Frugal Tips To Share?

[chickypoodles]

i was thinking, as i cut my SOS pad in half, that, um, i suppose that is a bit frugal of me ...then i thought, i wonder what other people do to save some money and make an item go further or last longer (other than making money go further by using coupons)?

[ame555]

That's a good idea, I find them so big and messy anyways!

I never throw out any ends/crusts of bread, put them in the freezer until I need breadcrumbs then grind them up.

I use vinegar a lot for cleaning instead of expensive cleaners.

I hang the laundry all the time, we maybe use the dryer 3 times a year in real emergencies!

I think there is a post somewhere else about this kind of stuff, but I can't remember where!

[dharma_initiative]

Since I live on my own, I don't have cable or home phone. That makes a big difference. I only have internet and a 35$ per month cell phone plan.

I wouldn't renew any newspapers, magazines, online subscriptions especially when you are going through a tight time. Anything recurring that you can get rid of. Might need to consider getting rid of a car if you have two. I dunno if that applies.

-Some months I got rid of my bus pass (when the weather isn't too cold or too hot), and walk more to school and work and only use bus tickets when I absolutely have to.
-Eat down your freezer/pantry. Its nice to stockpile and all, but when you get pay cuts is the time to EAT the stockpile, especially so that you don't end up wasting any food.
-Stop going out/eat all your meals at home.
-No dryer
-You can wear some clothes more than once before having to wash (maybe not in the middle of summer). Same with towels; hang them so they stay dry and you can wash only once per week.
-Don't rely on credit cards to get through because it will bite you in the butt.
-Don't buy any new "stuff: clothes, movies, furniture"
-Sell your stuff

[gourmetsue]

DH and I rip paper towels in half. We buy the select a size ones and then rip them in half for most of the jobs we are doing. Rarely do we need more than that. Most of the time we just reuseable cloths / napkins, but when they are all in the wash, it's a 1/4 sheet of paper towel to the rescue.

I plan my meals at least a week in advance and I will often do a day of OAMC. That way on the days we really don't want to cook I can pull something yummy out of the freezer and voila dinner.

We are on a TOU meter for electricity so we really pay attention to using our appliances during the most expensive times.

The house we just bought has a couple of small leaks in the eaves so until we can fix it we put buckets out and collect the rain water and use that on flowers and garden. It is incredible how quickly it adds up and if we didn't catch it we'd just be using the sump pump to pump it back outside anyway.

Love hearing everyone's ideas.

[chickypoodles]

love the bread idea! thanks ame555!
& dharma, i know what you mean about eating the stockpile...stuff ends up at the bottom of the freezer, never to be seen again. not much point stockpiling if items are getting wasted!
funny that you both say to stop using the dryer...not sure i want to give that up tho
thanks for the advise

[dharma_initiative]

love the bread idea! thanks ame555!
& dharma, i know what you mean about eating the stockpile...stuff ends up at the bottom of the freezer, never to be seen again. not much point stockpiling if items are getting wasted!
funny that you both say to stop using the dryer...not sure i want to give that up tho
thanks for the advise

The worst for me is the freezer. I'll often have leftovers of soup or casseroles that I froze with good intentions but really don't want to eat now! Part of it for me has been to learn to cook smaller portions since I don't live with roommates so I don't end up with tons of leftovers.

[jezhead]

How about this one that my grandfather taught me when i was younger, If you have any 2-ply serviettes you can seperate the 2-ply and turn it into 2 time usage One ply at a time!

[Lynn49]

How about this one that my grandfather taught me when i was younger, If you have any 2-ply serviettes you can seperate the 2-ply and turn it into 2 time usage One ply at a time!

Oh, my Mother, bless her heart, used to love doing that!

My biggest frugal tip is: Determine what is "need" and what is "want".

[Insane]

I think there is a post somewhere else about this kind of stuff, but I can't remember where!

http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/5895-wa...-money-canada/

There is also a whole section called frugal living.

[Insane]

-Eat down your freezer/pantry. Its nice to stockpile and all, but when you get pay cuts is the time to EAT the stockpile, especially so that you don't end up wasting any food.

We regularly "eat out the freezer". Meaning we eat everything in the freezer (with the goal of defrosting it!) Last week is usually pretty bland and the kids are complaining (spaghetti again?? That's like 3 times in 2 weeks! LOL) but we get the freezer defrosted and slowly work on filling it up again.

[TudorChick]

use bleach instead of cleaners.vinegar too. buy in bulk and freeze anything you can.i dont eat alot of bread so i take half the loaf leave it oit freeze the rest.make your own things.you can google "make your own oxyclean" for example. i make rags out of old tshirts/towels.i clean glass with newspaper so im not wasting paper towel.put tin foil or parchment on baking sheets so you dont use the washer washing them,plus it is an easy clean up.brown bag your lunch.make your own coffee,turn the furnace on at night and open windows during the day.use a crock pot.use your barbecue all year round if you can.shower with your spouse if you can,use toothbrushes for cleaning when they get old.invest in a steam mop.ill think of more

[Midnightly]

i fill hand pumps with dish soap (slightly watered down) instead of buying separate hand soap

[xox2010]

Thought I'd dig up this old thread... lots of great tips in here
http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/5895-wa...-money-canada/

[Poirot]

Don't let others bully you into buying things you don't want to buy.I saw the other day at Shoppers Drug Mart this lady and man at the health and beauty section clearance end aisle.She was telling him everything was cheaper here.Then he was telling her he didn't use hair gel.She was trying to get him to buy it.I felt like telling her how is buying things you won't use saving money.Plus clearance end aisle stuff is sometimes just regular stuff other customers dumped there or sometimes clearance stuff is just sold at a regular price.

[ame555]

Don't let others bully you into buying things you don't want to buy.I saw the other day at Shoppers Drug Mart this lady and man at the health and beauty section clearance end aisle.She was telling him everything was cheaper here.Then she was telling her he didn't use hair gel.She was trying to get him to buy it.I felt like telling her how is buying things you won't use saving money.Plus clearance end aisle stuff is sometimes just regular stuff other customers dumped there or sometimes clearance stuff is just sold at a regular price.

Like my father always says "it's not how much you make, its how much you spend"