Some of my money saving tips...

[shortstack]

I thought I would add a post with some of my money saving tips. Some of them may already be on this site and if they are I'm sorry about the repeat

-Instead of buying toilet brush refills I use my handle with Store Brand Flushable wipes. Take 2 bunch up and put them in the handle like you would the refill.
-CVS! If you do The Extra Care Buck Program you know exactly what I'm talking about Its only 2 months into the year and I've saved $600 and only spent $10 OOP total on Health, Beauty and some Food and Seasonal Items
-I never buy refills for my swiffer. I use dishclothes that I have just for this. I also have a reused squirt bottle I use filled with a Vinegar Water mixture to wet the floor when "Swiffering"
-Use Vinegar to clean floors, shower and instead of fabric softener
-Use reusable cloths for cleaning and only use napkins that came from fast food joint (my husband hates this one)
-Coupon and match sales
-Stockpile when you can get things super cheap
-Think WAY in advance what your needs will be. Time allows you the luxury of shopping around for deep discounts. I already have 2 years worth of clothes for my son and daughter stored away, all of them bought at %80 off or more.
-Turn cooked leftovers into something new. For instance I cooked a turkey breast last week. We ate half of it. I froze the other half and today I thawed out what was left and make turkey noodle casserole out of it. *I waited the week to make sure my husband forgot we had it / He will not eat leftovers, what he doesn't know won't hurt him )
-Freeze everything! My freezer is stuffed with everything you can think of. It makes food last longer.


I know there are tons more tips I know but for the life of me I can't seem to think of them
Andrea

[VanVivCam]

great idea for the dishclothes...i never thought of that for my swiffer!!!!

[Nada.Leona]

I love these posts! Here's what I'd add:

~ get used to cooking from scratch. It's not nearly as difficult as it seems.
~ reuse everything! Laundry softener sheets (still good!), old dish-rags (Swiffer cloths), toilet paper tubes (great for holding extension cords), old vinyl records (lots of crazy crafts), backs of 1-day calendars (phone note pads), empty cereal boxes (great for holding magazines), any form of plastic bag (endless possibilities), socks (dusting or cleaning mittens), bedsheets (curtains), etc. etc. etc. There is nothing that needs to go into the garbage without you thinking of something -- anything! -- that it can be used for instead!
~ Use half of everything -- laundry soap, dish detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, conditioner, etc. Nine times out of ten, you don't need nearly as much as the package recommends.
~ Set up a routine and stick to it. This has by far been one of my saving graces.

[shortstack]

I just started cooking from scratch. I had a personal goal this month to see how low I could get our food bill. Eating out was our blackhole for money.

Andrea

[emily_hope]

Good tips, thanks for sharing.

[Bethany]

I like the idea of thinking twice before throwing anything away.
My frugal tip is don't turn on the TV because then you don't see what's advertise4d and you won't know it's out there! Same goes for the Sunday paper inserts that contain all the sales.

[shortstack]

I agree with the TV one especially if you have kids! I like my daughter to only watch Noggin and PBS because they don't put commercials on those 2 Networks. If she turns on any other network (even Discovery Kids) she finds some item shes going to die without. I always tell her if she remembers what the item is tomorrow we'll talk about it. She never remembers the next day
Andrea

I like the idea of thinking twice before throwing anything away.
My frugal tip is don't turn on the TV because then you don't see what's advertise4d and you won't know it's out there! Same goes for the Sunday paper inserts that contain all the sales.

[sweetlittle]

Love the post! Mine is one that I need to do this weekend....make or prepare baked goods ahead of time. I have 9 pizza pans that I par-bake the crusts on and put into the freezer, make up biscuits and freeze to bake later, and my ultime favorite....make up huge mixes for choc. chip cookies (these are the mixes that you add eggs to when you bake)freeze in large yogurt containers. There are many recipes for these type of mix/freeze/bake later foods. They are so convienent, are fresh, and fun to make with very little cost.

[suki]

Great tips, everyone... I especially like the idea using cereal boxes for magazines!

[brokenchina]

I keep a large plastic storage container with tight fitting lid in the freezer and all leftover veggies go into it for the soup pot. I get a better variety of vegetables that way and the seasoned veggies taste so much better in the soup. When I'm ready to make homemade soup, I just dump the big frozen lump of vegetables into the stockpot, add broth, meat if I want it, cut up a couple of onions and add potatoes. I don't add potatoes to the frozen vegetables because they get soggy in the freezer. I also add leftover beef gravy and bits of leftover pot roast to the frozen soup container.

Kathy

[anna021]

I agree with Sweetlittle, baking and preparing ahead really helps. I usually try and set aside a good portion of Monday to do my baking for the week, or longer. So nice to reach in the freezer and pull out rolls, bread, cookies. I also try to always have at least 3-4 dinners in the freezer as well. Because as we all know the worse thing is to not have a plan for dinner, its at this time when we tend to do take aways or spent big bucks on ready made dinners. Personally, I like to know what I'm making or at least have a plan every morning, and if I can get it cooked before hand, even better. Make later in the day when energy is beginning to dwindle a much calmer time.

[jamoswife]

I buy "bird bread" at the local bread store- it is .10 per loaf and it is going to expire that day. It is ment to feed the birds but I have yet to have a problem with it. I freeze it and defrost it the day before I need to use it. It saves me so much money as my dh and two of my kids eat sandwiches each day.
I hamy kids haven't purchased new clothes for kids in years except undies and socks and alway purchase those during back to school time when the are on sale.
I buy the kids used toys for presents. They don't know any different.

[FLYNBUG]

Dryer balls work well instead of dryer sheets. They are 20 for 2 of them and they last up to two years. They cut down on drying time and are much better for your clothes. No chemicals.

[chrissy]

Great tips Many thanks for sharing

[missyali]

sweetlittle~ i'd love your cookie recipe, if you don't mind sharing.