Beating the Electric Company

Electricity is costly - and it's going to get worse, and if you lose your job that just throws another monkey wrench into the whole thing. Start getting into the habit of conserving now and watch your electric bill come down.

• turn off the lights if you're not in the room or if it's daytime (everyone needs this little reminder from time to time)
• unplug your electric appliances (mixer, toaster oven, coffee pot, hair dryer) when not in use because they actually do use little bits of electricity when they are not on (and if you have small children, they find a way to turn them on without your permission)
• hang some clothing to dry. If you do not have a clothes line, can't have a clothes line, or just don't want one, but have a spot somewhere then hang a few things up to dry. Thicker, harder to dry items like sweatshirts and jeans take the most dryer time to dry, so that's where you can get the most bang for your buck. It will take a little longer to dry than outside unless you put it over/under a heater vent. If you really want to be constructive, get a piece lof alundry line and a small bag of clothespins from the Dollar Tree and do like I did my first year - string a line up from window to window or around the posts of my spare bedrooms 4 post bed - or even your own bedroom (I wouldn't do it in the kids' room though). The string from the dollar tree is about 100 feet long, so you can furnish yourself with a few small clothes lines here or there.
• put ice in your freezer if it's not full. What I mean by that is, take empty plastic jugs and fill 4/5ths with water and put it in the freezer. This helps keep your food cold and reduces the amount of time your freezer runs. It'll also be there for when the electricty goes out and if you need the ice jugs to pack your sam's freezer bag for a trip
• If you're not home during the day, turn off your computer - this also helps prevent hackers into your system - it's not like you're using it when you're not there anyway
• turn down your hot water heater to 120 - you don't actually need to burn yourself silly to get a hot shower
• CHECK YOUR BILL for accuracy, and for extra charges. Just this month, dominion has added a $22 fuel charge for my area - call and complain about superfluous charges!

Happy Saving - and remember, why give your hard earned money to the electric company when you could be keeping it yourself.

Freezing Milk

I will admit that I have never done this. However, a mom in my homeschool group says she does this routinely so she doesn't have to pack up her 4 small children just to go to the store for more milk. She also says she uses about 4 gallons of week, so that's a lot of going to the store.

According to her, she buys a lot of it from Sam's when she goes because it's cheaper there than anywhere else and she just pops it into the freezer, she doesn't take the top off or pour any out at all and had never had an explosion issue. I am going to try this, and I'll let you know.


She also says she just takes a gallon out at night and by morning it's almost completely thawed and she just puts it in the fridge to finish.

Another Dryer Sheet Alternative

This one was emailed to me by my friend and blog-follower Jodi

Instead of using dryer sheets (I ran out last night), put a couple drops of hair conditioner on a clean washcloth and toss in the dryer with your laundry. Worked like a charm.

There is lots of creativity to be discovered.

Going the Way of Cloth

Cloth diapering was, for millenia, the only way to diaper. Disposable diapers weren't 'born' until around the 40's or 50's (from the info I can find), but still didn't gain real popularity until the 70's. Nowadays, most parents use disposables for convenience, or so they think. So let's touch on this a second.

First, pee diapers - When you change a disposable, you throw it away; when you change a cloth, you throw it into a laundry basket or diaper pail. Either way, you have to throw it somewhere and it takes about the same amount of energy.

Second, poop diapers - when you change a disposable, you have 2 options: dump the bulk of the poop in the toilet and flush before you toss it in the trash or just toss it poop and all in the trash. when you change a cloth, you dump the poop in the toilet and toss it into the pail or basket. Not a whole lot of difference there, I mean we're talking 30 more seconds of work per poopy diaper which is usually only a couple of times a day.

Third, money (everyone like money to some degree) - average cost of a pack of size 5 diapers (30#) is 9.99 (unless you get a sale, then it's more like 7.99) - you know what, we'll go with the 7.99 figure for this since this is a money savers post and most of us are not paying full price anyway. So, the price per diaper at 7.99 is .28 per diaper (7.99 + 6.75% tax = 8.53). The average for a new package of Gerber 6-ply diapers (6#) is about $12 or 2.14 each (tax again). So the startup looks pretty high, especially since you really need about 2 dozen for a good startup other wise you're doing laundry daily. So, we'll use 102.72 for 2 dozen 6-ply cloth diapers. Pins are usually $1 for a pack of 4 - and you can only use 2 at the time so you don't need more - I mean you can't really lose something that's actually on the child all the time. Anyway in 1 year of disposables at .28each x 6 a day (a very conservative figure) = 1.68 a day x 365 days in a year = 613.20 per year. Okay now cloth: 102.72 +1 for pins= 103.72. Okay, if you only wash diapers together 3 days a week and you pay for water, the water use is about .04 per load (check your area), the electricity about .05 and the store purchased detergents are about .15 per load = .72 per week x 52 weeks = 37.44. If you homemake your laundry soap, that goes down to about .02 per load or .06 a week x 52 weeks = 3.12 per year. If you line dry - there is no additional cost, if you dryer dry, that's about .15 per load (again, check your dryer and your local rates)= .45 per week x 52 weeks = 23.40. So, let's compare:

• disposables = 613.20 annually (for conservative diaper use)
• cloth with line drying and commercial detergent = 141.16
• cloth with line drying and homemade laundry soap = 106.84
• cloth with dryer drying and commerical detergent = 164.56
• cloth with dryer drying and homemade laundry soap = 130.24
• cloth with line drying and homemade laundry soap (after 1st year, assuming you don't have to buy anymore diapers = 3.12 the second year (boy that's a lot better than 613.20)

Fourth, the environment. Do I really need to go over this?

