My number 1 tip is to organize your house. You are more likely to use up things you have instead of buying new if you know what you have and where to find it. 🏦
To live with joy: A great and wise tip to saving money. It reminds me of one autumn day last year, here in Denmark. A friend of mine had suggested a trip to a fancy museum of modern art. Expensive.There were crowds of people, and I wondered why? My friend then said: People were bored at home because of the bad, rainy weather. So they had to go out somewhere instead. Well, I just thought to myself: I'm never bored. I love rainy weather as much as a sunny day, as I always have a book to read, and honestly: I prefere to draw or do a watercolor painting at home instead of going to an exhibition. I wouldn't say that to others because it sounds like bragging. But this is the truth.
I switched to bar soap for bathing. Saves money and I dont seem to waste as much. For cleaning dishes we put dish soap in a spray bottle with half dawn and half water. It takes forever now to get through a whole bottle of detergent. Same amount of bubbles for less :)
My mom has always been diligent about molding the thin and fragile bar soap slivers onto the new bar so we haven't wasted any soap in years because we don't throw away those hard to use little piece.
Hello Hope and Larry! I recently found out that my library card allows me to access ALL of the libraries in my county and the neighboring county. I visited in person and online to sign up for various FREE activities. During the month of May I participated in… A book club, several movies (West Side Story, Downtown Abbey Movie Part 1, Cyrano, Belfast, etc.) I also participated in a workshops on Learning how to Compost, Taking care of Perennials, A Cinco de Mayo presentation… Where we each made our own bowl of guacamole and a Mocktail, etc. I also signed up for a workshop on Wills, Trusts and Estate planning. The libraries also offer free tickets to a variety of museums and parks within our metropolitan area. I also joined the senior citizen group in our town and we meet twice a month. They are sponsoring many free and low-cost activities.
One tip is to practice intermittent fasting. It’s not only healthy, but you save money not eating breakfast, snacking between meals, or snacking at night.
When money is super tight I redecorate by moving things from around my home. I get free items that I up cycle and I love the fact my home is decorated on a budget as it's far better for the environment. Another tip is sell unwanted items and only buy splurge items with this money. This really makes you value every penny. Thanks for your videos xxx
Such a wonderful tip. Sometimes moving furniture will open up a walking path making a room light and airy. It also becomes easier to quickly vacuum. Taking photos will show you if you are making good choices when room looks more organized and just generally prettier😍
1) on my soap bar plate, I put an elastic around it, to prevent mildew, keeps my soap lasting so much longer. 2) I go to free museums. 3) I melt my soap rests into a brand new soap bar. 4) I melt my candles rests and ask my family to keep me their candles rests and make new candles out of it. 5) I do my own plant fertilizer, i cut small peices of banana peel and plant it with my plants and tomato plants. 6) During summer time, I put my gym membership on hold, i go bike riding, walking, running instead. 7) I now use shampoo and conditionning bar for my hair, lasts me a year !!!! 8) I have a 2 bed ,1 bath house, fully furnished for free, we new 1 year in advance we were moving, so we started accumulating everything, and kept everything people were throwing away, im so proud to have spend 0$. 9) I make sure my family and friends are frugal too, giving them tips and tricks, because we are like the 5 people we always hang out with. 10) If friends and families are geting rid of stuff, I sell it for them ( because they dont have the patience to sell online, they hate it lol), so i sell it for them and they give me a little something in return. Love your videos, thank you 🙏❤
My dad was "frugal" BUT, sadly, in an unhealthy way. He would turn off the HOT water until HE wanted it... regardless of the family's needs. We kids were always hungry. We were clearly deprived. Being raised so extreme my brother ended up going the other extreme for a while. After a little therapy we both have come to a happy medium... but yea, those extremes, early on, took their toll. One thing we have discovered is that it is VERY different to be FRUGAL by CHOICE than to be FRUGAL by NECESSITY. You guys have found that lovely balance.. and it has obviously paid off. Good for you.
I have a large family 6 sisters 2 brothers every month or so we trade unused food or give each other household items for our children to reuse! Shoes & Jackets/Clothes even Beauty Products that maybe we got and haven’t used or didn’t work us. These days it really has helped. Please Part 3
A warning about shutting your water heater off and turning it back on as needed. First of all, when you turn in on there is such a huge surge in power usage to start it up that it uses almost as much energy as if you just left it on. And secondly, you could shorten the life of your water heater, the constant fluctuation between hot and cold can damage your water heater as things expand and contract.
I used to use 1 1/2 lbs of hamburger in my spaghetti, chili, etc... Each time I made something I started using less each time. Now I use 1/4-1/2 pound now and we do not miss it, and I save money...
It's just me and my husband, so here's what I do to save money and prevent food waste 1) Freeze leftover tomato paste (in ice cube trays), pizza sauce, pasta sauce, any kind of tomato product that I don't use all of and know I won't use it during the week. Freeze bananas that are ripe and you know you won't be using them - put them in smoothies, make banana ice cream, make banana bread whenever you feel like it... 2) Freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays. Cut off the rind and soak in vinegar for a couple weeks - take out the rinds, add a little water and you've got all-purpose cleaner 3) After buying a package of Keiser rolls or hamburger buns, I bag them into quantities of 4 and put them in the freezer. Same goes for tortillas, or any bread product I know we won't be eating right away. 4) At the end of the week I dehydrate any produce before it goes bad. 5) Make a mental note of what meals your husband / family likes, what meals they won't mind having leftovers off. 6) If you're only cooking for two, cut the recipe in half to save on ingredients and not worry about leftovers not being eaten.
You have covered these ways to save almost too well. I will really have to do some deep thinking to figure more. 1) probably gone at most Dollar Trees, but their seeds are a real bargain. They germinate well and offer just enough seeds for a small backyard Victor garden. 2) Never mentioned, but growing the larger keepers can sometimes give you food up until Christmas from one seed. Candy Roasters, cushaw, and even acorn squash are just a few that keep well with no refrigeration for months. Then when you process it is in Winter when the cooking helps keep the house warm. 3) Bake in the winter and freeze to use in Summer when you do not want to heat the house 4) Check with family before running errands to see what is needed. It is a bummer to see family have to run out for a prescription or something necessary. 5). You do not do dairy but for those who do, I buy a gallon, freeze 1/2 gallon of it, take a quart and make buttermilk from a culture that is in buttermilk and 1/4 of a cup to a fresh quart makes another quart…culture bought on Amazon. 6) Quit thinking that a savings on an item is too small. It is an accumulation of ways to save pennies, nickels, and dollars that add up to savings. I hate to hear, “That is only saving $10. 7) I have Fetch, Receipt Hog, and Ibotta downloaded on my IPad. The first two give money back on receipts that are scanned, and the Ibotta gives great cash back on many products. By far my best is having Bing with my Edge on windows paired with Microsoft. I take quizzes for points and makes me smarter :) plus it adds points for all searches. At one time I bought a Dominoes Pizza each month with the gift cards I won. Now I get Amazon card and use to buy seeds win win. 8) Map my errand day so no backtracking 9) water my garden by catching water until it gets warm, and also flushing commode with the water saved in a plastic container kept in BR. 10 ). Do not be impatient…. I needed some unwanted trees cut down, but kept trying to figure a better way, Saw my neighbor cutting one down. Worked out a deal where he cut down a bunch of small unwanted trees for $250, and I did not get an appraisal, but know it would have cost over $1000 to hire a tree trimming companyPlus I had them shut while small. 11). Learn a new skill every year. It is costly to be bored. You are wasting time where you could learn something beneficial that will help later. My Dad said, “Learn all you can, because you never know when it will come in handy.”
Last week I told my husband I wanted to find an inexpensive workout band to exercise with. He rigged up an old bike tube tied to a wooden dowel. Works great! As always, necessity is the mother of inventions. Think outside the box if there is something you want. Sometimes creating solutions is half the fun as the outcome. Keep up the good work. I enjoy you channel very much.
Not sure if this is a tip or not and it’s not for everyone but sometimes when making meals for my kids who are 7 years and younger, I will plate their food before making my own. Almost always they never finish their food so then I will eat what they don’t. Again not for everyone but it’s what I do to cut back on food waste.
Only a mom could eat after their kids. I remember my dad deciding to drink my sister's orange juice since she didn't finish it. He took a swallow and the juice was full of food particles. He never did that again. lol
I cannot do this! But my husband does this pretty much every day at dinner. And we save up their Leftovers throughout the day and he will eat that for a snack when he gets home. And sometimes he will take their Leftovers from dinner for his lunch to work the next day
One thing I've been doing for years is that I take "military showers," where I turn on the tap, rinse myself, then turn the tap off. I then suds up my hair/face, turn on the tap to rinse, then again turn off the tap. I repeat this going down my body (don't want to cross contaminate!). Saves SO much water. I also use the tip you all have to fill a "vessel" with water as the tap warms up. I live in an old house with my parents- we have 12 foot ceilings and the shower is on the top floor. So I have a 5 gallon bucket that I use to collect water as I'm waiting for the warm water to come up from the basement, and I use that water in the bucket as a "free flush" for my toilet when the bucket is full. Also! My dad and I drink Gatorade during the summer or when we've been working out and have been sweating (Or when we've got a stomach bug, yuck!) and we need to replenish our electrolytes. We've found that buying Gatorade powder and mixing it in water at home is SO much cheaper than buying the cases of bottles, plus you have the added benefit of making it as strong or weak as you'd like. You can find it on Amazon. Oh! And there is MUCH less packaging, so a win for the planet as well. Thanks so much for all of your tips!
