Please share your best money saving tip in the comments below.
Do you have a money saving tip you’d love to see featured on Couponing to Disney? Be sure to email it to me!
Wanna learn how to save even more money? Be sure to read through all the Let’s Save Some Money posts.
Lorie says
Don’t throw away potatoes that have begun to grow in your pantry! Instead, cut them in chunks and place in water until the roots grow. Then add them to your annual baskets of flowers and other landscapes as a hanging vine! Much cheaper then buying plants!
Marci says
I have a little boy who does not like the crust on his bread and he eats a ton of sandwiches. I save the crust in a bag and let it dry out, when I have enough I put it in the food processor with some italian seasoning and parmesan cheese and make our own bread crumbs to use on several things. Tips to save on makeup run your mascara under hot water before use, it losses up the dry stuff and makes it not so thick so you can use it more. Also when you get to the end of your foundation at a few drops of water and shake. It makes it go longer and pulls all the stuff off the bottom and sides.
Denise-Scrapmouse says
We rent DVD’s for free from our local library. We might not see the newest release right away but eventually we get to and it’s for free.
Denise-Scrapmouse says
I recycle my kids school supplies. At the end of the school year I go through their backpacks and see what’s good to keep and what can be thrown out. We keep the usual items like scissors, rulers, working pens, binders still in good shape. We tend to throw out dried out glue sticks, broken pencils, broken crayons. I keep a running list of school supplies both new & used. This way when it comes time for back to school shopping I’m not buying supplies we already have at home (unless it’s free). I even keep their half used spiral notebooks. I rip out the used pages and keep the rest. I have a little stack going which comes in handy whenever anyone needs scratch paper.
Sharla says
I do the same thing as you do. The used binders I keep and used for making grocery list or whatever I might need it for.
Jiya says
My best tip is to look to see what you already have before you buy anything — for example, my son needed a painting smock for his pre-K class. Instead of buying him a new one, we just decorated an old t-shirt of mine (and he had a unique painting smock).
Tara says
MIne is simple. I measure my laundry deteregent. I found that when i was pouring it directly into the wash I was using more than 2X the amount needed. I also use vinegar instead of fabric softener and dryer balls instead of fabric sheets.
Sharla says
I always used my dryer sheets more than once.
Denise-Scrapmouse says
I’m with you on this one. I use my dryer sheets way more than once too. I also use dryer sheets when washing dishes. I put an old dryer sheet in a pan that is soaking. The dryer sheet helps so you don’t have to scrub the pan so hard. The food just slides off easily. I wasn’t a believer until I tried it and it really does work.
Jessica G. says
A great way to save if you have infants or children that wear diapers, go with cloth diapers. They make them so easy to use now. I have twins and we wouldn’t be able to eat if we had to buy disposables. Also reuse your dryer sheets for several loads. They still work and if you use a couple of them at a time that have been used once already, it’s the same as a new one out of the box. I also use them in my drawers to keep clothes fresh and in the bottom of trash cans.
Elizabeth says
Bake your watermelon rinds! It always felt wasteful to throw out watermelon rinds, but I didn’t know what to do with them. This summer I made up this easy recipe… After slicing and eating a watermelon, I cut the hard shell off the rinds and cube what’s left. Mix with 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups flour, a little salt & a little cinnamon. Put in a greased 9X13 dish for 50 min at 400 degrees, covered with foil. My kids think it tastes like baked apples! And I’m getting double the food I used to out of a single watermelon!
Christine says
My tip on saving money that has been great for my family is that when my husband or I get a raise or cost of living annual increase in our salary, we just put it into savings. We have been doing this for 7 years and the amount we have saved is great. At the same time we just kept living within our same means as 7 years ago. A painless way to save A LOT.
stacy says
I use a clothesline instead of my dryer and so far my electric bill has been down 20 per month. That’s not much but in year that adds up to alot.
