Helpful Ideas for Saving Money

[Squirt's Mom]

Too often these days, we find ourselves faced with financial difficulties in our everyday lives not to mention the added struggle to meet our baby’s medical needs. In my own life, I have found ways to save a penny here and there that add up and help stretch the monies through the months. I’m sure everyone here has made sacrifices and use tricks and tips they could share that might help someone else stretch their dollars. So this thread is for sharing those tricks and tips that you use which help you save money.

To get the ball rolling, here is one trick my brother taught me years ago and it really has helped tho I thought he was nuts at first. :p Plastic baggies that are the freezer or storage type can be washed, dried and reused many times before they wear out. Sandwich baggies are thinner and don’t hold up to washing very well, tho. When a baggie is emptied, I wash it by hand, then turn it inside out and hang two baggies clipped at the corners with a clothespin over a wooden laundry rack to dry. If it’s nice outside, I put the rack outside; if not, I put the rack in the bathtub so the baggies can drip and not harm anything. This has saved me probably 1000’s of dollars over the years since one box of baggies can last months and months by washing them.

[spdd]

Our newspapers come in elongated plastic bags, both the local paper and the big city one. I use those bags for scooping. Bonus is they are so long, you never have to worry about skin contact.

[Squirt's Mom]

Doing laundry today, I remembered a couple of other tricks.

Dryer sheets can be cut or torn in half and work just as well for most loads. During the summer months when static electricity is lower, I often am able to use that sheet portion more than once, too.

Used dryer sheets can be used to dust, clean shower doors of soap scum, as Swifter cleaners for the floors, to deodorize drawers and diaper pails, pick up pet hair and many more things. Here is one link with ideas for dryer sheet uses -

http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2012/02/21/109397_50-ways-to-reuse-dryer-sheets.html

One way to save at least one load of liquid laundry soap is to rinse the cup in the water entering the machine after adding the soap. This prevents drips from the cup getting all over the machine and bottle, too. By rinsing the cup, you use all the soap in the cup with none being wasted covering the washer and bottle. Rinse the bottle itself after the last amount is poured into the cup, use that watered down portion, and you will find enough for at least a small load of laundry.

[Budsters Mom]

What a great idea for a thread Leslie. :p

Cheap creme rinse makes a smooth leg shaving creme. It is made to soften hair, so it works great on leg hair too. It leaves legs feeling soft and smooth at a fraction of the cost of shave gels. ;):D

[goldengirl88]

Kathy:
I use the crème rinse too for my legs. Also if you take a hair dryer to your disposable razors and dry them thoroughly you can use them many times. Rust is what ruins them. I use all the cottage cheese, margarine, and other plastic containers for freezing stuff in the freezer. Do not use the tip about using vinegar in your washer for softening clothes. The repairman told me the acid ruins your washer. I keep a big container in the freezer and add leftover vegetables to it when I have them. When it gets filled up I use them in vegetable soup. I throw all my coffee grounds on my plants. I put olive oil in a spray bottle and spritz on baking pans etc. so I do not buy Pam. Putting a capful of bleach in you dish water gets rid of grease, and you don't have to keep adding dish detergent. I save all my slivers of soap in a box, and make a bar or two out of it when I have enough. You can heat it a little and then form it into a bar. I bought an opinion keeper. It is plastic with a rubber lid that has stainless steel in the middle. Whenever I am using an onion and only need part of it, I put the other in this keeper in the refrigerator, the stainless keeps smells from coming out of the container. Then next time I need some, I don't have to peel one. When I make chicken, I save the bones and cook them for stock so I don't have to buy any. I freeze any leftover mashed potatoes I am not going to reheat, and use them to thicken soups. I put orange peels around the house for a citrus smell. I freeze bananas getting old, and use them in banana bread. I give lettuce and produce scraps to the birds. I make my own note pads from junk mail, or envelopes it comes in. I save those padded shipping envelopes in case I need to send something, I just put a new label over top the old one. I tear old clothes up for rags, sweatshirts work well for dusting. I use baby oil to clean stainless steel appliances instead of the expensive cleaner. I put my dryer lint outside for the birds to use for nests. Always fill your car up in the morning, it will hold more gas than when it gets hotter. I keep a Swiffer type duster in my car, when at a red lite or waiting in the car I dust my dashboard etc. and get Tipper's hair off everything. If you use a wet rubber glove pet hair will come off things real easy, even just wet your hand. I wash throw away rubber gloves and dry them for the next use. If you have any holes in your house screens, sew them shut with nylon thread. I have patio screens that I cannot replace as none fit for some reason, so I sewed the holes shut so mosquitoes cannot come thru. Use some of your pickle juice and make a salad dressing out of it. If I need some type of juice for something to cook with or what ever, I buy a jar of baby juice in stead of spending money on a big can or jar. I use apple juice to cook pork, and I buy a small baby juice to do it. If you shred block cheese on a micro plane grater you will use less, and I do this instead of buying bagged shredded cheese it is cheaper. I use cheap bath towels from Walmart that match my car to put over top my floor mats. Just take them, shake them, and throw them in the washer- especially in winter months and your floor is always clean. I use crayons and marking pencils for scratches in furniture, shoes, etc. Used a black marker on a bleach spot on black pants, couldn't even see it. I reuse all plastic bags from the store for garbage. I buy paper towels, and paper products only when on sale. I buy paper towels that tear off in half sheets. I use dried beans to stretch meat meals sometimes. Make bread pudding out of your dried bread, all you need is a few eggs and vanilla to make a custard. This ought to be enough to get you guys started. My grandmother never bought anything from the store when I was a kid, she was very thrifty, so I know a lot more to post later.
Patti

