Thrift and making do
 

I figure this is a good time to start a thread like this!

Let's do tips on saving and making do with what we have.

I know I have a LOT to contribute and everyone else has tips that they have lived by for years even when times aren't hard.

Right off the bat:

I take my own coffee to work. I hear folks at work complaining about how they can't afford their Starbucks double mocha choking lattes at $5.00 a whack! I buy 26 oz. bags of coffee at 2.99 a bag at the discount store and flavor the coffee with cocoa or cinnamon or whatever I have when I want flavored coffee.

I get my milk and cream from a dairy farm down the road right out of the steel tank for 2.00 a gallon. I recycle gallon sized glass pickle jars for the milk and the cream floats to the top like it's supposed to! I just scoop off the cream and put it in a smaller jar. Voila! Low fat milk for drinking and cream to use for coffee or baking or whatever.

good thread, RW!!

I've been going thru boxes with my move - and try to empty at least one a day ...

KEEP ... DONATE ... TOSS

I usually end up reboxing to DONATE ...

even have gone thru alot of clothes, shoes and sweatshirts and have dropped them off ... I keep boxes in my trunk until it's almost full - just went the other day ... and it came to 3 boxes and 3 bags of clothing and stuff ...

and some of it is even good ... and that I like, but - it's time to move it on to bring joy to another!

Great idea, River. I am on such a tight budget now (self-imposed) that I'm amazed at how little I can get by on.

I have constructed a budget and only take out a certain amount of cash each month. That is what I use if I need something at the store or pharmacy. It keeps me from buying "impulse" items and makes me think twice before buying anything.

I have a large container in the freezer and whenever there is just a little of something left over (veggies or rice or even meat) I throw it in that container. Eventually I will have enough to make a pot of homemade vegetable soup. We can eat for a week off of that!

I have put a kitchen timer in the boys bathroom. Advised them to set it for 5 minutes when they start their shower and not to stay in for longer than that. I swear, Kevin can stand in the shower for 20 minutes or more....I don't even take that long and I have more maintenance to keep up with than he does!!

I'm sure I'll have more tips to share! Thanks for starting this thread...I always get so many good suggestions from the folks here. :)

P.S. Even if I did buy a Starbucks coffee I couldn't enjoy it....I'd be thinking of how many cups of coffee I could make myself out of that $5!!

Good and timely idea RW.
 

When we go for my monthly infusion it's about a five hour trip minimum. We used to go out to eat afterword to avoid rush hour on our way home. That was normally $15-25 each month on top of the gas and tolls to get there. I've started packing a lunch for us, and scheduling earlier in the day, so we can eat at our leisure and we get out before rush hour AND we save the money we used to spend on dinner out.

Same here! My son bought me one of their frappe chocolate slushy coffee things once and I felt guilty while drinking it!

frank and i save where we can but we also have a few luxuries ... like our dunkin donut coffee beans to brew at home ... i think one has to treat themselves to something important to them so that the saving is not a burden

river ... i remember as a kid my mom buying milk like you do and bringing it home ... skim cream off the top ... makes awesome sour cream cookies ... plus fresh cream on peaches ... fresh cream in coffee ... nothing beats that

My Mom used to get milk and eggs from a place called Mathis Dairy. The truck would come early in the morning and leave bottles of milk and eggs on the porch. We'd put the finished bottles out and he'd pick them up when leaving the new products. I wish we had that service nowadays.

We also had a fresh fruit and veggie stand at the corner of our neighborhood. Several neighbors put their produce there and sold it throughout the summer. Fresh tomatoes, squash, snap beans, cucumbers, etc. It was so good. The man who ran it would take local produce in and sell it for the people who brought it. I sure wish we had something like that here. Grocery store produce is no match for fresh out of the garden.

I try to cook from scratch as often as I can. I made a double batch of garlic/cheddar biscuits (like Red Lobster serves) and froze them. Whenever I make spaghetti sauce I always make extra and freeze it. Buying fresh means more trips to the store but I try and use everything I buy and what is left over is frozen.