Megan says
If you are a fan of Chinese take out, you can save on a meal for 2 at Panda Express really easily :) Every Panda Express receipt has an offer for a Free 3rd entree item if you take a survey online and write the code they give you at the end in a special box on the back of the receipt. It works like a coupon :) So when my husband and I want Chinese, we just get a triple entree meal to split instead of 2 double entree meals. We always both get enough to eat and it only costs about $3 each for a dinner out :) Plus, I love that orange chicken :)
Megan says
Don’t let your milk go bad before you get to use it all! Here is how to make it last longer :) Anytime you open the fridge, pick up the milk jug and give it a good shake. The reason milk goes bad is because the different enzymes separate over time as they sit and some of them sour. If you are constantly shaking the jug, you are keeping them from separating and this can honestly triple the shelf life of your milk!
Starla B says
Hey there is more than one Starla on here. My tip is to use old Christmas paper that you hate. Turn it over an use it as shipping paper such as when you sell on ebay. It uses up the wrapping paper, you don’t have to buy shipping paper, and you can’t reuse boxes. You can also use paper shopping bags but who gets thosnice things anymore!
Vikki D says
The latest thing we have been doing is separating our trash. We always recycled our cans & bottles, but I read our towns recycling info and found that we could recycle so much more. By recycling paper, cardboard, and junk mail, we don’t change our trash bags as much anymore saving us money. We also started taking my sons diapers directly out to the big trash can outside, so we don’t have to buy the speciality liners for his diaper pail.
Andrea says
I would have to say my newest and best money saving tip is following blogs like couponing to Disney on the Internet & Facebook. I have coupon shopped for years but I am always learning something new from someone else on these blogs. I seriously save so much more money by following your weekly deals at target & rite aid or walgreens, not to mention all the other great tips and giveaways.
Lindsay says
My biggest money saving tip is to watch what you spend on babies! I only buy Walgreens diapers when they are on sale (they are the only kind my baby isn’t allergic to) and store them under the crib. When he gets into the next size, I put the extras from the previous size into a box for our next child. All of his clothes are hand-me-downs- I make friends with parents! His formula containers are reused for things like plastic bags to store in the car for trash. Diapers all get put into one plastic bag in a tiny trashcan and that bag gets thrown out daily instead of wrapping each diaper in its own or using a diaper genie. Puffs containers hold snacks like popcorn for adults and cheerios for the baby- much cheaper on road trips, which are made frequently! We created an emergency kit for our car with these containers, a diaper pad with diapers and wipes, formula and a couple bottles of water with a sippie cup top for water bottles from amazon- much easier to deal with in an emergency (I know!) and it saves space. The scoops for formula are used for coffee, sugar, and even toys for the bathtub! The best thing I have found to save money is to move straight from formula to adult food (besides puffs and cheerios!) by cutting up, smashing, smooshing, or even blending our meals when he got the pincer grasp down. We have bought two containers of baby food- and both were spit out!
Kelley says
As a kindergarten teacher I try to reuse everything!! Since I have a toddler I have hit the jack pot with formula cans, baby food containers, and even fruit cup cups. They are perfect for messy project with glue and paint and just the right size for the kids to handle themselves. The best part is it makes clean up so much easier too as we can just throw them away if they have use most of the product. Since I have two half day classes this makes a big difference! When my stockpile from my toddler runs low then I will as families to donate the same type of items. I have also used puffs containers and pringles cans to make learning centers and games. They are better than anything I would buy to store them in. Of course as a couponer for the first time at the beginning of school I have scored so many school supplies for my classroom for next to nothing which helps a shrinking school budget go a lot further!!!
Tarynn says
It is so hard to pick just one! A couple of our favorites though may be keeping an inventory of our freezer, cabinet, and pantry items. We have gone weeks before with no trips to the grocery store (except for milk and fresh veggies) and we have saved a lot of money since we already have so much food at home. This leads into our next money saver….when you buy extra meat, bread, etc….wrap them well before freezing. I love Walgreens wax paper….I wrap up meat and such and then put it in a couple of bags. They may be the “twist” plastic gallon bags or occassionally the zipper lock bags (but not often since they are more pricey anyways). We even use an extra bread bag again as an extra layer around ANOTHER layer of bread. It’s amazing how fresh our food stays when you just take a few extra minutes to freeze them correctly. On bagels & english muffins, I even add a layer of wax paper in between the two layers of bread so that they don’t stick together when I freeze them. I label bags accordingly with contents and date frozen and update my inventory when applicable!!!