I have an area in my house that I hang herbs that I grow to dry them. If I don't have a herb in my garden. I'll buy organic fresh herbs and dry them. It will be cheaper than buying organic spices in a premade bottle. Thanks guys I was reading everybody's ideas on how to save.
@@vickyjansen3544 Did you know that some herbs sold in the supermarket can be regrown from leaves? It depends on how they have been treated but if you google it or look on YT I bet you'll find into.
One thing my girlfriends and I do is every season we do a clothing/ accessories swap. We get together at someone’s house, we bring clothes we are tired of but perfectly good, some still brand new and swap with the other girls for a “new wardrobe” for free. It’s something we did with kids clothes as well when our kids were little. Fortunately, we all are about the same size so the clothing swap works well for us.
My suggestion: don't buy things on credit; instead, save up to buy quality. Certain high-quality items, although they cost more up front, will save you money in the long run. After my dad died, my mom raised six kids on a teacher's salary. Her dining room stood empty for several years until she'd saved up enough money to buy a solid oak table, chairs and corner hutch. That furniture set served her from the 1980s until her death in 2020. Mom wasn't afraid to be different from her neighbors. When friends came over, she'd show off her empty dining room and say, "And here's where the dining table and chairs will go, and here's where the corner hutch will go, when we've saved the money to buy them," just as proudly as if they were there already.
When I was younger I had a friend and her sister that got a yearly allowance for clothing once a year.. She and her sister went in together to purchased a sewing machine, patterns and fabric to make most of their clothes. They kept some money back to buy shoes/boots/socks, coats/jeans and underwear.
1) I used to use nail polish and sometimes I paint my toenails. But the paint is so bad for the body that I very rarely do it anymore. I keep my nails very short because long nails encourage germs and more of those I don't need. 2) Before I started to cut my own hair I used to walk to the local beauty college to get a very short bob. However, now I cut my hair really short. The impetus was the quarantine but I was really spurred by my daughter when she said, "Men never worry about their head shape when they have their hair cut short." It saves on shampoo, and I totally eliminated conditioner by keeping my hair short. 3) I only have an apartment deck to garden on and this year but instead of buying veggie plants several inches tall - which could cost anywhere from $2 to $4 each - I've bought seeds that cost far less for more plants. Contrary to what the package reads, I often plant the seeds closer together and will keep the remaining seeds to use in the following years. Seeds are often viable for several years. 4) When we get the catalogs for the local community college and the parks department, I will find the classes I'm interested in and then go to RUclips to look at vids on those subjects. I learn just as much and save the $40 to $160 (or more) that the classes cost.
In areas that get snow. Take the snow. Put snow against your living quarters such as homes and mobile homes. If you live in a mobile home you not only trap heat under the trailer yet it helps prevent pipes from freezing. Also open up your cabinets to help keep pipes warm.
My tips: Change your a/c air filters every month so your a/c doesn't have to work so hard to cool your home. Dress in light weight clothes in doors and When dressing to outside in the summer, cover up to not get burned. Cook outside to keep house cooler. Eat meals that are none cooked, like salads and sandwiches. Cook once a week and reheat in microwave, through out the week to keep house cooler. Close the curtains to keep out the heat. When taking a shower, make it quick but plug the drain and find uses for the water from the shower. Like wash a dog in the water. Or water plants, or use it to wash outside furniture. (Be careful cuz some soaps can damage or kill plants. Close air vents in unused rooms. If you have pets, make your own flea shampoo or flea yard spray. (Vinegar, dawn, water, equal parts) Lol, Larry, I'm watching your video as I write this, lol Larry, I don't do manicures either. Pack your own lunch and snacks for work, school or car trips. Stop eating out or at least, decrease what you order, like no drinks, no appetizers, no deserts, and think about sharing a meal and most importantly, look at their prices and sizes before ordering. Sometimes you can order a smaller meal for a few dollars less which is nice for light eater or get a regular size meal, and eat half and save other half for next days lunch. Wear clothes more than once before washing...unless really really stinky or dirty, of course. Check to see if you qualify for a discount on your electric bill. My daughter uses a C-Pap machine and because of that we qualify for a medical baseline rate which can be a huge savings. Cut your pets fur yourself. Wait for it to come on DVD instead of paying high movie ticket prices Wash your own car, and use a bucket and rags, don't run that hose all willy nilly. Make eating out or costly outings for very special days, like an anniversary. Try a Roku...it cost me like 20.00 for the tv attachment and zero monthly costs. Call your internet provider and ask for lower rate. By doing this, my internet went from 90+ dollars a month, to 50 a month... and I got my daughter to pay it cuz she has a job and can help out too. On coffee: make it less strong and use less cream and sugar. Oh yes I remember the phone book slogan Also, if you pay for Amazon prime, use it well, remember, with prime you can watch free movies and shows, read free books, listen to free music and I think they do something with photos too.
I love certain kinds of movies on the big screen. Tuesday is $7.00 all day (regular $10.50). On Black Friday you can buy gift cards $100 + $50 for $100. There is also a loyalty program for free tickets and concessions. My only other hobby is reading and RUclips. YT is free and I pay $15 mo for kindle unlimited. I’m retired so I have time to read a lot. I guess my hobby and indulgence is big screen movies.
@@kenyonbissett3512 ya I used to go to the movies once in a while. There is a theatre here that had or has 4.00 movies I used to go to but it is about a 12 mile drive and with gas being over 5.00 per gallon, I will wait ..that and my body can't walk up the stairs anymore. I only like to set at the top of the theater cuz sitting closer hurts my eyes which hurts my head. My tv at home is about 48-50 inches so I'm ok. If I was strong enough to take those stairs, I'd love to see the new Downton Abbey movie come out in a few days.
@@greeneyedredhead61 I generally go when I have a dr/dentist appointment. Our only theatres are at the county seat/courthouse area. My theatre has the nice wide recliners so I do not feel claustrophobic, lol. My tv is about 10yrs old, a 46in led. Funny thing is I don’t watch much tv or even movies on the tv. 🤦♀️
50 years ago, my dad drove 3 other men to work every day. One of my sons bikes to work, the other works from home. We live on the 4th floor of a 9 story building near Chicago. We never turn on the heat in the winter. We only have south facing windows. Tina, Al's wife
When I was growing up, my dad would always say, turn the water off when washing your hair and body, then turn it back on to rinse. I still do it almost 60 years later. It has saved our family lots of money over the years.
Growing up in Puerto Rico I remember my grandma and the lady’s in my neighborhood will get together and share their food. Well my friend and I decided to do the same example we will buy a bag of potatoes split the cost in half because there’s two people in her home and two in mine. What made us decide this was when she paid $8.00 dollars for 3 apples
A couple of things that are probably only pertinent to single or widowed people like I am. I have divided dinner plate containers for the freezer. The dinners may contain leftover food from several different meals. Rather than change the sheets on the schedule I used while I was sharing a bed with my husband, I turn the sheets so that the part from the side I don't sleep on is now on my side of the bed. I don't wash clothes unless they are dirty or smell. I hang up clothes to air, and then return them to the closet. When my husband was quite ill, we had to use a "rinse-free body wash" for him. I use it now for a "sink bath" to avoid taking a shower every day. My car display shows the MPG that I'm getting. As a retiree, I can plan errands at less busy times of day. I drive the speed limit & coast whenever possible. I've also found that a back route without traffic lights & with less traffic improves my gas mileage. If you can avoid idling at lights or being stuck in traffic, it saves a lot of gas. I've increased my gas mileage by >3 mpg.
There were six of us at home when we were growing up at the farm. My dad would shut off the hot water after the last person showered at night. Early the next morning, when he got up to stoke the wood stove, he would put the hot water on. By the time morning chores were done the water would be hot enough. So yes, you can save with this idea. You just have to be a little more scheduled to make it work. He would also leave a kettle of water on the wood stove when he went to bed. That way if you needed water during the night (eg. clean a child who had an accident), the water would stay warm on the stove as it coals burned down til morning.
Just found your channel. You get to the points fast and furious. No fluff just the facts. Thank you. I live a frugal life too. My side hustles back in the day were, I taught knitting, crocheting and sewing in the local,parks n recreation. I sewed raggedy Ann and Andy pairs, crocheted hats for the holidays. I mended cloths for people. While doing this I worked a 40 hour a week job. I also resold items/cloths on Etsy. I was so darn busy . I did this for 8 years. Oh my God ! I’m retired now. However I still live a very frugal life. I love it and wouldn’t change for anything. So much fun! I still cut my own hair. Do my own pedicures and manicure.