Also, if you're used to buying bottled water get a water purifier to attach to your kitchen faucet. That will save you lots of money and keep all those plastic water bottles out of the landfills.

I'm listening. I used to have my lawn mowed by the younger kids in the neighborhood. I stopped that this year and saved at least $600 this summer and lost ten pounds! Let those youngin's make their money elsewhere. If you can do it, then do it and save that money.

Jim and I also stopped eating out so much this year. We cook more at home and food tastes better. There is nothing like homemade and it's even better as leftovers! You wont find that at any outside eatery.

We did this before the market went so bad and I must say it's nice to have extra money to pay off that credit card. I now owe $0 and it feels good. No more using it. If I can't afford to pay cash then we don't buy it.

I was able to not only save but pay more off my house. Cutting corners worked for us. We are also in talks to shut down the cell phones and cable excess. I WONT give up my internet unless I am forced though! I can't lose you guys. :hug:

And we don't want to lose you, either. I pay my credit card off every month. I don't spend a lot on it anyway. And I live in an apartment with zero landscaping so no mowing costs. My last car purchase was a '98 Camry that I wrote a check for. So no car payment. I only have the limited basic cable TV service so that's cheap. I think my biggest expense is delivery pizza. But there are those nights when cooking is out of the question. And, I am lucky to live in a small city where the utilities are owned by the city. My electric bill usually runs about 30 bucks. Water and sewer are included in the rent. Which, BTW, is affordable. I'm a lucky guy!

My parents used to say "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Our culture encourages us to do the opposite.

We could all save a lot of money just by adhering to that philosophy, but we want newer, better, different, more.

We peer into full cupboards and refrigerators, and sigh "There isn't anything GOOD to eat."

We look through our over-stuffed closets and decide we're sick of this stuff and want a NEW wardrobe.

As a society we've bought into the idea that we DESERVE whatever it is, whether we can afford it or not. Hey, everybody needs a treat now and then, right?

We buy something we don't need for thirty dollars, sell it at a yard sale a few months later for fifty cents, and think we're being thrifty.

We've rationalized our wants into needs, and wonder why we end up in a pile of credit card debt.

I have people come into the office all the time wailing and moaning about how hard it is, and they have all three stalls of their three-car garages full of SUV's, take three vacations a year, eat out a few times a week, have summer homes, etc.

If only they knew what it was like to live like I did growing up, when it really WAS hard. You didn't toss the stale bread on the compost pile, you padded the meat loaf with it. We didn't have a compost pile--we ATE our compost! :D

OK, off the soap box now. I've been as guilty as the next person of snapping up whatever catches my eye, and that's why I don't have a next egg today. I wish I had adhered to my parents' wisdom more, and "I deserve it" less.

I think times are going to be hard again for a while, especially for those of us without much wiggle room in the budget. I think this is a great idea to pool our resources. Just when I think I've heard every frugality tip there is, somebody comes up with a new one!

really annoys me when i posted a fair size post here and its gone? deb and i have been frugal for a while we got 5 kids and b4 that we were sole parents. thats an automatic, there.

this year we bought a bunch of fresh picked cor on cob almost 4 dozen and i blanched it for our winter consumption, next year we are having a bigger garden and going to can some stuff too, cause i dont see things getting better just cause theres a new sherriff in DC

RW, Koala started a similar thread down in the Stumble Inn. There are lots of good tips and advice there, so thought I'd put the direct link for it here: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread55885.html

Food wise we shop sales and prepare meals around that. We are slowly trying to build a 3 month or so food pantry. Our indulgence is organic coffee beans for our 1 cup each morning treat.

We are trying to hedge inflation by buying a few things we know we will need in the next year... like larger size shoes and clothing for our teen. Right now many stores are running great clearance sales on clothing trying to move merchandise just to stay afloat themselves. We have found excellent prices for basic Tees and jeans he will wear no matter what.

We haven't always had to be thrifty, but it is hard to forget the many lessons I learned from my grandparents and parents. Hey I know how to make "flour-sack panties" if need be! :winky:

Sandy,

I've been known to say that I'll stop eating before I cancel my high speed internet, lol.

