With all your experiences living frugally, what tip has served you best over time?

Before I got laid off in 2008, I use to throw out my lotion bottles as soon as it got inconvenient to use(lol). Now I drain EVERY bit from the bottles before I throw them out by inverting the bottles. You will be surprised at how much is left!!!!

What about you Jilly - same question?

Angela, that is a really good tip. I actually go to the point of cutting the bottoms off the containers and wiping the remainders out with my fingers. A really good lotion can be like $7 and I don't want to waste any.

Dollar stores often have lotions but not generally the ones I really like - i like mine loaded with antioxidants and even suncreen.

my best tip...hmmm...

okay, here are some of my most useful IMO tips -

1. Cancel the cable bill and watch everything on Hulu.com (free) or Netflicks.com (subscription based).

2. Don't drive to places that are within a reasonable walk. If you must drive, combine your errands. Or order things online and skip driving for errands totally.

3.Collect your rainwater for garden/yard use, and to use in emergencies.

4. Compost your food and yard wastes for free mulch!

5. Buy clothes, linens and housewares at thrift stores - never buy new if you don't have to.

6. Create a price book and stock up on food items when the loss leader sales (or excellent coupons) come around.

7. Before you buy, always ask yourself if you need that thing. If yes, see if you can find it cheaper somewhere. There are actually apps for that.

8. Don't bother with a landline phone - a simple cell phone is more useful. Or just use Skype for free.

9. Wear sunscreen. No, really. It's cheaper than skin cancer.

10. Don't be ashamed to ask for financial help from the government if you need it.

Okay that's ten things.

Look for the source of what you've bought and re-use it a different way.

1.toilet paper and paper towel rolls: I cut up the edges into a fringe, douse them in catnip and both my cats adore them as their favorite toys!

2.Coffee, hot chocolate cans, etc are great containers! I use them for receipts, moist pet treats, paint brush holders, pen/pencil holder, etc.

3.egg cartons as seed starters

4.empty duct tape roll with a dab of peanut butter on the inside, keeps my dogs happy when they'd like a new toy/snack.

5.empty water and milk jugs, cut a hole in one side, put in seeds and such and you have a great feeder for birds and squirrels.

6.cardboard inserts from calendars are great for decoration. Put construction paper over it and then tape some pics of family and friends on it, get a frame or 2 at the dollar store and you have pictures for every room in the house.

7.save the packaging from the scented lotion or bath stuff that we women get at xmas and b-days. these boxes, ribbons and scents are wonderful to fill with potpourri, fake flowers, use as seasonal center pieces or creative packaging for homemade gifts for others' xmas and b-days.

It's not much, but it's all I got!

Great Grandaughter, those are awesome tips.

When you say douse the rolls in catnip, do you mean rub the herbs on them, or make a tea and dip them in it, or something else?

I like the idea of using food containers for moist pet treats. Mine are never moist by the end. This will make my pets happier.

Water and milk jugs have so many uses, these should be a book!

Great idea on the toiletries packaging for gifts. We often don't think outside the 'bag.'

Also, love your avatar photo! What are your dogs' names?

Clean with vinegar, baking soda, and borax. Get rid of the poisons in the cupboards. You will have a cleaner house and save tons of money.

Use Diatomaceous earth for pest control in yard, in house, on animals and people. Excellent for flea, tick, ant, lice problems and is also a wonderful parasitic. Get rid of all the toxic treatments and save tons of money in the process.

Grow and dry your own herbs. I seriously don't know where stores get off charging what they do for seasonings.

Start a community share - grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers then have a community swap so everybody gets something they need from a known source.

An inexpensive fun way to decorate up a house is Trompe loeil Curtain Panels. I am a minimalist yet my house is colorful and displays personality. I use creative color techniques on walls and Trompe panels over windows to make each room pop. And, without the clutter each room feels like a get-away.

Look for necessary items on craigslist and salvation army stores. It is not complicated to reinvent a piece of furniture.

This is awesome. Great ideas, Deb. I hope everyone can add their ideas and our thread can help people as a resource.

How do you use diatomacous earth for fleas? Put it in the cat's fur? Do you think it would also work for gnats? or termites? I seem to be having a buggy season.

I totally agree on the herbs. if i buy used spices I never pay more than 1.00 a container (i wait for the sales or use dollar stores). But still, growing them yourself is pretty much FREE. Anyone with either a window or a lightbulb can grow their own herbs.

Do you have photos of those curtains? That sounds unique.

I use vinegar, baking soda, ammonia and bleach for cleaning pretty much everything. Oh and murphy's soap for wood. I do get sucked into trying fancy new cleaners sometimes, but I know that is totally unnecessary.