I have 2 tips for saving electricity. First, unplug everything that isn't used daily,such as a lamp in the guest room, a second television, and especially unused kitchen appliances. Second, always shave 5 minutes off the baking time stated in a recipe. Shut the oven off 5 minutes sooner but keep the oven door shut. Most ovens are insulated well enough to hold in the heat to continue cooking your item. And last, when it comes to paper towels, I always buy the 'pick a size' Larry mentioned, which are half sized. I then rip these in half, using only 1/4 of a paper towel. I've gone from using a roll each week to a roll every 6-7 weeks.
We added a timer ($50) to our hot water heater so everyone knows when the shower hours are. We inform guests also. ☺️ so love your program channel and y’all are so adorable together. ❤️❤️
@@gail7138 we purchased a timer from Lowes, ($50) it has been about 8 years ago. It is connected in the wiring of the hot water heater. You can set on off times. I truly believe it has been a great saver. Thank you ❤️
Thank you for these videos, always inspiring me to make better choices with the money my husband works hard to earn. I’m commenting mid-video so perhaps these were mentioned: with respect to gift giving, my husband used to buy his mom gifts for her birthday. She’s in her 80’s and has accumulated quite a lot of stuff in her years. Now instead he and her grandson devote several hours a month helping her by taking care of household repairs and maintenance at her home. They spend time together and chores are handled. Also, we don’t have children but do have a dog. I make homemade treats for her and spend a lot of time walking with her in our neighborhood or parks close by for training and mental stimulation. Also keeps us both fit. 😊. We also buy the pet store’s brand of dog food. That occurred because our usual name brand food was consistently our of stock. The store brand food hasn’t caused any issues. Finally, regarding pets, we shop around for her monthly preventative medicine. We do our research first about reputable sellers (Chewy is great). Our vet was charging us $50 more for her six month supply. Unfortunately we do have to Mail in the paper script because most vets won’t work with other sellers by sending the script electronically. Which frustrates me because most human scripts are handled this way and insurance companies charge less for human mail order prescriptions. And speaking of insurance (now I’m on a rant) check all your policies yearly. Somehow our homeowners insurance changed our marital status to single and up charged us for over three years. I caught the mistake and requested refunds for the years the mistake was made. They refused. I had to contact our state’s insurance regulators and they stepped in and got that resolved quick, fast and in a hurry. We did receive refunds for the years in question.
-For kids lunches or anyone’s lunches really…on Sundays I spend about an hour packing half-size (4oz) jelly jars with lunch items for the week. I buy bulk size applesauce, yogurt, canned fruit, and jello. Sometimes I also cut up a few pounds of fresh fruit like strawberries or grapes, too. Even buying “Snack Pack” jello for $1.25 now is overpriced when I can get a double pack of the store brand for $1 and make 12 of my own jello cups. And yogurt is WAY more expensive in the single serving size. What you are paying for is the packaging. -I also bought an $8 sandwich mold on Amazon to make my own PB&J uncrustables. Those things are like $1 each now! I buy a loaf of wonder bread, bulk size PB&J, use a rolling pin to flatten the bread and patch any holes and voilà! Uncrustables for picky eater kids for 20 cents each! -We also make our own “instant” oatmeal. I make a big batch with my food processor and store it in mason jars. In the morning I pour out how much I feel like eating and add hot water. -We gave up soda completely and now just make iced tea. If we have a sweet tooth, we’ll make a pitcher of koolaid. -I buy Ban roll-on deodorant. It’s expensive but lasts FOREVER. Seriously, like $5 for a bottle but it lasts months! -Bar soap in the bathrooms. It smells wonderful and lasts a super long time. -Wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets and I never use fabric softener. -I bought a set of Turkish bath towels. It took some getting used to because they are not the fluffy towels we are used to in the USA, but they are huge, super absorbent and dry insanely fast! It’s more like drying off with a bedsheet. -Staycations are nice, but if you really want to get out and travel-go camping! A tent site fee is pennies on the dollar compared to a hotel room and many campgrounds have hot showers. KOAs are GREAT! And you can buy a discount pass to save even more if you frequent KOAs a lot. Most even have Wi-Fi. We camped KOAs an entire week long trip from the mid south to LA and another week on the way back. And if you don’t want to pitch a tent, most have cabins-just bring your own sheets. -Our electric company has an online marketplace where you can buy deeply discounted light bulbs, smart thermostats, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and advanced power strips that stop the zombie drain. Our gas company offers FREE or very deeply discounted shower heads and faucet aerators. I got a chrome shower head with a 5 foot hose for $6, an office sized Honeywell air purifier for $25, and a Google Nest thermostat for $40!
I love these ideas, I have been saving water recently. Each time I turn my hot tap on I put a jug under the tap and the cool water that comes out first goes into this jug, I get about 1 litre of water before my water gets hot that would have gone down the drain. Now it's in the jug and I use it to pour in the kettle or water the plants. This is the main water saving change we have made and our water use has gone down 30 litres a month so our bill has gone down about £10 a month. So simple and take so little time.
Thank you for part 2 of 50 ways to save money. I also recently began the cash envelope system and I believe it does work. You guys are adorable. Love watching all your vlogs. ❤️
My family of 3 has almost stopped getting take out completely and instead we have used that budget line to get some frozen meals from Costco as our “take out.” We save money and time and I don’t even miss take out.
Was in the grocery store last night sausage $3 a pound on sale but pork $1.50 I got pork instead of sausage. Red beans and rice is better with sausage but pretty good with pork chops.
When you want new fashions - shop your closet, recombine outfits, trade clothes with your friends and family, go to garage sales, shop the thrift stores and learn to do a little sewing for basic items.
We travel alot for hubby's job. I pack lunch & we picnic. We put our water heater on vacation mode. We also put all services on hold. We removed the Amazon app from our devices to make us think before we clicked. Thank you so much!
A lot of great tips! I used to make greeting cards and it could have been cheaper than buying them, but the supplies and embossing machine etc. does add up. I used the supplies to scrapbook photo albums too, but that was for fun and didn't save money on anything else. Since I cannot do crafting any more (arthritis), I have a drawer I keep bulk greeting cards in I buy and they're sorted by categories. Also have free cards in there received from charity places that are soliciting donations. These cards have saved money over buying them at current prices. However, you can purchase good cards from the dollar store cheaper than other places. My plan for saving even more money is to not buy any more cards and call the people on their special day and enjoy a short conversation instead. Bonus for them is they don't have to save the cards or feel bad if they toss them. Lol Thank you for such inspiring, fun videos!
Until I started watching you I didn't realize I was so frugal. I have always bought household items second hand as well as clothing etc. My husband was firm on paying cash for everything. We never bought on credit or lived above our means. We were always mindful of our spending. We sat down weekly as a family and made up our meal menus for the week and we shopped for what was on the list and nothing more. My children are grown and have families and still follow the same principles. I'm thrilled to see you weekly to reinforce how important it is to live this way and to truly find joy in it.
This is a tip that is pretty specific to location, but very helpful here in Chicago. If your largest windows in your home are east or west facing, keep curtains closed during the summer to reduce sun exposure. Keeps the house much cooler without high AC costs.
Works in Maryland also. By 11-12 I can open the east facing curtains and by 2-3 pm close the west facing. My curtains are also insulated, makes a big difference summer and winter.
Be prepared for a black out not only with candles and flashlights on hand for lights at night but buy some solar lights that you use outside along walkways or flowerbeds at the Dollar Store or other stores and use for lights inside your house at night. Can be recharged each day durning the day. Never be left in the dark!
Haha! Great minds think alike...just did this a month ago. Also bought the rechargeable batteries to go with them ( couple packs) figured that would be a good light source for a couple years...?😉
I have a cat and my cat loves temptation treats so it comes in a big jar and many times I put a little mouth in small Ziploc bag to stay fresh because if you keep using it out of the big jar eventually it will become stale and your cat warm want it but if you put it in small Ziploc bags, it would always stay fresh and your cat would be happyGod bless you both
I just love your positive outlook and how you laugh together! The tips you give are so helpful and many are awesome reminders. As prices have risen, we have really started thinking about our driving; some kids' hobbies we are car pooling, simply not driving and pooling all chores into one or two months trips. This saves at least $30-$40 / month. We have started to collect cans and bottles while we walk our dog - so far made $40 during the last few months 🙌 we also pick up all kinds of stuff from curbs in our neighbourhood. Some things we sell, others become gifts, some we keep for ourselves and lastly, we even found a box of completely good food! At the grocery store, our biggest savings come from the clearance and loss leaders items. We plan our shopping very carefully. In other areas, we have simply stopped buying anything that is not a need. Things we absolutely need we buy used, or ask friends and family if we can borrow. There is a lot more, but, like you, I think the key is to be grateful for what you already have and cultivate an abundance mindset 💞🙏
This is a strange one, but I stopped buying deodorant. I use a little baking soda after I shower and am slightly damp. I saw it on You Tube. It doesn't bother my skin, and I don't smell. Also I use baking soda to exfoliate my skin in the shower. I save money not buying expensive skin care products.
i started using baking soda mixed with coconut oil and a few drops of clove essential oil to brush my teeth...seems to me it works better than commercial toothpaste. I also don't shower everyday anymore. I used to think I had to, but found out that we have bacteria on our bodies that we need and we keep washing it all off. Who knew? So, this not only saves on water, but on soap, shampoo and whatever else that you may use when you shower or bathe. I have gotten to where I only shower twice a week now unless I just get really really dirty. It doesn't bother me at all anymore, it did seem to have a learning curve to it; as it took me and my body some time to get used to it.