Tricia says
Store the poof in your pressed powder compact upside down. It keeps the oils on your skin from sinking into the pressed powder and ruining it. You get to save money on buying less powder!
Justin says
Using a charcoal grill to cook with saves a ton, dont buy the expensive stuff either, use oak wood chip charcoal, it’s cheap in stores and free if your in a wooded area. it’s also healthy and I think it tastes better too. We half our electric bill this way and use less dishes which is less water being used. some other things you can do that may help, driving less and when you do go some where plan your trip before you go, knocking everything out at once always saves money and two trips out in a week is better than four right? This works with everything, always plan things.
Kristen D. says
I get a refill (large, offbrand) bottle of hand soap, then mix up my own “foaming” soap by using a small part of the regular hand soap and a lot of water in one of the foaming dispensers. I then squirt in a dollop of scented soap that I get on super sale (like 75% off bath and body works soap, or drug store deals). Not only does it REALLY cut down the cost of buying hand soap, I get nice, scented hand soap too! <3.
Monica says
Rather than use a dyer during the hot months I hang my clothes out. It saves the cost of running the heater as well as the secondary expense of cooling by preventing the house from getting hot from the dryer. I try to hang them in the morning while my children are outside playing so I can accomplish a chore while keeping an eye on them. When I take my clothes down, usually during nap time, I toss them in the dryer on low heat for a few minutes with the dryer balls to soften them up.
Monica says
dryer, not heater.
marie says
We use cloth napkins which saves money in the long run over paper…but to save money on the napkins…I buy two tablecloths instead of one and kindly ask my mom to cut and sew napkins from the second tablecloth so I always have napkins to match the tablecloth and the cost is usually about 75% less than what it would cost to buy matching napkins in the first place. I also send cloth napkins in with the kids’ lunch…we have differnent ones for various holidays and other fun times of the year…no paper waste and I buy the napkins/tablecloths on clearance.
Anna says
Have twins- you get lots of free stuff! :) LOL… Mine is just a time saver. When my little ones were in cribs, I layered their sheets (sheet, sheet protector, sheet, protector ect. ) so that if there is a leak in the middle of the night you don’t have to try and change sheets half asleep w/ a baby who wants to go back to bed. Also, my son is 4 now and can’t reach the top of his closet orgaizer w/out tearing up all the hangers, so he has a drawer that I keep empty and I put 4-5 outfits in it. In the morning he goes and picks himself an outfit- saving me time and letting him make a small decision for himself
Andrea says
I save some things to reuse for crafts in my kindergarten classroom. I save all of our empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls for different crafts. I save our milk jugs until easter time, cut off the tops, and use them as baskets for our easter egg hunts.
Diane @ DoofyDi says
Besides the usual ways (brown bagging it, using coupons in conjunction with sales & paying in cash), I try to shop without my munchkins. It is hard to say no all the time, so I almost always spend more than I intended. Come to think of it, shopping without the hubby saves the most money!!
Luci says
I’m going through a purge. Goal is to use what we own instead of just buying or bringing home more stuff to hold the stuff, hence storing things we don’t use and filling up space. Upgrade only if really necessary to replace broken or outgrown items. After the purge, I’ll shop for a limited amount of storage items (maybe a small bookshelf and an over the door pocket organizer) if it’s needed.
Bre says
I recycle pretty much everything! My ragu pasta sauce jars I used for candie jars for my daughters room. I turned them into owls covering them in tissue paper and felt. I used the lids for paint pallets :) instead of buying modge podge I use elmers glue and water. It works the same and is sooo much cheaper. We also save our plastic water bottles and fill them with sand/dirt and decorate them and use them as bowling pins for parties ;P I also keep the hard huggies cases to store makeup, soap, toothpaste etc.
