# Ways You stretch your household budget?



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

This morning while doing the dishes I used yesterday I looked at my spay bottle of dish washing liquid and realized that I had stretched it almost a week past its usual Saturday recharge and realized that when I first returned to bachelorhood 11 years ago that I would go through a $1 bottle of Dawn every week and now a $1 bottle of Dawn and a $1.50 bottle of Palmolive anti bacterial detergent now last me 3 to 4 months saving me over 300%.

Now instead of filling one sink with soapy water and rinsing in the other sink, I put 3 squirts of Dawn and 3 squirts of Anti Bacterial into a recycled Febreze bottle and slow fill it with cool tap water, put the spray cap on and tilt mix it into soap water to spray on each dish I wash with a gourd dishrag and then rinse it and put it in the drying rack.

Not only does this save me nearly $10 every 3 months , its almost like those $4 bottles of spray foam detergent that costs $3 a bottle and is marketed for the same sort of use.

I also stretch out a 5 pack of safety razor blades for a year or so by storing the blade in a small orange juice glass with a 1/4 inch of baby oil in it to keep the blade from rusting.

When I take the blade out to put back in my razor to shave I wipe the excess oil off on the back of my back scrub brush to keep the wood of the 20 year old brush and handle water repellant treated while leaving enough oil on the blade to provide extra lubrication on the blade. The blade I have been using now is on its 9th week of daily shaving and it still gives a good shave.

I also stopped buying $2 a bar shaving soap 15 years ago when I figured out that bath soap can be brush lathered on the bar or the slivers can be added to my shaving cup.

I stretch a crock pot of pinto beans from one week to the next by adding rice and sliced chicken or ground turkey and picante chicken ramen bullion from the ramen packs I use to make dorm style pizza slices from and add some garlic and onion to make chicken , rice and beans for eating during the second week.

Using ramen pack bullion only saves me about 15 cents per use as compared to buying a bottle of cubes but the various dimes, quarters and dollars I save during the year usually helps make me a nice small financial surplus when I end my fiscal year after I get my yearly property tax paid.

So what are some of your household budget stretchers that you usually don't think about but when you do , you realize they do add up?


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

I do what any self-respecting old-fashioned Cajun was born to do:

1) Go wild. Literally. I love to hunt, fish and forage for wild edibles and medicinals. Whenever possible, I transplant certain wild botanicals here and there around my homeplace for "extra insurance". Of course, knowing how to use nature's gifts responsibly and safely is paramount. 

2) When times are hard, I ask myself before buying anything: Do I really, REALLY need this item for my survival, or do I just want it awful bad? Can I 'make do' with a wildcrafted or handmade version? No? Well then can it wait for a day or two? More often or not, this cooling off period has saved me beaucoup bucks over the years...unless I'm in a bookstore or heirloom vegetable/herb seed catalog, or a sporting goods store like Bass Pro Shop or anywhere near a Cabella's catalog... Then I go all neek-weed...umm...weak-kneed, lol.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

Good thread. I'll be watching this one with much interest.

I avoid using the clothes dryer whenever possible. Added bonus; Line dried clothing & bedding smells SO-O-O nice!


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Although I use dishrag gourds to wash my dishes sometimes cooked on goo needs a bit tougher scrub with a plastic scrubber.

I haven't bought any plastic scrub pads in years because I recycle the onion bags that I buy my dried Georgia onions in as I only grow green onions.

By cutting the metal clips off the bags , layering two or three together and sewing them together with some plastic invisible thread I have a harder scrubber than the gourd dishrags I grow but not as hard as the stainless steel scrubber.

Even though plastic scrubbers are 50 cents apiece, I figure why not save those four bits with a few minutes of hand stitching. 