I'm thinking of cancelling the landline phone. We use the cell phones more often, and I can't even justify long distance on the landline. I pay $71 per month for what, telemarketers to get ahold of us?

Also, I've recently started to do the lawn with the push mower. I love mowing and until a few months ago, I couldn't handle the heat. It's just a bonus that it burns extra calories too! :)

I use the credit card for food, gas and utilities and pay it off each month. I don't pay any interest and I get from 1-5% cash back in rebates! :Rich:

THIS is something I need to do less of. When I go shopping with my sister I get so tempted to buy a new purse or shoes. One way to try and curtail it is to only allow yourself to buy new things at clearance prices. I did that for years, and dressed pretty well for just a small amount.

If I do get something that isn't practical, I give it to charity. That way somebody else gets something useful for free or next to nothing and I even get a tiny tax writeoff in doing so.

Generally though, I'll wear something until it's not even good enough to give to charity anymore, and then it becomes a rag for cleaning.

This is something I've started doing recently and although it really doesn't save me any money it does help someone else out without any additional cost to me.

We have a local food pantry that serves our city. They also make up food boxes to take to senior citizens who live off of SSI and tend to run out of things before the next check comes.

My local Publix has Buy One Get One Free on many different items each week. What I've started doing is taking the free one (like a box of Cheerios or a jar of spaghetti sauce or peanut butter) and donating it to the food pantry for the Senior boxes. They have a newsletter that goes out each month and they suggested this as a way for people who cannot afford to buy any extra to be able to donate.

I also have packets of cat food left over from each variety box I buy because there is a certain flavor that they just will not eat. I donate that, too, because I know alot of people have pets and pet food can be expensive.

When things get tight we all tend to focus on our own needs and while that's understandable the needs of the less fortunate still continue. I can't do much but I hope that what I can manage to do helps someone else.

I thought I posted here this morning but I don't see it?? :(

BF and I cleaned out our closets a couple of weeks ago of clothes we haven't worn in a year or so. I took them to the local Good Will - 8 bags full! The man at the store thanked us and told us they have been so busy with people buying us used clothes they were actually running low! We asked what else they needed and he said "anything, books, pots and pans, anything really. So we came back the next day went through books, pots and pans and sheets that don't get used! Took them back and again the man was very greatful.

I think people are buying used instead of new which if I can help out with stuff that we don't use than I am happy to help!

We don't buy coffee at Dunkin Donuts we bring from home. I try to support the local farmer as much as possible. We don't eat out and take leftovers for lunches. I have been making mittens instead of buying them. Saving money where ever possible!

frank and i went to a push mower too ... no elect. no gas ... only muscle power ... i love it and yes its a very good workout ... for our son chris :)

That's good Deb! Ours uses gas though, if I had to use the manual push mower it would probably take me five hours, lol. I can do ours in about an hour. Just finished! :)

Even I don't use a manual push mower. Lordy be, I have one but I can't breath after a few rounds. I have a self propelled and it goes as fast as I want to go. lol

We had a push lawn mower and it killed me every time I used it so I stopped. So needless to say the lawn only got mowed out front where people could see cause DBF hated to mow also!

But, the roof on his mom's barn fell in this last spring from the heavy wet snow fall and crushed her riding lawn mower. BF took it and pulled out all the dents, straighted up the axles and had to spend $18 on some part for the steering. And now he has an almost brand new lawn mower which he just loves!!! It took him a couple of weeks to get it all working using some parts off the push mower but for $18 he salvaged his moms.

I love threads like this!

I saw a gorgeous sweater - but it was $100! So I found a pattern online, got yarn for $10 and made it myself. Well, it's not quite done, I need to trim it and make the belt. But it's really warm, fits great and it's just the right color.

So the next project is going to be an awesome wrap I saw - $80! - that I can crochet for about $8 for Christmas gifts. One for mom, one for MIL, one for the gift exchange.

Herekitty - bless you for giving your *freebies* to others! Very cool idea.