Exercising regularly is cost effective in many ways. It improves your health, saving on medical costs and medications. It also reduces your appetite, saving on food. Finally, it prevents weight gain, enabling you to keep your present size clothing.
My husband and I are firm believers that “Christmas is for kids”. We gladly give the kids in our immediate family gifts but no gifts for the adults. So much less expensive and much less stressful! None of the adults in our family need a thing anyway. When we first got married I had to buy and wrap gifts for 50 adults and kids. 90% of the stuff my husband and I received at Christmas ended up in the Goodwill box three months later anyway. I do my own mani’s & pedi’s because I’d rather spend that money on massages for my stiff neck. The BEST polish is Essie Gel Couture Longwear & you need the matching topcoat. It’s $10.00 a bottle but your mani will last up to two weeks if applied correctly. I’m very frugal but this polish is SELL WORTH IT. Don’t use a base coat, apply the color directly to your nails, let dry, then apply the topcoat. This stuff wears like iron and it’s pretty and shiny.
A couple of years ago my daughter mentioned that she really didn't need/want anything for Yule so I donated money to the local food bank (where she used to volunteer) in her name, then the last year I donated to the local Humane Society in her name. We also got a name off a Lions Club Giving Tree last year and bought a huge bag of clothes for an 11-year-old girl. It was so much fun and we were giddy at the thought of her opening the presents on Yule morning.
You two are amazing and so adorable, we always add water to empty dishwashing soape and shampoo containers to get out all the leftover soape it’s amazing how much you get out of them.
Loved this 2 part video! I have a few more to add...another way to possibly save money on gas is to ask your employer if you can work 4 ten hour days instead of the typical 5 day work week. Both you and your employer benefit from this arrangement. When cooking veggies (esp. potato for mashing), cut them small, cook with a lid on and about a minute after they start boiling I turn off the heat and let them sit until done. I do this with potato, rice, boiled or poached eggs, other veggies, baked potato and casseroles. You mentioned DIY and I resort to RUclips for tutorials. My dryer stopped working and after troubleshooting with the help of RUclips, I discovered it needed a belt. I picked up the belt from our local appliance store and watched a RUclips tutorial and fixed it myself! I saved $80 :) My husband and I do this all the time with our vehicles, but only for replacing parts, nothing complicated...that is for the experts! I would LOVE a video on your solar cooker and if possible, I would love to learn more about how and especially what you eat. We are trying to transition to a plant based diet but I find it difficult to come up with things my husband can take to work, he works outside and has no way of heating up anything. I want to give him more than peanut butter sandwiches, lol! THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the effort you put into your videos, you two are a pleasure to watch!
Ooh yes- cutting veggies smaller is a great tip- I find it uses less water as there is less space between them and they cook faster due to a bigger surface area. I think they taste just as good. Also I think that boiling water in the elec kettle to pour over the vegetables (not potatoes) to start cooking them, rather than starting them in cold water seems more efficient than cooking from cold water on the job- does anyone else agree with this? (Trying to use slow cooker more)
Would a Hot Logic work for him? Amazon and Walmart them. They are an insulated lunch box that you can plug into a cigarette lighter. They have a selection of cigarette lighter and house wallplug connectors. If he works out of a truck, he can plug it in an hour or so before lunchtime
Had a comment about Christmas gifts: As we got older we started giving gifts to those under 18 only. And for the adults we gave ''food gifts''. Splurged on something they liked but never bought for themselves, wine and cheese, imported beer, nuts and dried fruit, chocolates and jams etc...and made a lot of things, fudge, peanut brittle, caramels, peppermints...they always seemed to love it especially the candy and baked goods.
I give to my friends all throughout the year by doing things like going to the bank and picking up a roll of quarters for my friend who is so exhausted and is in between two jobs or I will read the sidewalk area of my elderly neighbor or I will show my neighbors the smartest finance move they can make regarding interest rates Etc and so they know that I'm not going to give holiday gifts but I try to give them of myself every week
To save on gas, if possible, work from home. This helps with not eating out as much as well. Here in Iowa, KwikStar has the cheapest gas by far. By going a little farther from home, I paid 3.39/gallon instead of the 4.19 at the station closest to me.
@@chelamcguire ouch, that’s painful 😖 I know it doesn’t compare to $10.52 a gallon but gasoline is up 33% -50% and climbing and diesel is up 100% and climbing.
It's always good watching you both as you always remind me to be more mindful in my purchases. This is definitely an area that I work on every time I go to the grocery store as I'm always planning 2-4 months ahead....but those little extra items creep in - nothing like a bag of tortilla chips for snacking when the kernel popcorn is better for both my budget and my waistline.
Hope this one’s for you regarding manicures. I just bought some really good nail polish online for $.98 a bottle and it is premium nail polish. I had a good one fall with that. Have not done my nails in years. One thing though to remember to make your manicure last as far as your polish goes… Get a cotton ball or paper towel and soak it with vinegar rub the vinegar on your fingernails before you polish them. Brush on clear polish and let dry if the color polish you were going to use is a darker color as it may stain Your fingernails. Otherwise go ahead and polish with the color but always use a top coat of clear. The clear will seal the color in and the vinegar will also help the polish adhere to your fingernails. Therefore your polish will last longer with less chipping. Out the polish that I found was actually online on Walmart. I have a subscription for Walmart where my groceries are delivered free as well as any of the items that I order online. With some exceptions from outside merchants those you do have to watch. I don’t go shopping I don’t go to the store I do everything online as I’m bedfast at the moment I have a broken leg. I have found a way to make this service work for me. I encourage everyone to do so less trips to the store less gas spent and actually I save money doing that. Let’s say you buy the membership for one year you spend $100 for one year free delivery. Think about how much gasoline that saves. Also you can get a membership for one month free for a trial. I also have a membership for Amazon and I pay $6.99 a month which is half price because I have the discount for that through my EBT. That means free television free movies and free delivery. Can’t beat it.
Cloth napkins instead of paper are more economical, especially if they are used for several meals until they are actually soiled. Cloth napkins can be bought a thrift stores, too, so it's a win-win.
When you're done with the pickles or any pickle item. Keep the pickle juice to use in sauces or to do fridge pickle again. When I want to add spice to a recipe, I'll use the jalapeno juice ( also you'll use less salt). I bought a small space heater to save money. When it is hot you can buy a neck fan to keep yourself cool too. Thanks
I use (actually reuse once the original soap ran out) foaming handsoap dispensers. It only takes about 2 or 3 TB of Palmolive + water to fill the entire bottle and then you are using less soap per wash and using Palmolive is much cheaper than actual handsoap while being just as gently on hands.
I dislike food that is needlessly packaged, especially packaged in plastic. I’m paying for this! and then I’m expected to recycle it at my expense. I bring My own bags and small cloth bags, I re-use store jam jars in canning 3 X over with no issues. I wash zip-lock freezer bags and re-use (not ones used for meat!). My daughters and I share bulk buying: Bulk goods often come in layered paper sacks. Try to resist or re-use packaging!
This tip may not be for everyone, but my grandmother taught us to save from our mail, envelopes and the enclosed paper, that is blank on one side, to use as scrap paper. I also use the blank envelopes enclosed in my bill mail to put checks in for my rent and for the people who mow my lawn and snowblow my yard. They are also useful for holding receipts for miscellaneous medical or office supplies for the tax year.
Take advantage of freebies .In my area a couple times a week outside of the foodbank/thrift store there will be free food and beverages for anyone to take. I've gotten cases of fruit beverages huge bags of flour and in the summer fresh vegetables. Also around my town there are these little wooden boxes on posts with free books I have gotten many many books. Sometimes there are free BBQs typically hotdogs and hamburgers and a beverage for special events in the area. I live in an apartment complex and there is a designated area for people to leave unwanted items I have gotten small appliances vintage dishes tons of craft supplies Christmas items movies CDs books etc
I'm a hearty proponent of the Little Free Libraries as a taker and a giver. I wish my apartment complex was like yours in having a place to recycle things. The LFL and another giving box nearby to the LFL also recycles things such as clothes, food, craft items, etc.
Love all your videos and your smiles. Last summer my body got hot and stopped sweating. Still almost a year later no one knows why. IDEA; I keep a thermos with ice and water next to me to keep wetting my washcloths to cool me down. This way I'm not turning water on and letting it run until it's very cold. This is good for everyone in hot weather so you don't overheat.
I actually recently quit coffee. I thought I couldnt live without it but after the withdrawal effects man I felt so much more energy. The fact it saves money is a huge bonus. Now I have a nice smoothie instead of coffee and Im working out everyday at 5am. I never would have been able to do that when I was consuming coffee. I was always so tired. I was only drinking 1 cup a day it just didnt have a good effect on me. I just dont think my body responds well to caffeine.