Now if I could figure out how to build a herd of robot sheep to mow my lawn I would never have to buy another stainless steel scrubber for my cast iron either and could maybe corner the local market on em. Of course I would have to do the shearing with tin snips or a cutting torch. :rotfl:


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## Prismseed (Sep 14, 2009)

I haven't done it personally but I have hear you can run your dryer vent hose to a filter, once filtered it blows the hot air into the room as a kickback winter heat.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

CajunSunshine said:


> I do what any self-respecting old-fashioned Cajun was born to do:
> 
> 1) Go wild. Literally. I love to hunt, fish and forage for wild edibles and medicinals. Whenever possible, I transplant certain wild botanicals here and there around my homeplace for "extra insurance". Of course, knowing how to use nature's gifts responsibly and safely is paramount.
> 
> 2) When times are hard, I ask myself before buying anything: Do I really, REALLY need this item for my survival, or do just want it awful bad? Can I 'make do' with a wildcrafted or handmade version? No? Well then can it wait for a day or two? More often or not, this cooling off period has saved me beaucoup bucks over the years...unless I'm in a bookstore or heirloom vegetable/herb seed catalog, or a sporting goods store like Bass Pro Shop or anywhere near a Cabella's catalog... Then I go all neek-weed...umm...weak-kneed, lol.


you rock !!


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

i have a closet full of paper towels....but i stopped using them years ago.i use cloth napkins.it makes me feel less barbaric at supper time....lol

i only use paper towels for oily things i fry and bloody butchering chores outside.in winter i use the oily ones to start my fire with when i have them available.also save my drier link for fire starting.

i eat mostly local and try to utilize all that i grow and what grows wild around me.


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2012)

Prismseed said:


> I haven't done it personally but I have hear you can run your dryer vent hose to a filter, once filtered it blows the hot air into the room as a kickback winter heat.


While that would be possible, blowing all that humidity in the house would guarantee that everything you own would be moldy.


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## GammyAnnie (Jun 2, 2011)

zong said:


> While that would be possible, blowing all that humidity in the house would guarantee that everything you own would be moldy.


Not so, not so at all, I have done this for years. I had my hired man put one of these thingies on the vent pipe and it hasn't caused anything in my home to be moldy!! Granted I don't do that much laundry, maybe if you were doing 5 loads or more a day it might get a bit damp in the house, but in the winter I like the added humidity!!

Dryer Vent Pipe-Clothes Dryer Vent Installation

Annie


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Prismseed said:


> I haven't done it personally but I have hear you can run your dryer vent hose to a filter, once filtered it blows the hot air into the room as a kickback winter heat.


I did that back in 1997 when I installed the dryer here. I had the local tin smith make me an exhaust vent cap and a exhaust size pipe and cap with a screen filter mesh in the end finer than the mesh filter in the dryer to reduce residual lint.

In warm weather I put the exhaust tube on the outside vent. When the temps drop enough to use heat, I cap the wall vent and install the mesh filter cap and on the exhaust and route it around the front of the dryer aimed out the bathroom door where my washer and dryer are.

Added advantages are that twice a year while moving the dryer exhaust from the outside to the inside are I have the opportunity to easily vacuum out the exhaust line and the drying clothes add a bit of humidity to the house during the winter months while not wasting heat. Of course the mesh on the cap has to be removed and cleaned of residual lint that bypasses the in dryer screen every 5 or 6 dryings but with it right in front of the dryer thats no bigger deal than cleaning the air conditioner filter in warm weather.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

I, too, hang clothes to dry. Have one of those white metal/plastic shelves above washer. They have holes at bottom edge that holds hangers nicely. I do dry sheets in dryer. Don't really have a place for something that big. Also, when draining something greasy, I use the back cardboard from a pkg of bacon. This works well; and can be used repeatedly. I keep it in a drawer beside the stove. If you cut about an inch off each end of a piece of bacon, you'll have free bacon bits. You'll never miss that piece on your bacon. Made 14 pints of apple jelly from the cores and peels of apples I had eaten or canned. Also, read the Tightwad Tips on this site faithfully.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

zong said:


> While that would be possible, blowing all that humidity in the house would guarantee that everything you own would be moldy.


It might depend on where you live and how your dryer is situated, Zong. Up north in the winter you can hang your clothes out to dry, but they freeze first and it takes a while.

In my house up north in the winter it is very dry due to heating with wood and sometimes even having a pot of water on the stove isn't enough humidity. I had a dryer just for the winter months and usually hung my clothes up on lines in the living room, but when doing bedding I used the dryer and had a hot air/heat reclaimer for the dryer. 

Steamed and warmed up the house very well and because of how my dryer was situated, nothing stopped the steamy damp air and held it long enough for anything to ever get moldy. If you have a dryer in a closet type thing or small enclosed room there would probably be issues though. Also, the plastic vapor barriers we use up north help from things inside the house getting into the walls, so mold usually isn't an issue unless your sheetrock stays consistently wet.