A few things to consider:

• If you add cloths to you collection, add an additional $2.14 per diaper added to your figure
• If you use a more expensive brand of cloth, add for that too
• If you homemake your cloth diapers from scrap material, just use the cost of the material instead of the 2.14 per diaper
• If you buy from ebay or thrift store secondhand, use that cost

Under all of those circumstances, the cloths come out cheaper by far. Most moms today say cloth is too hard or too messy. I used to say those same things until I used them. The first couple of times were a little difficult, but after about my 3rd or 4th diaper change, it wasn't hard at all, and after about 1 1/2 weeks, it was like second nature.

Cheese Please!

I am one of those people who loves to make homemade - well, everything. When it comes to my mac & cheese, that is homemade too. I used to buy medium cheddar and use it in my bechamel to make a nice cheese sauce. The problem was that it took nearly half a bar (4oz) to get the cheese flavor where I want it. So I have been watching my food tv and tried something new. I purchased a block of extra sharp cheddar to use in my sauce instead of medium cheddar, and it took only about 2 1/2 ounces to get my cheese sauce flavorful and yellow - yum! Medium cheddar and extra sharp cheddar cost about the same, and I only needed about half as much!

Homemade Play-Doh

This link was furnished by a friend - Thanks Jodi

http://www.highlights.com/mt/parents/activities_for_parents_and_kids/recipes_from_high_five/make_your_own_play_dough.jsp

Some of the Deals

Okay, so here is a breakdown on some of the coupon deals I got at Harris Teeter this morning:

Clabber Girl Baking Powder - 1.99/can - 1.65 (.55 tripled coupon) = .34
Wacky Mac Veggie Spirals - 1.59/bag - .20 VIC savings = 1.39 - 1.50 (.50 tripled coupon up to price of 1.39) = FREE
Suave body Wash - 1.97/bottle - 1.50 (.50 tripled coupon) - .47
Land o lakes Buttery Spread - 2.39/small tub - .40 VIC savings = 1.99 - 1.65 (.55 tripled coupon) = .34
Dannon Light & Fit yogurt 6pack - 2.50/6pack - 2.25 (.75 tripled coupon) = .25
Cottonelle Ultra toilet paper - 3.89/4-double roll pack - .89 VIC savings = 3.00 - 1.50 (.50 tripled coupon) = 1.50
Betty Crocker Frosting - 1.99/tub - 1.50 (.50 tripled coupon) = .50

That comes to: $3.40!!!!

Triple Coupons for 4 Days

Harris Teeter is offering triple coupons for 4 days (February 5-Feb 8). The couponing rules can be found here. Scrap up as many as you can and you can walk out of there with a lot of free stuff. The biggest thing is that the face value has to be .99 and under in order to be tripled. But that's okay, most coupons are only about .50 which makes them worth 1.50

Aloe Vera Gel

This stuff has been around as a sunburn cure for ages. I have a ton of it, and in an effort to find a good use for it in order to use it up, I tried something new that worked REALLY well. . . . I used it in place of shaving gel. I noticed a couple of very specific things about it; it clings to the skin really well so that the shower water doesn't rinse it off as easily, it moisturizes at the same time, if you nick yourself you get instant first aid, it's cheaper per oz than the gel you get made just for shaving that has aloe vera gel in it, it's safer in case you kid tries to give it a taste test, LESS RAZOR BURN!!!!

Coupon savings

Last night, I purchase 2 packages of Loreal Featherlash Mascara from Rite Aid for a grand total of 23 cent, and 3 bottles of hot sauce from Harris Teeter for 18 cent.

What in the world? Easy. Rite Aid had the mascara clearance 75% which made them 1.98 each and I had 2 $2 off coupons. harris teeter had the hot sauce on sale for $1 or less each, and I had 2 coupons for 50 cent each and they double coupons. so I only paid tax last night.

Pay too much for phone service?

I thought so too, but I figured I had the best deal for what I needed. At least without buying into all the gimics of free service, low cost phone service, free long distance and every other "promise" that was out there.

So, when my dad called and said he just ordered a "jack" that will essentially give him free phone service I was skeptical. However, being the thrifty, "save some money" person that I was I couldn't resist looking into it.

About 10 minutes later I ordered one too. It came with a 30 day money back guarantee. How could I lose? I ended up paying $39.95 for the jack and about $6 for shipping.

I cancelled my phone service through Comcast and have been using the magicJack for approximately 6 months now and really love not having a monthly phone bill. I can make long distance calls, I have caller ID and call waiting, 911 capabilities PLUS it's portable. That means I can unplug the magicJack from my computer and carry it with me if I'm travelling. All I need is a high speed internet connection and a regular phone with a jack and I can and receive calls. It keeps the same number and everything.

The best part is the service is about $40 - $50 per year.

I can definitely vouch for it though. All you do is hook up the jack into a USB port on your computer, follow the instructions on the screen for set up, select your telephone number and start using. One thing about the magicJack is that the computer has to be on to be able to make and receive calls. It wasn't a problem for me though since it's on during the day anyway.

The only drawback to mine is it won't connect well with my desktop, so I have to plug it in to my laptop. No problem except that I have a cord or two that I have to watch out for if I'm sitting on the couch. I think the reason it won't work on my desktop is because I have work programs on it that interfere since I work at home.

