LOL! I thought I was the one who thought up “Use the bathroom at work to conserve toilet paper!”
Shirley, definately go for the menstrual cup. It takes some getting used to, but after a couple months you’ll be cackling with delight at outsmarting the tampon industry. If you become mad with power (weak stomached men skip to next post) there are a few sites online where you can find some instructions on making your own washable maxi-pads. Before you balk, I have 3 words for you:
Comfy, cozy flannel. Ahhhhhh.
“Welcome to the Knowledgeum, I’m Troy McClure. You may remember me from such automated information kiosks as ‘Welcome to Springfield Airport’ and ‘Where’s Nordstrom?’”
If you drink juice, buy the generic frozen can goods in the freezer section. Add an extra cup of water to the mixture to make it stretch longer. Also, to make it colder, faster, put a designated amount of water in the bottom of the contain (freezer safe, naturally) and stick in the freezer over night. Make juice in AM and it will be nice and cold mucho quicker.
You can do the same with recycled water bottles. Just put a little in the bottom over night and in the morning add your cold tap water and you are ready for the day. I never leave the house without my trusty water bottle. I haven’t impulse purchased soda in quite some time.
In warm months, keep a cooler in your trunk for when you shop to put your meats and frozen goods in for the drive home. That way you have an added security of things not melting all to snook if you get stuck in traffic.
If you realize you don’t have one specific and key ingrediant that you need during cooking, before rushing out to the store to buy it, call all your neighbors to see if they have it. This might seem like a no brainer, but being the non-cook I am, I have nearly all the spices required and when i hear the neighbors say they had to run out to get this or that, I tell them to call me. I have it and damn if I know what to do with the stuff. If they never return the spice, I would never know it.
In the rare and unlikely event that you shrink a long sleeved shirt ( It jumped into the dryer on it’s own, I swear), don’t despair. If the rest of the shirt fits fine, cut the sleeves off to be short sleeves and hem them. ( Unless it’s corderoy or flannel, then it’s going to look really silly.) You will get twice the wear out of them.
Don’t shop with your kids if you can help it. Besides the distraction of younger ones fretting and fussing, once they reach a certain age, they get an armspan like the Spruce Goose and love to swipe things off the shelf. Either swap with a neighbor sitting duties so you can go during the uncrowded day time or wait until hubby/SO/SameSexLife Partner comes home to watch them and off you are on your merry way.
If you have a repair guy ( or workman, etc) come to your house, mainly a self employed repair guy instead of the BIG CHAIN repair guy, ask if there is a discount for cash. We had a huge wasp nest under our deck and the quote was $90. We asked if there was a discount for cash and got it done for $40. Self employeed guys usually will give some kind of deal.
I must admit that I didn’t read this post really thoroughly (I’m trying to sneak in some SDMB at work) but I didn’t see one (maybe someone already listed it) that I find works to save me money:
Use a grocery list and stick to it. Don’t go down the aisles you don’t need anything out of.
Personally, hubby and I are just getting to the point (after 8 years of marriage and NUMEROUS financials downs - not many ups) that I can finally buy things that arent’ on my list! What a relief.
Also,
2. Use a budget for your household finances. It works. Plan on setting aside money for entertainment, gas, miscellaneous expenses (the drycleaners etc). This has been the only way we’ve kept our heads above water on many occassions. It’s definately delayed gratification but you have more long term financial success.
Speaking of the drycleaners, that new Dryel product seems to work well. I’ve tried it and will keep using it. MUCH cheaper than those drycleaners! $5.00 to clean my skirt? I don’t think so!
First, Shirley, thanks for sharing that menstrual cup thing with us. I don’t think I could have lived without knowing that.
Second, regarding coupons – yes, I should have noted that the way to save money with them is to only use them to buy stuff you would have bought anyway.
I buy some generic, but there are some things that I won’t. Toilet paper and facial tissues are among these. I’m sorry, but I’ve tried generic and even other brands besides the ones we use. I won’t rub my ass (or my nose) with sandpaper!
