Ways to save money

[rehender]

making your own bread saves money... even if you are paying 12 dollars for a 10kg bag of flour and 4 dollars for yeast you are saving tons... and it always tastes sooo good

[oceanblue]

using a bread maker or by hand?

making your own bread saves money... even if you are paying 12 dollars for a 10kg bag of flour and 4 dollars for yeast you are saving tons... and it always tastes sooo good

[contestgirl2]

CardSwap.ca is Canada's #1 site for discounted gift cards!
-Save 10-40% off all major retailers gift cards
-Make money by selling unwanted gift card.

Site: www.CardSwap.ca
Contest: WIN iPod Touch
Enter PIN: SM9677
Contest Expires: Oct 31, 2009

Promocode: SM200 (to waive all selling fees on your first gift card)

[Mia001]

i ALWAYS do laundry with the cold cycle..saves money..
clothes lines in the spring/summer/fall...can't beat the smell of fresh laundry from the line..

i would soooo love to use clothes lines ...too bad that seagulls don't wear diapers

[islandlakes]

Not sure if the following things were mentioned but...

-We use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets.
-I buy all of my daughters clothing at high end used baby stores I pay 1/10 the reg price.
-We go to auctions. Once we got 800 sq/ft of high end slate for .11 cents a tile (sq/ft).
-Swap parties (women bring their accessories and clothing)
-If you can't afford to put your child into a sport or other expensive activity see if they would like to be a cadet....it is free in Canada and your child will be introduced to new friends, skills training, National and International Travel, sailing, flying and the list goes on and on.

Great suggestions! I also use dryer balls. Dryer balls are also less-toxic.

Kids who go to cadets have fun, gain great skills and make some friends with ambition.

[islandlakes]

I don't generally stick to one brand, which ever is cheapest. I don't use any cleaning products other then vinegar, tea tree oil and baking soda. I use SCOP a lot. I never ever buy clothing new, if its new I've sewn it (mostly dresses and skirts, they work out to be cheapest. I use coupons obviously and stock up when its on sale. I shop only at the Mennonite Central Committee Thrift shops, they often have basket sales. everything you can fit in a basket for 6$ I garage sale and have prefected the art of bargaining... I will bargain anywhere, whats the worst they can do? Say no?

I too use mostly vinegar and baking soda. I also use Borax and buy dish soap by the gallon.
What is "SCOP"?

[Zonny]

I too use mostly vinegar and baking soda. I also use Borax and buy dish soap by the gallon.
What is "SCOP"?

Scanning Code of Practice.

In many stores, if your item rings up at a higher price than what's marked on the shelf, you can get one of the items for free, up to $10.

Search for SCOP on here and you'll find more info.

Z

[Simple-perfect]

I visit the store when they have sale, I list my all future need items and look for flyer and best deal.

I pack my lunch and my water(never buy ).

Read lots of books regarding "Do yourself"

Mostly fix my things.

What are some of the things that you do to save money?
Share your tips with us.

[islandlakes]

Scanning Code of Practice.

In many stores, if your item rings up at a higher price than what's marked on the shelf, you can get one of the items for free, up to $10.

Search for SCOP on here and you'll find more info.

Z

Thanks Zonny! You know I didn't check for a reply when I realized that it was such common knowledge a little while later. Bless you for your patience!

[monoroma]

> master the art of return and exchange policy
> put coin jars one in your room, one in the washroom and one in the kitchen, if you see coins wherever toss them in the jars..this is how I do my grocery shopping :D
> made friends with a great tailor! buy clothes from $1-$15 get it dry cleaned and tailored.. :D..doesn't cost me more than probably $30 to $40 or less (i scored classic designer pieces) just have to browse and explore i usually give my self couple of hours and i take ttc. (obviously sell them later :D)
> pre-plan my meals in advance and buy grocery accordingly (never buy food when you are hungry)
> If you like to travel make friends overseas could be friends' friends, relatives' friends it saves you hotel money.. :D, and no need to pay extra for a tour guide..or the inconvenience of walking around with a translator..just take some nice gifts for your friends you are visiting (works everytime)
>I love to entertain and network...Normally hold a potluck party exchange ideas coupons, swap dresses, jeweleries (saves a lot of money)
>even with babysitting we don't charge our friends but t he only condition is buy us meal for that day (y) (I do it on my day off)

Wow soo much more! i'll share later

[Valiant]

I make the most of all my resources.
I spend money carefully.
I stockpile, using FPC's and C's and sales items.
I kick embarrassment and guilt in the butt (just figuratively, because my illness prevents me from such lavish motions).

In assessing my own life experience, I see that the Lord has made provision for me to stockpile in order to tide me over a series of misfortunes, including serious, chronic illness, job cut-backs, and loss of working income.

And if I can make it to retirement, I'm going back to the city to live on the outskirts where there is less air pollution, and then I'm going to make the most of my opportunities there! In the meantime, I'm learning all I can about inexpensive shopping.

[Tannie]

I've only read a few of these ideas, but I found a few new ones! And to be honest, never really stockpiled the coupons for sale items. I guess I just thought the two couldn't be combined?????

[Frugal_Kitten]

I've recently started making my own foaming hand soap. I am a bath & body works junkie but even when their soap is on sale I feel like I'm spending too much. Take their pretty soap dispenser (or any other foaming hand soap container) and pick up some generic everyday hand soap. (I usually buy mine from my avon lady when they're 3/$10

Here's the recipe...

Pour soap into the container (maybe not even 1/8 of the container)
Fill remaining with water

*leave a little extra room for additional soap - give it a good stir and try it out. You'll know if it needs touch more soap but it really doesn't take much!!

I was really annoyed when I found out I was paying double for fancy foaming soap and it was costing them less to make than regular soap!!

[etherealone]

all in good fun, but.....

"Raising a child can be an expensive undertaking, with the first year being the most expensive. In 2004, over $10,000 was needed to raise a child to age 1. Parents spent the least amount of money – close to $7,000 – when their children reached age 12. Expenses for both boys and girls then began to rise again as they entered their teenaged years."

so if you really plan on NOT having kids, investing in reliable birth control will certainly prevent you from spending an estimated $100,000 on that little human, BEFORE they are 18 years of age....LOL

[SweetDeals]

I tried reading all of the other tips but I'm afraid I fizzled out after page 5, so sorry if these have already been said.

Here are three things that we've found helpful:

1) Turn the heat down... then turn it down 1 degree further and put on a sweater and thick socks. We decided to try keeping our house between 16-18 degrees, and after about 2 weeks we all got used to it and don't really even notice it any more. We've already saved almost a hundred dollars on our gas bill compared to last year.

2) My SO and I both have allowances, just like the kids. The deal is that we can spend it on whatever we want, but it's the only money we have to spend on ourselves. It's amazing how much I used to spend on lunches at work, coffee, short cab rides, etc. I'm saving a fortune and now when I spend from my allowance it feels like a treat and I appreciate it more.

3) When we just don't feel like cooking, we get Little Caesar's $5 medium pizza and bring it home or go to a park to eat. 2 pizzas will feed 4 people (usually with leftovers), which works out to $2.50 per person -- a lot better than $10-$15 per person we'd use to spend to go out. I know pizza's not exactly health food, but the kids enjoy it and it's a nice change. And we sometimes make a quick salad or chop up some veggies to make it a little more balanced.

There are a lot of great suggestions in this thread -- hope these are helpful too.