I would suggest losing the ammonia, bleach and murphy's soap. To keep wood items in top shape coat with olive oil, let soak a few minutes and wipe. You will be astonished at how beautiful your wood pieces shine!

Vinegar, baking soda and borax covers ammonia and bleach uses and it gets the toxins out of your house.

Trompe loeil Curtain Panels: here are some good sites:
Amazon stores have some good deals.
Touch of Class
My house has Desert Garden, Zen, and Island Breeze. I have my house done up in desert colors. White is only used on ceiling and trim.

Food grade diatomaceous earth (NOT pool grade!): Added to food it kills any parasites animals/people might pick up. It kills anything with an exoskeleton, such as, fleas, ticks, ants, lice, and larvae. In the simplest terms, what DE does is hyper-dehydrates pests and bugs, quickly and efficiently.

It also eliminates odor in litter boxes and carpet. The uses for it really is endless. It is 100% natural so long as you get Natural/Food grade and NOT pool grade (which is toxic). Call your local animal feed stores farmers use DE to maintain grains and animal health. It is the most reliable way to know you are getting Food grade DE.

For fleas and ticks: rub into animal fur - get the folds and creases ... where the bugs like to hide. Be mindful of the eyes and use a damp towel over eyes when rubbing face to avoid mild irritation. If DE gets into your pets eye no worries just rinse it with some water. It will not damage the eye.

When mixing DE in dry food add it to food bin and shake. A little goes a long way.

Spread it out in your yard. It will not harm plants or grass.

Really, I could go on ad infinitum. I use it to care for my foster animals and use it to treat kids in the neighborhood who come home from school with lice issues. I use it to keep plants healthy, keep fleas and ticks gone ... get those ants out of the house, keep cat room smelling fresh, deodorize the one remaining carpet (hate carpet) I have. Excellent for keeping bed mattresses and cloth furniture pest free.

I do use food grade oil on my furniture for polish, but not for floors. I love the murphy's soap.

I also make sure I have plenty of bleach for emergency water treatment.

Ammonia and bleach are not toxic when used properly.

Oh, lol, I totally hate carpet too! I think it's a essentially growth medium for microrganisms. Blech.

Is the DE safe to use on/around a one month old kitten?

DE safe for kittens: Yup it sure is.

Carpet - omg it's the worst thing to have in a house ... the worst. The house I live in was covered in it - even in the bathroom

Have laid ceramic tile in every room now save one(better than wood flooring in desert climate where I happen to live). And believe you me it's high up on the hit list ... I tell you!

OMG YUCK on bathroom carpet. Egads. That would be like carpet in the kitchen. I like flooring, whatever kind is not carpet, and the occasional throw rug that I can wash and hang in the UV light of the sun.

Dh and I have a bad habit of ripping out carpet wherever we live. We always feel we are doing the landlords a favor.

hey I am in Arizona too. Camp Verde. We have bad cedar gnats (no see ums). how might i use DE for those biting gnats?

LOL, I was in total agreement with you until I got to #10. I don't know about anyone else, but the few times I needed financial help from the government, I did not qualify Other than that, your list works for me. Thanks

Thanks Angela. Yeah i should caveat that you have to qualify.

I was kind of making a joke about the sunscreen, based on the famous Wear Sunscreen graduation speech by (not) Kurt Vonnegut.

But it is still sound advice.

I'm down in Arizona City - by Casa Grande On the internet that makes us practically backyard neighbors!

Gnats. Ok I would suggest getting one of those garden feeder bottles putting DE in it and spray the buggers. DE will get rid of gnats but they are tricky winged things. They are also attracted to water, put a bowl of water on top of your cement block fence if you have one and add DE to the water.

Smoke em out. Smolder a fire in your pit when you are not using the outdoors. Gad, just the thought of this is painful lol

Make a sweet spot in an area you do not normally use. Water down honey and put DE over it ... that will act like a bug motel for many pests.

Put DE on top of your head. Rub in hair. Those that bother you won't for long. Once bugs with exoskeleton are exposed to DE it's done - they are exposed and it is fatal.

This might rub some the wrong way but another good way is to use cat/dog feces. Place in an area and cover with DE. Bugs are attracted and exposed.

LOL, Deb. You made me giggle with the firepit comment. It's 98 here today. I guess by you that means 106.

Okay i want to rub cat feces in my hair now. heh. No no, DE. heeheehee.

I seriously need to buy some of that. not pool grade...so where do i get some? ACE hardware is close to me. or is that a buy online thing.

Oh, and HI neighbor!