Anyway, that is my money saving tip for today!

It's definitely worth checking out! For more info on the magicJack you can click on the link.

Chicken Broth

This is too easy to make. Take any leftover chicken you have (skin, bones, grease, little bits that did get eaten), put in a crockpot, fill to within 1" of top of pot and set on high overnight. In the morning, take the pot out of the cooker, allow to cool, refrigerate until the fat hardens, skim it off, then package in 1 cup increments in the freezer. Or, fill ice cube trays with the stuff, and pop out the cubes and put them together in a bag - you'll have about 1 ounce of broth per cube. This uses up pretty much any value left in your leftover chicken carcass in a productive, cost saving way. PLus you know what in it!

That's the basic, here's the specifics
*If you only have a few little bones and skin (not a whole chicken), either use a smaller crockpot or only fill half full of water otherwise your broth will taste watered down
*You can add onion, celery, carrot, herbs, whatever you want for taste, I personally like it plain
*If visible bits of sediment in your broth bothers you, run it through a coffee filter over a clean pot, that should take care of any bits and give you a clearer broth - but do this while it's hot because the broth tends to thicken when cold
*If you've never done this before, it's an easy and almost free way to experiment - the crockpot does not use much electricity, it's only a few cups of water and you were going to have to toss the chicken carcass or bones anyway.
*Putting the chicken grease from your initial cooking in the pot is only for the purpose of flavor infusion. when you refrigerate the cooled broth, it will harden at the top and you'll easily be able to remove it for a virtually fat free broth.
*Swanson is about 1.50 a can and still contains some ingredients that I don't know what they are.

Giving up paper plates

Self-explanatory, right? I'm trying a new thing to save a few $$$. I'm giving up my paper plates.

A bit more about me, and why: I am a mom. I have three children and a husband. For my work, I have a childcare in my home. I have 4 children enrolled. I hate to do dishes. Ok..so anyone could see that paper plates were saving me a ton of time. But I am picky...I didn't want the cheapest paper plates, because they get all soggy and food soaks through. And I didn't want foam, because I felt that was really bad environmentally (never researched...just my thoughts). So I liked a particular type of plate that cost between 30-45 cents per plate (depending on sale pricess, package size, etc). but when I looked at how many plates I was using...it gets scary. 3 to 6 for breakfast, as well as lunch, 5 days a week. Thats a lot! And of course, because they are in the cabinet, they were usually used for dinners and weekends. Thats a ton of trash and $$$! I'm giving them up! Yes, I'll use a bit more dish soap and water...but not much compared to what was wasted before. It might take a little more time, too...but I'm already going to be washing the cooking utensils and pans.

Dryer Sheets (or sponges in this case)

Take some of your liquid Fabric Softener (if you use it), pour it into a recloseable tub (like a used and cleaned butter/spread tub), then add twice as much water as you did fabric softener. Take 4-6 kitchen sponges (cheap kind), cut them in half and put them in the tub with the liquid and cover. When you put your clean clothes in, take a sponge out, squeeze most (but not all) of the liquid out and pop it into the dryer to tumble with the clothing. I've tried it, and now it's a regular thing for me.

Homemade Pancakes

I love to make homemade pancakes for my kids. It's much healthier than the box stuff for a few reasons: I mill my own flour, so the pancakes are always fresh & whole grain; real eggs, real milk. The recipe is as follows

1 cup all purpose or fresh milled flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tbsp veggie oil (you could probably substitute melted butter)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla (not in the standard recipe, but I like it)

Mix dry
Mix wet
Mix together
Cook

Travel Food

I don't personally care for eating in the car - it's messy, crumbly, drippy and cramped. But when you are traveling 8+ hours as we recently did - it's a necessity. The worst part about traveling that far is that the last thing you want to do is increase your travel time by stopping and eating in a restaurant, so what do you do - you get drive through. And the worst parts about drive through - it's devoid of any nutritional value and we still pay money for it. So, on the way, I planned something quick, easy, and relatively less messy. I made chicken salad and brought some crackers for hubby and I, and the kids had cheese slices, raisins and apples. They like the smaller apples because they can handle them pretty well themselved. And we drank water or had juice boxes for the kids. The cost of all of that - maybe $4 (less than the cost of 1 value meal and much healthier). If you know me well you will probably think 'juice boxes? but they're more expensive!' Yes, they are. However, having a few juice boxes handy beats trying to fill a sippy cup while riding in the seat (not that we havent' done that before - it just gets messy at times), and is worth the extra cost to save the mess and spills.

Reuse - and be creative

I consider myself a moderately frugal person. I shop sales, I reuse, I reduce my waste, I trim the budget, I don't eat out, etc, etc. Tonight I had some free time so I looked up a favorite topic of mine in relation to my frugalness - reusing. I love to look at something not only for it's face value, but for the potential it has past being what it is. For instance, I look at today's jar of spaghetti sauce and see tomorrow's dry storage for bulk-purchased rice. I can look at today's cereal box (which we rarely have nowadays) and see tomorrows standing filer. Today's used coffee grounds are now being saved (in the freezer) to be reused in the spring in my flowerbed as a fertilizer enhancer (hope my herbs like Dunkin! - BTW, I did not realize this was a possibility until tonight, apparently this is an old trick from back in the day that now in this penny stretch society is coming back to light). My empty milk jugs store extra sugar, extra rice, clothespins (after being modified slightly) and even small dried beans. Why pay money for Tupperware and Rubbermaid (both of which can leach nasty carcinogenic chemicals into your food anyway) when Ragu and Classico give you sturdy glass jars for free. If you decide to keep the plastic off of your food - please don't toss the plastics, just use them for you non-food items like buttons, craft supplies, crayons, q-tips, cotton balls, safety pins, paper clips, etc. Have great day!

