OT- favorite money saving tips

I’ve never had a lot of money but things are extra tight these days.  We’ve had a lot of unplanned expenses – the cat needed some teeth pulled, one of the cars needed repairs, my partner needed some dental work, etc.  So we are trying to cut back even more though that’s hard to do when we really spend little money as it is.

So I’m wondering about your favorite money saving tips.  Here are a few of mine.

If you email companies whose products you use and ask for coupons, they will almost always send you some, sometimes really good ones.  I got four free cans of cat food from Purina!

I started using cloth napkins instead of paper.  I bought them cheap at the thrift store and it’s no trouble to wash them because I just throw them in with my other laundry and they only take a minute to fold.

I’ve also started using rags instead of paper towels most of the time.  I cut up old towels and old tee shirts to make rags, so they cost me nothing.  And I have enough of them that if I have to clean up something really gross, I don’t bother washing the rag, I just toss it out.

I am going to start making my own laundry detergent but have about ¼ of a box left to use up first. 

I am also going to start hanging clothes out to dry when winter is over, but that doesn’t help me much right now.  Although at this moment I have towels draped over all my kitchen chairs and the shower rod and all the towel bars in the house to dry.  But for the most part, I need warm weather and a clothes line.

So what are your best money making tips?

Hi Kelly,

I too like tearing up old towels and store them under the kitchen sink to clean up instead of paper towels.

One of my favorite products is sold at Smart and Final, it a concentrated Lemon cleanser anti viral and anti bacterial etc.. Its a little more expensive initially but the Gallon can be diluted for cleaning everything...I believe it is cheaper than the pine sol that I used to go through in a week..

Electric hair trimmer/shaver versus razors..again.. initial expense but oh my I dont have to buy another razor in my life..

Power strips.. I power down anything that I am not using in my home.. Every appliance/TV/etc using energy even when its off..If you use the power strip on your computers/TVs/DVD players etc, you'll see a noticable difference on your electric bill.

Washing clothes in cold water only...

Donating things you dont and wont use anymore.. Tax write offs

Clean out your vents and registers and change your filters in your HVAC system and dryer.. These things will operate way more efficiently if the filters are clean, and registers are clean.. Dryer will operate better if the vent is cleaned regularly. Save you money in the long run..

In our family, we spend alot of money on gas, I really try to plan our shopping trips to once a week so that I am not spending excess cash on the gas tank..

We recently got rid of our home telephone line and substituted it for another cell phone that is kept at home.. add a line 9.99 versus the $35 dollars I was paying to the local phone company..

Michelle

Turning down the thermostat just a degree or two helps. I have a space heater I use during the day in the living room if I need it.
Coupons are great, as you know. I also make a monthly menu that way if I need something and its on sale a different week I can go ahead and pick it up.
Make it yourself. I make all our meals and snacks. From yogurt and granola to the dinner meal. If you look around there are great recipes for homemade veggie burgers that don't cost much to make and make a lot more than you can buy for the same price.
I stopped using expensive body products years ago and started making my own as well. Not only do I save money but I look younger than all my friends.

I am getting ready to start making yogurt.  I am going to be buying raw milk from a local farm, beginning this Friday!  And I will be making my own Greek yogurt with my raw milk.  I can't wait.

I have started doing a lot of other cooking from scratch.

I've been doing more menu planning but the monthly menu is a great idea.  I'll have to start doing that.

I use coupons and only buy items on sale using my coupons.  I hardly ever buy food without coupons unless I am going to Aldi to get milk and soymilk and some meats.

I like the idea about using rags instead of papertowels. I have to do that.

I love this topic.

I'm an avid couponer and pricematcher.  I pretty much only shop at Walmart because they will price match and no stores around here double coupons anyway.

INITIALLY it's a little time consuming to get started, but now it doesn't take much time at all.  I buy 2-4 newspapers on sunday, clip and file them in my coupon binder (a zipper binder with baseball card sleeves in it).  Once a week I go online to read the ads and make a shopping list.  Walmart does not require the ads to pricematch.  Most store websites have an "add to shopping list" function and I create a list for each store.

I do not pay a penny for deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving cream, soap, body wash, dishsoap...  I pay about $1 a bottle for laundry detergent, fabric softener and dishwasher tabs.  I have a huge stockpile of these items.  I combine store sales with coupons to get the lowest price.  If they have a good deal I will buy extra to stock up.  These are not generic cheap items, but Pantene, Infusium, Olay, Dove, Degree... etc...

