Penny pinching hints and tips (page 5)

Dragonlady76

I nice things but my budgets doesn't so I buy quality items second hand, if stepped you into my house you would think it looks like a model home, because it's so tatstefully decorated, you would think I am loaded, but I am not I just know how to buy.

I love Pottery Barn's furnishings, but I cannot afford the prices, I will not even buy stuff on sale, I just ebay for it or check out places like craigslist for people selling stuff and buy it cheap.

I feel smart knowing my house looks good and I didn't pay as much as the person I bought it from.

THE GLADIATOR

Plastic pockets sewn into my pants, so I can steal soup.

WTWizard

A major one these days is at the gas pumps. Riding a bicycle will save you big bucks, since you will never have to put a nickel in for gas. If you ride a car, keeping the tires properly inflated will help with gas mileage without costing you a penny (especially if you already have a tire pump at home). Driving the speed limit or a bit below will also save on gas, not to mention speeding tickets and the risk of serious accidents.

Even better is to quit associating with Jehovah's Witlesses. The gas you do not have to put in your car for the service you stop doing adds up, not to mention the wear and tear on the car. That will also save you big bucks on fast "food" every day, suit dry cleanings, and especially all those donations to the Worldwide Pedophile Protection Fund. That is probably the best way to save big money without making sacrifices.

OK, so this one will involve some sacrifice, but if you smoke and quit, that is going to save you some serious bucks. With cigarettes near or above $5 a pack, each pack you don't smoke per day saves you $35 a week or $1,825 a year. Not to mention what you will be saving on the medication you will not need for the cancer or heart disease you will not be getting, the colds you will save yourself from getting, and those hassles associated with cleaning up after the smoke. And you will avoid the embarrassment of lighting up where smoking is not allowed. Just beware that this one may involve a lot of work and slipups, and quitting successfully may take many attempts. But you will not be hauled into a judicial committee for slipping up, no matter how many times you slip up. Just keep at it, and plug that leak in your wallet in your own time.

Clam

Money can be saved on expensive vibrators by simply filling an empty aluminium cigar tube with angry wasps. . .

. . . so I've been told.

Clam

SnakesInTheTower

clam:

Money can be saved on expensive vibrators by simply filling an empty aluminium cigar tube with angry wasps. . .

LMAO.....and pray there is no crack in the tube.....

SnakesInTheTower (of the "bzzzzzz" Sheep Class)

SnakesInTheTower

PEC:

http://www.restaurant.com/ is a joke, it is not ready for primetime, there was a total of one restaurant on the list in a 5 mile radius of me. I live in San Diego, CA

I guess it depends on where you live. There was only 1 in the 5 mile radius of me (but my town is a joke anyway), but there were 10 pages of restaraunts within 30 miles of my zip code. My metropolitan area has tons of locally owned restaraunts that take advantage of this website.

Also at the end of the month a lot of the certificates are gone, hit it again at the beginning of the month.

I guess it just depends on where you live and when you check. Kind of like airline deals....there one minute, not there the next. Timing, Sir Philip, is everything.

Snakes ()

BlackSwan of Memphis

use cold water in the washing machine

cut down on the amt of laundry detergent. Usually half the amount that is recommended will work just as well for a normal load.

Don't let the hot water run when getting your shower ready

While getting the shower ready put a bucket in there to catch the water that is being wasted and use that for any number of things

Don't buy the throw away ready to use cleaning wipes (dusting, glass etc) just use old towels cut up and wash them.

Go to places like the various dollar stores in your area (we have hundreds of them around here) to buy various cleaning agents and well almost anything you can think of.

Use the library for books and music. (I highly recommend making sure you have a place to put the books which will keep them out of reach of little hands, sinks and also seperate from other books/music items so that they are not misplaced)(if damaged or lost you'll end up paying the cost of replacement)

Freecycle.com

this might sound stupid, but honestly, just be Nice to the people you Do have to use for professional help. It really can make a huge difference. If you choose to go the route of getting a better deal...

