Saving money thread!

[taxsavey]

Aside from coupon savings. I thought it would be cool to put some tips of saving money on. I know i have learned some cool ideas that I hadn't thought of from others. Here are some tips I have, would love to hear yours! Nothing is to big or small.

Every week I clear our my vegies so they aren't wasted and make either chillie or soup. That way nothing gets wasted. I freeze it if we aren't ready to eat it.

streaming instead of cable

I learned from someone on SC how to sharpen your razors on blue jeans. It works (its on you tube)

for emergency preparation. always good to have water purifyer. On you tube it shows a particular type of hot tub shock that works and is healthy for purifying any water! And wayyyyyyyyy cheaper

I learned to bake bread, easy fun and cheaper and I use left over bacon fat and its wayyyyyyyyy better.
I would love to hear everyone elses tips!

[glowworm2k]

The bacon fat is a good one. I make cookies from bacon grease (a traditional family recipe dating to the 1800s).

Some of mine:
- using old milk bags as freezer bags (they work AWESOME!)
- using cereal box liners instead of wax paper to roll out dough, etc.
- washing and re-using tinfoil
- using small containers instead of ziplock bags (I have been using the same box of ziplock bags since 2007!!)
- using vinegar and baking soda for household cleaning instead of expensive chemicals
- making my own almond milk, yogurt and bread - almond milk made at home will cost you about $0.75 or less per litre!!
- buying food off the discount rack at the grocery store

That's all I can think of at the moment, but it's really about thinking "how can I reuse this?" "How can I do this for less?" and "Do I really need this?" when you go about your daily activities.

Off to visit family... have a great weekend, everyone!

[McKitty]

I make a lot of things instead of buying them prepackaged, including:

-Hot cocoa/chocolate milk mix
-Coffees, chai lattes, machiattos, and cocktails at home
-Bread and rolls
-Vegetables, Meat, and Rice made from scratch and seasoned/cooked from plain
-"Take out" specials made at home like "Noodle Box" (udon noodles, spices, veggies, and meat of choice), Pasta night with homemade garlic bread, Polish faves (not Polish but obsessed with the food), Mexican with all the fixings, Indian curry night, all manner of desserts, breakfasts, and veggie platters
-Pita bread, hummus, tzatziki

I also cut my own hair (I now right? Some years I get it done at the salon, others I just do it myself). I have long hair, and I cut it when it's dry by holding up the ends to see what parts are dry, then cutting up. My hair usually gets cut at the salon razor-style, so it's not blunt-straight on the ends anyway. I dye it myself or do hair modeling to get the fancier looks and colours. I also do all my own spa needs, like mani, pedi, hair treatments, skin scrubs and masks, self-tan, hairstyles and makeup for special occasions, etc.

I trade friends for things, like full dinner and dessert for a fixed, souped-up laptop, pool party and movies for help getting Christmas tree.

Ensure enough water, exercise, vitamins, and laughter are consumed so that food is more for fuel and nutrition than mindlessness. It saves me eating more out of boredom/misinterpreted thirst signals

Pretty much, I bake and cook anything I might want from a resto, do my own beauty stuff, and keep a classic/vintage/thrifted wardrobe so I don't buy new clothes unless super necessary. Not that I wouldn't want to...

[McKitty]

...
I learned to bake bread, easy fun and cheaper and I use left over bacon fat and its wayyyyyyyyy better.
I would love to hear everyone elses tips!

I'm also alllllll about the bacon fat, especially to cook perogies in,
hashbrowns, DBF's scrambles, etc. Tasty and useful!

[Giving-Small]

Good ideas.

A few months ago on SC I learned these things that I didn't know before:

You can freeze milk - thaw, shake before pouring
You can freeze cheese (makes it easier to crumble for cooking).

If I see cheese on a super sale then I stock up and freeze. I snagged Armstrong cheese - reduced at SDM - 75 cent coupon for 50 cent each. Popped it in the freezer.

[taxsavey]

I make a lot of things instead of buying them prepackaged, including:

-Hot cocoa/chocolate milk mix
-Coffees, chai lattes, machiattos, and cocktails at home
-Bread and rolls
-Vegetables, Meat, and Rice made from scratch and seasoned/cooked from plain
-"Take out" specials made at home like "Noodle Box" (udon noodles, spices, veggies, and meat of choice), Pasta night with homemade garlic bread, Polish faves (not Polish but obsessed with the food), Mexican with all the fixings, Indian curry night, all manner of desserts, breakfasts, and veggie platters
-Pita bread, hummus, tzatziki

I also cut my own hair (I now right? Some years I get it done at the salon, others I just do it myself). I have long hair, and I cut it when it's dry by holding up the ends to see what parts are dry, then cutting up. My hair usually gets cut at the salon razor-style, so it's not blunt-straight on the ends anyway. I dye it myself or do hair modeling to get the fancier looks and colours. I also do all my own spa needs, like mani, pedi, hair treatments, skin scrubs and masks, self-tan, hairstyles and makeup for special occasions, etc.

I trade friends for things, like full dinner and dessert for a fixed, souped-up laptop, pool party and movies for help getting Christmas tree.

Ensure enough water, exercise, vitamins, and laughter are consumed so that food is more for fuel and nutrition than mindlessness. It saves me eating more out of boredom/misinterpreted thirst signals

Pretty much, I bake and cook anything I might want from a resto, do my own beauty stuff, and keep a classic/vintage/thrifted wardrobe so I don't buy new clothes unless super necessary. Not that I wouldn't want to...

I love the way you think. Love vintage! I like the mindless eating note. A hot tip on that and it works! I was having insane cravings. My naturepath said if you are craving sugar=you lack protein, if you crave chocolate=you lack magnesium, if you crave crunchy stuff=its fatty acides like fish oil or flax oil, if you crave viniger type things=you lack calcium. I ate more of the things I needed and I NEVER had a craving again and I dropped weight! HOT TIP!!!

[aemi]

My naturepath said if you are craving sugar=you lack protein, if you crave chocolate=you lack magnesium, if you crave crunchy stuff=its fatty acides like fish oil or flax oil, if you crave viniger type things=you lack calcium.

That is so true.

My Tip:
I search on SC how to save money. And I read threads like this.