I found a few things out about soaps as well, to add some different ideas to Shrek's. I found a recipe for making soap, you can use it for dry laundry soap, liquid laundry soap (best deal), dishsoap, body soap...whatever. It's using fels naptha soap, washing soda and borax. You can convert this into bar soap with some coconut oil, powdered laundry detergent or liquid laundry detergent. (washing soda can be a little caustic on your body so you might want an alternative recipe for that one)

Also, if you have any bar soap you can put a slice into a mason jar with a canning lid that you have poked holes in and a ring, fill half with warm water. When you do dishes you shake up the jar and sprinkle it in and then replace some of the water. Seems to last forever.

Those scrubby mesh net body scrubber pouf things....come apart and are just a LOOONG tube of mesh...I made some into draw string bags and whenever someone gives me ends of soap or I have ends of soap they go in the bag...it hangs in the shower...use the whole thing to scrub your body...makes those slivers of soap that want to melt in the drain last forever.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

I just buy in bulk....LOL


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Sweetie knits small dish cloths for the kitchen, adding the fishing line left on the reel when I change out. They last a long time and work better than the plastic scrubbers. Super tough dish cloths. She also makes little pouches this way for putting a bar of soap in for the shower. I can't use deodorant, so we use a certain brand of antibacterial soap, we take it out of the boxes and let it harden for a year or more, lasts a lot longer....James


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

Thanks Elk!


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Now, you've got me started. Make my own toothpaste, facial and body scrubs-free. Make body wash-75 cents a gal. Go to beauty school for $5 haircuts; actually $4 because after 10 haircuts they give one free. Don't eat out often. Maybe once a month. Coupon, buy sales. Got enough good paper towels (Scott Brand) to last a year for $4.25. Don't use very often. I know there's more; but will have to think about it. Don't drink or smoke.


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

If I buy more milk than I'm going to use, I'll take the leftover or the "starting to turn" and freeze in 1/2 cup portions (use a Glad storage container for measuring). Pop it out once frozen and toss into a Ziplock in the freeze. Take them when I need them for baking or cooking.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

That's a good one, Leslie.

I think food is the easiest to stretch or save/conserve. There are a lot of "add-to-it's" you can do that can cheaply magnify what you are cooking to feed twice as many if you need to.

Like...a box of mac n' cheese (or homemade), a little left over ham and bacon, some green beans, little chopped onion and green pepper...decent little hotdish that doubles everything.

A little water or milk and lots of air whipped into eggs make them huge...I like to make egg bakes, put in all your breakfast ingredients and bake it. Comes out nice, like a poor man's souffle. Very filling. I figured that out once when I was cooking for a bear camp. Had to feed 26 men breakfast and all they ended up getting for eggs was a dozen :bash: Mixed in everything I could find for breakfast and melted cheese over the top...made some toast...they didn't even eat all it made lmao.

Same goes for cake. You can almost double a box mix cake by whipping the tar out of it.


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## lazyBum (Feb 27, 2012)

I only shave 6 times a year. My can of shaving cream is at least 5 years old.

And since most women dont like guys with scruffy unmanaged beards i dont have to pay to take them on dates.

Im going to save on shampoo soon, since im going bald.


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

Just little things for me. I was taught to always turn a light/TV/stereo off when I leave a room. Unless I've fouled something with diesel while fueling a tractor (and want to wash it separately), I only wash full loads and in cold water. I'm using the clothes dryer exclusively right now, but I'm looking for a spot to put up a clothes line. Here, the Winter is the best season to dry outdoors, otherwise you've got some nice pollen yellow laundry when you get done. Monday I did a crock pot full of red beans, brown rice, kielbasa, onions, and garlic. Tonight will be my fourth supper off that pot. I've been eating a little fruit with it, but tonight I'll cook up some turnip greens for a side dish. Don't know what the bottom line cost is per meal, but I'm sure it's less than a buck.

The easiest way for me to save money and be more productive is to just stay home. There's no cost for fuel to go anywhere. There's no temptation to buy something I really don't need. There's a gracious plenty that needs doing around here, and I've been blessed with the tools and health to do it. So, if I have a bad budget month, I just make up for it the next month by hanging out at home. It's not a bad place to be.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I shop the sales and i freeze it.

