Any good tips from people out there living frugally?

Question

I'm going to school, expecting a kid this summer, and I'm moving out of my parents' house... any good advice to save some money?

Answer 1

At the grocery store, buy generic or store-name brands instead of brand name items such as Heinz, Campbell's or Kraft.

Drink water instead of soft drinks. When you just want something different to drink, make iced tea from tea bags. It's the cheapest way to make iced tea.

Eat oatmeal at least once a day, every day. It takes very little to fill you up and is very healthy for you. It is full of fiber, reduces bad cholesterol and regulates your digestive tract. Sweeten it with honey rather than sugar. Honey has an avalanche of medicinal qualities while sugar has absolutely none. DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO AN INFANT!

Re-use EVERYTHING. That means any jars that have lids - wash them out and use them to take your lunch to work or school with you. If you have the individual serving sizes of bottled water, use those bottles over and over. You can fill them with iced tea or more water to be more portable. If you buy ice cream in the plastic tubs, that tub is great for storing cereals, crackers or even oatmeal and keeping it fresher than the usual boxes. Plastic margarine tubs make a great bowl for cereals or ice cream or can be used to store other things in the fridge like diced or sliced onions without contaminating the other items in the fridge with that oniony smell.

Use petroleum jelly as a skin softener. There is no need for expenisve lotions when a store-brand of petroleum jelly works just as well - if not better.

Buy your bars of soaps at the dollar store in the multi-bar packs. Use bars of soap to wash your hair. Since you have a little one in the house, you might want to use Ivory for everything. Soap is soap no matter what you need it for. And a bar of soap will outlast liquid soap every time. If you need liquid soap for dishwashing, get the economy brand and the biggest bottle you can find to fill all the soap dispensers in the house. A great soap dispenser are those sports water bottles that have a pop-up lid to drink from. It closes securely between uses.

Use baking soda (doesn't have to be arm and hammer) to keep odors down in the fridge, in the baby's room, in the cat litter box, and even in shoes. Just sprinkle some baking soda in the shoe, shake it around, lert it sit overnight and it will be fresh smelling the next morning.

If there are items that you have to get that are national brand names, use coupons and look around for stores that offer double the value of the coupons. IGA does in most states. Kroger does in some states.

Buy canned meats like Spam and tuna at the Dollar Store or Family Dollar. These stores usually have the best deals on canned meats and tuna. Wal-Mart has the biggest selection of generic brands.

To keep meat in your diet, buy hot dogs in bulk. You can dice hot dogs to put on pizzas, into sloppy joe to stretch your hamburger, pan fry it in barbecue sauce for an inexpensive barbecue sandwich.

Make everything from scratch - it's less expensive and usually tastes better. Make all your own mixes rather than buying store bought items. For mix recipes, go to http://www.budget101.com and click on "recipes."

Mix rice into just about everything you cook. It will make everything thicker and more filling.

Make sure you eat at least two servings of fruits every day. Take a multi-vitamin every day. Keeping the doctor visits to a minimum is essential when stretching your money. Invest in boullion cubes and add them to gravies, sauces or soups. You don't have to use a whole cube in a small recipe - you can chip off a corner or two just to add some flavor.

Buy dehydrated eggs to make your egg money go a lot further. These can be purchased at http://honeyvillegrains.com. To really save on food dollars, you can use dehydrated fruits from honeyville and use them on your cereal. They go a lot further than fresh fruits and contain the same nutritional value when rehydrated.

Don't throw out your stockings that have runs in them. You can use stockings to store onions and potatoes in the cellar. Put an onion in the toe, tie a knot, put another onion in, tie a knot, another onion, then knot - etc. Do not put potatoes and onions together in the same stocking. They should be hung away from each other. When you need an onion, simple cut off the stocking below the knot. To use the stockings after that, cut them in thin strips and use them to tie tomato plants and other vines to stakes. They stretch so they will give when the stem grows thicker.

Use baby powder (store brand) as a foundation under makeup. Use baby powder as an anti perspirant under your arms. Use a sprinkle of baby powder in your shoes to keep your feet comfortable in hot weather.

Use clothes you or your child outgrow to make into quilts. Cut them into squares or triangles for knitting or quilting projects. Sew a seam in pieces of old clothes to wrap a plain old garden pot for an indoor plant. Use the material of old clothes to make throw pillows for your couch or bed. There is nothing wrong with making your own "stuffed animals" with material from a torn or worn dress or slacks. Use everything to the nth degree! Don't throw out the old shoelaces with worn out shoes. Wash and disinfect the old shoelaces to use later in the garden to hold up vining plants.