There are some other similar things we don’t use generic for, mostly because, well, I’m picky. Yes, I can taste a definite difference between generic lemon/lime pop and Sprite. But I wait 'til Sprite is on sale and then load up on it. My sisters-in-law came to visit a few times and laughed because we had so much pop, toilet paper, etc. stored up. They are of the “When we’re out we run to 7-11” variety and couldn’t grasp the idea of trying to save money. Well, now they’re both married and I hope they’ve learned a little something about money from their husbands.
David, were you popping out tampons too? I use TP for every day to day needs, but when I have a cold, I splurge and get the good lotion tissue. My schnooze is worth it.
Has anyone here ever tried nonfat dry milk? I’m kinda curious on it for day to day consumption, but don’t necessarily want to buy a box of it to have it sit there unused when I realize it sucks.
Personal Health and Beauty:
Buy the cheapest shampoo that works for your hair type. I use [outrageous french accent] Alberto V05 [/end outrageous french accent], after a consumer report recommended it and buy a good conditioner, Aussie 3 minute miracle ( Hell, it lasts longer than sex! ) A couple of years ago I bought a large bulk rate pump shampoo container and wish I had bought the conditioner one as well because I cannot find a large pump like that anywhere. I fill up the shampoo pump with my V05 ( usually purchased for about on sale for about 75 cents, then there is the double coupon that takes 50 cents off. I stocked up once about two years ago and haven’t bought anything else since. One pump is all I need for a lather.
It also helps to have a hair impaired husband.
Bar soap lasts about 20 times longer than liquid soap. ( If kept out of the stream of the shower, for a no brainer)
my son does that very rarely.He’ll eat an apple,and I’ll pay for it. They know us there,and they know I’m not going to say that just for the fun of it!Otherwise,they just run the carton over the scanner and charge you.
If you go to say Disney ( or any amusement park) since most people are right handed, when they enter the park they automatically gravitate to the right to start their day. GO to the LEFT. There will be less lines and crowds. ( I’ve done this at every park I’ve gone to and gotten more for my money because by the time I get back to the main entrance, the crowd is jammed up on the left side and I’m not waiting as long.)
Re: Kids and souveniers - tell them they are alotted one souvenier for the trip and they are allowed X amount of money for it and can buy it only on the last day. There will be plenty of time for browsing and they can keep a note pad of what they like, how much and where it was at for reference. This helps avoid impulse purchases and keeps you,the Parent, from dragging the item around all day. Also, tell them whatever money they don’t spend on souveniers you will match and put in their bank account. ( Got this handy tip from a father of four at Disney. Said it saved him countless dollars and kept his kids from whining.)
Kids and restaurants: Give each child fifty cents to a dollar for drinking water instead of soda.
Well if you ask me, it does suck to drink it. But as stated above, it’s great to use in cooking and baking, so if you try it and don’t like it, you can always use it for that purpose.
I read a tip once on how to adjust your tastes to drinking it. Start out by adding prepared powdered milk to your real milk so that the proportions are about 1/8 pepared powdered milk - 7/8 real milk. After about a week of mixing it that way, increase the amount of powdered milk to 1/4. Continue to increase the percentage of prepared powdered milk until you’re drinking that 100%. I have no idea if it really works, but if you really want to try, it might be worth the experiment.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank
I grew up with the stuff. I drink lots of milk. I guess it was ok when I was growing up (it gave us some interesting phrases, though, looking back, like asking whose turn it was to make the milk), but after I went to college and had actual liquid milk, I could never drink the powdered stuff again. Hated it. Disgusted by it.
Incidentally, maybe this needs a different thread, but what do folks do about allowances for kids? You know, when to start, how much to give, etc.?
Oh, I forgot one thing earlier. In addition to second-hand stores for kids’ clothes, another good idea (for kids and adults) is to buy it at the end of the season and save it 'til next year. I just picked up three good long-sleeve shirts at Wal-Mart for my son at 3 bucks each – on clearance. Got two for next year and one for the year after that (that’s all they had left).
Here’s how I avoid paying somebody to wipe out a bee’s nest. I live in the country and we get lots of yellowjacket nests in the house walls, usually one or two every summer.