Homemade Cleaners

I make a homemade all-purpose cleaner for my kitchen out of water, white vinegar and lemon juice (16oz water, 2 oz white vinegar, 2 oz lemon juice). Today, I am going to try something new, I have made a rosemary infusion (cutting fresh rosemary leaves and boiling them in water for about 10 minutes then turning off the water and letting them steep for a little while) and using that in place of half of the water in my all purpose cleaner. I'm trying this for 2 reasons: 1) rosemary has antibacterial properties and 2)white vinegar can take your breath away sometimes. Plus I have 2 very prolific rosemary bushes so it's not going to cost me anything. I'll let you know how it goes!

***Review - okay, the infusion did not have an overwhelming rosemary fragrance, in fact, it had more of a medicinal/piney/woodsy scent. It was not an unpleasant scent, nor was it overpowering (not like pine-sol). I had no problem mixing it in the cleaner and using it. It did cut the vinegar scent some, but not completely out. All in all, the mix now smells woodsy/vinegary clean, which doesn't sound to swell, but it isn't bad at all. I can't wait to try a few more. Experiment with the free stuff***

Free, reusable bag at Stop n' Shop

Just in case you have a Stop n' Shop (also part of Giant) near you...

They are giving away one reusable shopping bag per family when you present your store card at checkout. Make sure you bring the bag up with you and the cashier will credit you. This goes until January 31st. (I'm not sure what the availability is and if every store is offering this, but it's worth a call just to see)

I use them all the time because they hold more than the plastic or paper bags and they have large enough handles that make them easy to carry! Love them. Love saving. Love free!

Eye Glasses

Hi everyone! My name is StephG and I am honored to be posting along side Misssnippity and Mommy B.

One thing I dread when I go to the eye doctors is getting my glasses prescription (RX) and then feeling like I have to browse their optical shop for a new pair. Not that I have anything against optical shops, but the prices are pretty outrageous when you're working with a budget. (This is coming from someone who has worked in the "eye" business for over 12 years!)

Imagine my delight at finding Zenni Optical. An online optical shop with absolutely amazing prices! Now, I was slightly skeptical at first, so I did some research and digging. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were thrilled with their service and quality of their glasses. The frames start at $8.00 and they have many options including anti reflective coating which cuts down on the glare you see on someone's lenses. Plus, the shipping is $4.95 no matter how many glasses you order!

Now, it just so happens that my step daughter had an eye exam about a week ago, and is in need of a new pair of glasses. So, I decided to go check out their site. Miya chose the frames she liked and I just ordered them today. It was so easy and I have a pair of glasses coming in about 2 weeks that I paid $28.95 for. Total. Including shipping.

One thing to remember when ordering is that you will need a copy of your current glasses RX and it must have your PD (pupillary distance) on it. If your RX doesn't have it then you'll need to call your doctor and have them give it to you. (The PD is the measurement in millimeters between the center of one pupil to the center of the other, so technically you could do this yourself if you had a mirror or someone to help you)

Definitely worth checking out if you are in need of a new pair of glasses or even a back up pair!

We should have Miya's glasses in a couple of weeks, so I'll be back with an update of our service, time frame, and satisfaction with the finished product.

Happy saving!

Free Suave shampoo-today Jan 14th only

http://www.suave.com/nomics/index.html

You register at the link above to get a free coupon by mail for suave shampoo.

Stretch your ground meat

Specifically, ground beef (ground chuck, sirloin, whatever you choose), but this idea might work well with other ground meats. I always add some "filler" when I make meatloaf, meatballs, or hamburgers. I throw in about a cup of oatmeal and half a cup of wheat germ with the spices (instead of bread crumbs). This helps make the meat stretch farther, and I like to think I'm tossing in a small health benefit as well. You can also use grated carrots or other "on-hand" veggies, like zucchini, onions, etc...too! (I, unfortunately, have a picky eater in my house that does not tolerate veggies, or I'd pull this trick more often!)

College Books

Hi everyone! I am Misssnippity, and I have taken Mommy B up on her invitation to post some money saving ideas. My first post is something that is dear to my heart right now, as I am still in college. Ask around to see if anyone you know has the books you need. Check bulletin boards on campus if you are close! People may be willing to get rid of books for cheap. Unfortunately, I couldn't find what I needed this time. If you ever have to buy textbooks for you, or your kids...do not just take the price offered by the school bookstore. Do a little research and find out the ISBN of the books your professors require. Then, go to a site such as textbooks.com (my favorite) or a simple internet search of that ISBN. You can find the same books at a much better price! I saved over $100 dollars last semester (2 classes), and this semester's savings are about $50 (one class). This was on brand-new texts. You can sometimes buy used and save even more. The site I use shipped for free, and gave me a buyback promise, which was 50% of what I paid. They even paid for the return shipping!

Partnering

I have opened up this blog to a couple of ladies who are also trying to live frugally during this difficult time in history. Should they accept, that means that they too get to share their ideas and ingenuity by posting along with me.

Storage Space

Okay ya'll - I know that at times I go overboard and at other times I am slow - I just take me as I am and laugh at myself occasionally.