Save the lint from your dryer and keep it in a ziploc bag. The next time you want to start the charcoal on a barbecue grill, put lint under and around the charcoal and light it with a match. It will light the charcoal without needing lighter fluid. Lint is an excellent way to start a campfire if you go camping, too. The lint fire starter will work longer if you add a dab of petroleum jelly (yes, the stuff you use to moisturize your hands) in the ziploc bag with it and work the lint around with it. The pj will let the lint burn longer to help get the fire really going.

Save pill bottles to keep buttons and sewing needles in.

Save the cardboard rolls when the toilet paper or paper towels are gone. These are an excellent way to store your extra extension cords or computer cables in. Just wind up the cord and stuff them into the cardboard roll. Mark on the roll what cord it is holding.

Use shoe bags - the kind that hang over a door and have 16-20 transparent pockets - to place toys in. You can see at a glance where each item is. Use them in the kitchen to hold spatulas and serving spoons or extra spices and seasonings. Use them in the baby room for the baby powder, safety pins, diapers, first aid items and so on.

Invest in a book called Heloise Hints. She's a saver and frugal housekeeper fron the get-go.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Cook and shop in bulk and on sales. Save energy, gas, and time.
Portion meals out in the freezer for microwave later.
Use a pressure cooker to save energy.
Plan some meatless meals, such as beans and rice.
Eat more soups.
Don't eat out or buy coffee/drinks out. (This can add up to a LOT of savings.) Take a thermos with coffee in the car if you must have it away from home.
Don't eat empty calories. This will be good for your health too. No soft drinks, chips, candy, etc. Same for highly packaged and processed foods. Buy fresh, if you can.
Don't use credit cards except for emergencies and don't run a balance. You'll save a fortune in finance charges.
Scrutinize everything you spend money on and stop whatever isn't essential. People think a cell phone is a priority, but unless you need it for your income producing work, it's a luxury. We did without them for a long, long time before they were invented. People had kids then, too.
Get rid of your extra telephone services, cable TV, etc. You'll have more time to read and enjoy the company of those you love.
Use the library.
Make your dates with others to be in nature, take walks, and other free and wonderful activities.
Take up hobbies that are cost free, such as bird watching and people watching.
Group your errands so you use less gas. Walk or ride a bike for nearby errands when you can.
Definitely, it's better to own than rent. If you can buy a two-family house, your tenant's rent will pay most of your household bills.
Shop in dollar stores and consignment shops. Great bargains!
Give up being worried about what's in style or what others think.
Take care of and drive your cars until they die.

That should be good for starters. Once you change your way of thinking, you'll come up with more on your own.

Answer 3

The first thing and most important I think is to stop waste immediately. Stop wasting electricity, long distance bills, heat. Stop paying too much for things and buy only what you really need. Clip coupons, shop the sales. Make meals out of leftovers. When you see toilet paper on sale buy it in bulk. I would say stay away from Sam's Clubs and those warehouse stores because in my experience you buy 50 lightbulbs but also sweatpants and a VCR that you didn't go there for. You can subscribe to a free frugal newsletter:

http://frugalliving.about.com/c/ec/1.htm

Answer 4

We buy our groceries from walmart supercenter. It doesn't always have to be generic. Walmart carries the same stuff as publix for way less the cost. Cloth diapers have changed from the "olden days" .they are now SO COOL! Do a search on ebay. You can get them used,almost new,new a little cheaper on ebay. Also when your done using them,you can resell them on ebay for the same cost,or even more. You not only save by not buying disposables,but make your money back by reselling them. My favorite brands are KUSHIES and FUZZI BUNZ. look up www.fuzzibunz.com or www.kushies.com Pls dont judge them,before you do some research. I find a lot of good name brand stuff for my kids at goodwill. NIce stuff like gymboree,gap,tommy hilfigure,etc...for just 1-3 $ a peice for pants, or shirts. No one can tell my littler children wear goodwill stuff,cus its all only stainfree,namebrand,nice stuff. Sometimes,but not always you can find good used ,or new name brand clothing lots on ebay too. Some stuff you buy from the thrift stores you can turn around and sell on ebay too. IF your there to shop,or just browse,you will run into older stuff that is worth a lot of money on ebay. I buy old dolls from goodwill all the time for 1dollar and have made at least 30dollars profit. Some go for way more,like hundreds. DO as much research about credit,and whats on your credit report. The better your credit is,the more money you can SAVE on a cost twards a house,or anything you put on a credit card,interest fess,etc...are lower when you have credit. And you will qualify for more credit,so you can hav e a credit card set aside that you should use only for emergencies. It's hard having a kid single,or not,and getting a flat tire,and not even having money,or a credit card to pay for it. IM not in that situation anymore,but I had to learn a lot about credit to even get where Im at now.

