Well if you do want to give couponing a try here is a site to try out: www.southernsavers.com
All Rolled Up
June 8, 2009 at 11:06 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Baby Food Jars, Hand Blender, Nuts & Bolts, Recycle, Reuse, Toilet Paper Rolls, Waffle Iron
My parents were a good example of living frugally. I remember my mom saving jars and plastic containers to reuse and recycle. My dad saved nuts and bolts in baby food jars. One small thing that I do reminds me of them almost daily. I save empty toilet paper rolls, cover them with contact paper and use to contain appliance cords. It really works great especially for things like the waffle iron, hand blender, etc. Thanks mom and dad!
Wishy Wishy Washy Washy
June 4, 2009 at 1:28 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Costco, Dishwasher Detergent, Laundry Detergent
We love our dishwasher and use it daily. The Kirkland brand dishwasher detergent from Costco works great but I just found out that I have been throwing away handfuls of the stuff without even knowing it. The box has a metal spout and we just pour some in. Easy right? Right! Too easy. The other day I noticed a line on the detergent bin. I got out my dishwasher manual and low and behold there are different amounts for different situations. Hard/soft water and pre-rinsed/heavily soiled all require different amounts. Who would have known? OK, I should have read the manual in the first place. I decided to take action. A small container with a tight lid (perfect for scooping out) and a measuring spoon later and I had my solution. Now we will measure in the right amount every time and not pour more money down the drain. Hmm, I wonder about the laundry detergent…
You’re Giving Me Gray Hairs
May 29, 2009 at 3:03 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Fanci-Full, Hair, Haircuts
Hair! Do you realize how much money you spend on your hair? And it’s dead stuff! OK, I like a good ‘do’ just as much as the next gal but how to keep up without paying through the nose? Well, it took me awhile but I finally found someone that our whole family loves (saves money & time on trips) and she doesn’t charge us an arm and a leg. I don’t mind paying a bit more for quality and I will tip well for it too. Now, I have a few gray hairs these days but I don’t want to pay $70-80 to get my hair colored every month. I went searching for solutions. A friend recommended Fanci-Full. It’s a temporary hair color that you apply after washing and then style as usual. I’ll be honest, when she first mentioned it I thought of my grandma but I went ahead and tried it. Works great! It’s inexpensive, lasts a long time, and is easy to use. Now just try to guess my age…
ReGifting
May 1, 2009 at 10:56 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Bags, Gifts, Jelly Belly's, Starbucks, Tissue Paper
As classes end in the spring the teacher presents come in! Yah, coupons for Starbucks, Jelly Belly’s, cookies, chocolates. It is very sweet indeed! When I receive a present I try to save the bag and reuse it. Actually I even save tissue paper and bows. Did you know that you can iron it and reuse? It also makes great craft material for the kids – bright colors, patterns, etc. Reuse those gift packaging materials and save a few bucks!
Talking Trash
April 18, 2009 at 4:29 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Compost, plastic bags, Recycle, Trash
I don’t normally think of trash as a money saving entity however today as I was loading some I got to thinking about it. At our house we have a recycle bin and a trash bin under the kitchen counter. We rinse all recycle-able items before placing in the bin and every couple of weeks we take it to the recycle center along with our trash. Make sure that you nest the items so that they take up less space & crush cans. We compost so that means that our kitchen trash doesn’t get nearly as smelly as it could. It also means that I can stick my foot on top and smash things down good to make more fit in the bag. We don’t pay a garbage service. We take it to the garbage center ourselves on the way to somewhere else. We also recycle those pesky plastic bags that you get everywhere. The cloth ones just aren’t working well for me yet at the grocery store. For some reason they don’t hook up and weigh right somehow. Eventually it will work and then I will be all about cloth bags. The key is to keep trying.
Mass Magazines
April 14, 2009 at 10:23 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Magazines
How many magazine subscriptions do you have? How many do you actually read? I cancelled all of ours except one for our kids – Kids Discover, and one for me – Reader’s Digest. I am thankful to get hand-me-down copies of Southern Living and Better Homes & Gardens from my mother-in-law. Start canceling now and save!
MagicJack
April 10, 2009 at 6:20 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Internet, Long Distance, MagicJack, Phone
We just fired our phone company and started using MagicJack. Plug in any household phone, plug MagicJack into your computer. Practically free long distance via the Internet. The service is $40 initially and $20/yr thereafter. It’s working great!
Freecycle
April 9, 2009 at 1:02 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Free, Get, Give, Yahoo Groups
No, I’m not advertising a bicycle for free. If you haven’t heard about Freecycle.org you should check it out. You join the Yahoo Groups that are setup for nearby towns and then you have to give something away before you can post something you want. Very cool way to give/get stuff for free. Great way to do some spring cleaning. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! Now what do I have that I want to get rid of…
In The Trenches With Dave 