First, I buy eggs at Harris Teeter regularly - I get 2 1/2 dozen for 2.97 (grade A large). Well, they come in a 2 piece clear plastic bin. After I finish the eggs, I'm keeping the bins to plant and sprout some seeds for my garden this year. 1 package of seeds is about $1 whereas one plant is about $2 - plus the planting and sprouting lessons are great for the kids homeschool botany lessons (okay, so a modified botany lesson since they are 2 & 4). I am planning to use one of the bins to organize my jewelry too (I don't have enough to justify purchase a box unless I see a good one at a yard sale, so for now this will do fine). One pair of earrings per well, one necklace per well, etc, etc.

Okay, number two, at the dollar tree they sell those little plastic organizer bins in several colors and sizes. I have some of the largest ones (about 13x10ish) doing different jobs around the house and yesterday I had a thought - how about using them for my messy freezer (yeah, I know some of you are WAY ahead of me on this one - duh). So, my seal-a-meal sized 'sleeves' are now nicely filed in a bin insead of falling down all over the place in my freezer causing clutter and taking up much needed space. Yay!

Third one is great, and it was my hubby's idea not mine. Do you guys love the dry erase board as much as I do? I really love them, but I hate the idea of paying $10 a pop for a good sized one. So, one day at the Home Depot, my hubby spotted a 8ftx4ft sheet of it for (drum roll here) $12. Holy cow! So, we bought it. It is very easy to cut down to whatever size you want and you can put it in an old photo frame, have hubby build a frame around it out of spare wood bits or you can just hang it up bare edge. You can have a different size piece for each room if you want. We used a chunk to top the boys play table so they can draw race tracks or rain tracks on it, I had my husband build a frame for a custom sized fit by the kitchen where I now write down my grocery list, shopping list, to do list, ideas list, meal plan, a notes section, hubby's to do list, things to keep my eyes open for list and pretty much whatever my little heart desires. Oh yeah, we still have a big chunk left he's going to hang up in the classroom as my teaching board. All for $12 and scrap wood. I love my husband's creativity.

Bouillion and Bases

I love to use these in place of boxed chicken, beef or veggie broth. They cost a lot less per serving and they take up less space. I personally use the Better than Bouillion brand of all natural and organic bases. If you don't mind the MSG and other non-prounounceables, go for another brand and save yourself some cash.

The candle with staying power - or at least reuse power

I had a good idea today. I was putting away Christmas decor and it included some old candles. So, I'm trying something. I melted out the little bit of wax in the jar, dumped it and then cleaned the jar and voila! A new storage canister!


*****update - I ended up using it to store a snack - homemade granola. The airtightness seal on the candles canisters is so much tighter than on a food grade one (who knows why that would be) and my kids can't even get it open (maybe that's why). But it works great and would probably hold small amounts of things like beans, rice, brown sugar, etc. pretty well. If you buy the 50lb bags of rice or oats like I do, you can use one of these to keep a small amount handy and keep the rest in a cellar or pantry for longer term storage.

Portion Control

Okay, this is crossing into territory that makes many people (Americans especially), uncomfortable. We eat too much. Overeating costs money at the grocery store, at the clothing store and at the doctor's office. Practicing reasonable portion control will still leave you satisfied, but decrease your bottom line in all three areas. Another aspect of portion control is what you leave on your plate. Most people scrape what's left on the family's plates into the trash - basically throwing money away. Try putting less in the plate - maybe half to 2/3 the amount to start and if someone needs more - okay, then get more, if they don't, that's 1/3 to half not wasted and the money not tossed away. You may end up with more leftovers, but that's okay, you either already have a head start on dinner another night, or you can plump up your freezer's meal reserves.

Cutting food waste cuts money waste.

Magazine Subscriptions

I have a couple of thoughts about these. First of all, if you find yourself buying the same magazine brand 4 times a year - you're better off with a subscription. Most mags on the shelf are 4.99 plus and the subscriptions are about $25, plus they are delivered. If you don't want to commit to the subscription, or you don't want magazine clutter around your house, there's a better option - the library. I know I sing the library song a lot, but it truly is a wonderful place. I currently read real simple, Martha Stewart Living, Sew News, Gourmet, Cooks Illustrated, Southern Living, and many more for free. I can also get my hands on back issues there. So please, if you want to read some magazines, or 'try it before you buy it' then hit up your local library - you won't be sorry.

Double Coupons

I just discovered last night that Harris Teeter offers double coupons every day (and occasionally triple) for a face value up to .99 (which is 1.98 when doubled). That can add up to some serious savings. If you live near one, take the time to either look at their flyers or their website http://www.harristeeter.com/ and look up coupons in the search bar and it will give you all of the coupon rules.

A Price Notebook (revised repost - sort of)

First of all, the original post:

If you have not done so already, you may want to keep a price notebook, or a price spreadsheet on your computer that you can print off before you go shopping. Here are the basics of this idea: keep a running record of an items price, size, store purchase and unit price so that when you are at another store, you can easily calculate whether or not it is a good deal. This is especially helpful at warehouse stores since buying in bulk is not always saving money.


Now the new part:
I was at Food Lion a couple of days ago and the quart size jar of Hellmann's was 4.79 - OMG - almost $5 for mayonnaise! MAYONNAISE! Flabbergasted doesn't even begin to describe it. Our local Wal-mart has the same jar for 3.59 - better, but still high. Yesterday I was at the Wal-Mart in E.C. with my mom (long story on how I got there), and the same jar of mayo was 2.98 and I had a .65 off coupon. Still more expensive than making it myself, but much better than buying it locally. So sad.