Today I bought 5 whole pork loins at $1.69 a pound,and I had them cut each loin into thirds, and I have frozen all but one piece. That 1/3 of a pork loin will be sliced, breaded, and fried for tonight's supper.

And, I have some potatos that should be used: I think that I will crock pot them whole and then peel and mash so we have mashed potatos with the fried pork.

Lastly, I got green beans on sale at 33 cents a can: I will either serve that with the pork or I will need to open a can of applesauce. Decisions, decisions...... a great deal of what we eat are from loss-leader sales!


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

zong said:


> While that would be possible, blowing all that humidity in the house would guarantee that everything you own would be moldy.


Zong, you live in the humid South!

I hear that in Louisiana the humidity is so high that people wipe the woodwork with bleach water. Here in Kansas that is unheard of, and in the winter the air can be so dry that it affects the glue in the furniture: the chairs can creak when you sit on them and sometimes they come unglued. Humidifiers in Kansas in the winter are VERY popular!


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## CesumPec (May 20, 2011)

Prismseed said:


> I haven't done it personally but I have hear you can run your dryer vent hose to a filter, once filtered it blows the hot air into the room as a kickback winter heat.


we do that. caution, you are putting a lot of moist air into the house. if you heat with wood, no problem, you need the moisture anyway.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

I use the paper towel and TP cardboard tubes as fire starters.


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## farmgal (Nov 12, 2005)

reuse your tp and kick out boom-a-rang children within 2 weeks.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

might sound spartan, but most people could eat 2/3 to half the amount they eat now

I'm pretty much vegetarian(mostly because of $$$ not because of eschewing meat), but about once a week I get where I need a hunk of meat, and I go get it.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

I crave hunks of meat too...LOL


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

i guess i have been frugal for years. it was just a way of life for my family.

i just can't think of anything right now. all of the above except reusing TP. that must be a joke although i have heard it here before. it's going to be a long time before i run out of that. i do use the line except in winter and even then on good days. one thing i can think of is when i buy my dryer sheets. i cut them in half. i find half a one is plenty. i also stretch the paper towels with newspaper. the tp rolls can be used for many things.i've made xmas crackers from them. lot less expensive than bought ones. the cardboard rolls from aluminum foil are hard enough to make napkin holders for gifts. i've made many of them. ~Georgia.


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## Groene Pionier (Apr 23, 2009)

For many years now we live below our poverty standard. We are concidered very poor 

I buy fruits and veggies in bulk and can/dehydrate them, we only have second hand clothes, I make all my cosmetics myself, from soaps, shampoos to deodorant. We only buy in thrift stores, we make a lot of things ourselves, we like to spin, knit, crochet, felt and sew. I teach my daughters how to sew and then they can mke their own fashion, so they don't have to run behind every fashion trend in the future. 

I buy raw milk directly from the farmer and make our own dairy products.
I save all our used clothes and I make quilts from it. I am now making some toilet rugs cos they are so freaking expensive. 

I buy my onions, potatoes and wheat locally and I try to grow some veggies myself. 

My children's 10 o clock snack is not bought drinks in little packaging and cookies also packed in small portions, they get herbal teas with honey and some home made snack, that can be all kinds of seasonal fruits or veggies, dehydrated fruits or fruit leathers or something backed. 

also we never drink or eat outside we bring what we need if we are out, our picknick basket is always with us

for me it is just a sport not to shop.. but try just to get by with what I have.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Fowler said:


> I crave hunks of meat too...LOL


so holding my tongue


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

so, wearing more clothes when it's cold is easy, keeping the house colder. and the converse.


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## CesumPec (May 20, 2011)

wyld thang said:


> so, wearing more clothes when it's cold is easy, keeping the house colder. and the converse.


judging by your name and avatar, if i lived near you I would hope for really really hot weather. :whistlin:


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

switched to a safety razor.
use vinegar in a spray bottle to clean my counters and to disinfect my sink.
Use a jug o Kirkland all natural dish soup that cost $8 and last me for years.
Use news paper to clean up really messy pot and pans and counters. (make sure you cure the paper beore trying this or it will run ink all over everything).

