Friday, November 2, 2012

Frugal Friday: How I saved money this week (Nov. 1)

 Lots of saving going on in my home this week! I've been a busy girl!

1. I was given a couple sacks of green tomatoes so I made green tomato salsa and a Green Tomato Pie. I used Stevia in place of the sugar which turned out pretty good.

Green Tomato Salsa


2. I'm trying new ways  to get our water bill down. I came up with a couple more ideas. I purchased two small buckets from the dollar store and put one in the kitchen and one in the bathtub. I'm saving my kitchen rinse water into a dishpan and once I'm finished washing dishes I pour it into the bucket which then gets poured into the bucket in the shower which then can be used for 'flushing'.  I also put a small, shallow plastic container in the bathroom sink to catch the water when we wash our hands which then goes into the shower bucket. Lastly, we put a bucket under the tub faucet to catch water when we take a shower. I'm amazed at how much water has been just going down the drain.. along with my money. :-)

3. I love aprons and wear them all the time to protect my clothes when I'm working in the kitchen. I think this is a very frugal practice because it keeps my clothes free from stains (which saves stain remover) and also helps my clothes last longer.

4. I made egg drop soup this week which is super easy and super cheap.

5. The window air conditioners have now been covered with plastic on the outside to keep the cold air from coming into the house. This should help on our heating bill this winter. I'm imagining that since the house was built in 1917 it will be quite drafty. :-)

6. I put my shampoo into a pump style hand soap dispenser. I used a fraction of what I normally do and it did the job just fine.

7. I'm saving the remnants from our meat that we normally don't eat such as the skin, grissle and small leftover pieces. I placed these in a bag in the freezer for a recipe I found to make dog food which I will end up canning. I also saved some leftover rice which will also go in the recipe. This is food that I would normally have just thrown away.

8. A neighbor asked if I'd like her pumpkin. I plan to cook it for pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving and to eat like squash with our meals. I kept putting off buying a pumpkin until after Halloween hoping the prices would drop.

9. I order some foam inserts for the inside of our air conditioner to help with drafts. I did a search online using (SWAGBUCKS) (which helps me earn money)  to see if there were any discount codes for free shipping,etc. I did find one and didn't have to pay the shipping.

10. I'm still cleaning out old business files. I kept the paper that only had print on one side. I'll use it for my computer. Most of the things I print from my computer are for personal use so it doesn't matter if there is print on one side or not.

What did you do in your home this week to save money? I love to learn from other women. Oh, and hop over to Life as Mom for more Frugal Friday ideas.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.    Matthew 6:33 ESV


12 comments:

  1. I actually took old jewelry (gold and silver) and pieces of jewelry (broken) and went into town to get an idea what the stuff was worth just sitting around for years in a box. When I left the Gold and Diamond Exchange, the jewelry didn't come home with me. I went a head and gave it to the Exchange because they gave me a fabulous price which I then added to our savings account.

    Another way to save money, this one is on your electric bill. Fill cleaned out milk cartons with water and place them in your freezer (when theres extra space) this stops the freezer from constantly running to keep open space cold. It also has another benefit, cold cooler ice when you need to use a cooler. Just pull out a 1/2 gallon container of frozen water and place it in your cooler. You can also use these frozen milk jugs for another water source.

    I have curtains from my old home, I hang them across my front and back doors over the frames to help cut any drafts from coming in during the winter time. The curtains of course are the thick,and double layer curtains.

    When making hot tea, I try to re-use my tea bag.
    And when making a pot of coffee, once the coffee has brewed, I place the remaining coffee in a thermas to keep it hot all day. This way I don't have to re-heat the coffee or make another pot. I also use the coffee grounds and tea bags in my compost.

    Any books I read, I share and exchange with friends. When everyone is finished reading, I go to the 1/2 price bookstore or Hastings and sell the books or get store credit for the opportunity to purchase other books, movies or cd's.

    Just a few additional things I do at home to help with cutting cost or cutting back wasted space.

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    Replies
    1. I've been thinking about making some heavy curtain liners. I'm thinking yours are made for the inside of the house. Right? What type of material did you use or did you purchase them already made?

      You did great this week! Lots of good ideas! Thanks for sharing!

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    2. I bought some eclipse black out drapes from Walmart and they have saved us a ton of energy. We have hot hot hot rooms in the summer so we hang them in the bedrooms in summer and then I just moved them to the drafty 3 season porch yesterday because they really keep out drafts. You buy each panel separately and they are about 10-15 a piece. They will last forever!! Might be less than making them yourself!!

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  2. Great tips & savings!! :) Your dog will be happy!

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  3. It turns out I have a hearing loss and am applying for free hearing aids which, if the application is approved, will save a lot of money.

    Also, I tried to stay within the food budget for the month, and did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great idea about the free hearing aids. Is there a website with this information you could post?

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    2. No, but the audiologist who examined my hearing is helping me apply. I think it is different in every state and also for us senior citizens who need them.

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  4. You ALWAYS have so many good money saving tips. I really appreciate hearing new ways to save!
    Thanks for your sweet comments on my blog!
    Hugs,

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  5. Not sure if you have ever read the blog Frugal Queen. She is a blogger in Great Britain who decided to live frugally and pay off all her debt. Her and her husband paid off all their consumer debt(around 70k) and are now paying down their mortgage. This woman is the most amazing at saving money on utilities. Her water and electricity savings are amazing. You would undoubtedly learn tons of new tricks.

    There is the odd swear word, but for the most part it is good reading. You should check her out.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the recommendation Theresa. I hope to check it out today. I'm always looking for more ways to save. :-)

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  6. where did you find the dog food recipe?

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    Replies
    1. This is where I read about it and where I found the recipe:

      http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/search/label/Dog%20Food

      I've made dog food before but never thought about saving pieces from our meat or about canning it so I'm excited to try it. I've already saved meat from 3 meals and it's in the freezer in a bag. :-)

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