Locally, our Food Lion has 5oz cans of Food Lion brand tuna for .84. This is not only a price increase from .74, but they shrunk the can from 6oz to 5oz (as if no one would notice). I went to Harris Teeter a couple of weeks ago - HT brand tuna was .77for a 6oz can. I bought 10, and will probably buy 10 more each time I go. Canned tuna is a frugal family's safety net when the recipe goes bad or gets burned - hi ho it's tuna melt time! PS - the HT tuna is chunkier than the FL, which is good if like a larger flake tuna. FL tends to be mushy.


So, back to the price book. If you can, try to at least track 15 of your most commonly used items by writing down where you can buy them for the least amount of money, what that amount is, and how large the package is. I put my pricebook sheet from my excel in my coupon book so I have it when I need it. Also, if you really want to be a detective take a calculator too.

Breadcrumbs

Please don't ever pay money for these - just take leftover stale bread, bread heels or just over baked homemade bread and throw it in a food processor and toss them in a bag and in the freezer. Store bought ones are about 1.50 for a small canister, leftovers are free and if you don't use them, they just get wasted.

Sam's Club

First of all, I am usually a die-hard bulk shopping Sam's club believer. I love the place and it suits me perfectly. However, I have been doing some comparison shopping and am sad to report that it may no longer be worth it to pay the $40 a year membership fee and gas to drive there (the nearest one to me is about 1 1/2 hours away) just to save a few bucks. When you get the opportunity, do your own comparison shopping online at www.samsclub.com and compare their prices on products to your own stores regular and sale prices. It was a mildly depressing day at my house when I discovered this - my proverbial bubble was shrunk slightly - I guess I have to find something else money-saving to refill it!

Book Recommendation

One of my all-time favorite frugal living books with tons of tips, tricks and thoughts on frugality is Yankee Magazine's Living Well on a Shoestring. Check you local library or yard sale for it - It's great!

I made laundry detergent!

and it wrks just like my regular

1/2 cup borax
1/4 cup washing soda
1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 bar ivory (grated)
about 1 1/2 gallons water

boil half the water
add the grated ivory, borax, washing soda and baking soda and turn heat to low and stir until all dissolved.
removed from heat and allow to cool in pot, stirring occasionally (will gel)
add remaining water and stir until well blended
add to empty container
use 1 cup per large load (adjust for smaller or extra large or extra dirty loads (just like you would regular detergent.

You may add an essential oil for fragrance if you like, I just tend to like the plain clean sent of ivory.



**********Addendum added 1/29/09**********
Here's an answer about the popular question "What is washing soda?"


Washing soda is a highly alkaline chemical compound which can be used to remove stubborn stains from laundry. It also has numerous uses around the house, and it is used in a range of industrial applications as well. Washing soda should not be confused with washing powder, which is a powdered soap used as a detergent; it is also not the same thing as baking soda, although the two compounds are closely related.
The chemical formula for washing soda is Na2CO3, and it is also known as sodium carbonate. It is a salt of carbonic acid, a chemical which produces a wide range of salts collectively known as carbonates. One common source of washing soda is the ashes of plants; for this reason, it is sometimes called soda ash. Sodium carbonate can also be extracted from sodium chloride, also known as table salt.
In laundry, washing soda accomplishes several things. The high alkalinity of washing soda helps it act as a solvent to remove a range of stains, and unlike bleach, washing soda does not usually stain. It is also used in detergent mixtures to treat hard water; the washing soda binds to the minerals which make water hard, allowing detergent to foam properly so that clothing will come out clean, without any residue. Sodium carbonate is also used by some textile artists, since it helps dyes adhere to fabric, resulting in deeper penetration and a longer lasting color.
Around the house, washing soda can be used to descale things like coffee machines and bathroom tiles which may accumulate mineral deposits as a result of exposure to hard water. It can also be used to strip floors of wax so that they can be refinished, and for other touch cleaning jobs like scrubbing the stove. However, you should wear gloves when cleaning with washing soda, because it is very caustic and it can cause severe skin damage. Incidentally, the best way to treat a chemical burn is with baking soda, also called sodium bicarbonate, as it is a buffer and it will neutralize both acids and alkalis. Apply baking soda to the site of the burn for several minutes, flush the wound with water, and seek medical attention.
Many markets carry washing soda, typically with other laundry products. Some companies make mixed detergents with washing soda which are specifically formulated for hard water, and you can also find washing soda on your own. Since sodium carbonate can be dangerous, make sure to keep washing soda out of the reach of children and pets, and clearly label the container to indicate that it is caustic.

This Weeks Specials

Harris Teeter

• Asparagus 1.49/lb
• Land O Lakes Butter 2lb/$5
• Celery 1.49/bunch

Food Lion

• Spiral Sliced Ham 1.98/lb
• Turkeys .39/lb with $35 purchase
• Sweet Potatoes .29/lb
• Gwaltney Bacon 2lb/$4
• Ritz crackers BOGO Free
• Stove Top Stuffing BOGO Free
• 45oz Country Crock Spread 2/$5

Star Value

• Green Onions .79/bunch
• Celery 1.19/bunch
• Our Family Butter 1.99 with one filled card
• 4lb Value Choice Sugar 1.39 with one filled card
• Condensed Milk .99 with one filled card

Baking Soda

I was given a used set of white Corelle dishes yesterday and I put them in the dishwasher and let them run through. So when I took them out, the first thing I did was inspect the reddish brown rusty stains that I had already noticed on them to see if the dishwasher had helped get them out. well, they didn't, the rusty stains remained. So I tried something. I put a little pile of baking soda right on the stain, wet a sponge and scubbed for a few seconds, and the rusty stains came right out.

