Top Ideas for Saving Money Daily - Page 5

Thank you so much for some great ideas! I work for a radio station and do a daily program called the Kids Corner. Next week is focused on great Mom related money saving tips!

Susan, 35 Surprise Nebraska

I try not to leave unnecessary things plugged in. Even if the appliance or radio, etc...is turned off, it drains energy. If I'm going out of town, I try to unplug as many things as possible... I also leave as many lights off during the day as possible. (I think most people proabably already do that though.)
I only run the dishwasher once a day, and we use ceiling fans in the winter to keep air circulating. It seems to help w/ the temp w/ the heat on.
We use rice bags along the doors in the winters to help w/ drafts.
Anyone have other ideas?

I have stopped using dryer sheets. The other day I ran out and I had no choice but to dry the clothes w/o them. The clothes turned out fine and it's one less thing to buy. I use fabric softener in the wash so really there's no point to the dryer sheets. I also tried the Arm and hammer detergent w/ fabric softener in it. I was really cheap and it worked well. I only use it on my darks as the white I always use tide with bleach powder. I do a lot of comparison shopping and I have seen recently that the Costco has some of the cleaning, laundry soap a lot cheaper than target. It also comes in bigger sizes so I don't have to shop as often. I haven't been to target in a while so hopefully Costco will cure my Target addiction. I used to spend way too much time and money there.

I also have started putting off going to the store. I only shop when absolutely necessary and I don't do online shopping. too much temtation.

also if we want to eat out, I order in and go pick it up it saves on tips drinks and desserts. This way I don't have to cook but we only spend about $20 for the four of us.

This is a small tip, but every bit counts, right? I reuse ziploc bags and tin foil--depending on what they've been used for. And I imagine a lot of people already do this, but I also try to use plastic grocery bags or other big plastic bags from dept stores etc as trash bags.

Thanks for all the good tips, ladies!

I do that too!!! Every time I use a ziplock, I clean it out, dry it and then stock it back up!
Same goes with foil. If I used it to cover something, I can then use it again to cover something else, or to line the grill when I am grilling. I ALWAYS use grocery bags or plastic bags as my kitchen and room train bin liners. It saves a lot and technically all of the above mentioned ideas are ways to recycle!!!!

I also do NOT buy the latest gadgets. They are a waste of money. I just simply scrub my floors clean (hands and knees with scrub brushes and towels) . The bathroom gadgets seem to be a waste to me and I worry about how safe they are for the environment. Anything that is a one time use scares me. I instead clean my toilets and sinks with bleach cleaners and scrub them clean ~ the old fashioned way with elbow grease. I clean the toilet brush once a month by setting it in some bleach over night

I typically do a presoak in a bucket with detergent and then a full out washing. It does help to have the detergent sit on the stains and dirt either for a few hours or even over night before washing them. (grew up on a dairy farm, these tips were used quite a bit!!)

Now I'm ALL FOR THIS! I knew that I could use less, but wasn't sure how much was really enough. I also add a splash of white vinegar to my load. Since I've been doing this, my clothes have been coming out without that soapy residue feeling they had before. And not smelling like anything -- which is good compared to the not so clean they smelled like before. I think it was all the built-up soap or something, but now that the vinegar is in there, they come out great.

Most people dont even think about adding water to laundry detergent . Before you even use it, save an old bottle and fill it 1/4 to 1/2 full with water then top off with detergent. I find that if I use a good detergent like tide I can cut it in half but if its something cheap like sun I can only use about 1/4 water. JUst keep using less and less saop until you think your clothes arent clean, when that happens go back a step and then you will have just the right amount. YOu can do this with softener as well. Vinegar can be used as a softener and I promise your clothes wont smell like vinegar.

I also add water to my kids juice. Not a lot becuase then it doesnt taste good but just enough to get an extra glass or two out of a bottle.

10. My kids don't like the crusts of the bread so I cut them off before I make lunches. I put them in a large baking pan in the oven and take advantage of the "leftover" heat from baking to help dry them out. I then grind them up with a rolling pin in a "recycle" zippy bag and have "free" breadcrumbs!

9. My family each has two color coded towels (well, my DH and I each have four - but that's a different story). Once a week we do a load of towels including dish towels, hand towels from the bathrooms and the four color coded towels. I used to wash at least one load of towels every other day.. sometimes more. This is a HUGE savings in so many ways - wear and tear on the towel and my dryer, my gas bill is less, my detergent usage is down, and the environment thanks me! A win-win.