Wendy Johnson says
I can’t think of a “single” thing for my money-saving tip…there are ALOT of things I do, and I do them religiously. From scouring the internet for every freebie I can find, reusing plastic bags & envelopes, clipping coupons, using Netflix instead of On-Demand, shopping at thrift stores for EVERYTHING, keeping the thermostat set at 78, unplugging EVERYTHING not in use…the list goes on and on! I guess my tip would be to do everything, everyday…it’s hard to get into the habit of looking for ways to save money, but the more you do it, the easier (and more addictive) it gets. If you’re ONLY clipping coupons, you’re still losing money you don’t have to.
Lani says
I reuse my dryer sheet — before I toss it, I use it to dust something around the house! Works great, and doing a little at a time like that, I don’t feel overwhelmed with the dusting!
Susan says
I’ve read if you have old and musty books, after using a dryer sheet in the dryer, you can cut it in thirds and place it between pages of a book to freshen it!
Lani says
I use vinegar & water in a spray bottle to clean all the mirrors in the house, and instead of wasting a paper towel, I use crumpled up newspaper — no streaks!
I also use that spray bottle of white vinegar & water to clean tables and countertops — it’s a natural antibacterial — so no chemicals!
I also use white vinegar in the washing machine — it takes away any odor and leaves things soft (like a fabric softener)! I just pour some in with the detergent! And yes, after everything is dry, you cannot smell the vinegar at all!
As you can see, I like to use vinegar! It’s cheap and natural!
marie says
We use vinegar and water to mop the hardwood and kitchen floors…no chemical smell, inexpensive and I don;t worry about little tiny feet or knees crawling around in chemicals!
Amanda says
My most notable money saver is haircuts. I invested in a hair clipper (razor) set and cut my DH and sons hair (5 heads total). For the girls I trim the ends and bangs (mine too [4 heads :)]) otherwise we just let it grow. When it grows long enough we get free haircuts by donating our hair for Locks of Love.
Marie O. says
By a meat grinder. I know it sounds odd and time consuming but I love it. You can get a decent one for less then $40 and you can turn a sirloin steak into ground beef and not have to worry about all the extra bits the make their way into store ground beef. Buy some pork loin when it is on sale and wham ground pork with I have seen run almost $4 a pound here when the loin is only $2 a pound.
Kristi says
One of my local grocery stores has a coffee shop inside where they have a big ‘take a book leave a book’ shelf. I rarely read books more than once so I’ve dropped off some really nice ones and picked up some really great ones! If no one in your town is doing it ask your local coffee shop! I Can keep them as long as I want then go back and exchange it for another!
Holly Phillips says
I make my own laundry soap with bar soap, borax, washing soda and water. It lasts me about two months for my family of five, and it costs very little to make!
Vikki D says
We do this too and the soap is awesome. It just got blood out of my sons jammies after a nose bleed.
Dee Dee says
I do my best to sign up for any free samples I can and I “collect” them and store them in my cabinet.After a while I get overloaded with things like shampoo packets,body wash samples,detergent packets,tiny toothpaste samples,ect.so for a few weeks I use them all up instead of buying them.saves me some money and clears out my cabinet.Then I start all over again.My family isn’t so fond of it(because they’re forced to do it to :)But my hubby doesn’t mind ditching the dollar tree trip for a few weeks.
Elizabeth says
I always try to think of an idea to reuse an item for crafting. I turned some placemats into a purse that I will be gifting to a dear friend. It turned out super pretty :)
Heather D says
My money saving tip comes from using wipes to clean bathrooms, countertops, etc. instead of paper towels. I have found so many uses for baby wipes, one being a super easy way to clean off the bathroom countertop. When I am done using the wipes, I gently rise them out and fold them back in threes and put them in a portable wipe container. Obviously I was the soap out when I rise them, so when they’re dry I use them to dust furniture, oil my table, etc. I even use them to clean the mirrors in my house, but depending on the brand of wipe and how many times I’ve used it, it can leave lint. This way I am not constantly going through paper towels, and I’m also not constantly washing entire rags just for one use wiping down my entertainment stand. Hope this helps!