I get my shop vac or old vacuum cleaner and attach a long tube to it, long enough to keep you at a safe distance. I’ve used those plastic golf bag tubes duct taped together and I also have used plastic conduit. It needs to be at least one and a half inches in diameter. Next, I prop the far end of the tube near the outlet to the nest and turn on the vac. It sucks in the bees coming and going and in an hour or so will have taken in so many bees that the nest will weaken and die out. Then I just suck in an ounce or so of sevin dust, plug the end of the hose, and wait a few days to empty the dead bees.
This is not for anybody allergic to bees but it saves me 90 bucks and I’m not recommending that anybody try it but it works for me. Plus your neighbors will think you’re cheap and weird and they’ll leave you alone.
I have yet to purchase a pair of shoes, even the cheap ones, in a store. Every pair has come from resale shops for my son. I think the most I’ve shelled out is $3 for a pair of Winnie the Pooh winter boots that his sister can wear (even if its summer, dang it, when it’s the right size.) I can’t justify buying something full price that they outgrow in six months. And kids really, at the toddler stage, only need one or two pair of shoes. When they are older, you can classify them as: Inside shoes, outside shoes, boots and dress up.
On the powdered milk deal…like David I grew up on it…there were five kids in my family…four brothers and myself…and at the time it was wonderful…but once I had real milk…I wouldn’t touch the powdered kind…it’s ok for baking and stuff…but no way could you drink it…
I have long, long hair- it’s shiny, beautiful and healthy. Guess what? I use Suave generic Paul Mitchell Shampoo. It rocks…it’s very cheap. Use it!
Eckerd drug store has this rebate thing I love. You save up all the recipts for rebatable items and send them all in at once…They send you a big rebate check. I hate getting checks for $1, but I love getting one for $20!
Zette
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
Shirley: Shoes have been one area we’ve had bad luck on at the resale shops. Never found a decent pair there yet. But we buy at Payless or similar stores where you can get a good pair for around 10 bucks or less – and I always buy a little bit big so they’ll last longer (obviously not so big he’ll trip, but you know what I mean).
Change your own car oil. “Quik Lube” places charge as much as $30.00 (most of their 15 point inspection [which they employ to justify the 30 bucks] is just that…an inspection and nothing more.) You can buy the 3-4 quarts of oil and a filter for eight dollars. There’s only one nut to loosen (drain plug), and oil filters can be twisted off with your hands. (Maybe not the first time…some shops go overboard putting them on)
Some shops charge you up to $80.00 to change the front brake pads on your car. The same pads can be bought for as little as $12.00 (depending on the make and model of your vehicle) and it is not a labor intensive job. (You don’t need the rotors turned every time you change the pads)
I like to shop online first for anything. Almost everything is cheaper online somewhere. Got United airline flight plans? Simply visit their website, enter the flight number & presto! They give a great list of whether its on time, if it left the gate, etc. They get their airline data from www.itn.com & you should too.
Well I can’t add too much to this. But, i’ll give it my best shot.
At my home we buy three foodstuffs in bulk:
-Soy sauce. We buy the big metal container that holds about a gallon or so of soy sauce. It lasts forever.
Rice. This also lasts a long time. But since I grew up with rice we eat a lot of it and we run out in two months. Those of you who eat less of it will make it last longer (we buy the 50 lb bags, and store it in a plastic storage bin).
Oil. We cannot be without this stuff. We buy the cheap-o store brand vegetable oil since it is cheaper, and it’s really only used for frying stuff. We do buy good, brand name olive oil, but that stuff has to be good.
potatoes and carrots. We buy the bulk bags. The potatoes are smaller, but it is cheaper than buying them one by one at the store.
Growing your own food plants. It only really works if you have time to take care of the garden, but it is well worth it, and tomatoes taste much better home grown. Vegetable gardens can be grown even by apartment dewllers. One of my books shows pepper plants growing in a bag of potting soil with holes cut in one side for the plants. You can get cheap plastic containers and use them to grow salad gardens. A packet of seeds costs 1 - 2 dollars.
) A couple of years ago I bought a large bulk rate pump shampoo container and wish I had bought the conditioner one as well because I cannot find a large pump like that anywhere. I fill up the shampoo pump with my V05 ( usually purchased for about on sale for about 75 cents, then there is the double coupon that takes 50 cents off. I stocked up once about two years ago and haven’t bought anything else since. One pump is all I need for a lather.