Ways to save money

[Gebraroest]

I never buy from vending machines

[wongsays]

Hey,
Not sure if anyone mentioned this idea but I hosted a Clothing Swap at my house a few Friday's ago and it went well.


This is a great way to clean out your closet and gain new clothes FOR FREE!

I invited a few girlfriends over, who actually didn't know each other and told them to bring clothes, DVDs, CDs and just about ANYTHING they did not want but were in good condition.

The owner of the items presented each piece and if you had your eye on it, grab it! We then tried our items before bringing them home.
The items left in the pile were then donated to a charity. I also added that if you brought less than 5 items you had to donate $5 to the charity.

Also since it was an after work party I told them to bring food so it was a pot luck dinner. All I had to do was provide my swap items, drinks and cups/plates, which I did not even have to buy cuz I had them! Very easy.

If you have questions about hosting one or understanding more about the swap I would be happy to share.

[jaba]

Hey,
Not sure if anyone mentioned this idea but I hosted a Clothing Swap at my house a few Friday's ago and it went well.


This is a great way to clean out your closet and gain new clothes FOR FREE!

I invited a few girlfriends over, who actually didn't know each other and told them to bring clothes, DVDs, CDs and just about ANYTHING they did not want but were in good condition.

The owner of the items presented each piece and if you had your eye on it, grab it! We then tried our items before bringing them home.
The items left in the pile were then donated to a charity. I also added that if you brought less than 5 items you had to donate $5 to the charity.

Also since it was an after work party I told them to bring food so it was a pot luck dinner. All I had to do was provide my swap items, drinks and cups/plates, which I did not even have to buy cuz I had them! Very easy.

If you have questions about hosting one or understanding more about the swap I would be happy to share.

neat idea, sounds like a lot of fun!

[bd42]

Here are some ways I save money

Instead of buying Febreeze I use fabric softener mixed with water in a spray bottle..downy is nice

I use an old sock,slighly damp as a duster,fits on my hand and away I go

To freshen up drains I use borax mixed with water instead of a drain cleaner.You can also use borax as a household cleaning agent

[snappyfinds]

Shop at consignment stores and "I've Outgrown It" sales. You can find clothes, bikes, skates, almost anything that you would need for your little ones.

[bd42]

Cornstarch on babies bottoms instead of baby powder.Its cheaper and helps keep the skin dry..

I hang dryer sheets on a few hangers in my closets,keeps the clothes smelling fresh

[Natalka]

Thanks for the tip about borax and drains. I have a box of it from making 'goop', so nice to know I can use it for good, not 'evil'...

[Jacq]

- If you want unique clothing / art / other things, try Etsy.com. Not only are you getting quality products for cheap, but you are supporting another person instead of a factory or large unfriendly corporation.

- Diva Cup + Cloth pads. I have spent $0 on feminine products over the last two years.

- Farmer's Markets are a good way to get cheap, in-season fruits and vegetables, and have the same added bonus as listed above - you aren't paying residual fees for transportation, and there are a few less preservatives in your food.

- Entertainment can be a tricky one. There are a lot of not-so-legal things available online, but there are also perfectly legal things available for download. My spleen has a lot of public domain cartoons and television shows for download. For your kids, there are a lot of games that are known as "Abandonware" - older computer games whose licences have expired. Younger children especially aren't too caught up on graphics and things, so the educational titles are still a great way for them to learn and have fun for cheap.

[Justine]

- Diva Cup + Cloth pads. I have spent $0 on feminine products over the last two years.

Sounds glamorous.

[bd42]

Use milk bags for pretty much anything..they make great freezer bags,washed and dried of course

[drusilla]

Hi

I don't know if this has been posted or if the stores near you guys do it but near me if i walk into super c and look at there fruits and vegetables section, they have things pretty cheap most of the time.

BUT

if you walk around you can find the rack of extra cheep food. Some times it is not even with that type food, the other day i found it next to the meat section.

The store near me does a weird mixture, instead of putting all the same types together they mix it up.

For example i got a tomato, 2 oranges, 3 apples in one package for 99 cents. i also got 8 apples, the red bumpy ones for 99 cents. Then i picked up a huge butch of green grapes for 99 cents as well. And my favorite potatoes in a little bag for the same price just because they have cuts and bumps on them.

[Zonny]

Hi

I don't know if this has been posted or if the stores near you guys do it but near me if i walk into super c and look at there fruits and vegetables section, they have things pretty cheap most of the time.

BUT

if you walk around you can find the rack of extra cheep food. Some times it is not even with that type food, the other day i found it next to the meat section.

The store near me does a weird mixture, instead of putting all the same types together they mix it up.

For example i got a tomato, 2 oranges, 3 apples in one package for 99 cents. i also got 8 apples, the red bumpy ones for 99 cents. Then i picked up a huge butch of green grapes for 99 cents as well. And my favorite potatoes in a little bag for the same price just because they have cuts and bumps on them.

I was going to ask if I were the only one who shops the reduced rack in the grocery store. My stores don't do it quite like that, but the produce department in Superstore nearly always has a reduced rack in the early morning. Meats get marked down too, but I don't buy those unless I know I have time to either cook it or freeze it that day.

I was off on a weekday recently and went shopping store early to get it done before the crowds hit. There were piles of green peppers marked down, I bought about six of them and when I got home I diced them up and laid them out on a pan and froze them, sealed 'em up later so they wouldn't all freeze into one big gob. Yes, they did have a couple of wrinkled bits on them maybe, but most of them were nearly perfect. I got about a kilogram of mushrooms that day too! Not snowy white, but perfectly OK. When I got home I sliced and sauted them, then froze them the same way. I make homemade pizza on a fairly regular basis, and mushrooms and peppers are a staple.

I also buy very large boxes of baking soda. I toss a bit into the wash when the laundry is particularly foul, keep a dish with holes in the top full in the fridge and change it every few weeks. When I'm changing that, I toss it down the drain and follow it with some vinegar, keeps the drains clear.

I also am a HUGE fan of buying stuff secondhand. Our change table was a secondhand purchase, I think it was $30. I was going to re-sell it, but now that I'm in the habit of stocking up on things like soap and toilet paper, I put it in my downstairs bathroom to hold all our extra stuff! It's dumb, but when I'm in the bathroom down there I enjoy looking at all our stockpiled stuff.

I just got a big bag of clothes for my three year old from Kijiji yesterday for $20. He's thrilled and so am I! There were at least 20 shirts and a half dozen pairs of pants. Kids rarely wear clothes long enough to wear them out before they grow out of them.

Z

[missbobloblaw]

I use baking soda for almost everything! The stinky one from your freezer can be used as a scrub to get rid of crud in your tub....
I also dump my used flavored coffee grounds down the drain with hot water...they scour your pipes of all sorts of crud. My regular coffee grounds get used in the garden...

[EvilTofu]

You know those foaming hand soap? You can save the bottle for dish washing detergent. You can make your own "foaming detergent" by mixing 1 part of detergent and 6-8 parts water. My detergent usage went from 24 bottles a year to 4 bottles a year! (Saving $40 a year)

OK, not a great deal of saving but I feel better for putting less harsh chemical in the water system.

[sassiesmom]

Excellent ideas everyone! Thanks