Tell us how you save money!!!

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myfedora

New Member
Over the weekend my mother bought me the micromagic streak free cloth. I don't usually get anything like this because I don't believe that they work. Well this one you wet and clean your windows and stuff with, even said clean dog nose prints off. Well I had the perfect window for that. I tried it and it worked! I was so amazed at this I went around and cleaned all my windows, pictures and mirrors. I don't have to use Windex or paper towels any more! That is going to save me a lot of money because I have lots of windows. A few months back I bought the sham wow for my swiffer. I do buy the dry swiffers (off brand) and use the sham wow for the wet one, works great. I use the other sham wow for under my dish drainer. When the dishes are dry I hang up the sham wow to dry and use it again. I always hated cleaning the pan under the dish drainer.
 

richnkim

New Member
Those sound nice, Bernie. I know what you mean about the postage. It is getting expensive. Be careful about the gift cards though. A friend at our church bought one at Walmart and sent to her dad. By the time he got it and went to use it, it was gone. They say that people are going to the stores and writting down the numbers from them, then they go online and when they are purchased they acctivate them and spend them on-line. The ones that you get from the banks are ok but the others that stores have out are not.
 

Kya D

Active Member
Postage is really high that is why I try to send flat rate boxes when I send plants.
 

Dor

Active Member
I do too KyaD. My PO is getting so stingy that they keep the flat rate boxes behind the counter in the back. The customers don't know and buy the boxes. I ask for them. I have the larger ones but I am out of the smaller size the 7X7. I am going to have to place an order.
 
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Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
They treat me pretty good over at the post office. When I need them, they give me a whole carton of the flat rate boxes. There are 25 in the carton. But I give the postal clerk that waits on me a jar of jam every time I mail parcels too. I'm sure that helps.
 

grcolts

New Member
My wife jokes at my style of shopping as I tend to go right in and purchase what I intended to buy and leave, never stopping to look at anything else. However, I save lots of money this way as I don't buy what I don't need.
Also, when it rains I set out buckets to catch the water so I can use them on my plants later when needed. One of these days I hope to get those official rainwater gutter barrels to catch the rain water but for now buckets work.
GR
 

PRH

Well-Known Member
After Christmas,I enjoyed looking at the ' after sales or clearance' items! I got wrapping paper,bows and some items that would finish off my packages to last me for the next several years at the low price of $29.00 for the whole mess. - I'm already working on making some gifts for the next giving season! ( my GF, now Fiancee ) thinks I'm kinda nuts for doing that now,but I think she understands knowing a bargain and thinking ahead too,as she does almost the samething sometimes ) :)
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
PRH,
I do the samething. I buy after season and stock up. For my office we keep candy in the waiting area, it is always seasonal , after season LOL! No one seems to mind as they chow on chocolate!
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
I have started buy all my non name brand stuff at the discount market. And then if they do have a name brand I want they take coupons. Makes feeding the fam a lot cheaper~
 

swindy

New Member
Get ready for the after season sales. I always go to Sears for the Lands End clothing. The yea before last I got a Landsend faux shealing coat for $30.00 in March, it is white but washable and really very warm and toasty. I love it as you don't even need a sweater under it.
The end of last summer I bought $450.00 worth of knit tops (6) and 2 pairs of very nice slacks for $80.00 at the highend store, Norstroms. Because the tops are Knit I was able to wear them in the winter under a sweater or blazer. I love going into the highend stores at the end of a season because you can get their clothes for the same price you would pay at K-Mart or WalMart, but a much better quality. Of course you don't get the choices you would get at the beginning of the season but I would never pay the full price in those stores, so leftovers are fine by me lol
 

Jade

New Member
I got my son some 45 dollar jeans at JCPenney at the end of the season last year for 6 dollars a pair. What a deal. Every time I shop I look for clearance stuff for him. He is a skinney thing, 29 inch waist, so it is easy to find clearance stuff for him.
I make a lot of my own soups and freeze them in the winter. They are such a cheap meal. While hubby is travelling I spend more on bird food than on people food, ha. Now that is just not right!
 

Bluewolf

New Member
I probably don't do as well as I should..but I do do some things...

