65-70o if you have someone that is infirm, or elderly in the home. Or, a very young child or baby as they are prone to hypothermia.

113. Try to avoid using the oven when it is really hot. Use the micro, the crockpot, the toaster oven or the grill

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:

114. Buy on sale with a coupon, and a rebate if possible

115. Buy large containers and dilute then put in a regular bottle. We buy castile and do our own

116. Put them into a pump top bottle, and dilute them 1/3 with water.

117. Water down the shampoo and conditioner and dole it out

118. Stock up on the stuff when it is on sale

119. Spraying window cleaner on a window and wiping it with a piece of black and white newspaper works better than paper towels or rags. That will work very well on a car windshield w/tiny scratches in it too. Newspaper (black & white) & the window cleaner or vinegar.

MISCELLANEOUS:

120. Pay bills over the phone with your debit card. Cable, cellular phone bill and some other ones. That 32 cents adds up. HOWEVER, if your bank charges a fee if you use your card anywhere but in their machines, you may be LOSING money on this deal. It pays to check FIRST!! Don't forget to include the cost of your check in your math.

121. Great Software: Microsoft Money. (like quicken)

122. And Another: Managing Your Money

123. Drop of household ammonia takes the itch out of bug bites

124. Getting the drawers in the kitchen reorganized saves time, energy & $.

125. Decluttering can save such time and energy and money--you don't go out and buy what you already have but forgotten about.

126. Sell the stuff you declutter or pass it along to someone else (pass it along to a charitable organization for a tax deduction. )