Buy cheap sneakers, because I observed that regardless of price most sneakers only last a year. I get a new pair in spring and then by winter's end they are shot. I they are shot and still usable they become my work sneakers or the next year. I use to keep my work sneakers going with duct tape until people started teasing me too much about it. By the time I use them or work they are inally completely shot and ready or the garbage. The sneaks I have now cost me $8.

use old clothes as work clothes for painting, staining, gardening. Use the clothes or work until they are completely shot. Old pant become work pants and once the knee give out on the work pants they are cut into work shorts and then by the time they reach the end of their life they are so bad they could not even be used as rags.

shop and yard sales and thrift stores.

use a cast iron frying pan. Seriously this saved me a ton of money. before i got a cast iron i went through a new frying pan a year.

use a prepaid phone. 

make some of my own furniture. I needed a vanity for my bathroom that was cady cornered. They were all expensive because they are an odd request. The lowest I could find was $180. I made my own and it cost me $15.

got rid of cable.

avoid friendships with people who spend too much money or who have life style that I can not afford to keep pace with.

learned to give myself a hair cut.


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## CesumPec (May 20, 2011)

City Bound said:


> avoid friendships with people who spend too much money or who have life style that I can not afford to keep pace with.


I agree, but that is a hard one. my life long best friend can't ever save a dime, eats out all the time, wastes money on lotto and poker (he's a net loser). he has to buy the best name brand everything so he doesn't shop for deals, won't "waste his time" with coupons, etc. I have to bite my tongue a lot and sometimes I fail. 

Outside of his money issues, you could not ask for a better friend or a better American. But sadly, I often have to stay away from him just to protect my wallet or not get angry to hear him call me cheap because i won't waste money like him.


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## lazyBum (Feb 27, 2012)

CesumPec said:


> I agree, but that is a hard one. my life long best friend can't ever save a dime, eats out all the time, wastes money on lotto and poker (he's a net loser). he has to buy the best name brand everything so he doesn't shop for deals, won't "waste his time" with coupons, etc. I have to bite my tongue a lot and sometimes I fail.
> 
> Outside of his money issues, you could not ask for a better friend or a better American. But sadly, I often have to stay away from him just to protect my wallet or not get angry to hear him call me cheap because i won't waste money like him.


My friend says I'm so tight with money that he could shove coal up my butt and make diamonds.


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## L.A. (Nov 15, 2007)

lazyBum said:


> My friend says I'm so tight with money that he could shove coal up my butt and make diamonds.


&#9834; &#9835; And diamonds are a girls best friend &#9834; &#9835;


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## lazyBum (Feb 27, 2012)

L.A. said:


> &#9834; &#9835; And diamonds are a girls best friend &#9834; &#9835;


Maybe I can hope to have a girlfriend, lol. Where can I get some coal?


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Sweetie cuts my hair with the clippers Mom got in 1953 to cut Dads hair right after they got married. I use them to clip my neck. Shaving makes my face raw. I haven't shaved since 9th grade. I also use it to trim my beard. It has 5 different thickness attachments for hair length, none for neck, #2 for beard and #4 for my hair.

I went to a barber once, I wanted my hair longer and Mom told me I she wasn't cutting it. Mom drove me and went in, she said "I like his hair short" the barber cut it shorter than Mom did. Thanks Mom. I went the entire year without a hair cut, I didn't need one. I cut my own hair for several years until right before we got married. Must not have looked too good, she said she would cut it before the wedding....James


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2012)

This is what I do to save my family money..all random

Make my own laundry soap
Wash clothes in cold water
Hang clothes on the line
Turn lights off when not needed
Power strips in bedrooms and livingroom
Make my own Dawn foam dishsoap
Buy in bulk
Combine errands
Pay bills online
Fill empty 2-liters with water for when the power goes out we use them to flush the toilet as well as using the our Berkey 
I make all cookies from scratch
I make are bread,bagel's,pancakes,cornbread,french bread,fruit bread's,sherbet,cakes,frosting,vanilla extract,taco seasoning,ranch dressing,syrup,light corn syrup,onion soup mix,yogurt from scratch.
Canning all meats I can get on sale..doing pretty well I think!
Have the coffee pot ready for my dh in the morning including the cup & spoon out so he has everything he needs to make a cup verses stopping at he convience store and spending money needlessly.
Invested in a woodstove for the livingroom.
Keep stocked up on just about anything that I think my family needs sono run to the local store to pay full price.
Try to keep subs at all times also..like powered milk,dehydrated onions,instant potatoes if we run out of the fresh until another grocery run.
I try new recipes so my family doesn't get bored with the same menu and want takeout.
We have a programmable sp? thermostat
I make rice packs that we heat in the microwave to warm us uo in the winter months.
I always keep a wide variety of OTC meds..make sure I have cold meds,chap stick,vicks inhalers,cough drops for the winter months.
I stock a years worth of toilet paper mostly got on sale w/coupons.
Crochet my own dishclothes