[Budsters Mom]

Wow Patti, I am impressed! ;) xxxx

[mcdavis]

Thanks Patti - those are some seriously great suggestions.

[bernie47]

I am a a great believer in Eucalyptus oil .
They are so many uses for this .
Mop the tiles .. with a few drops in hot water , clean my glass in shower recess . ( Soap scum )
Disinfects my fur babies washing , and a glorious smell .:D
Soak my tired feet :D in foot spare .
Cleans childrens toys and and germs .
Great stain remover on clothes ( Spray can ) is available .
Clean the top of my white cooking stove ..Perfecto !:)
Mixed with kitchen detergent and cooking oil , makes a great natural spray for mite in the garden .

Garden Spray Recipe

5mL Bosisto’s Eucalyptus Oil (1 teaspoon)
20mL Canola Oil (4 teaspoons)
2mL Dishwashing Detergent (1-2 squirts)
1 litre Water.
Mix thoroughly in a pump spray bottle and spray around seedlings and the base of plants. Repeat as necessary. Ideal for earwigs, slugs, snails and slaters. Do not store made up spray. Wash container thoroughly after use.

Use Eucalyptus Oil or Spray to remove:

Price stickers from white goods
Band Aid residue
Car rego stickers
Jam jar labels
Old stickers from furniture – patch test an unseen area first
Sticky finger marks from household surfaces
Built up grease and stickiness on kitchen range-hoods and ceiling fans
Chewing gum (even from hair!)
Any other sticky marks around the home
For best results, saturate the sticky item, area or label with either the Oil or Spray
and leave for one minute before removing.
I also only use micro clothes ... and when finished wash up really well .
Hope that has helped my friends , Cheers for now Catherine .

[goldengirl88]

Great ideas, I never knew a lot of this stuff, thank you.
Blessings
Patti

[Goldenboi75]

Great Tips everyone....
As far as laundry detergent, I make my own and it's very simple:
1 cup of Borax (about $3-5 for a 4lb box)
1 cup of Arm&Hammer Washing Soda (about $3-5 for 3lb box)
1 bar of soap finely grated (i prefer Yardley English Lavender because it is a dryer soap that grates easily and it's pretty natural)
For an HE washer I use 1 tablespoon to 1 1/2 per load!

I know everyone might not have an area to do this but I also dry all the clothes on a drying rack first. And then pop in the dryer with a dryer sheet for a couple of minutes just to soften.

For Vet Care a big thing that helps me is the CareCredit credit Card through GE financial services. They run financing specials all the time. Right now the deal is Vet services over $250 get 18 months interest free financing. My Vet lets me prepay for stuff so that I can get the financing deals. The only downside is if you can't pay before it expires they nail you with a lot of interest.

Hope that helps!

[Squirt's Mom]

Is this home made detergent ok for the HE washers? I have thought about doing this but am leery of powered detergents especially in HE machines so I hesitate. Is your machine operating ok with it?

[Goldenboi75]

It is. This mixture does not suds... I have been using this mixture since february this year when I got the new HE washer. No issues at all and I'm still on the original box of Borax and Washing soda. I usually do on average 5-7 loads of laundry a week. It is a wonderful savings because HE detergent is very expensive.

[Squirt's Mom]

oooo it really is! Thank you for sharing! I feel a bit more confident in trying this now!