Baking soda is cheap, and I think sometimes we overlook how good of a cleaner it really is. It saved my corelle from the garbage, but it can also be used to clean coffee pots, stainless steel (for getting the stuck on stuff off without scratching the metal, toilets, tubs, sinks, ovens, etc, etc. AND it does it all without harming the environment, an asthmatics breathing, an allergy sufferers allergies or your wallet.

Now polish away the cheap and friendly way!

Grocery Shopping for a Month

I am going to try this in December. I have read about it and thought about it and wanted to do it, but I've never gotten the nerve. Finally, after doing the math over what I could save if I could just get everything I need from Sam's (mostly) for one month. And that includes about $20 in gas for a round trip - $10 if I have a partner in crime for the trip.

Step 1 - know your prices: my mom wanted to go to Sam's one day last week when I spent the week with her, so I made notes of prices of things I buy so I could do the math

Step 2 - meal plan: in order for this to work, you have to have your meals planned in order to make sure you get enough in your trip that you not running out to the grocery store all the time during the month

Step 3 - write out your list: base this on your meal plan, AND add a few convenience items or extra lunch items just so you don't run out

Step 4 - set a date: pick a day and hopefully pick a 'date' and take someone along that's not a kid

Step 5 - leave your kids at home: little ones make you rush and make poor decisions, plus they don't want to be there anyway

Step 6 - cargo space: make sure the vehicle you take can fit plenty of stuff, and that it's free of clutter which can take up precious cargo space (especially if 2 or 3 of you are going)

Step 7 - cold storage: coolers and ice for refrigerated and frozen items

Step 8 - plan a snack or lunch: picnics are still fun unless it's cold, then you may want to take this opportunity to go out to lunch with your girlfriends

Step 9 - fill your tank: if you start out your voyage with a full tank, then upon return, you can refill it and you'll know exactly how much gas money to collect from everyone

Step 10 - have fun with it: saving money is serious business, but don't let it be a downer - take some friends, have some friendly conversation, and just enjoy each other's company while you ride. You may also learn some secrets to saving money here and there from your friends.

The Power of Will Power

Okay, I admit it, I have been a little slack in my money saving creativity lately. I've even gone so far as to allow a couple of my feet to drag off the back of the proverbial wagon. But, here and now, I vow to not only get back on the money-saving wagon, but to push my way to the front and grab the map and give out directions. I hope this means that I will come up with some new and creative money saving tips, tricks and ideas.

The Benefits of a Coop

I am a member of a local coop. It participates in the distribution of all natural and organic foods, health products, nutritionals and cleaning products. Generally speaking, those items are not the cheapest on the market, but they tend to be better for you, and buying them through a coop makes them a bit easier on the wallet. Of course, there are many types of coops out there, and I suggest calling your local cooperative extension office (there is usually one per county or group of counties) and asking about coops in the area. Some require a membership fee, but many do not. Most will also allow you to review the catalog for free to determine whether or not it's something you are interested in before you sign up. Remember it only costs time to ask a question and review information, and this may benefit you greatly in the end, so give it a few minutes and see what you come up with in your area.

Convenience Foods

As an all-natural ingredient, from scratch as much as possible, chemical fearer type of person, I am naturally of the belief that homemade is better. And quite frankly, I can't think of one instance where that is not true. But I do have to remember that this is a money saver blog so I am going to delve into the issue of convenience foods from that perspective.

I do not believe that convenience foods are all bad, just those purchased through a drive through window at 6pm because you don't know what else to do. Total drive through cost for a family of 4: $15 if your 2 kids are 2 & 4, $25 if your kids are 12 & 14, and of course, much more if you have more kids or if your family tends to get all of the supersize, extra bacon tack on options. So what's a mom to do at 6pm when she has no clue what to do: Stouffer's frozen lasagna $8, Freschetta Frozen Pizza $6, Voila Frozen Meal Bags $4. Any one or even 2 of these is better for you than fast food fare, AND is better for the wallet.

If you can, cook and freeze your own convenience items like the lasagna homemade, but if that's not your style, then check out stouffer's. The goal here is the highest quality the fastest and for the lowest price. I'm not saying every meal should go down this way, but it does happen on occasion to all of us, even me.

Re-evaluation

I have been reevaluating my money, habits, spending, saving, etc. for the past couple of weeks when the markets starting heading south. I am currently formulating new tips, tricks and plans to post as soon as possible.

Just Take it with You

This past weekend my family took a mini vacation to a zoo and train show. Fun, fun. I decided to pack our lunches for the zoo because the kids can be picky when they are on the go, plus I wanted to be able to get up and move and enjoy the rest of the zoo without the heaviness of corndogs, burgers or spaghetti in me. We took a couple of sleeves of Ritz crackers, some colby jack cheese I had already cut up (can't take a paring knife in the zoo), and some deli turkey (again, cut it up beforehand). At lunchtime, all we had to do was sit and eat our homemade lunchables without wondering whether or not the food would come back to haunt us later. Plus we did not have to worry about a sloppy mess.

Cost of the homemade lunchables to feed the family: about $5
Cost of one box of premade lunchables (for one person - a child at that): about $2.50
Cost of one 20oz coke from a vending machine at the zoo: $2.75 (not kidding, that's how much it really was - I was stunned!!!)