Vikki says
I stopped reading all the catalogs that come to our house!
I used to browse the catalogs and find a couple of cute things that I suddenly realized I “needed.” Then I’d see free shipping starts at $40, so I’d find something else to buy, and suddenly I’d be spending $50 when I didn’t need ANY of it! Almost every retailer has their catalog online these days, so when I truly NEED something, then I comparison-shop online, and I often find it cheaper at Amazon (which has a very low $25 free-shipping minimum) anyways.
Annette says
I rent movies from the local library, 50 cents each for 3 weeks instead of video store.
Margarita says
This may not seem like the most reasonable idea to save, but when we do eat out like at McDonald’s, we get a double cheeseburger, a large drink and value fry and divide it up between two. A double cheeseburger is two patties so cut in half is like one burger each, the large drink is enough for two small, and fries seem to be enough for two. Pay $3.00 vs $6.00 and also cut the caloric intake in half. I have notice that a lot of places give pretty big servings and realized that just ordering one entree and splitting it saves money, fills up and saves calories.
corrina says
I always get the 10 piece nugget meal and share it between my 2 small children and myself. It is less than 6.00 vs the price of happy meals. After awhile they don’t mind not getting the toy.
Kristen D. says
My husband and I do this too- or I order water and he gets the drink
Mindy says
A little known fact is that McDonald’s sells 50 piece nuggets for $9.99. Great for family get togethers or kids parties.
Megan says
Whenever I make tacos I add black beans to the taco meat. You really can’t tell a difference in how it taste and I can use less meat which in turn saves me money!
Kristyl says
USE the surge protectors that your computer, tv, etc. are plugged into. It took a bit of time, but now it’s habit to turn ours off everynight. I can’t imagine our power bill without it!
Margarita says
We unplug everything that does not need to be constantly used, such as the washer and dryer, dvd players etc. The only things that are plugged in constantly are the stove and refrigerator. It may seem hard at first like you said, but when that bill comes in, its like finding lost money.
Tarynn says
Kristyl (and Margarita),
May I ask you how much money you saved whenever you first started to do this? So many plugs are hard to get to, but maybe if I used more surge protectors, it’d be easier? I like this idea — never occurred to me how much money we’re paying for leaving items plugged in. Can you give me more insight into cost savings?
Thanks!
Tarynn
JoAnne says
I’m interested in knowing how much you save by unplugging and/or turning off surge protectors for things that do not need to be constantly on. Just got the electric bill yesterday – kind of a shock. It has been a hot summer & the AC has been on quite a bit.
Margarita says
We have a lot of electronics in our home, it seems to be unnecessary, lol! Anyways…my first time doing it I did not turn off and unplug many items just a few, the bill dropped by $35.00, so after seeing this I decided to try and become very strict, it is not about just turning off, it is about unplugging. The second month we saved around $85.00. Our bill goes through spikes still depending on the seasons so it can be as low as $29.00 a month or as high as $105. It just depends on the amount used, such as during Christmas with the lights(which is usually the highest amount of year). It may seem impossible, but I have friends who all did the same, and it may seem like a pain at first but when the bill comes in it is worth it.
Starla says
I always pack lunch for my husband. It is healthier, and I do not have to see the bank statement at the end of the month with all the lunch prices at $9.00-$12.00. It really does add up. Anything priced less is fast food and way too unhealthy. I also pack my teenagers lunches daily, they do not mind it either.
Sharla says
Give me some ideals what you pack for their lunches. I pack my husband’s lunch and he never knows what he wants or is tired of the same foods.
Carrie says
The best way to get a “streak-free shine” when cleaning glass is to use old newspapers to wipe off the glass cleaner instead of towels or papertowels.
marie says
you are so right,….that is what we do.