How Can YOu save MOney and be Cheap?

Question

I like to use my Downey Sheets over and over again, and paper towels after they have dried.

Any suggestions or advice on how to live cheaply and recycle?

Answer 1

THRIFT STORES!!!!!
I only shop thrift stores. There are several in my neighborhood and you can find really good stuff for dirty cheap. My personal advice only buy name brands that you know and trust. You know the kind of wear and life of a GAP t-shirt over a t-shirt from Wal-Mart.
And if you a few thrift stores you like, you can find out when they get shipments, when they have special sale days, if they have a mailing list and they send out coupons. I have found everything from jeans to high-end designer purses. You just have to know label's and know what you want and you can find some real treasures.

Answer 2

Ok, let's see. Read the supermarket flyers all the time for sales, like 10 for $10 deals. Buy generic, it's usually the same product with a different label. Don't eat out. Make all your own food. No cereal or frozen dinners, they're overpriced. Start going to yard sales on weekends and haggle. Rinse out ziplock bags, dry, and reuse. Make sure to use every drop of shampoo or detergent, even if you have to add a little water and shake it up. If they're not dirty, jeans and pants can be fluffed in the dryer with a wet dishcloth.

I have done all of this to save money. Your best investment would be a package of cheap dishtowels. They can be washed and re-used time after time. I have a ton of them in a drawer and use them daily.

Answer 3

There's a huge difference between being frugal and cheap! My husband and I are often very frugal but NEVER cheap.

My first suggestion would be to stop using paper toweling and switch to rags, even if you buy them. My preference is old dish rags. The purpose of this exercise is to stop waste and save money. The only place paper toweling is necessary is in the microwave for wrapping bread products or absorbing grease from bacon. Even then you can put newspaper below the paper toweling so you use less. I wouldn't reuse the toweling after micro-defrosting bread or bakery. For other foods just use a plastic plate cover.

Stock up on things you use regularly when they are on sale very cheap. Keeping a full stock of everything is time-consuming but well worth it.

Shop at Aldi for staples if there's one near you.

Buy yourself a Flavor Saver vacuum sealer and you'll find it pays for itself in no time because you stop wasting food. Things like cheese won't mold and you won't ever get freezer burn on meats. Where possible (other than in the freezer) use canning jars instead of the bags as you can use them over and over again.

Buy the loss leaders at all the local grocery chains.

Use half the amount of laundry detergent suggested on the box. They want you to use more than you need or is good for your clothing. Same for dishwasher powder and toothpaste. A coffee scoop of dishwasher powder is all you need. And you can make your own Jet Dry by combining 3 cups Borax with 1-1/2 cups of baking soda. Add 1 tablespoon per dishwasher load.

Shop at legitimate outlet stores for things like bread, bakery, candles, etc. Check around to see what companies have factories in your town or nearby. You might be surprised at what you can find heavily discounted. We can buy everything from great cookies and breads to electronic equipment. The bread products are often sold at $1.09 and there are coupons to save an additional 50% off once a month. I can bring home several bags of Brownberry, Thomas, Boboli and Entenmann products for well under $5.00. Some of their items retail at nearly that much for one item.

Stop buying all the fancy cleaning products and stick to things like ammonia water or bleach water where possible. Ammonia cleans well and removes grease. Bleach disinfects. Never EVER mix ammonia and bleach. For windows just use rubbing alcohol and water. It works far better than window cleaners.

Don't put your clothing in the dryer for more than a toss or two to take out wrinkles. It's the dryer that wears them out! BTW... Are you aware that dryer sheets are damaging to the dryer? You're much better off using liquid in the washer. Also, you should never use fabric softener of any kind of fabics you want to be absorbent. That would includes towels, bed linens, cotton t-shirts, etc. Fabric softener leaves a waxy coating that stops absorption.

Cook from scratch. Processed foods are VERY expensive and aren't nearly as good. Try cooking on the weekend, making several entrees to eat during the week. Put them all in the oven at once, saving both time and energy. You could bake a treat for the week at the same time. Frozen vegetables have more nutrients than fresh and are less expensive.

Use the most inexpensive laundry detergent you can find for washing things like dark colors, rugs, rags, etc. Save the Tide for light colors. It is the best.

NEVER buy disposable anything. That includes all the Swiffer type stuff, disinfecting cleaning wipes, plastic containers, paper plates, etc. And if you can deal with using fabric napkins you'll save in the long run. We still purchase napkins as we can't get used to using fabric. The only other paper items we buy are TP and Kleenex and plastic Ziplock bags for special use. We do wash and reuse the bags. Investing in good quality products that you can use for life are a much better investment besides being more environmentally friendly.

Buy as much as you can in bulk, like spices from a local spice shop. Store them in glass jars you've saved from other purchases. I keep a whole bin of glass jars in the basement since I never know what size or kind I might want.

The best rule of thumb is this... If you buy it, find it somewhere at a lower price. If it's disposable try not to buy it at all. And before you buy anything look around at what you already have to see if it can do double duty.

I love this one.... take your old empty ink cartridges to Office Max or Office Depot and receive a free ream of printer paper. Some people refill their cartridges but I've read too many horror stories and read too many cons about the print heads and damage.

Sign up at About.com and go to the Frugal Living forum. It's all about saving money.

Answer 4

cheapsk8.com

Has some GREAT tips and ideas to help you stretch the dollar.