:cool:

I shared tomatoes and apples with the seniors where my mom lives, but never thought of what you're doing. Which reminds me I'm over due for seeing if I have any books to donate to them.


Yeahbut - I'm gonna try making a hat for the grandbaby. I might have to try mittens too. Thanks for the idea.

this really IS a great thread...so many awesome advices...

how'd I miss this one?? ;)

thanks, everybody... :D

Here's another one:

I get freebies all the time. I go to several different websites daily and skim their lists of free samples and when I find something I use or I want to try I get a sample. I also do followups on the samples I try out, and they always send manufacturers coupons for a free full size or large amounts off of the product I review.

These sites also have loads of listings for sales on stuff, hot deals, ways to combine for more savings, coupons, etc! If anyone knows of any more, post them!

www.slickdeals.net
www.dealtaker.com
www.fatwallet.com

I end up with bags of samples and I never have to buy toothpaste or shampoo! I rotate the samples out by giving them to the teen in college, dropping them off at the local food kitchens, cupboards and closets.

I love this thread already! For most of my life I've been one of those guys who would never use coupons or discount cards because I believed that other people would think I couldn't afford the regular price. Now my financial situation's a little different, and I've started using those things. I've been amazed at how you can get two boxes of cereal for the price of one, or seven cans of beans for a dollar if you do it on the right day and you have a coupon or member card! I know that in the last few months alone I've saved a hundred dollars. It's too bad I didn't see the writing on the wall before. Then maybe by now I could have bought myself that dream car I've always wanted! :D

I mix a pound of good coffee (whatever is on sale) with a pound of cheap coffee and it's just as good as using only the good stuff.

Keep an eye on the grocery store flyers in the papers. The stores around here have started offering triple off on coupons or honoring expired coupons a couple times a month.

We planted about 6-8 tomato plants, but more than that came up (seeds from last year). So we had plenty, gave a ton away and still had more. We peeled them, bagged them, and have enough in the freezer for probably the whole winter. Good for chili, soups and stuff like that.

Also grew assorted peppers and dried them in a dehydrator. Plus snagged end-of-the season deals on more peppers at the road-side stands. You can buy bagfulls of them about now for like a buck. We have enough dried pepppers for the winter to feed the whole county.

:p

And hand soap. I bought two dispensers, but I don't throw them away when empty. I buy the big refill for $2 - that's less than the little dispensers! And it'll fill both of the little ones about 5 times.

BTW, I finished my sweater yesterday, and made that baby hat, which if I do say so, is so stinkin' cute.

I'm one of those people who saves the bottle for liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. and pours half of the new bottle in it and mixes it with water. It works just as well!

Oftentimes a full pump of the soap is too much, or a full serving of the shampoo or conditioner isn't needed because you wash your hair often.

I hate to waste water since it all goes to my septic tank and I don't want to overwhelm the tank or pollute the lake outside my door, either, so I really don't use a lot of most products. Believe it or not, you only need about half of what the manufacturer recommends, be it for showering, doing laundry, washing dishes and general cleaning.The manufacturer's recommendation is usually jacked up...so they can sell MORE of their product!

I also usually only use the old standbys for cleaning. Baking soda, ammonia, bleach, (never mix ammonia and bleach together!) Ivory soap for rubbing on stains on laundry. I've even made my own laundry soap and yes I have a recipe!:p

Will you share your recipe with us here? :D

To make homemade laundry detergent, grate a bar of Fels Naptha soap. Mix in an airtight container with one cup each Borax and Washing Soda. One tablespoon is enough for most loads, use two tablespoons for tough loads. You can scent it with a few drops of any essential oil. I use lavendar oil. Be sure to put detergent in washer first to make sure it dissolves.

For the first time, I checked my *cash back rewards* on my credit card.There are a few things we use the card for and dh keeps it paid up, but I still get rewards.

I had earned a few bucks!

:)

I can get a gift card worth even more than the points to a toy store, which will come in handy for Christmas shopping for that grandbaby.


:yahoo:

Free Cabbage Patch babies!