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## jandersen (Jul 11, 2011)

How do yoh make your dish soap and how do rice packs work? Lets see i clean with vinager and use cloth rags instead of paper towels. I compost everything. I let a few of my bunnies loose and live trap them. Free feed and i think they taste better. Chickens geese and ducks forage for most of thier feed. I raise as much of my food as i can. I keep all cords unpluged unless I'm using whatever it belongs to and am diligent about lights only being on when needed. I try to build with used materials. I shave water only or just soap if anything and don't use deodorant. I found that aftet a while i really donte stink. I only have the water on in the shower to wet and rinse myself. Theres a few things.


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## jandersen (Jul 11, 2011)

Oh and i gave up ac and cable.


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## farmgal (Nov 12, 2005)

What I posted was a joke...lol.. silly

My big money savers are:

I ream the cattle corn fields after they pick, they border my land, so its easy to take my truck onto the field. On the turns they have piles of corn on the cob, In 2 hours my son and I can pick over 1000lbs. Usually I get about 1500 lbs of corn on the cob before snow flies. I grow extra winter squash to share with my animals, so I rarely buy chicken or horse feed. My horses stay plump all winter. I run the corn through an old electric coffee grinder for the smaller birds. The coolest thing is he just went organic dairy, my birds will be organically fed...lol the corn cobs make good fire starters too. 

I also hit a few perfect state land apples trees for winter apples. I fill my truck bed with my milk crates. I back under the tree and shake it. All we do then is stack the crates in the one barn that stay fairly good temp through winter. The animals and us have enjoyed apples all the way up to February, with virtually little effort. 
I grow and can everything I get my hands on. 

My wireless antenna reaches the neighbors so we split the bill...lol internet is only 20$ a month, he buys our eggs, so we just trade. Eggs are too many calories to eat all of them...lol I, frankly, just enjoy having the birds.

I limit driving places, consolidate rides. And as another posted, minimize food consumption. I think over eating can become a habit, I try to kick the habit. Its like that dog I had, I thought I had her all trained not to eat, she did great for weeks, then she died just when she was all trained...Just kidding...lol that is a joke...

I have over 30 varieties of beans.  they are sooo delicious in winter. Beans from the store are nasty compared to heirloom beans, that have no tough gene in them. Give them a try. 

With the money I save, I am saving for an investment I can retire on. Something along the lines of storage facility or trailer park set up (where I own the park not the trailers). An investment where I can leave for winters and doesnt take physical labor on my part...lol


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## Groene Pionier (Apr 23, 2009)

wyld thang said:


> so, wearing more clothes when it's cold is easy, keeping the house colder. and the converse.


that's how I saved a lot of money, even the gas company checked a couple of years in a row if the meters weren't broke.
Friends did came over with extra fleece sweaters though


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2012)

jandersen said:


> How do yoh make your dish soap and how do rice packs work? Lets see i clean with vinager and use cloth rags instead of paper towels. I compost everything. I let a few of my bunnies loose and live trap them. Free feed and i think they taste better. Chickens geese and ducks forage for most of thier feed. I raise as much of my food as i can. I keep all cords unpluged unless I'm using whatever it belongs to and am diligent about lights only being on when needed. I try to build with used materials. I shave water only or just soap if anything and don't use deodorant. I found that aftet a while i really donte stink. I only have the water on in the shower to wet and rinse myself. Theres a few things.



Use 3 tbs of dishsoap to 2/3 cup of water..I just use a empty dawn dish foam bottle that I got for free years ago..I put in 6 tbs gently fill up the bottle w/ water..then gently stir w/ a spoon..I love it and have saved alot of money over the years by making this recipe..



The rice packs I got the directions to make mine from I think the dollar stretcher online site..anyway you take material sew it a certain way fill with rice you can add essentual oils if you like..like lavender...I put my rice packs in the microwave for a few minutes and use them to warm my hands my feet in bed and so on....actually I need to make more as my family tends to fight over them..

I also put them in the freezer during the summer to cool down when I'm over heated..they don't stay cold long but long enough for me to get comfortable...hth..