Camp Verde Feed & Country Store Inc Phone: 928 567 3351 - They have it in stock.

Oh, and Hi ... lol

Thanks Jilly,
I have a bag of nip that I dip and roll the ends into. My old kitty boy Sable can't manage hard treats anymore at 15 yrs old so a hand coffee can --with lid keeps treats tender.
My red girl on the left is Muggle from harry potter because she acts like everything must be magic,lol. Sadie is the brindle beauty on the right who's so smart it amazes me. They're both rescues from For The Love of Dog here New England. I noticed you were curious about the catnip--do you have cats? Name? age? Can't help it, I love the furries!

Hmm, I saw some catnip for a good price at my CVS. I think I will get some and try it. I assume it is safe for kittens?

Your dogs are gorgeous! Yes, I am totally a pet person. Right now I have a dog, at cat and a kitten.

Deb, thank you for the beta on the Camp verde feed store. I'll look into that. it would be nice to use something like that instead of toxins. Although I fear I will need toxins for the termites.

Okay, I went to the feed store today and bought the diatom earth. It was not cheap - 11 bucks for 2 pounds. But maybe for my needs a little will go a long way.

Thinking how to begin. I can rub into my kitten's fur for starters.

Okay, I just created a thread of its own for DE - frugal uses for diatomaceous earth

It needs help, please!

Wow! You guys have some great tips! Here are a few of mine...

Check the discount veggie/fruit/bread section of the grocery store. The veggies and fruit are good for cooking.

Meals for the week are usually based on what is on sale at the grocery store. This especially holds true for meat and veggies since I don�t get coupons for these items.

I make my own salad dressings, croutons and breadcrumbs. Not only cheaper, plus a great way to use old bread, but much healthier than store bought.

I keep glass jars from sauce etc. to make my dressings.

I do grow most of my spices but there a lot that are very unique that I do buy but I try to buy at a bulk spice store.

My coffee grinds end up in the garden for my roses. I believe coffee grinds are also good for tomatoes.

Like Jilly no cable � over the air broadcast, hulu and Netflix.

I just started using vinegar and baking soda for cleaning and I love it! I still use bleach in my laundry for my sheets but that is mainly because I am allergic to dust mites. (Though I do love the smell of my sheets and towels after being washed in bleach...smells SO clean).

Thought of one more...in the winter I make my own bread and rolls.

Allison,

Vinegar and Borax will was out dust mites - also - you can put down DE on your bed and pillows and then zip them with hypo-allergenic bags. That will kill dust mites, spiders, bed bugs - the whole shabam

Jilly I'm gonna post this information into this thread too so people can find it.

This is a great option for cost effective Food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade 50 Lb

Anybody who is into green living without having to pay the green for living - this is the way to go for DE if you don't have a reasonable feed store in your area.

Jilly is also running a thread on DE in Frugal Living if anybody is looking for tips, tricks, suggestions be sure to check it out.

Allison, those are great tips! My store does not seem to have a soft/bruised fruit produce section, which i find to be a pity. I can always find uses for perfectly good fruit with a bad spot.

I do go right to the clearance sections of stores though to see what might be new. Usually there is nothing I want, but if you are persistent you can pick up the perfect deal.

I keep the food jars as well from many things. It's like getting a free jar with purchase when you think about it. I never have enough containers, it seems.

I want to come over for your homemade breads! Mmmmm. Do you have any tips/recipes for frugal salad dressings to share?

One frugal tip that I have is to know where your local recycle shops are.

In the Eastern Kansas?Western Missouri (KC) area we have a place called Surplus Exchange. They take in computers and refurbish them.They also take in stray office furniture that is looking for a home. Maybe they should be called Office Furniture Rescue! LOL. Seriously, you can get all kinds of file cabinets, executive desks, and chairs there!

I once had a principal who would not get desks for my class. He got me some tables, and the kids spent all of their time kicking and elbowing each other, because the tables were too small! I went to Surplus Exchange and bought the desks myself for about $50! Eventually, I was reimbursed.

Anyhow, I was looking for notebooks to hold my resources for Algebra classes that I'm teaching this year. I want one for each quarter, and I'm teaching 3 classes=12 notebooks.

At an office supply store, the kind that I wanted sell for $5-$11 each. Teachers don't make enough to spend $60-100 on binders! I went to Surplus Exchange, a nice little field trip that took about an hour, and bought about 20 binders. How much did I pay? $2.15! Not apiece, $2.15 total--for all 20!

Now that's frugal!

The other place that I love is J.C. Penney Outlet. I have saved thousands of dollars there.

