Your favorite money saving tips?

[Googler]

 

[sallybutler]

Your library probably has a copy of The Tightwad Gazette, which may be more your speed.

Best book ever

 

[EasterJoy]

You’ll notice that saving money often requires an investment of time. That is something you have to offer your generous friend–that is, doing things that save money or increase the quality of life by an investment of time. For instance, you might offer to check all the weather stripping or places where the home may have drafts and do other chores of that nature before the cold weather hits–emptying the hoses when the watering season is over, wrapping or helping to wrap exposed water pipes and heat ducts, and so on. You can do other routine maintenance tasks that extend the life of his belongings, too–hand-washing items that should not go through the washer, mending seams that are coming loose, tightening hinges that are coming loose, keeping the carpets vacuumed and the floors mopped more regularly, keeping mold and mildew at bay, noticing where there is a water drip that could cause damage if not fixed, and so on. Keeping windows clean probably won’t make them last longer, but it makes the home seem more cheerful and relaxing. A sparkling clean kitchen and well-tended pantry discourages mice and bugs.

Also, both refrigerators and freezers are more efficient if they are kept full. If you save plastic milk jugs, you can put them in the freezer with water in them when there is space. (Leave room for the water to expand.) This way, when you open the freezer there is very little air and so less cold air to escape–the cold “stays in” better. The contents will stay cold longer in the event of a power outage. If you are adding a lot of warm or room temperature food to the refrigerator, it will have more chance to stay cold if you also had some of those frozen jugs of ice water at the same time. If you have his freezer full of ice water jugs and he loses power, you could be saving him LOADS of money!

It’s a little late for it, but making freezer jams and other “high ticket” preserves can also save a lot of money, not to mention provide a far higher quality product. Freezer jam lasts 2-3 years in the freezer. Canning is good, too, but the equipment needed is more of an investment than freezer preserving.

 

[Xantippe]

If you have friends that belong to club membership stores such as Costco, ask them if they would consider taking you shopping with them in exchange for some service you might be able to do for them, such as babysitting or house and pet sitting when they are on vacation. I have had very good luck with the quality of Costco clothing, and the prices have been good, too. Babysitting and house and pet-sitting are also a way to leave the heat off at your place in the evening, so it is a form of giving that can save you money, too!

A good enough friend would be thrilled to take you to Costco without compensation.

A monthly visit is a big plenty.

 

[DarkLight]

You’ll notice that saving money often requires an investment of time. That is something you have to offer your generous friend–that is, doing things that save money or increase the quality of life by an investment of time. For instance, you might offer to check all the weather stripping or places where the home may have drafts and do other chores of that nature before the cold weather hits–emptying the hoses when the watering season is over, wrapping or helping to wrap exposed water pipes and heat ducts, and so on. You can do other routine maintenance tasks that extend the life of his belongings, too–hand-washing items that should not go through the washer, mending seams that are coming loose, tightening hinges that are coming loose, keeping the carpets vacuumed and the floors mopped more regularly, keeping mold and mildew at bay, noticing where there is a water drip that could cause damage if not fixed, and so on. Keeping windows clean probably won’t make them last longer, but it makes the home seem more cheerful and relaxing. A sparkling clean kitchen and well-tended pantry discourages mice and bugs.

Yeah that’s what I’ve been trying to do. He pretty clearly never got much of an idea about how to run a house - his idea of cooking as far as I can tell was putting a frozen dinner into the oven! Now it’s small apartment life here rather than house life, so a lot of things aren’t in our control at all. There’s nothing exterior to the apartment that we’re responsible for.

Hoping to get more income streams coming in but it’s hard to know with my health sometimes.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Just so everyone knows, there are three volumes of The Tightwad Gazette and the first one is a good start. Also, there is a book called Frugal Luxuries that is like the Tightwad Gazette only a bit more feminine. It might be a bit too twee for some but if the Tightwad Gazette makes you feel like you are missing out on certain things it might be what one needs.

 

[Bonnie]

You’ll notice that saving money often requires an investment of time… Canning is good, too, but the equipment needed is more of an investment than freezer preserving.

If you have a friend who cans, perhaps she (or he - men can, too) will let you use her canner & utensils. I just got 14 pints of on-sale ground beef in the canner - I call it my homemade convenience food. And it leaves room in the freezer for things that don’t can well.

The only drawback is the clean up.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

3 tips to add to everything else.

1. don’t go by price but by the cost per unit (weight, volume, etc)
2. more often than not, the more expensive but more durable choice is better. It’ll last longer than buying 2 or 3 of the cheap one in the same time frame.
3. consider an extra freezer in the garage. They are not expensive, but allow you to buy large amounts of meat when it is on sale. Done properly you will end up buying your meat almost exclusively at sales prices most of the time. Just remember that you need a good solution to the freezer burn issue. I personally prefer vacuum packing.