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2012)

Another thing I've been doing for years and years..I buy my 2-liters of diet coke on sale or my crystal light and refill a empty 20 oz bottle that I take and have with me at all times..I'm never without a drink where ever I go..I know .i've saved so much money by doing this like when I go shopping and get thirsty I'm not paying for a drink that cost triple the price of what I paid..I know that drinking water is free but I'm not a water drinker! Yuck..



I put my dh's work shirts and pants ( sometimes I had to use clothes pins to keep the pants on the hangers)on hangers and hang them on the line so all I have to do is take off the and put them in the closet..I use to do the same thing with my work uniforms save's time...no wrinkled work clothes..

I also turn the hot water pump off during the day...only turn it on for a few hours at night for showers & dishes only..saved us 5 months of fuel by me doing this simple little thing.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I keep the heat off or low also. I weather sealed and insulated the apartment ater the second flood trashed the kitchen and bathroom.

Here is a tip rom experience: insulate and weather strip in the winter, that way you can feel where the cold is coming in the most. I was suprised that a little open seem was the cause o the really bad drat I was feeling. First winter I turned the heat on once during a deep freeze when the temp dropped to 7. Other then that it stayed at 68 all winter long with out the heat on. Worth the time and effort.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

random stuff about the house I had--

basement was half below grade, had thin big single pane windows, no extra insulation. Temp in winter with no heating stayed 50', at 15' outside it would be 48'. This included a drafty dog door that was on the south side (prevailing winds) lots of fresh air ha. I did hang a sleeping bag in the hall to block the draft, yet the pets could use the door.

house was an A-frame, main living level(with woodstove, one big room, high ceiling) had doubel paned windows, though we kept one cracked also lots of air coming in through gaps in the roof. Stove did well to keep things warm. When it was 15' the best it could do was 60'(plenty warm enough), but when there was snow, which slid down the roof and banked around, the stove kept temps "normal"

there was insulation, but a lot of it had been highjacked and ripped up by mice.

the stove was a 30 year old Lopi on it's last legs, the box was about 18 wide? def not a super efficient one. if I stuffed it full of oak on a good bed of coals and shut it down it would almost last all night. personally I wouldn't have minded just letting the fire go out at night and rebooting it in the morning.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Decorated 2nd bath for $20. Got rugs free off FC, paid $10 for a beautiful shower curtain from CL; had liner and rings. Bought new towel rod $10 at WM. Had decorative stuff.


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## lemon (Jul 9, 2012)

Work 70 hours a week so you have no time to spend.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I have reused the plastic shopping bags I get when i buy groceries as garbage bags or the last ten years. I have never bought garbage bags in my life.

Buy packages of tooth brushes from the dollar store. I get eight or ten tooth brushes or a buck.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I do a lot of canning and freezing... road kill critters can fill a freezer pretty quick and are really cheap. I dont buy razor blades at all these days... a pair of scissors keeps the beard neat and tidy and they last a long long time! The only thing I use paper towels for is to put a light coat of oil back on the steel cooking pans after washing them. I wash dishes by hand using just a small amount of ivory liquid... one bottle lasts me at least a month and half. I maintain our vehicles myself, which save a bundle in repairs. The last couple days I have had a friend here helping me with a few chores... the biggie is putting a new floor down in the cattle trailer. Cost of material $115... my buddies help... a few meals, a few beers, and access to internet and cable for a few days, and yeah when its time for him to go I will drop a C note in his backpack. I will have a total of maybe $250 bucks in the trailer... a savings of at least 500 over having a pro do the work... if I could even find anyone willing to take on the job. With the savings I get from being frugal on everything else I can readily afford my luxuries.


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## cindilu (Jan 27, 2008)

Groene Pionier said:


> For many years now we live below our poverty standard. We are concidered very poor
> 
> I buy fruits and veggies in bulk and can/dehydrate them, we only have second hand clothes, I make all my cosmetics myself, from soaps, shampoos to deodorant. We only buy in thrift stores, we make a lot of things ourselves, we like to spin, knit, crochet, felt and sew. I teach my daughters how to sew and then they can mke their own fashion, so they don't have to run behind every fashion trend in the future.
> 
> ...


I would love to know your soap recipes and how you make your own make up?