Here's another one for those empty hand soap pump dispensers.

Our local "Dollar-type" El Cheapo store sells 1000ml bottles (1 pint = 600mls, 36fl ozs to a litre) of shampoo and conditioner for around $1:00 or so. There's no way I'd use either on my hair, but the shampoo makes a very cheap alternative for hand soap to fill those empty pump packs.

It even comes in lots of different "decorator" colours. :D

http://www.freeshipping.org/

Free shipping codes to over 800 merchants.

Sorry if this is a duplicate. DH told me about it this morning. :)

How many people get mad when they find a free shipping code or a coupon AFTER they buy something?:mad:

I had to buy a new waterbed mattress and liner last week after the 21 yr old mattress finally gave up it's corner patch :eek:

I found one on Ebay for 1/2 of what it would have cost from a waterbed place. I paid the shipping because I couldn't find a free shipping code for Ebay, but after I pushed the button and bought the stupid thing...I found an EBay coupon for 10% off when you paid through PayPal...GRRRR:mad:

It still cost less that it would have retail, and it arrived in 4 days, but I still wish I had done a more thorough search before I ordered.

I wrote it down for next time:p

That's another reason I love Amazon. You can compare prices for several stores, see customer reviews, and if Amazon's price is lowest most stuff ships free.

I hate shopping brick and mortar anymore. I spend way less too, cuz I only get what I need. Like Christmas, I have a gift list and I get the gifts, not a ton of doo dads.

The conditioner is better than shaving creme or gel. It doesn't wash right off your legs in the shower before you can even shave em, and it makes your skin soft too.

:o :o :o

I knew that, and forgot to mention it! :o

Thank you Brain.

I hope I do repeat anyones post...
I made up baby wipes today.
I used half decent paper towels
Tore them in half
mixed about a cup and a half of water
with a quarter cup of liquid baby soap
about an eighth cup of baby oil
and ONE drop of tea tree oil.

I pour the mixed liquid over the paper towels and the flip them over to evenly distribute it...if there is just too much liquid just pour some off or add more paper towels...I have used them all day and just love them!! Saffys butt loves them too!

I read that they last a week or so I am not sure but will let you know....I figure at 3 dollars for cheap wipes....80 count...a roll of paper towel and the few ingredients are hardly anything compared to.......

Saves me lots of money!!!!!

make your own bread

I get the "Refund Cents" newsletter via email each week (www.refundcents.com) and this promotion was part of it. I just bought a pair of Sketcher's athletic shoes on clearance for $20 after the 25% discount!! Here is the link to the Famous footwear site http://search.famousfootwear.com/?Qu...rid=PERFORMICS


Famous Footwear has two big promotions coming. The first starts today:
*** Get an additional 25% off all clearance items with code 1022SALE. Only good Oct 22. There are 902(!) pairs of clearance women's shoes. If you order 3 or more pairs, shipping is free. You can do returns at their store if you have one close by (or through the mail). Coooool. Also join their Rewards program so you get certificates in the mail, up to $25 each. The link to join is in the upper right of the homepage. If you are new to the Rewards program, and sign up on-line, you get a $10 rewards certificate to use on your next $50 purchase.
*** Buy One Get 1/2 Off One sale with FREE SHIPPING runs Thursday Oct 23 - Jan 1.

6pm.com This site sells designer clothes and shoes at a discount:
All Skechers footwear $24.95 or LESS at 6pm.com (10/24)
All Aerosoles footwear $24.95 or LESS at 6pm.com (10/24)
All Rockport footwear $24.95 or LESS at 6pm.com (10/24)

All these are great ideas!!

Something we just started doing recently is unplugging things, not just turning them off. Nearly everything that we leave plugged in uses electricity when it is off,

You will be amazed at how much these things use. We cut our $250 power bill by a third already, and sometimes we forget to unplug things. Since getting this last bill we are really workin at it now :)

So unplug that toaster, coffee pot, vcr,dvd players. For the TV's and computers get a power strip and after turning off the items switch off the power strip.

Cant wait to see the next bill!