Just take it with you, it cheaper, healthier and easier - only takes about 20min max to prepare.

Aqua Globes

Have you seen the Aqua-Globes advertised on TV? The point of them is to keep your plants watered for a couple of weeks without you having to worry about it. Okay, not a bad idea. Here's alternatives for free:

• empty soda bottles
• empty water bottles
• pretty much any empty bottle with a longer neck and smaller opening

Try them out and let me know.

Leftover Magic for $3.20

We had hamburgers a few days ago and there were several leftover. Well, we did not want to have reheated hamburgers (let's face it, they are just not as good the second time around), and I didn't have any hamburger buns anyway, so I had to think of something to do with them or throw them out. I hate to throw out food that still has potential. It just seems wasteful to me and I think it's not being a good steward of our family's money. Anyway, I had an idea - spaghetti. I had a couple of 8oz boxes of spaghetti that I had gotten for .29 each, plus a half of a jar of leftover sauce that I had gotten 3/$5, so I just chopped up 4 hamburger patties ($2.08/lb.) with my food chopper and added it to the sauce and let it heat thoroughly. My husband made a comment that the spaghetti was better than usual, and told him what I had done. We figured that the difference had to be the leftover hamburgers because we seasoned those with a little bit of steak seasoning prior to cooking so they had a slight steak-y flavor that complimented the spaghetti sauce.

Cost of the spaghetti meal for the entire family of 4 - $3.20 (plus we have leftovers for lunch today)


If you have good leftover stories or ideas, please, please, please post them!!!! I am always looking for more!

Free Movie Rentals

The Public Library in our town carries movies of all types. We have rented Veggie Tales, Saturday Night Fever (didn't like it BTW) and We Own the Night (got disgusted with the content after about 30 seconds), and there are many more on my 'to watch' list. We rent these movies for free and the rental is 3 weeks long. Our library is also part of a regional library system which means I can go online and search the library catalog for the entire system (about 6 branches) and have whatever book or movie that I want shipped to my home library (for free) and they even call me and let me know it's there. There's also no limit on how many movies I can have out at once - as long as I dont' abuse my videos while they are in my possession.

Free is better than cheap (like the netflix and blockbuster mail in systems), especially since no one wants to pay for movies they didn't like.

Walgreens and Rite Aid

I can't believe I have forsaken those stores for so long. Today, I looked them up on the internet and they both offer printable coupons. The one for Walgreens was $10 off any purchase of $40 or more in store. Okay, so walgreen also had their brand of diapers on sale for 2/$11.98. My son wears a size 5 which is 30 in a pack, so at the sale price they were about .19 each, if you get enough to get over $40 and use the $10 coupon, they become .15 each. Awesome. So if you have those stores in your neighborhoods, by all means, shop the website and see what deals are in store for you, and if you can, combine their sale items with printable coupons to really increase your savings and get the maximum bang for your buck!


http://www.walgreens.com/

http://www.riteaid.com/

BTW

Chicken Creole turned out great, hubby loved it and he doesn't even like veggies (which this wall full of - there is hope after all).

Slow Cooker Heaven

I am a fan of the slow cooker. I think that it is a mom's best friend - whether you are a working mom or a SAHM. I have found a new recipe site solely dedicated to the slow cooker http://www.slowandsimple.com/ This site is for ONLY slow cooker recipes, and I am adding it to my recipe links list.

The benefits of a slow cooker are many including 'hands off' cooking which is good if you work outside of the home. When I worked during the day, I loved the thought of coming home and not having to worry about my dinner - because it was waiting for me, all I had to do was a side dish, usually a salad that takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and I was done.

The library has a ton of cookbooks (especially if you search the regional system and have it shipped to your local branch), so you don't have to purchase one, you can just borrow it as often as you wish and as many different ones as you wish.

Other slow cooking benefits:
1) reduces need for take out
2) maintains nutrients even if your picky eaters 'pick out' the veggies (since they are cooked together)
3) uses much less energy than the oven and stove
4) no pre-cooking required
5) one pot to clean
6) slow cooker meals are usually less expensive
7) food stays hot for serving after you turn it off so you don't have to nuke your dinner



Today is rainy and windy (thanks Hanna), so I am cooking a slow cooker chicken creole.

Work, Give, Save, Spend

I was watching Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Meyer this morning and she was speaking about finances. I enjoy these type lectures because I am always looking for a way to save a buck or two. She had 4 topics: work, give, save, spend.

Work: earn your living or assist your spouse in their earning.
Give: tithes, gifts, missions, give with a gracious and loving heart
Save: put away some for emergencies, make it like a regular bill for instance $100 is due in the Money Market account on the 15th of every month
Spend: spend your leftovers, but be wise.

Her thought for debt: list each one by name and amount (i.e. - face the truth), then take the one with the lowest balance and pay it off first (being able to mark one off the list is a positive reinforcer), take what your payment was on the first you marked off and apply it to the next lowest one in addition to your regular payment (budget the same, apply differently), when it is paid off, mark it off and go to #3 and apply the amounts of your regular payment, #2's payment and #1's payment until it is paid off too. Use the same technique through your debt list until they are gone - even if it's 3-5 years.

The problem many people have is they feel the need to reward themselves with a 'thing' each time they reach a goal. Why do we need more stuff? I already need to have another yard sale, the last thing I need to do is buy more junk.