For men's shirts, there is a little thrift store in downtown KCK. It has wonderful bargains--and new or nearly new, too.

It just pays to know where to get what!

The one tip that always reminds me to be frugal is "Never take more than what you need."

That is a philosophy of Native American peoples that shows respect to Mother Earth. Like when gathering sage I take only what I need for a particular purpose and no more.

I agree Phyllis! They were ready to sell me a pallet of binders for $5. I didn't need that many. Just enough to fill with algebra, my college classes, and a few for kids who can't afford a binder. I like to have a few "just in case."

As humans, we have desires. Sometimes you need to reward yourselves too. For me, I'd put aside money for savings first, then spend the rest accordingly. If I have something in mind to buy, then I'd dig into "the rest" rather than depend on the "savings". If there's no extra for that month, then I won't get the item. Exercise self-restraint!

Here is something i have been very excited about - using old tires!

You can get them free from any tire shop - just ask for the ones they are throwing away. You are doing a good deed by keeping them out of the landfill, BTW.

So far I am using tires for my compost bin (stacks of three or four), my potato mound, as cold frames for overwintering carrots, winter greens and radishes, and as a 'bucket' for a sand/oil combo for cleaning and preserving garden tools.

Tires also make good swings for kids.

I think the best tip I had was to decide to wait 24 hours before buying an item. This helps separate an impulse purchase or one made because of good salesmanship by the seller from an item that I truly need or at least want a lot.

Anne, that is a super smart tip. I often do something like that. I will shop and put things i like in my basket. When I am done, I start looking at what I have and taking things out.

I only keep what I decide I actually need or will get a significant amount of use out of. Everything else gets put back. I figure i now know where the thing in question is, and can always go back for it if necessary.

So far i think i've gone back for an item like twice.

So far I am thinking the best thing I do is use less utilities. I am very specific about what i'm using with all of them. I've even eliminated a few. To me, chopping off regular monthly expenses is the best and first place to look into saving money.

I'm not sure if this is considered a frugal tip. When my husband and I were just starting out we didn't have a lot of money and it was difficult to pay the bills. At the time, I wasn't working so we only had one paycheck.

To get a handle on paying bills, I wrote down the dollar amount of our yearly expenses and divided it by 26 (this is how many paychecks we had in a year). Each payday I put that amount in an envelope for that expense. If there wasn't enough money to go around, I skrimped where I could, usually on groceries or clothing. I never borrowed from the acutal bill money. I also included an expense amount for savings.

I am very frugal these days. My tips are to think carefully before you buy anything, buy only what you absolutely need, and comparative shop for the best prices. Don't waste, and recycle what you can.

Jenny, I love that idea! It seems like a no-fail way to make sure every bill is paid. And then you can clearly - cash in hand - see what is left over for anything else.

If i had to cancel my checking account, I would do just this and be on a cash-only system.

Debbie, absolutely. Thinking before shopping is crucial.

I usually carry things around in my cart for a while, so i can hold it, look at it and think about it while i shop. I make a point of putting back almost everything I can, and thinking things through before heading to the register. Sometimes it's good enough to just carry something around for a while and pretend it's mine. Then i realize i don't have to actually own everything i want.

I'm also pretty good at comparison shopping. I shop at a bunch of places and use my Price List for much of it. Where do you usually shop? What stores, online or off, do you use mostly in your comparison shopping?

My teenage daughter and adult son were raised to appreciate the challenge and unique nature of thrift stores and garage sales for clothes. I have no idea how much that has saved me through the years.

Don't use fabric softeners, they work by separating fibers and cause clothes to wear out more quickly.

Cut down on meat, we eat a lot of beans and rice. Frozen vegetables are frequently more economical than fresh as well.

Making your own bread is only economical if you're buying ingredients in bulk, call restaurants to find big food service buckets to store lots of flour etc.

If your town makes money from tourism, it can be astounding what you can find that's low cost or free for entertainment. Last summer my kids and I went on a tour of a Japanese training war ship that was docked in Anchorage, we took the bus downtown, and a local gift shop was giving out free hot dogs, so that's what we had for lunch. Hours of entertainment for the cost of 3 bus fares

Mend it!

Keep some flex money in your budget to stock up on things when they hit wonderful prices. If you lack storage in your kitchen, check under your bed for shelf stable things. A lot of times people limit their spending even while there are great deals because they only think of buying things that will fit in their cupboards.

My favorite shops for clearance new clothes are Frey Meyers and Hot Topic. Both stores have occasional sales on clearance priced things. My 65 yo dad loves his super cool 5 dollar Hot Topic teeshirts!