Go into it with a good base knowledge of the product and company you are dealing with. Makes a difference.

http://www.vinegartips.com/

Comments have been made about canning and freezing. Canning is a great way to do things. However, it can be costly to get started. While it is worth the investment, check your flea markets and garage sales for supplies.

A dishwasher, from what I've heard, actually does cut down on the amount of water used compared to washing dishes by hand. However, don't use the drying option. Let them dry naturally. A few spots never hurt anyone.

If your windows are older, get them replaced if possible. OR use plastic to cover them during the winter months especially.

http://www.stretcher.com/index.cfm

BlackSwan of Memphis

Oh yeah, keep a calculator with you. Do the math. Always always always do the math.

Be wary about warehouse clubs. The cost to join should pay for itself a few times over through the year's membership or it's not worth it.

I hear people talk about going out for dinner or whatnot and buffets etc.

A few things to consider:

a) Get the restaurant food without the cost: get it to go. Without the cost of the beverage, tip and dessert, the price drops significantly.

b) If you're cooking for one, compare the cost of how much it will take to make your favorite dish to how much it will cost to buy it from your favorite restaurant. It might surprise you that after you add it up, sometimes it's cheaper to get the meal from the restaurant.

c) Forget the pop altogether and just drink water.

Trade with people you trust. I found a few mom's around here where we trade babysitting. The concept can be applied to many different things.

Farmers Markets for produce or summer landscaping can yield more for less.

Oh yeah.....haha..this is the best part:

Candy!

Stock up on it at the major holidays. Halloween, Christmas and Easter are the three big ones. Huge bags of great candy for less. I was at the store around July and overheard a mother commenting how they still had candy from Easter and so refused to buy her daughter more.

Be Careful about ebay though please. I Know people who go to places like the Outlet centers, buy things and then mark them up signifcantly then their original cost at the outlet center. Pottery Barn is the first that comes to mind because my nephew and his wife have done just that. They purchase from there and then mark it up to make a profit. For some people this works well because there are absolutely no outlet centers around them and so it's still worth it.

However, google like crazy to see if there are any outlet places in your state and then keep track of the things you need and make a once a year or twice a year visit to go and get what you need yourself.

Scully

Snakes:

hey scully, about the banana bread. I always use ripe bananas for that or smoothies. I sometimes have issues with my banana bread being a bit dry. I think my oven runs hotter than advertised on the dial. Any suggestions (I am using a recipe from Joy of Cooking).....???? (and yes, this bachelor actually can cook and bake, at least from a recipe)

For under $5 you can buy an oven thermometer. It's a great way to calibrate your oven's temperature - just adjust the dial until the thermometer reads the oven temperature that the recipe requires. You can also set the timer to go off a minute or two sooner than the recipe suggests and test the banana bread to make sure it's done.

Also, when you are adding the liquid ingredients to your dry ingredients, make sure that you don't overmix, as this can cause dryness. I prefer to hand mix these kinds of batters rather than using the electric mixer, because you want to get the dry ingredients just moist, but not wet.

Another tip: store your muffins in a ziplock bag or Tupperware container and a small ripe apple to help them retain their moisture.

SnakesInTheTower

scully.... thanks for those tips. I will try to find that oven thermometer.

when you are adding the liquid ingredients to your dry ingredients, make sure that you don't overmix, as this can cause dryness. I prefer to hand mix these kinds of batters rather than using the electric mixer, because you want to get the dry ingredients just moist, but not wet.

I think this is my problem. When I make cheesecake from scratch, mixing it for a long time, making sure it is really well blended, works great....not so great for banana bread....I did use an electric mixer....next batch of overly ripe bananas I will try your suggestion. Oh, the recipe called for 1 hour or until done. After 42 minutes it was done....that oven must really be miscalibrated.

Snakes ()

Penny pinching hints and tips

Share this