Switching to tea might be an alternative. It is cheaper, and the tannins in the tea are actually beneficial. There is some caffeine in tea but can get caffeine free. I buy regular black tea bags, and they are very cheap. I can get 3 cups of tea from 1 bag.
Buy organic coffee. Use organic sugar. Whole foods sells organic 24 oz for $10. Organic sugar is $11 for 10 pounds. They put bleach and pesticides in sugar. Pesticides in coffee. That's what causes people problems. I use whole milk as creamer
When we go travelling, I check out the local grocery store ads in that town and see what the specials are. Also, when I find a great sale, I buy as much as I can use by the time it expires. I absolutely love, love, love watching your videos.
When our sons were in school they had an auction fundraiser for new playground equipment! People were spending money to purchase expensive items for gift baskets or donating antiques, etc. Having neither, I volunteered a service…I would iron a weeks worth of dress shirts. It was well received and brought in a tidy sum! After I volunteered that, someone else offered to bake a homemade birthday cake which was also well received.
Keep an eye out for deals on electronic versions of major newspapers or you local paper. I paid $1 for six months of the Los Angeles Times. I kept track of when it ended and saw they were offering the same deal six months later. I cancelled my subscription for a couple of days and re-started for another six months for $1.
9 years ago I began making my own laundry detergent. (3 tablespoons washing soda, 3 tablespoons borax, and 3 tablespoons Dawn DWL in 1 gal. of water.) I can't even imagine how many hundreds or even thousands of dollars I've saved over 9 years. Depending on which commercial detergent you've been using. Small amounts saved over time really add up!
I work at home, this has been a very hot humid week here in MO, and it is only MAY! Had to use A/C to reduce that humidity. I am trying to keep the temp up on thermostat so that the AC does not click on for at least 4 hours when I start my work. I am keeping our insulated black out curtains closed. We try not to use the oven in summers. Our two favorite summer meals are Tuna Pasta Salad; and BLT’s. And we use the charcoal grill. I plan my shopping trips to use as low as gas as possible, but spouse and daughter work outside of home so they use plenty of gas lol. We have mostly LED bulbs with a few flourescent lights-in basement. We have tried the hot water turn down temp before, didn’t work well for us. Maybe we can try again. My dad was Hvac and refrigeration guy, a couple yrs ago he thought our central air unit sounded like the fan was going to go out soon, he advised us-and we listened-went online and ordered a new fan motor and fan blade so if fan quits we can just replace it. Haven’t needed it so far. He checked the air temp coming out and was impressed as it was working exactly as it should. (this unit is at least 20 yrs old) I check the pipes outside to the AC unit to make sure the one is very cold to touch as it should be. we keep weeds/grass/etc clear of the outside unit and we wash the outside unit a couple times a season. (hose off, plus there is cleaner you can spray on and scrub a bit if ya want/need to as it gets pretty dirty.) I don’t have many great tips but am thankful for the ones you share with us!
Thank you for all the tips. In case you do another viewer tips episode here is mine...I purchase everything through my Discover card which rewards me 2-5% on every purchase including household utilities, then I pay my bill off when it comes. It not only rewards me but it helps me organize my purchases so that I can review where I have gone right or need to cinch up for the month. Also I get my FICO score every month plus additional charts and graphs. Then I wrap my card purchases through discounting apps like Ibotta which also adds discounting rewards.
As far as turning off water heater, I grew up like that. Was turned off like 8 am-8pm , since showers were every day after gym class and sports. Alternate days also. Mom heated water on stove for dishes. I know the Dollar store has nail polish so $1.25. Dont know quality I usually use clear. TOPS offer gas discounts. Suggestion: * cheapest drink- tea, ice tea instead of a lot of coffee or soda * 100% juice, mix w cheaper club soda instead of soda. * Use ground turkey/pork/soy products in place of beef especially w spicey foods like chili. * Learn to sew/quilt. repair instead of replace. Use old clothes for quilts and Boro Suggestion: We should all do this on this channel: * Post our favorite low cost recipe
My girls were starting to act ungrateful when I would get them new toys or something. Every time I went anywhere they asked me if I would get them a prize while I was out. New rule is for every new item they bring in, something else has to go. And they spend their own money. Hopefully, they will learn to be more grateful for what they receive and be more selective about what they want. It's also helpful to not bring kids to the store unless necessary. That saves money. And I let each girl ( we have 2) pick 1 or 2 treats (chips, pretzels cookies, canned ravioli, etc) when I get groceries. They have a limit which saves money and waste. They enjoy their treats when there's only one or two. And shopping less often does help. I shopped last Saturday and spent $159 at Aldi's. I used to go every Saturday morning while my daughter is at dance class. I was thinking about what I need this week and I don't need anything. So that is a win for me. Keeping a stocked pantry is very helpful. And we got a chest freezer last month so we can take advantage of sales. I had purchased 4 or 5 bags of chicken leg quarters for 69¢ a pound a few weeks ago and it filled my regular freezer. (Along with frozen vegetables and the kids ice cream.) Also, shopping sales cycles helps. I bought about 30 lbs of butter at Easter time when Aldi's had it for $1.69 or something crazy because I know it won't be on sale again until holiday baking time. (Which is when we'll stock up on baking supplies, butter, spices again.) Ground beef, hot dogs, Italian sausage, brats, all grilling meats will be on sale just before memorial day. I will try to buy enough to last until July 4th sales. Then again until labor day. That will have to be a big stock up because sales aren't good again until memorial day again. So definitely watch sales cycles around holidays for times to stock up. Sorry I rambled so much but I am typing as I think of things and my daughter is talking to me too. Love your videos and all of your tips. I agree with Larry about showers and shopping. Just get it done. And I cancelled about 4 or 5 subscription channels that we were rarely watching. We watch RUclips and other free streaming channels. Thank you again for your videos. I appreciate you and enjoy watching.
I used to work for a hospital where carpooling was encouraged and they provided the vans and coordinated everything. I took advantage of that and it was great.
When drying clothes with a dryer, you can cut down dryer time by placing a clean dry towel in with the heavier items. You can cut down the drying time considerably. Also, I used to allow heavy clothing like jeans to air dry until about 80% dry and then place in the dryer to finish up with a dryer sheet. So they get softened up and smell nice. In addition, I have been reading that blue jeans do not to always be washed after every wear. You can wear them quite a while unless they are dirty or smelly.
Outside is the best but I live in an apartment so it isn't possible, but since I wash my clothes with vinegar they come out of the dryer not stiff (unstiff? destiff? stiff-free?). I used unscented things so a dryer sheet is a non-starter. I've heard you can take most wrinkles out of clean dry clothes by putting them in the dryer with a damp towel.
I use a 40 OZ. empty peanut butter jar, water & liquid soap to clean my socks, then hang to dry. I hang my shirts out of washer on hangers on garage door rail to dry. You can reroute your dryer heat to garage during cold winter days, using a woman's nylon over end of hose to filter with.
I have 2 ways to save. 1) baggies are too expensive to use & toss so I wash and re-use several times..this saves me a lot. And 2) I started a budget binder with a plastic sleeve for each spend category with a ledger page and cash envelopes. I load up the envelopes every payday, track expenditures and put receipts in respective sleeves. This helps me to be accountable to myself. It's a new process so it's tempting to cheat but worth the effort to use only cash.
I thought that I couldn't live without baggies but years ago I went cold turkey on them. I don't even remember what I used them for. Try doing without - you can do it!
@@pennynickels5216 I recycle cereal bags (wax paper) and use glass containers for everything I used to use baggies for. If putting leftovers in the fridge for a day or two I usually just put a plate over the leftovers bowl to seal it. I save the bags from bread to put opened bulk cheese in. Can't remember what else I used baggies for.
I have I have learned when it comes to doing things including shopping trips plan what you’re going to do. Always plan ahead. Never leave the house hungry always leave with a list and then plan your trip! If you have to go to the grocery store and there are other errands that need to be ran then think what you’re going to do. If you’re going to have to keep groceries in the car while you’re running other errands I suggest taking coolers to keep your food cold. Drive to the farthest point out in your shopping trip and work your way back going in order of farthest to closest so you end up at home and you save gas and you’re not running around. Back in my last town when I would shop I would go down one side of the street and come back on the other side of the street that way I wasn’t cutting back-and-forth and zigzagging to the stores. Same thing when you clean the house. Start at one corner work your way around the house and don’t be running all around the house. It saves time and it saves energy. You get more done and you feel more productive. Also when it comes to cleaning and general purposes lists are a wonderful thing to have. I even make a list to have reminders in my cell phone That will chime in the order that I want to have completed them or to remind me to start the completion of
We have a family of five. Our hot water heater goes pretty often, but don't have a serious power bill. A water saver valve is great for saving hot water. I'm a light switch cop, so is my husband. We only buy used vehicles, we frequent thrift stores. I'm super strict about snacks- one snack time a day, and leftovers must be eaten before the next meal is made. Dishes are washed with watered down dish liquid (dawn 3x concentrate), and I only use he detergent for my laundry, and we use very little. We use oxy, but very little. We are looking for a good mechanic. I drive WAY back, so I am never ever forced to rear end another vehicle, and I ALWAYS have a way out no matter what. Traffic is dangerous, and most injuries happen when you're in the vehicle. I use and reuse ALL decent packaging, bread bags, paper bags, shopping bags, plastic take out containers, all bottles are saved, plastic is filled and sent to the basement with water. Glass is saved for...well, our home made tinctures, oxymels, home made juices and teas, and home made vinegars. I can some fruit with water so we can have a drink when I open one that's delicious, not just a dessert. I buy all my grains and rice and beans in bulk, btw 20 and 50 lb bags. All coffee is bought in bulk, it usually saves me a dollar or so per pound. I frequent liquidation centers for snacks, tea, creamer, and anything I else I can. I keep track of my prices! Knowing WHERE to go for the best deals is the best money saver. I bulk buy my seeds. I get old and odd free plant pots from a friend who has a green house...saves me money yearly! We do not have a tv subscription. We don't use satellite radio. I frequently make food to eat before leaving the house, and get a coffee ready in my to go mug so I'm not tempted. Tomorrow, I'll be cleaning my house so I can focus and get lots of things done...canning, dehydrating and making jam and jellies and pickles and canned meats and veg. All money saving stuff. Next... decluttering the unneeded things. I've been cutting up old sweatshirts and t-shirts. These pieces of cloth have significant value. They can be used for cleaning, to wash in the shower, or for the lining of a diaper or feminine napkin. All of our razors come from the dollar store. Stashing all preps in the attic, and cleaning up my spaces for a sleeker and more organized look, to save aggrevation! Loving this thread and the series!