 

[DarkLight]

3 tips to add to everything else.

1. don’t go by price but by the cost per unit (weight, volume, etc)
2. more often than not, the more expensive but more durable choice is better. It’ll last longer than buying 2 or 3 of the cheap one in the same time frame.
3. consider an extra freezer in the garage. They are not expensive, but allow you to buy large amounts of meat when it is on sale. Done properly you will end up buying your meat almost exclusively at sales prices most of the time. Just remember that you need a good solution to the freezer burn issue. I personally prefer vacuum packing.

Garage? We’re talking an apartment with a grand total of 4 rooms including the bathroom. And freezers cost electricity to keep running.

Really though, food’s the one thing I don’t have to worry about. Clothing and cleaning supplies, those are the big expenses right now. Winter’s hitting, one of my two warm skirts doesn’t fit anymore and my fleece tights are in a sorry state. And Goodwill almost never carries my size and I don’t have the transportation to be headed in there regularly.

 

[whatsmyname]

I’ll chime in with the others telling you to read the Tightwad Gazette for some fantastic ideas.

As for cleaning supplies, what do you need besides white vinegar and baking soda, both very cheap? Those’ll clean almost anything, including your hair. Use old clothes as rags so you don’t need to spend money on paper towels. Mix washing soda, borax and grated bar soap together to create laundry soap - there are thousands of websites listing the specifics of the recipe.

Look for clothing on clearance. Or when Christmastime rolls around, look for special sales. Also, sign up for emails from some stores. I used to shop at The Loft all the time and never knew until I gave them my email address that they regularly have everything on sale 60% or more off. I rarely shop at Kohls because I find it so annoying to have to deal with their coupons, but if you’re trying to save money over irritation, it would be worth it. They have some fantastic deals. Plan your wardrobe so all the colors work together so you need fewer clothes.

My Costco is quite pricey so I wouldn’t recommend having a friend take you to shop there.

 

[Bonnie]

Use old clothes as rags so you don’t need to spend money on paper towels.

A lot of modern clothing is a mix of materials & many don’t absorb water well. I recycled all my old ratty clothing & keep only towels & washcloths for cleaning & spills.

 

[sallybutler]

Use a towel as a head covering at night. It is amazing at how much warmer you will be. Also double pairs of socks during the day.

And those may lead to lower heating costs.

 

[Cricket2]

Lots of good tips here and I don’t know if this would be feasible for you but I’ll add another. In our community we have these sites on FB where people trade goods and services with each other. I have not used it yet but it seems like a brilliant idea.

My neighbors share garden veggies and herbs. We also make it a point to check with each other to see if items we might not wear anymore will be something they can use, or if we are going to the store we check to see if they need something. This way we save a bit on gas, don’t have to buy new clothes and save at the store. It all helps.

And to make a little money, check out your house, see if there is stuff you have had in storage for 3 years or more. If you have, and you have not used it…have a sale.

 

[Cricket2]

For laundry I’ve found the best detergent is one of the cheapest. It’s also one of the few that is scent-free which is a necessity for me. I use white vinegar for the rinse.

Buying all my clothes 2nd hand - except underwear. I draw the line there! And not too much clothing. Just because a blouse may may cost under $5, there’s no reason for 10 of them.

Wearing clothes several times before washing. If they are not dirty, just hang them up. I have “at home” clothes for dirty jobs.

Hanging clothes to dry whenever possible - the dryer uses a lot of electricity. When I need to hang laundry inside, I put all the shirts, blouses, and dresses on hangers. Takes up a lot less room.

I actually love hanging out the clothes. Yes it saves on the dryer cost, and in my opinion it is easier on the clothes.

 

[UbiCaritas]

Insofar as clothes go…do you have any friends or family who usually ask you what you want for your birthday or Christmas? If so, I suggest you make a short list–say, 3-5 items–of very specific items you need, complete with sizes and (if possible) hyperlinks. Then, when you sister/mom/BFF says, “DarkLight, is there anything in particular you want or need for Christmas?” you can say, “Wow, yes, how nice of you to ask! Here’s a link to a skirt I’ve wanted for a while! I wear a size 6. Thank you so much!”

I’ve been put on the spot often by a friend or sibling asking me what I want, and not really having a good spur-of-the-moment answer, so I keep a running list of things I’d like at some point so that if someone asks, I can say, “Well, since you ask, I’ve really wanted to read this book for a while and they don’t have it at the library…” This isn’t greed; it’s common sense! They want to get you something you want, not something you make up off the top of your head. Obviously, you don’t keep a $5000 Gucci coat on the list: be sensible and reasonable about it.