8. I try to use planned leftovers. Roast beef becomes sliced beef in gravy with potatoes - or - beef stroganoff over noodles - or it goes into my "leftover soup" container in the freezer. Chicken becomes a pot pie or a casserole or a soup. Ham goes into scalloped potatoes and ham.

7. I don't buy too many "processed" name brand anything. I mostly buy whole foods and yes, some junk food and soda but not much. So, I don't use THAT many coupons. What I do buy, I buy quality - like organic cereal and milk - so when I do find a coupon, I clip it!!

6. I iron my own clothing. Two of my sisters-in-law started sending their husbands' shirts to the cleaners AFTER they became SAHM's. I'm still scratching my head about THAT one. I believe I do a much better job than the cleaners on my clothing and my husband's shirts. Plus, it gives me an excuse to watch one of my favorite movies while I iron. And, in the winter, I almost welcome ironing as it's the warmest spot in the house.

5. Speaking of movies, we seldom go to the theatre. In the summer, the local Marcus runs a $2.50 deal for various "family friendly" movies and a free popcorn. It used to include soda but that stopped this year. BUMMER. I'm also a video store fiend - not usually to rent but to peruse their previously viewed selection when it goes on the 4/$20 rack. We've gotten a number of favorites (like my Cheaper By the Dozen 2 ironing favorite) for us and for the kids. Knock on wood - so far, no issues.

4. I freeze almost everything - from orange juice containers to olives. My one daughter loves pasta salad with black olives so when I open a can, I slice the olives I need for the salad and freeze the rest in a zippy bag or gladware container. When I need to make more pasta salad, I remove three or four olives, run them under warm water to slightly defrost them and they slice so EASY when they are partially frozen. By lunch time, the olives are great and they act as little ice packs inside the thermos I put her pasta salad in for lunch. I also cut up and freeze the tops of green peppers when I'm using them for stuffed peppers or italians with peppers and onions. The little pieces are perfect for home made pizza or calzones. The one thing that did not freeze well - water chestnuts. They were mush. But, you live and learn! I even freeze left over lasagne noodles... when you make homemade soup, pull them out, run them under some warm water and cut them into strips. When I do this, I find everyone asks me if I made my own noodles from scratch!

3. I cook mostly from scratch. I also frequent websites that have great recipes and purchased a Top-Secret recipe cookbook for $1 from a rummage. Much to my chagrin, the coconut shrimp recipe I bought it for was RAZORED out of the book but I've gotten great ribs recipes, Mrs. Fields cookie recipes, etc. My family LOVES this cookbook.

2. I turn the heat down in the winter to 65 during the day (we've become accustomed to it) and 59 at night. My husband works for the power company and gets all the promo- brochures that talk about how much each degree saves us. We have a programmable thermostat that he got free with a rebate so we don' t "suffer" with the chill (an extra blanket is great to snuggle under at night) unless we're up in the middle of the night... Fortunately, our neighbors with whom we mostly socialize, are cheap like us too and they are also accustomed to this. I do have to adjust this when my parents come to visit as they cannot deal with this extreme.

1. My favorite is laundry related. I don't run my dryer much. I have a drying rack and a shower rod in my laundry room. I put all of the clothes in the dryer and set my oven timer for 10 - 15 minutes (depending on the size of the load). When the timer beeps, I pull out all the socks, t-shirts, sleep pants, underwear, etc., and hang it on the drying rack or on hangers and hang it up on the shower rod. I do return my husband's pants and all of our jeans to the dryer (stiff jeans is a big no-no in my husband's world) and run it usually only for about another 30 minutes, max. The washer is usually done with the second load when the dryer is done with the first. And, damp clothing irons better than dry (notice I said DAMP - not soaking).

When I compare our degree days each year, I see the effect this has had (I also see the effect at times when I'm sick or away from home and someone else is in charge of clothing). I do make the concession that all towels also must go into the dryer so I try to leave that load for the last of the day.

I also use a number of the other tips people mentioned above but I picked up some great ones from reading this thread as well! Thank you for the great ideas!!!!!

I'm with you on this one. I started using all the nice cloth napkins that I was saving for special occasions and have saved a ton on paper products. My thought is, that every day we are on earth, happy and healthy IS a special occasion!

I have also been known to save the Bounty paper towels that I do use, if they were only used with water. EX. to try washed lettuce. They are so strong and if barely used, dry in a matter of minutes. They then can be used to wipe up spills etc. and don't have as much of the guilt for throwing it away. I've had some strange looks from friends, but they don't pay my bills, I do!