Money Saving Tips

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• Learn to sew so that you can at least mend some items instead of tossing them out and replacing them with new ones.

• Hang out your laundry in nice weather, even if its cloudy and windy. This will save you electricity as well as money you would spend on dryer sheets

• If you still want to "hang" your clothes but need to do so indoors, consider a Wood Drying Rack or a Drying Rack – Extendable.

• If you must use the dryer and those dryer sheets, try cutting each sheet into fourths and just use one strip of the sheet per dryer load.  It works just as good and you get more for your money.

• Reuse and Recycle.   Find uses for items before you toss them out.  Butter/Margarine tubs can become containers for leftovers, containers for beads, and more.  The mesh bags that onions come in make wonderful pot scrubbers, just scrunch them up and use. I like to sew mine down the middle to hold them together though.

• Shop thrift stores and yard sales for clothing and household items. Great Bargains to be found!

• Buy items in bulk or stock up on items when you see them on sale at a great price. You will spend more money at first but you'll save money in the long run. For more food shopping saving tips, check out Laura's Couponing & Refunding  Hints & Tips & Coupon Binder How-To.

• Instead of by disposable napkins, consider using cloth ones.  It doesn't take much more effort to wash them in with your other laundry and you'll save money by not buying the throw away ones. You can usually find sets of 4 or more for next to nothing at yard sales and thrifty stores. Or buy some material (or use some scrap) and make them.  18"x18" is plenty big, just hem up the edges. You can buy them new to use for special occasions, but I still make mine from nice material ends I find at Wal-Mart.  Be sure to check out the $1 and $2 material tables for some great buys you can use to make cloth napkins.

• In  the summer, open all the windows and let the fresh air in, if it gets to unbearably hot, then by all means turn the air on or turn a ceiling fan on if you have them.

• Turn your thermostat down as far as possible to what it a comfortable temp for you.  We try to keep ours on 65-70.  By lowering your thermostat just a little you can save a lot.  If you get chilled, just put a sweater on.

• Save on your electric bill more by turning off all lights when it's daylight outside, open up the shades instead.  Don't turn the lights on until need be.

• Forage for some food  see the article: Foraging for Food - One Woman's Basic Guide to Get You Started

Other Money Saving Tips


1. Don't overlook your local Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other thrift stores.  I have found clothing will the tags still on them for next to nothing.  (and now that we live in a different area than when I wrote this article, a thrift store that has freebie boxes outside is available to us.)

2.  Also, weather permitting, check out the flea markets and yard sales.  My husband bought me a cast iron dutch oven for $7 (they cost $59 new) and two some cast iron pots for $7 (they cost $29 each new)

3. Check out your local bread thrift stores for bread and other bakery items inexpensively.

4.  Check out your local farmer's markets and fruit stands for inexpensive produce.

5.  If you have a dairy farm close by, call and ask if they sell to individuals, you may be able to get milk, cheese, etc from them for a fraction of what it would cost in stores.

6.  Buy in bulk.  Whether this be from places such as Sam's Club or others, but be sure that you can't get the stuff cheaper by using coupons at regular stores. An example of a good bulk buy: Sam's Club sells a pkg of two (2) 1lb bags of instant yeast for $2.99  whereas the cheapest I can find yeast in the regular grocery stores is $1.59 for a 3 packet.  So obviously the better buy is at Sam's Club.  Be sure to watch the buying in bulk though. I have seen items that it was actually cheaper for me to buy the smaller packages.  This is where the unit price comparison comes in handy. 
 
7.  If possible, keep a price book of prices on regular items you would buy at the stores.  This will enable you to tell if you are getting the best price.  The best source to explain how to set a price book up is in The Tightwad Gazette book by Amy Dacyzyn, which you can borrow from your local library if don't already own it. Actually all of the Tightwad Books by her are WONDERFUL.  The Tightwad Gazette, The Tightwad Gazette II, and the Tightwad Gazette III, and The Complete Tightwad Gazette.

8.  Instead of buying books new, check out your library and borrow them or if you would rather own a book, look for used book stores in your area.  This is a great place to find new and used books.  You can also trade in or sell them your old books for cash or credit.

9.  Recycle and Reuse.  Learn to reuse butter bowls, ziploc bags etc. to stretch your budget.

10.  If possible, check into getting a chest freezer, whether small or large, so that you can stockpile frozen foods or even freezer your homemade meals for later use.

11.  Learn to can, freeze and dehydrate your homegrown vegetables or ones bought from the local vegetable stand inexpensively.

12.  To save time and money, learn to do a OAMC (once a month cooking). Just store the leftovers in the freezer, thaw and heat when needed.






Note:  This is a copy from an old article I wrote a few years ago for my old web page at ivillage. I found it on the internet way back machine (which is very cool).  link to the old site.  The information is still pertinent to anyone though who still wishes to start in the mystery shopping adventure.
I have removed any outdated links and updated the others as needed. Print this post

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