Saving $$ Tips
Saving $$ Tips
1. Everyday we seem to get junk mail. Instead of throwing the envelopes away, use them for shopping lists, honey do lists, or writing down a recipe you want to try. When you are done with them, make sure you shred it (your mailing address may be on the back), and if it is a recipe that works/you like, rewrite it on a recipe card or place it in your recipe book for later use. This saves on buying memo pads or stickies.
2. Vinegar is wonderful for many uses! It is also very cheap. Instead of buying cleaners, use equal parts vinegar and dawn liquid soap to use to clean your bathroom. Spray it on and leave for 15 mins and the bath tub scum comes right off without scrubbing
3. When it is summer time, hang your clothes out to dry. You will be amazed how much your electric bill will go down even if you have an energy efficient dryer. We do not hang our personals outside, but inside on a small rack you can hang up.
4. Dishwashers have become more energy efficient, but sometimes they don't dry so well. When our wash cycle is done, I open the dishwasher and let the dishes air dry. This is great in the winter as the vapor from the dishes moistureizes the air, but can also heat the room to some extent.
5. Bed Bath and Beyond coupons NEVER expire even though they have an expiration date on them.
6. To save on groceries, you not only can save with coupons, but you can save, by not buying the junk food and going with a more natural approach. Getting the fixings for a salad may be more expensive together, but comes out to feed more than buying a salad from McDonalds, so in serving portions, it is cheaper.
7. Stop going shopping at the mall. There are many consignment stores that have a great selection and are a lot cheaper!
8. Home phone - do you really need it? Most of the calls that come through are telemarketers, so you really don't need it as most people carry their cells phones with them everywhere. Unless you live where there is no cell phone signal, get rid of the home phone.
9. Television - If you have an HD tv, you can get the basic channels if you are not in the sticks. Plus do you really have that much time on your hands that you can watch all the channels that you pay for? Most Bundles have great pricing, but you are paying more for something you don't use as often or shouldn't use as spending time with family and friends should be more important than that. You can also view most shows online (if you just have the internet) and Netflix or Hulu have them online for a small fee if you can't live without seeing a certain show. Or you can actually get some house cleaning done instead of being glued to the tv.
10. Foaming hand soap - Once you use the contents of the bottle, buy more liquid hand soap and refill it with a bit of liquid soap and water. You won't use up as much soap and you won't be spending as much buying new soap dispensers of soap each time.
11. Washing dishes by hand is not my favorite thing to do, but big pots and pans take up so much space int eh dishwasher and most of the time, they don't always come clean. So we wash our pots and pans and difficult to clean dishes in the sink and the other stuff in the dishwasher. We then control the amount of water we use when washing the dishes.
More to come as I think of them