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## cindilu (Jan 27, 2008)

Sandra Spiess said:


> Now, you've got me started. Make my own toothpaste, facial and body scrubs-free. Make body wash-75 cents a gal. Go to beauty school for $5 haircuts; actually $4 because after 10 haircuts they give one free. Don't eat out often. Maybe once a month. Coupon, buy sales. Got enough good paper towels (Scott Brand) to last a year for $4.25. Don't use very often. I know there's more; but will have to think about it. Don't drink or smoke.


How on earth do you make your own toothpaste and body wash? 




After reading this thread I have realized I have no clue about stretching out money. I thought buying everything on super sale or going to the $ Tree was saving money. Now I know that is not true at all. Wow you guys, I am impressed and a little over whelmed with all that you do.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I was thinking about this thread today and I was wondering if laundry soap is even needed. I washed my work shirts last night in a washing machine with cold water and no soap and they came out clean. The shirts were stinky from sweat and covered in dry wall dust when I put them in the machine and they came out clean and smelling good.

:shrug:


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I made my own toothpaste beore and t works, but how do you keep it from caking up after awhile? 

here you go cindi: How to Make Your Own Toothpaste, Tooth Powder, Beat Gum Disease Now, Right at Home

I added tea tree oil to my home made paste.


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## foxfiredidit (Apr 15, 2003)

I guess I'm more frugal than I'd imagined. There are many of those practices mentioned that I do as well. One thing I didn't see was about shampoo. I think modern shampoo is very concentrated and so I mix shampoo with water at about 70/30-shampoo/water ratio. It still cleans and keeps the dandruff away. That may be because I have a little less hair these days. Anybody know about "comb-overs"...I mean, are they cool?


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## cindilu (Jan 27, 2008)

The only issue I have with the toothpaste stuff and making your own is the baking soda. I cannot buy normal toothpaste that has it in it, even the cool flavored kind. It kills my teeth I guess because I brush to much in the first place. I will be 45 next month and still do not have a cavity. According to my dentist I anilate my poor teeth. So it is $ Store Pepsodent for me.


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

foxfiredidit said:


> Anybody know about "comb-overs"...I mean, are they cool?


Just tell 'em it's a retractable cover for the solar panel that operates the love machine


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## foxfiredidit (Apr 15, 2003)

Tommyice said:


> Just tell 'em it's a retractable cover for the solar panel that operates the love machine


If you would call me Samson, I would call you Delilah. 
We'd tear the house down!!!


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2012)

Forgot the top thing that saves us money besides all the things I do...Having a Dh that can fix and build anything..so much $$$$$$$ is saved by having one..I love my dh!

Another thing is I cut my own hair...I don't waste money on pedicures,manicures,tanning,dyeing my hair..my dh & my boy's all cut their own hair also.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I wash my hair with a bar of soap.


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## summerdaze (Jun 11, 2009)

I've tried washing my hair with soap in the past, but it always gave me dandruff. But I do dilute my shampoo with water. And I add some water when the dishsoap and liquid handsoap is down to the bottom, giving me a few extra uses. I also save the plastic grocery bags, and saved some larger heavy duty ones from work, so never had to buy those either to put trash in.
At work, several people use the big zippered plastic bags to store food items for the week in, and then toss them in the trash, even if there's just bread crumbs in them. I take them home and wash them, fill them and put in the freezer. (and then wash and repeat) 
I made 5 gallons of laundry detergent, but I use with a little of reg store bought for work clothes. It's fine for stuff that doesn't get that dirty.


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

I have told I can pinch a penny hard it enough that you can hear it scream but there are a few things mentioned here that make my cheap head spin. Not saying which ones but...

ETA: I collect any metal I can resell and I also make my own seed pots out of newspaper. I also use newspaper to clean glass; it does not leave lint. CB, how do you cure newspaper?


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

foxfiredidit said:


> Anybody know about "comb-overs"...I mean, are they cool?


I dunno about cool.... but they must have some economical advantages... Donald Trump has done well with his.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

katydidagain said:


> I have told I can pinch a penny hard it enough that you can hear it scream but there are a few things mentioned here that make my cheap head spin. Not saying which ones but...
> 
> ETA: I collect any metal I can resell and I also make my own seed pots out of newspaper. I also use newspaper to clean glass; it does not leave lint. CB, how do you cure newspaper?


You leave the paper in a dry spot for at least four months to dry the ink out. The longer the better.


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