As far as electricity goes, apartments are ridiculously inefficient. I spent the same amount to keep my 500 square foot apartment heated (to 58 degrees) or cooled (to 80 degrees) as I do to keep my 2200 square foot house at about 73-75 all year. Utter nonsense. As previous posters have suggested, insulate as much as possible: draftstoppers, thick curtains by windows, and so on. Depending on how comfortable you are at lower temperatures, you can put on a fair number of layers and keep the apartment in the 50s in the winter. I did this for a couple of years as a college student when I was really broke. Hot drinks like tea and coffee help with this. When I was a student and hated to get out of bed into the cold room in the morning, I’d remember a story from one of the Little House books, in which Laura would get up and have frost all over her blanket in the morning. If they could survive 35-40 degree temperatures in the house, we can deal with 55-degree temps. If the apartment thermostat is set to 55, your pipes will not freeze, especially if you make sure to keep any pipe cupboards on an outside wall (think under-sink cabinets in a bathroom or kitchen) open at night.

It sounds like you’ve discovered most of what I have about cheap food–legumes, soups, and so on. And yes, Hispanic grocery stores and aisles within other stores are often much cheaper than the mainstream ones. One thing–oatmeal for breakfast is extremely cheap, filling, and warm, and it’s fairly good in terms of nutrition.

Cleaning supplies: dish soap is dish soap is dish soap. Ajax is a very cheap brand that works well. You can use it for everything from dishes to general surface cleaning to mopping floors, and it doesn’t take much. You can get a jug of white vinegar for a couple of bucks with your food stamps, dilute it 50/50 with water, and use it for cleaning mirrors and windows. Bleach will kill any bathroom germs (toilets, etc) but do get a pair of decent rubber gloves because it is BAD on skin. To clean a bathtub, heat equal amounts of dish soap and white vinegar together and pour it over the bathtub. Leave it for 20 minutes, then scrub with a green scrub pad (those will last forever, and you can wash them in the washing machine). Soap scum will come right off with minimal elbow grease. Old men’s underwear and undershirts make good cleaning rags, as they’re cotton.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

I try to avoid using the dryer for clothing as well but I will pop clothes in for about 5 minutes to fluff the wrinkles out. Then I hang them on hangers or a drying rack. The bonus during the winter is that it adds some humidity to the air in addition to saving wear and tear on the clothes. During the winter things dry fast since it’s dry where I live but air drying takes longer during the summer especially if it’s humid.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Garage? We’re talking an apartment with a grand total of 4 rooms including the bathroom. And freezers cost electricity to keep running.

Really though, food’s the one thing I don’t have to worry about. Clothing and cleaning supplies, those are the big expenses right now. Winter’s hitting, one of my two warm skirts doesn’t fit anymore and my fleece tights are in a sorry state. And Goodwill almost never carries my size and I don’t have the transportation to be headed in there regularly.

I don’t know what your options are but I live in a rural area so my options are limited so I’ll throw out some ideas. For example, we don’t have Goodwill or Salvation Army stores here but there is a church runs a clothing exchange with very limited hours. I also know that if you call ahead they will try to accommodate a time that works for you.

There is also a used bookstore that now sells clothing and tchotchkes and often have really cheap sales ($.25 per item). What I would do is ask them to keep an eye out for clothes in my size, or other preference (they used to do this with books).

There are three consignment stores and I would do the same thing; ask the staff to keep an eye out for my size, etc. and explain that transportation is a limitation. They might say no, they might forget, but it’s worth a try. I can imagine them saying that if they do this for you they would have to do this for everyone but that isn’t actually true unless it’s a law or posted rule. Explain that you are looking for only a few necessary pieces (not building a high-end label wardrobe.)

If I was told “no” I would graciously thank them, then, after a couple of months and when I stopped in again, I would ask a different person. Some people are just better at customer service than others.

If you can establish a sort of “personal shopper” relationship with someone who works or volunteers that would be ideal.

 

[ela2]

1. Soak (eg. plates, clothes) everything in hot water for some time before washing. This saves on the cleaning products you will have to use to get the stains off.
2. Better still, wash them quickly so that stains don’t become stubborn, therefore less hot water and less cleaning products.
3. Dilute cleaning products. They are too strong.
4. Similarly, don’t leave bathroom, kitchen, all housework pending for days or weeks. You will have to use more of the product to clean.
5. Put some water into finished bottles of cleaning products, including shampoos, shower gels, etc. after it is finished. Doing this you really finish the product. Same goes for creams. After you are unable to squeeze more of the product from its tube, cut it in half and you’ll be shocked his much there’s still left in an otherwise finished tube.
6. Use egg yolk as a conditioner for your hair instead if eating it…eat the whites instead…better for health.
7. See which product you can get the cheapest. Say washing powder then see what all you can clean with it. Eg washing powder is for clothes, but it cleans floors really well, excellent for bathroom too and is usually very strong for uses other than clothes so must be diluted.