Answer 5

First of all, sign up for every Mommy-to-be program you can find. Almost all baby formula, diaper, and baby care companies have these programs, just go to their websites. They'll send you samples, coupons, and valuable information in the mail. When my son was born, we saved HUNDREDS of dollars using formula coupons/checks and getting free samples in the mail. Enfamil actually sent 4 cans of formula to my house when I had my child. Go to the baby aisle at your favorite discount store and write down every brand name you see. Visit their websites and sign up for every program they offer. Trust me, it's time well spent.
Also, to save money, buy store-brand foods when you buy groceries. Usually, they're just as good as name brands and often they're made by the same companies. Clip coupons and utilize them at stores that offer to double (or triple) them.
When it comes time to outfit your little one, consider visiting thrift stores (Goodwill, ARC, Salvation Army). Babies grow so fast that they often outgrow clothes and shoes before they can wear them out. You can find good quality stuff at a great price, all while supporting a worthy cause.
Another area where you can save a lot of money is on household cleaners. This kind of info is all over the internet. You can use vinegar, lemon juice, rubbing alcohol and baking soda to clean up a lot of messes at a fraction of the price. Take a look around and you may be surprised what you can find.
I hope some of these tips help. I wish you and your family the best!

Answer 6

Don't eat out
Only do full loads of laundry
Turn lights out and water off when not in use
Shop sales and clip coupons
Plan errands to be done in one outing
Find free banking
Adjust the thermostat, wear more or less clothing depending on the season
Be creative, recycle normal stuff to be used in place of other stuff.

Answer 7

The biggest ways you can do this are in expense categories that are recurring--those you must pay every month that represent a big part of your income. The quickest to address are downsize your car expenses ASAP. You can do this by selling what have at top price as listed on KBB.com private party value. If you take your time selling you should be able to get "Private Party" value for your car. Then plan to buy a lower cost, reliable used car that Consumer Reports rates as most reliable. That way you can minize your repair costs--this is typically a huge ongoing expense for most people. I have four older cars that are of these types that Consumer Reports recommends most reliable: Honda civic and Odyssey, Ford escort and Suburu (mine has 284,000 miles on it). Also, these cars get good gas mileage. Another priority when you buy to help you save $. When you buy use KBB.com and try to find cars selling for well under the Private Party value. I always buy well used cars this way. I wait until I see one advertised well below the private party value, then I call asap, give seller a $50 deposit and write up a contract I will buy it subject to my mechanic finding no major problems. You want to buy an older car for cash (like $1,500) so you don't have to pay any collission or other extra insurance and that reduces your expenses more. I have a Ford Escort wagon (I like wagons and vans because cops pull you over less on these family cars--we have way too many cops, not that I get tickets. But I just like to be left alone, I digress . . .) I bought my Ford Escort wagon for $1,500 five years ago and it has 180,000, miles and looks great, drives like a dream and has had the lowest repair cost of any car I owned. That is my dream car because you can buy them so cheap, about 1,000 for a 1993 easy. Then be sure you shope insurance coverage among various companies--Geico tends to have cheap coverage--to get lowest cost insurance. If you own a home, you can do that same idea by looking for a bargain house. With the depressed market this is a great time to buy a fixer upper well below market to reduce your housing expenses asap. Sell your current home at market rate. If you rent, you need to own because you reduce your expenses by deducting the payment from your taxes. If your credit score is above 500 you should be able to get a loan or find a lender who can help you get your credit score up. By the way, better to buy one of those well used cars with a loan to reduce your car expenses. In general you need to become a serious bargain buyer on quality cars and on houses. You can find bargain houses on the HUD website of foreclousres using a realtor. Just be sure to bid way low on HUD foreclosures--realtors will suggest you bid too high. Be cheap, cheap, cheap and you will reduce your monthly expenses on these things.

One other point, if you find yourself overspending on consumer stuff you buy, you need to get self control. Best way to do this is not a budget but fasting. Start skipping a meal and then work up to where you skip food one day per week. I fast a day a week regularly and am unbelievalbe disciplined. I must be because I provide for a family of 6: with 5 older girls, two in college, etc. Talk about expensive! But I never buy anything in a store on impulse because fasting has trained me to be way disciplined.

Source(s):
KBB.com used car values
Zillow.com home values. Multiply the value they give you by 1.15 and you will be close o market value. Also look at comparable sales on that web site for a per square foot value to apply to the home you are considering. Watch out with realtors. They tend to push you to pay too much but you must use a realtor to buy a HUD foreclosure. You can shop other bargain houses with motivate

Answer 8

Get an abortion is about the best mony saving advice I can give.