Absolutely agree about DIY manicures. Additionally, there are amazing DIY nail art videos. Make it fun. Friends, moms/daughters, etc can share time together with doing each other's mani-pedis.
If there'a a local college that offers beauty courses, they advertise 'in-house' looking for models. I apply there for manicures, pedicures, waxing, hair colouring, hair styling. All carried out by trainees but overseen by the tutor. FREE.
I just moved into my basement for the summer- it's hot now. But my basement stays pretty cool. I have a couple windows and a half bath, my desk and my bed so it's perfect. It is cutting my AC electric down by a ton because I am now watching that on my electric company dashboard that lets me track by hourly usage.
Just remember when storing bottled water over time the plastic’s can leach into the water so don’t keep it for too long. Might be better to bottle your own water in glass bottles for long keeping sake.
Please don't buy plastic bottled water. Our oceans are dying due to plastic. I keep three glass fruit-juice jugs of water and always have great ice-cold water on hand.
I love watching the two of you! Getting close to the holidays again, so I thought I would comment on what I do to save cost I told my four adult children and their spouses instead of trying to buy gifts for everyone they are to make donation to a charitable organization or help a family in need at this time and only purchase gifts for the grandchildren. No other gifts allowed.
Consider short hair - less water/washing/showering time. Consider replacing shampoo and conditioner with baking soda (+/- apple cider vinegar rinse). I put a couple or 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a recycled salad dressing bottle filled with warm water, shake it up, squirt it into hair, work it in, rinse out with plain water. I've been doing this over 2 years now...no going back to shampoo!
I have this friend that gives me rhubarb and in turn I give her my extra cucumbers. My neighbour hates to garden (black thumb instead of green) so I made a deal if I could use her garden she got half of the produce. We also take turns watering the gardens, and she has paid me some money for the extra soil, manure, and plants.
My number 1 tip is to organize your house. You are more likely to use up things you have instead of buying new if you know what you have and where to find it. 🏦
Not with all there colds sorry the cats get left overs around here
To live with joy: A great and wise tip to saving money. It reminds me of one autumn day last year, here in Denmark. A friend of mine had suggested a trip to a fancy museum of modern art. Expensive.There were crowds of people, and I wondered why? My friend then said: People were bored at home because of the bad, rainy weather. So they had to go out somewhere instead.
Well, I just thought to myself: I'm never bored. I love rainy weather as much as a sunny day, as I always have a book to read, and honestly: I prefere to draw or do a watercolor painting at home instead of going to an exhibition. I wouldn't say that to others because it sounds like bragging.
But this is the truth.
We just had a town-wide garage sale. I got rid of a lot of unneeded items and made $700.
Candice, that is awesome! Congrats. That's a nice amount of money to do something with that you really want - and you have less clutter. Win-Win!
Sweet!
I switched to bar soap for bathing. Saves money and I dont seem to waste as much. For cleaning dishes we put dish soap in a spray bottle with half dawn and half water. It takes forever now to get through a whole bottle of detergent. Same amount of bubbles for less :)
I do the same. I have found that one part Dawn to three parts water, seems to work just as well
My mom has always been diligent about molding the thin and fragile bar soap slivers onto the new bar so we haven't wasted any soap in years because we don't throw away those hard to use little piece.
I switched to bars of soap too, have done for a few years now. Saved a lot of money .
I don't even use bar soap - just a little bit of the shampoo I use on hair works as body wash, too.
@@lanakayphillips2849 We do That too👍
Hello Hope and Larry! I recently found out that my library card allows me to access ALL of the libraries in my county and the neighboring county. I visited in person and online to sign up for various FREE activities. During the month of May I participated in…
A book club, several movies (West Side Story, Downtown Abbey Movie Part 1, Cyrano, Belfast, etc.)
I also participated in a workshops on Learning how to Compost, Taking care of Perennials, A Cinco de Mayo presentation… Where we each made our own bowl of guacamole and a Mocktail, etc. I also signed up for a workshop on Wills, Trusts and Estate planning. The libraries also offer free tickets to a variety of museums and parks within our metropolitan area. I also joined the senior citizen group in our town and we meet twice a month. They are sponsoring many free and low-cost activities.
That is so awesome. You learn, have friends, and get out of the house with a purpose.
One tip is to practice intermittent fasting. It’s not only healthy, but you save money not eating breakfast, snacking between meals, or snacking at night.
Or eat breakfast, but it again until 6pm...etc
When money is super tight I redecorate by moving things from around my home. I get free items that I up cycle and I love the fact my home is decorated on a budget as it's far better for the environment. Another tip is sell unwanted items and only buy splurge items with this money. This really makes you value every penny. Thanks for your videos xxx
By sewing by hand or machine make mesh bags and save soap scraps to scrub hands with.
Such a wonderful tip. Sometimes moving furniture will open up a walking path making a room light and airy. It also becomes easier to quickly vacuum. Taking photos will show you if you are making good choices when room looks more organized and just generally prettier😍
1) on my soap bar plate, I put an elastic around it, to prevent mildew, keeps my soap lasting so much longer.
2) I go to free museums.
3) I melt my soap rests into a brand new soap bar.
4) I melt my candles rests and ask my family to keep me their candles rests and make new candles out of it.
5) I do my own plant fertilizer, i cut small peices of banana peel and plant it with my plants and tomato plants.
6) During summer time, I put my gym membership on hold, i go bike riding, walking, running instead.
7) I now use shampoo and conditionning bar for my hair, lasts me a year !!!!
8) I have a 2 bed ,1 bath house, fully furnished for free, we new 1 year in advance we were moving, so we started accumulating everything, and kept everything people were throwing away, im so proud to have spend 0$.
9) I make sure my family and friends are frugal too, giving them tips and tricks, because we are like the 5 people we always hang out with.
10) If friends and families are geting rid of stuff, I sell it for them ( because they dont have the patience to sell online, they hate it lol), so i sell it for them and they give me a little something in return.
Love your videos, thank you 🙏❤
My dad was "frugal" BUT, sadly, in an unhealthy way. He would turn off the HOT water until HE wanted it... regardless of the family's needs. We kids were always hungry. We were clearly deprived. Being raised so extreme my brother ended up going the other extreme for a while. After a little therapy we both have come to a happy medium... but yea, those extremes, early on, took their toll.
One thing we have discovered is that it is VERY different to be FRUGAL by CHOICE than to be FRUGAL by NECESSITY.
You guys have found that lovely balance.. and it has obviously paid off. Good for you.
I have a large family 6 sisters 2 brothers every month or so we trade unused food or give each other household items for our children to reuse! Shoes & Jackets/Clothes even Beauty Products that maybe we got and haven’t used or didn’t work us. These days it really has helped.
Please Part 3
I love your idea so much!
Your personalities and positive, genuine interaction with one another are as much a reason I watch as your valuable tips. Thank you for all you do!
Awe, thank you, too. Appreciate your comment, Brenda!
Agree! They seem so kind.
@@shaunaleessnackidies - awe, thank you.
Amen!
A warning about shutting your water heater off and turning it back on as needed. First of all, when you turn in on there is such a huge surge in power usage to start it up that it uses almost as much energy as if you just left it on. And secondly, you could shorten the life of your water heater, the constant fluctuation between hot and cold can damage your water heater as things expand and contract.
Thanks!
I used to use 1 1/2 lbs of hamburger in my spaghetti, chili, etc... Each time I made something I started using less each time. Now I use 1/4-1/2 pound now and we do not miss it, and I save money...
It's just me and my husband, so here's what I do to save money and prevent food waste
1) Freeze leftover tomato paste (in ice cube trays), pizza sauce, pasta sauce, any kind of tomato product that I don't use all of and know I won't use it during the week. Freeze bananas that are ripe and you know you won't be using them - put them in smoothies, make banana ice cream, make banana bread whenever you feel like it...
2) Freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays. Cut off the rind and soak in vinegar for a couple weeks - take out the rinds, add a little water and you've got all-purpose cleaner
3) After buying a package of Keiser rolls or hamburger buns, I bag them into quantities of 4 and put them in the freezer. Same goes for tortillas, or any bread product I know we won't be eating right away.
4) At the end of the week I dehydrate any produce before it goes bad.
5) Make a mental note of what meals your husband / family likes, what meals they won't mind having leftovers off.
6) If you're only cooking for two, cut the recipe in half to save on ingredients and not worry about leftovers not being eaten.
You have covered these ways to save almost too well. I will really have to do some deep thinking to figure more. 1) probably gone at most Dollar Trees, but their seeds are a real bargain. They germinate well and offer just enough seeds for a small backyard Victor garden. 2) Never mentioned, but growing the larger keepers can sometimes give you food up until Christmas from one seed. Candy Roasters, cushaw, and even acorn squash are just a few that keep well with no refrigeration for months. Then when you process it is in Winter when the cooking helps keep the house warm. 3) Bake in the winter and freeze to use in Summer when you do not want to heat the house 4) Check with family before running errands to see what is needed. It is a bummer to see family have to run out for a prescription or something necessary. 5). You do not do dairy but for those who do, I buy a gallon, freeze 1/2 gallon of it, take a quart and make buttermilk from a culture that is in buttermilk and 1/4 of a cup to a fresh quart makes another quart…culture bought on Amazon. 6) Quit thinking that a savings on an item is too small. It is an accumulation of ways to save pennies, nickels, and dollars that add up to savings. I hate to hear, “That is only saving $10. 7) I have Fetch, Receipt Hog, and Ibotta downloaded on my IPad. The first two give money back on receipts that are scanned, and the Ibotta gives great cash back on many products. By far my best is having Bing with my Edge on windows paired with Microsoft. I take quizzes for points and makes me smarter :) plus it adds points for all searches. At one time I bought a Dominoes Pizza each month with the gift cards I won. Now I get Amazon card and use to buy seeds win win. 8) Map my errand day so no backtracking 9) water my garden by catching water until it gets warm, and also flushing commode with the water saved in a plastic container kept in BR. 10 ). Do not be impatient…. I needed some unwanted trees cut down, but kept trying to figure a better way, Saw my neighbor cutting one down. Worked out a deal where he cut down a bunch of small unwanted trees for $250, and I did not get an appraisal, but know it would have cost over $1000 to hire a tree trimming companyPlus I had them shut while small. 11). Learn a new skill every year. It is costly to be bored. You are wasting time where you could learn something beneficial that will help later. My Dad said, “Learn all you can, because you never know when it will come in handy.”
Wow! Such great common sense tips!
Last week I told my husband I wanted to find an inexpensive workout band to exercise with. He rigged up an old bike tube tied to a wooden dowel. Works great! As always, necessity is the mother of inventions. Think outside the box if there is something you want. Sometimes creating solutions is half the fun as the outcome. Keep up the good work. I enjoy you channel very much.
I love it! Clever, indeed.
Not sure if this is a tip or not and it’s not for everyone but sometimes when making meals for my kids who are 7 years and younger, I will plate their food before making my own. Almost always they never finish their food so then I will eat what they don’t. Again not for everyone but it’s what I do to cut back on food waste.
I definitely do that most of the times now.
Only a mom could eat after their kids. I remember my dad deciding to drink my sister's orange juice since she didn't finish it. He took a swallow and the juice was full of food particles. He never did that again. lol
I used to do this when my kids were little
I cannot do this! But my husband does this pretty much every day at dinner. And we save up their Leftovers throughout the day and he will eat that for a snack when he gets home. And sometimes he will take their Leftovers from dinner for his lunch to work the next day
Yeah when my siblings and I were little we had family cats and my parents never bought cat food and instead fed them our table scraps.
One thing I've been doing for years is that I take "military showers," where I turn on the tap, rinse myself, then turn the tap off. I then suds up my hair/face, turn on the tap to rinse, then again turn off the tap. I repeat this going down my body (don't want to cross contaminate!). Saves SO much water. I also use the tip you all have to fill a "vessel" with water as the tap warms up. I live in an old house with my parents- we have 12 foot ceilings and the shower is on the top floor. So I have a 5 gallon bucket that I use to collect water as I'm waiting for the warm water to come up from the basement, and I use that water in the bucket as a "free flush" for my toilet when the bucket is full. Also! My dad and I drink Gatorade during the summer or when we've been working out and have been sweating (Or when we've got a stomach bug, yuck!) and we need to replenish our electrolytes. We've found that buying Gatorade powder and mixing it in water at home is SO much cheaper than buying the cases of bottles, plus you have the added benefit of making it as strong or weak as you'd like. You can find it on Amazon. Oh! And there is MUCH less packaging, so a win for the planet as well. Thanks so much for all of your tips!
eat some real organic food produce and veggies
We used to use that shower tip when we had an RV to save water in the tank.
@@ronaldfarmer7205 We grow our own organic fruits and veggies, no problem there! ;)
I have an area in my house that I hang herbs that I grow to dry them. If I don't have a herb in my garden. I'll buy organic fresh herbs and dry them. It will be cheaper than buying organic spices in a premade bottle. Thanks guys I was reading everybody's ideas on how to save.
@@vickyjansen3544 Did you know that some herbs sold in the supermarket can be regrown from leaves? It depends on how they have been treated but if you google it or look on YT I bet you'll find into.
Hope: "Drink. Less. Coffee." Larry: "What??!! What??!!" LOL
One thing my girlfriends and I do is every season we do a clothing/ accessories swap. We get together at someone’s house, we bring clothes we are tired of but perfectly good, some still brand new and swap with the other girls for a “new wardrobe” for free. It’s something we did with kids clothes as well when our kids were little. Fortunately, we all are about the same size so the clothing swap works well for us.
My suggestion: don't buy things on credit; instead, save up to buy quality. Certain high-quality items, although they cost more up front, will save you money in the long run. After my dad died, my mom raised six kids on a teacher's salary. Her dining room stood empty for several years until she'd saved up enough money to buy a solid oak table, chairs and corner hutch. That furniture set served her from the 1980s until her death in 2020.
Mom wasn't afraid to be different from her neighbors. When friends came over, she'd show off her empty dining room and say, "And here's where the dining table and chairs will go, and here's where the corner hutch will go, when we've saved the money to buy them," just as proudly as if they were there already.
I love that! Your Mom was doing what I think of as "walking in faith." She had the vision set before her and did not waiver!
When I buy on credit I do the 0% interest if paid by a certain date then budget that into my monthly payments.
When I was younger I had a friend and her sister that got a yearly allowance for clothing once a year.. She and her sister went in together to purchased a sewing machine, patterns and fabric to make most of their clothes. They kept some money back to buy shoes/boots/socks, coats/jeans and underwear.
Same with my folks. I babysat.
Brilliant! I wish sewing was still taught in schools!
1) I used to use nail polish and sometimes I paint my toenails. But the paint is so bad for the body that I very rarely do it anymore. I keep my nails very short because long nails encourage germs and more of those I don't need. 2) Before I started to cut my own hair I used to walk to the local beauty college to get a very short bob. However, now I cut my hair really short. The impetus was the quarantine but I was really spurred by my daughter when she said, "Men never worry about their head shape when they have their hair cut short." It saves on shampoo, and I totally eliminated conditioner by keeping my hair short. 3) I only have an apartment deck to garden on and this year but instead of buying veggie plants several inches tall - which could cost anywhere from $2 to $4 each - I've bought seeds that cost far less for more plants. Contrary to what the package reads, I often plant the seeds closer together and will keep the remaining seeds to use in the following years. Seeds are often viable for several years. 4) When we get the catalogs for the local community college and the parks department, I will find the classes I'm interested in and then go to RUclips to look at vids on those subjects. I learn just as much and save the $40 to $160 (or more) that the classes cost.
In areas that get snow. Take the snow. Put snow against your living quarters such as homes and mobile homes. If you live in a mobile home you not only trap heat under the trailer yet it helps prevent pipes from freezing. Also open up your cabinets to help keep pipes warm.
I agree with Larry about RUclips. I haven't run out things to watch yet and it's been almost 5 years!
I’m currently hooked on Frugal Fit Mom and other videos about cheap meal ideas. And decluttering videos lol.
I love that your channel is growing. You guys deserve it. I appreciate so much the wisdom you're sharing with us.
My tips:
Change your a/c air filters every month so your a/c doesn't have to work so hard to cool your home.
Dress in light weight clothes in doors and
When dressing to outside in the summer, cover up to not get burned.
Cook outside to keep house cooler.
Eat meals that are none cooked, like salads and sandwiches.
Cook once a week and reheat in microwave, through out the week to keep house cooler.
Close the curtains to keep out the heat.
When taking a shower, make it quick but plug the drain and find uses for the water from the shower. Like wash a dog in the water. Or water plants, or use it to wash outside furniture. (Be careful cuz some soaps can damage or kill plants.
