Money Saving Tips

Saving money….. now there’s a topic we all love. Most of you are here reading my blog because you want to save more money. We save at the grocery store and we save at the drug store. But there are lots of ways we could be saving and stretching our dollar…..

May

6:15 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Colored-coded Cups for the Family

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Reader Katie shared this idea on how to prevent extra loads of dishes to do! Which not only saves money but time too!

My money saving tip is to use a different colored plastic tumbler (cup) for each member of your family. We were finding that our dishwasher was filling up WAY too fast and it was mostly with cups because everyone would take a different cup each time they got a drink, mainly b/c they weren’t sure whose cup was whose. So we went to Target and found plastic tumblers on sale (the spring/summer is a great time to find them) and bought a different color for each family member. Now there is no confusion on who left their cup where. Along with this, we’ve implemented a strict 1 cup per day rule. This has saved us a ton of money because we don’t run the dishwasher nearly as much!

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:15 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Cover Windows Facing West

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It gets hot here in the summer and if you have any windows that face the west, it really heats your house up in the afternoon when the sun is the hottest and getting lower in the sky. It spends hours beaming directly on those windows, creating more heat in your house! Believe me, I know. The front of my house faces west!

Reader Jennifer has the same problem and she solved with this solution (which I have also done!)

We invested in good blackout curtains for our West facing picture window and keep them closed when the sun is beaming in the late afternoon. It saved us hundreds in AC costs last summer, and paid for themselves after only a few months!

What do you do to keep it cool when it’s so hot outside?

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:00 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Use Beans to Stretch your Recipes

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Reader Lorie had this food stretching tip to share:

Add beans to your dishes. This is an inexpensive and nutritious way to stretch recipes. It’s a depression error trick! Plus, it helps to prevent over eating by making you feel full and you stay full longer, reducing the need to snack. Try Lentils in Italian dishes, black beans added to hamburgers, or small white beans added to salsa!

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:15 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Make “Yard Sale” Shopping List

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Reader Lorie shared this tip and of all the “lists” I make and all the yard sales I go to scouting a good bargain, I never thought about doing the two together to save!

I keep a running list of household items that I need like water glasses or small rugs and items needed for school plays. Then I look for them at garage sales all summer.

I just put a notepad on the fridge for this purpose! Now when I think of something I need around the house I will add it to my list. I always remember better if I have a list anyway. Now I will have a shopping list for yard sales!

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:15 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Washcloths instead of paper napkins

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Reader Lauren has an alternative to the cost and waste of using paper napkins and an alternative to expensive cloth napkins also:

My family uses wash clothes for napkins. You can get packs of 20 for $5 at Walmart and they have lasted us a long time! It is nice not having the added expense of paper napkins, not to mentions cutting back on waste!

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:15 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Uses for Empty Baby Wipe Containers

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We’ve talked alot about reusing containers to save money. And I’ve gotten a lot of great tips! One container that keeps popping up with many uses are empty baby wipe containers. (It’s also one container that most of us have a ton of!)

Here’s a list of the ideas I’ve gotten:

to store plastic grocery sacks
to organize receipts
portable toy box/toy organizer for the car
first aid kit for the car
storing small toys in shelves at home – matchbox cars, crayons, etc
storing craft supplies

And of course, you can always use them to store your homemade baby wipes!

Do you have any ideas?

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:15 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Make your own character snacks for the kids

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Do your kids always beg for the most expensive snack or juice at the store because it has their favorite character on it? Saving Toward A Better Life solved that problem with a simple, fun activity for her son. The end result? The “Lightning McQueen” juice boxes he always begged for in the store!

Bug was disappointed that I said no, again to his choice of juice boxes, and instead got the cheaper ones. So when we got home, I decided to cheer him up a little bit. He is after all, 3 years old and doesn’t understand coupons, sales and saving money.

I googled Cars 2 coloring sheets and found some free printables. I saved them to my computer and printed them out.

I cut them out and let Bug color them and glue them to the juice boxes. Just a regular glue stick was sufficient. He was so proud of his juice boxes. He kept wanting to open the fridge to look at them! ;) You can see the finished product here.

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:00 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Make your favorite restaurant dish at home

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I love this tip from reader, Susan:

There are many restaurants that give out recipes on their website. For instance, Olive Garden has numerous recipes. A favorite when we visit is their Stuffed Chicken Marsala.

An idea: Pick a recipe from one of your favorite restaurants and make the recipe at home instead of going out to eat. You get a treat and still save some $.

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:00 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Know Your Store’s Price Match Policy

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When you make a purchase, especially a large purchase of appliances, electronics, etc, it pays (literally!) to know the price match policy at the store you are purchasing from.

Reader Chasity shared this experience she recently had:

I bought a camera thru BestBuy.com at the end of April. Less than 2 weeks later it was in the sale ad for $30 cheaper. Because it had been less than 30 days I made an easy 5 minute phone call and the $30 was credited back to me!

Many store will match a current competitor’s ad at the time of purchase and most will price match their own ad if something your purchased goes on sale within a set amount of time after your purchase. Know the policy!

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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May

6:15 pm

Let’s Save Some Money – Feed the Birds

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Here’s a tip from Reader Mindy who likes to feed the birds without spending a lot on it!

I plant 6 packs of sunflower seeds because they are hardy and easy to grow and my daughter LOVES to help make flowers bigger than her. Then when the first frost comes or the flowers start to wilt I take all the seeds from all the flowers, dry them and put them in ziplok gallon sized bags. I spend $1.20 on the seed packets and another maybe $2 on the baggies and end up with 5 or 6 gallons of birdfood. It saves money, it’s pretty, its fun for the kids and it teaches them that flowers feed the birds.

Don’t forget, I’m always looking for your best money saving tip, so please share!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.

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