I have enough multivitamins and calcium to last me a year for about the price of a 3 month supply.  CVS and Walgreens frequently have buy one get one free sales, and I stack those with coupons.  Centrum and Citrical frequently have several dollar off coupons out so I get them for a buck or two a bottle.

This is where I save the majority of my money so that I can enjoy it other places.  It makes a difference when you used to have to pay $3-4 each for deodorant, shampoo or razors and now do not have to spend a dime.

I read the online forums (A Full Cup is a good one) to see if there are any good deals.  Everyone in my family got an electric toothbrush that I got for less than $2 each, and all the men got electic razors that were about $4 each after pricematching and coupons.

I've switched light bulbs to cfls in most rooms and LEDs in some.  The LEDs are dimmer, but you get used to them.  The savings is incredible!

I put energy saving curtains on all my bigger windows to keep out the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter.  It made a big difference in my bills this past summer, and I only paid about $19 per panel for 108 inch thermal drapes.  They were about $90 at JC Penneys, but I caught them on sale online and used a code for % off and fee shipping.  I buy nothing online without searching for a coupon code first.

My kids used to be embarassed at first, but once they see how much I save they got interested.  My daughter will come with me on shopping trips sometimes because it's lke a game.

I'd love to put a clothesline in the back - I need to start looking at where it could go!

These are all great ideas!  I love using coupons too-but I only use them for items I know I will use. 

Also clean the coils under/behind your refrigerator....I use that long skinny brush for the dryer vent to clean the fridge coils too....makes it work more efficiently if it isn't choking on dust/pet hair.

How you coming with those pistachios?!!!

One bag is gone.  I have two more bags.  I'm mostly eating them in Greek yogurt with pistachio pudding mix and some cherries, and my partner is just snacking on them plain.  I tried roasting some of them but I think I had the oven too hot or something.  They had a burnt taste but still weren't quite crispy.  I think I'm gonna try a pesto sauce with them like Nik suggested, too.

I use Magic Jack for my home phone- $20 for the entire year and no local or long distance phone bills ever. I have to have high speed internet at home for work purposes anyway, so I just plug Magic jack into the computer and it works like a charm with any cordless phone set that I've tried. I don't miss getting a phone bill every month...and who else gives you unlimited local and long distance for less than $2 a month?

For winterizing my home...I bought $20 worth of clear shrink plastic and covered all the windows inside my house. It sealed them up tight and has made a HUGE difference in my gas and electric bills so far this Winter.  It's as clear as glass so I can see out all the windows while it's up.

I bought a couple of $4 sheets of hard foam insulation and cut it to seal up my foundation vents, with a larger piece cut for the fireplace flue. The damper has long ago rusted out so the chimney stays open and drafty. I pop the insulation out when we want to use the fireplace and pop it back in after the fire has been out overnight. Seals out way more air than a damper anyway.

I get larger packs of meats when I buy them, then portion them up for the freezer. Family packs are generally cheaper and I watch them for sales.

This Spring, I will put up a couple of trellis planters in my yard for growing upright veggies (tomatoes, peas, cukes). I will incorporate my squashes I love into the yard's planting beds, and I've got a place ready for a couple of blueberry bushes and a bed of "salad" delights. 

I watch my local stores for dairy aisle mark-downs. I seldom buy creamer or Greek yogurt at full price and as much as we go through, we eat it before the expiration date.  I target 2 nearby stores that do mark-downs of dairy 10 days before the expiration date.  Cha ching!

I don't do it to save money, but I make my own glass cleaner.  The money savings are just a bonus. We have a lot of glass tables (kitchen, family room, living room, etc.) and mirrors in our house so we used to use lots of Windex.  I hated the fact that after a few days it would start to show a dull residue on every mirror and table.  It turns out that most of the commercial glass cleaners avoid streaks by using a liquid wax in their formulation, and that wax turns dull after awhile. I hate that.  I still have bottles of Windex, but they are filled with homemade glass cleaner.  It takes some getting used to using it, but the shine it leaves is second to none.  And if you clean something it stays clean.  No more dull buildup.  I even use it on my car windshield and it stays clean for a LONG time.  I still haven't convinced my cleaning lady to use it (she LOVES Windex), but I use it all the time to clean up in between her visits.  Typically, I'll clean all the tables and mirrors right after she leaves just to get the wax off.  Now if I could just find a way to keep the dog hair off, I'd be golden.