I recycle aluminum cans..I have a can crusher that makes it more efficient
get more cans in fewer bags..the money I get back is mine to spend how I want (usually on new movies)

Buy most of my meat from the "Managers Special" bin except hot dogs and bologna
and bacon those items I only buy when they are BOGO then put in the freezer

we have a chest freezer an upright and two refrigerators
We normally grill year round..so we buy other meats when they are on sale during prime BBQ season and freze them for winter

I buy the family packs of pork steaks and chicken then divide them up and into the freezer they go
My market has tables for discounted/damaged goods I get alot of stuff there
the cans are dented not the food I just figure out how to open the other end...
 

PRH

Well-Known Member
When the gas tank on my car reads 1/2 full,stop and fill it all the way full again. ( that way it don't break the bank and I always have fuel too )
- just another way of saving! -
 

Kya D

Active Member
I save money with CF lights, programmable thermostat, thrift stores, dollar stores.
I spend way too much money on pets and livestock.
 

tonya

New Member
spending less/saving more

With the economy the way it is, thought it would be nice to share ideas on how we save money. The more money we save the more we can buy plants and seeds for our gardens.

When I brew tea I put a pinch of baking soda in the boiling tea. It draws more of the tea and you can use less tea bags.

And speaking of tea, I brew enough tea to make 3 gallons of tea. That saves me time but also electricity that saves me money. I make a gallon of tea and I put the other brewed tea in 2 quart jars. Dewey my husband is a diabetic and doesn't have sugar in his tea. So when anyone comes over all I have to do is add sugar to the already brewed tea and viola' a pitcher of tea.

thank you all for this thread. i am always trying to spend a little less in order to save a little more. back when we were a two income household it seemed like we had more wants than needs. things are a little different now!!!Frugality is a challenge for me now. i try my best to shop the small mom&pop establishments in the city if i have disposable cash (not that often though) if i'm gonna treat myself to a $5 latte i go to the little cafe down the street starbucks can make their profit off others the couple running that cafe are trying to feed their kids..i might have to go to walmart for my seed starting medium but i will not buy my clothes there when the thrift stores satisfy my needs...a few extra large dresses in floral prints i like will be made into throw pillow covers for a fraction of the cost for new pillows from walmart...the MOTH bought me a sewing machine for xmas 3 years ago and i am beginning to put it to work i know i'll never graduate to master seamstress status but i love making my own chair cushions, pillows, curtains sundresses for summer and most of the time i can find those dresses for 2 or 3 dollars a piece which is way cheaper than fabric store prices and i'm reusing repurposing and recycling all at the same time yeah me!since he's a diet mtn dew head i clean used bottles with a clorox solution and fill with water stockpile them in the freezer and use to fill the cooler whenever needed and take out in the garden with me in the summer i will not buy bottled water when i get it filtered out of the fridge anyway. i also use the empty ones in the garden by sinking them next to my tomatoes upside down with the cap removed and the bottom cut off old panty hose to cover the hole is held in place with rubber bands to keep the skeeters out and i use water from the rain barrel to keep the plants watered during the dry spells...the drip hoses have dry rotted and will not be replaced this year and the 2 litre bottles work very well after all of the plants leaf out you can't even see the green ones...using rechargeable batteries for the solar lights outside even though i am finding they don't seem to be lasting as long as regular batteries i still think i'm ahead money wise. programmable thermostat is a given i try to keep it at 70 which has been fairly comfortable won't turn the a/c on until 4th of july if i can help it..i hope more folks will post more money saving tips i can't get enough. thanx everybody!
 

Jade

New Member
I am going to check out the salvation army when I start my LockerHooking projects. One gal who has started working on it says that long peices of fabric work so much better. I won't ever ask hubby to go into a thrift store with me. I think that his childhood scared him off from second hand stuff. He used to get jeans that were totally worn out in the butt from the kid down the street who was in a wheelchair.
I just cancelled my cell phone and have opted to go with a Tracphon from Walmart where I can just buy a 60 minute card whenever I need it. I use the cell phone so infrequently but do like to have it when I am out and about in case of emergency. I was paying 70 bucks a month for something I rarely used because the cell service isn't so good here because we are surrounded by mountains. I think of what a nice vacation we could have had if I had this option 2 years ago. Oh well.
 

Kya D

Active Member
Jade with your tracphone do you lose your minutes after 90 days or does it eat minutes every month. PLMK we had one with 300 min. but they expired 90 days later. We only used about 30 min. before it expired.
 


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