[goldengirl88]

Great laundry tip, as I have an HE washer also. I am going to make me some of this as soon as I get time. Thank you for the good money saver. Blessings
Patti

[goldengirl88]

Hi Everyone:
I bought a bar of soap that said it was laundry detergent. it is called Zote. Has anyone ever used it? I guess you rub the bar on stains etc. I will let you know if it is any good. I bought one of those battery chargers that charges regular batteries. I do like it but you must recharge the batteries before they completely run down. I have candles in my windows that use batteries so I need to use rechargeable ones that are so expensive. Each candle takes 3 c batteries. I have 11 windows so that can be a lot of money. I can now recharge the regular alkaline ones now and save a lot of money. Also I pay all my bills thru my bank online so I don't have to buy stamps, that really saves me money. If I use aluminum foil for something and it is not dirty, I just wipe it off, and fold it up and use it when I need a piece that size. I take reusable grocery bags to stores that charge you for bags. When I buy things online I always do a search for coupons or free shipping at the place I am buying something. I never pay shipping and rarely tax. I also buy a lot of things from Amazon subscribe and save. If you subscribe to something you get a good discount and free shipping, and you can cancel or delay other shipments if you don't want them, so really you can get a good deal on one item, just cancel the rest afterwards. I wash my cat food cans out and give them to the church so the Sunday school kids can use them to mix paints, plant plants in them etc. I sign up for free offers on pet foods I will never use ,as mine eat certain food, I put them out for cats in the neighborhood that are hungry- no I don't care who likes it either! Sometimes I give it to my elderly neighbor who barely scrapes by. I sign up for all the free shampoo and conditioner samples and seldom buy any, I have a huge zip lock bag full right now. Just go onto heyitsfree.net and they have new free offers everyday. I have gotten many full size products free this way. Ok I have to go now, I was staying away from Tipper as she is hungry cause I cut her food down again, and it is time to feed her. Blessings
Patti

[Squirt's Mom]

(via a fellow struggling friend who is into sustainable living)

Laundry Dryer Solutions -

I usually hang my clothes out on the line. It’s cheap, and the sun helps sanitize the laundry. However, winter makes this difficult. I have several friends that use the dryer balls. The link I am providing shows how to make them, and explains why they are better than buying dryer sheets.

It is really easy to make your own dryer sheets. If you have hair conditioner, you are ready to go! Simply saturate an old washcloth in the conditioner, and allow it to dry completely. You can toss this into the dryer with your clothes. The conditioner acts a fabric softener for approximately 10 washes before you have to soak it again. If static is a problem with this method, you can simply wad up a bit of aluminum foil to toss in as well.

You can add essential oils to the dryer balls described in this link as often as needed. You can also put herbs inside the dryer balls before felting. Here is the link:
http://joybilee-farm.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html

Un-Paper Towels -

These are great. I just cut up a towel into smaller parts, and zig zag hemmed them. I have a pattern for making them so they snap together, so you can roll them up on a paper towel roll for convenience. This link has several tutorials. It is a good idea to make double layers. I suggest terrycloth and flannel. A cheap way to do this is to go to a flea market, or resale store, Salvation Army, or the like, and get men’s flannel shirts, and towels or washcloths for this project. It is usually pretty cheap this way. For any sewing products you can go to Hancocks clearance table. They always have fabric on sale up to 90% off. Also, ask for a sale flyer, because they always have two coupons on the back for 40-50% off any non-sale item. Here is the link for the un-paper towel tutorials:
http://www.kamsnaps.com/Reusable-Washable-Cloth-Unpaper-Towels-75.html

Toothpaste -

The taste takes a little getting used to. Okay, it takes a while to get used to. If you read this blog entry, it will give you a little insight as to why using commercial toothpaste is a bad idea, other than that nasty price tag. I mix equal parts coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature, and baking soda. Add several drops of mint essential oil for flavor. I then put the concoction into a ziplock bag with one of the corners cut off, and squeeze it into my empty toothpaste tube, for convenience.
http://familysponge.com/health/coconut-oil/homemade-toothpaste-coconut-oil/

Deodorant -

I have experimented with different deodorant recipes. Deodorant containing coconut oil usually works well, but stains the crap out of my shirts. So, I found one that works, without that staining. It may seem kind of expensive to buy all of the supplies up front, but you can make many many sticks of deodorant with these supplies. I re-use my empty deodorant containers. I use bentonite clay, cocoa butter , shea butter, beeswax, tea tree oil, and lavender oil. It is a pretty fun process. Here is the link.
http://www.theeverythingsoapblog.com/2012/03/recipe-best-natural-deodorant.html