Keep your family's shoe sizes on hand. This sounds silly, but I've gotten 9 dollar Chuck Taylors for my family and other great shoe deals just by having their shoe sizes on hand.

Shop off season! Living in Alaska, I *know* my dad and son will want long underwear, so I buy it in June as well as buying sweaters in the middle of summer as well. I buy fans for the house in September, and space heaters in April.

Mending:

Mend clothes and socks as long as possible, including turning up the frayed hems of jeans, using bondex on the inside of holes in jeans and shirts, reversing the collars on shirts.

Shala and Susan, mending is absolutely a great frugal thing to do. I don't sew, but i have a nice lady in town who has a tiny seamstress shop. She does awesome hand sewn work, at a pittance of the price of a new consumer item.

I try to only buy things these days that are made with quality, so I can have them repaired/mended. I also like having a cobbler around to repair leather shoes, boots and purses. In my town, we have leatherwork repairs also done on horse tackle and saddles!

I love the idea of a mend-it society. Not the throw-away society we grew up with in the latter half of the last century.

BTW for everyone else: If you are a handy person, i know there are tons of you tube videos that show how to sew, repair, mend or duct tape together everything that can be fixed.

Shoes

I had to show you these shoes. Very creative and frugal.

I am hearing a lot of "use it up and wear it out, make do, or do without" and I think that sums a lot of it up.
To think about your purchases better, write on a small card what some of your financial goals are, ones you care about. Put it in your wallet someplace so you have to look at it to get to your cash/checkbook/debit card.
Don't be afraid of so-called trash. I posted about the awesome Alaskan things I do now, but years ago in Oregon I got nice rose bushes out of an actual dumpster. I found clothes and other random household goods in trash. Cruising neighborhoods on their trash pickup day can fix up your home in no time.
Do the math eery few years on baking your own bread. 10 years ago, I ran similar numbers to what Shala has now. The change in the economy has shifted things here at the other end of the road, and now I can bake my own bread with the really good King Arthur Flour for 1/3 the cost of a cheap loaf. My family likes homemade bread, too.
Get your kids started young thinking about reuse, libraries, etc. If they are saying they are bored, then they obviously need to learn a frugal skill or to bend their creativity making things out whatever you have on hand.

Jilly.....I usually only shop now for basic necessities (you should see the pair of sneakers I should be replacing, but I keep putting it off).

I compare prices for food and paper products at the local grocery stores and also WalMart. I find WalMart cheaper for paper products, canned goods, and dry goods. The Walmart stores close to me are not super stores, so I need to get my fresh produce elsewhere.

I don't do a lot of online shopping because of shipping fees.

Hello there,

To stop impulse buying of treats or things that may be construed as a treat (no matter what) I have some 'I can spend it money' and I add to it monthly. Only thing is that it is frozen and in my freezer in a plastic container. I add to it every month or open up a new container. Notes only, by the time this exact money (these notes) has defrosted the impulse to buy or the opportunity to buy or the interest to buy has passed and it goes back into the freezer.

I know it does not attract interest in the bank but then neither does it attract bank fees which are iniquitous here in SA and I have saved a great deal by caring for my own money my own way - a kind of forced savings too.

I once went on a fab holiday using my frozen assets, still had a good amount left over and started again. Of course I have done other things too, but they were worth it and measured and there was time to defrost and still want to spend.

My absolute weakness is my porcelain dolls or my bonsai collections. Oh dear what a test. But the ice helps cool it considerably and I am still a winner!

I NEVER defrost just in case. That is one of the rules.

Cheers

Out of the last 100 things I bought over the last 3 years, I must have paid shipping on probably 17 items.

Just use Amazon's over $25 free option without joining the 2-day shipping club.

Don't shop when you are hungry.

Along some of these lines, I did write an article about the difference between buying cheap and being thrifty here: Beware of False Thrift.

Basically, buy GOOD goods, durable goods, things you can use to death, mend and reuse for a long, productive life. What's nice is that often these excellent goods are handcrafted treasures you can really enjoy owning.

Hi All,

I thought 'my' idea which I learnt from my gran who taught my Mom was an original one! Imagine my surprise of seeing that scene in Coyote Ugly DVD when she keeps a roll of money in the freezer (which in turn gets stolen) so it certainly is not an unusual place or way to keep money or be frugal or save your bucks.

My best frugal living tip is to buy, make, keep, use, have and etc. ENOUGH. More than this is too much and clutters up your life. Of course this is when any of these actions are in your control.

When there isn't enough around for ENOUGH in your life, keep at it as there is so much time and resources wasted on trying to find and get enough that is too sad for words when you see it or think about it all.

Well there we are then.

Smiling say cheers