Close air vents in unused rooms.
If you have pets, make your own flea shampoo or flea yard spray. (Vinegar, dawn, water, equal parts)
Lol, Larry, I'm watching your video as I write this, lol Larry, I don't do manicures either.
Pack your own lunch and snacks for work, school or car trips.
Stop eating out or at least, decrease what you order, like no drinks, no appetizers, no deserts, and think about sharing a meal and most importantly, look at their prices and sizes before ordering.
Sometimes you can order a smaller meal for a few dollars less which is nice for light eater or get a regular size meal, and eat half and save other half for next days lunch.
Wear clothes more than once before washing...unless really really stinky or dirty, of course.
Check to see if you qualify for a discount on your electric bill. My daughter uses a C-Pap machine and because of that we qualify for a medical baseline rate which can be a huge savings.
Cut your pets fur yourself.
Wait for it to come on DVD instead of paying high movie ticket prices
Wash your own car, and use a bucket and rags, don't run that hose all willy nilly.
Make eating out or costly outings for very special days, like an anniversary.
Try a Roku...it cost me like 20.00 for the tv attachment and zero monthly costs.
Call your internet provider and ask for lower rate. By doing this, my internet went from 90+ dollars a month, to 50 a month...
and I got my daughter to pay it cuz she has a job and can help out too.
On coffee: make it less strong and use less cream and sugar.
Oh yes I remember the phone book slogan
Also, if you pay for Amazon prime, use it well, remember, with prime you can watch free movies and shows, read free books, listen to free music and I think they do something with photos too.
I love certain kinds of movies on the big screen. Tuesday is $7.00 all day (regular $10.50). On Black Friday you can buy gift cards $100 + $50 for $100. There is also a loyalty program for free tickets and concessions. My only other hobby is reading and RUclips. YT is free and I pay $15 mo for kindle unlimited. I’m retired so I have time to read a lot. I guess my hobby and indulgence is big screen movies.
@@kenyonbissett3512 ya I used to go to the movies once in a while. There is a theatre here that had or has 4.00 movies I used to go to but it is about a 12 mile drive and with gas being over 5.00 per gallon, I will wait ..that and my body can't walk up the stairs anymore. I only like to set at the top of the theater cuz sitting closer hurts my eyes which hurts my head.
My tv at home is about 48-50 inches so I'm ok. If I was strong enough to take those stairs, I'd love to see the new Downton Abbey movie come out in a few days.
@@greeneyedredhead61 I generally go when I have a dr/dentist appointment. Our only theatres are at the county seat/courthouse area. My theatre has the nice wide recliners so I do not feel claustrophobic, lol. My tv is about 10yrs old, a 46in led. Funny thing is I don’t watch much tv or even movies on the tv. 🤦♀️
Great advice thank you,however I wouldn't recommend using vinegar or Dawn on a animal there skin is very sensitive !
@@Sharon... it doesn't hurt my baby. She is a shitzsu... But I'm sure maybe sensitive to some. And Dawn is safely used on wildlife.
50 years ago, my dad drove 3 other men to work every day. One of my sons bikes to work, the other works from home.
We live on the 4th floor of a 9 story building near Chicago. We never turn on the heat in the winter. We only have south facing windows.
Tina, Al's wife
Our sons live in a second floor apartment. It was December before they turned the heat on. Warm air really does rise.
When I was growing up, my dad would always say, turn the water off when washing your hair and body, then turn it back on to rinse. I still do it almost 60 years later. It has saved our family lots of money over the years.
We grew up with cistern water & we weren’t allowed to have more than an inch of water in the bathtub. Dad was always yelling, turn off the water!
In the Navy, on an aircraft carrier, my husband learned to "soap down, turn off water and wash body & hair, turn it on and rinse off".
Thank you, your water conservation/frugality has saved our planet, too.
Growing up in Puerto Rico I remember my grandma and the lady’s in my neighborhood will get together and share their food. Well my friend and I decided to do the same example we will buy a bag of potatoes split the cost in half because there’s two people in her home and two in mine. What made us decide this was when she paid $8.00 dollars for 3 apples
$8 for 3 apples 🍎😳
Me and my friends started doing that during the pandemic - bought in bulk and split it
Yeah that's pretty crazy, even at today's prices!
We had a timer on our hot -water heater. It came on at 4 am -9 am. Then 3pm-8pm. It was off the rest of the time! Saved a ton of $$$
A couple of things that are probably only pertinent to single or widowed people like I am. I have divided dinner plate containers for the freezer. The dinners may contain leftover food from several different meals.
Rather than change the sheets on the schedule I used while I was sharing a bed with my husband, I turn the sheets so that the part from the side I don't sleep on is now on my side of the bed.
I don't wash clothes unless they are dirty or smell. I hang up clothes to air, and then return them to the closet.
When my husband was quite ill, we had to use a "rinse-free body wash" for him. I use it now for a "sink bath" to avoid taking a shower every day.
My car display shows the MPG that I'm getting. As a retiree, I can plan errands at less busy times of day. I drive the speed limit & coast whenever possible. I've also found that a back route without traffic lights & with less traffic improves my gas mileage. If you can avoid idling at lights or being stuck in traffic, it saves a lot of gas. I've increased my gas mileage by >3 mpg.
There were six of us at home when we were growing up at the farm. My dad would shut off the hot water after the last person showered at night. Early the next morning, when he got up to stoke the wood stove, he would put the hot water on. By the time morning chores were done the water would be hot enough. So yes, you can save with this idea. You just have to be a little more scheduled to make it work. He would also leave a kettle of water on the wood stove when he went to bed. That way if you needed water during the night (eg. clean a child who had an accident), the water would stay warm on the stove as it coals burned down til morning.
Just found your channel. You get to the points fast and furious. No fluff just the facts. Thank you. I live a frugal life too. My side hustles back in the day were, I taught knitting, crocheting and sewing in the local,parks n recreation. I sewed raggedy Ann and Andy pairs, crocheted hats for the holidays. I mended cloths for people. While doing this I worked a 40 hour a week job. I also resold items/cloths on Etsy. I was so darn busy . I did this for 8 years. Oh my God ! I’m retired now. However I still live a very frugal life. I love it and wouldn’t change for anything. So much fun! I still cut my own hair. Do my own pedicures and manicure.
I have 2 tips for saving electricity. First, unplug everything that isn't used daily,such as a lamp in the guest room, a second television, and especially unused kitchen appliances. Second, always shave 5 minutes off the baking time stated in a recipe. Shut the oven off 5 minutes sooner but keep the oven door shut. Most ovens are insulated well enough to hold in the heat to continue cooking your item.
And last, when it comes to paper towels, I always buy the 'pick a size' Larry mentioned, which are half sized. I then rip these in half, using only 1/4 of a paper towel. I've gone from using a roll each week to a roll every 6-7 weeks.
We added a timer ($50) to our hot water heater so everyone knows when the shower hours are. We inform guests also. ☺️ so love your program channel and y’all are so adorable together. ❤️❤️
Interesting, how did you do this?
@@gail7138 we purchased a timer from Lowes, ($50) it has been about 8 years ago. It is connected in the wiring of the hot water heater. You can set on off times. I truly believe it has been a great saver.
Thank you ❤️
Thank you for these videos, always inspiring me to make better choices with the money my husband works hard to earn. I’m commenting mid-video so perhaps these were mentioned: with respect to gift giving, my husband used to buy his mom gifts for her birthday. She’s in her 80’s and has accumulated quite a lot of stuff in her years. Now instead he and her grandson devote several hours a month helping her by taking care of household repairs and maintenance at her home. They spend time together and chores are handled. Also, we don’t have children but do have a dog. I make homemade treats for her and spend a lot of time walking with her in our neighborhood or parks close by for training and mental stimulation. Also keeps us both fit. 😊. We also buy the pet store’s brand of dog food. That occurred because our usual name brand food was consistently our of stock. The store brand food hasn’t caused any issues. Finally, regarding pets, we shop around for her monthly preventative medicine. We do our research first about reputable sellers (Chewy is great). Our vet was charging us $50 more for her six month supply. Unfortunately we do have to Mail in the paper script because most vets won’t work with other sellers by sending the script electronically. Which frustrates me because most human scripts are handled this way and insurance companies charge less for human mail order prescriptions. And speaking of insurance (now I’m on a rant) check all your policies yearly. Somehow our homeowners insurance changed our marital status to single and up charged us for over three years. I caught the mistake and requested refunds for the years the mistake was made. They refused. I had to contact our state’s insurance regulators and they stepped in and got that resolved quick, fast and in a hurry. We did receive refunds for the years in question.
Love all your tips for dog owners.
Never had my nails done
-For kids lunches or anyone’s lunches really…on Sundays I spend about an hour packing half-size (4oz) jelly jars with lunch items for the week. I buy bulk size applesauce, yogurt, canned fruit, and jello. Sometimes I also cut up a few pounds of fresh fruit like strawberries or grapes, too. Even buying “Snack Pack” jello for $1.25 now is overpriced when I can get a double pack of the store brand for $1 and make 12 of my own jello cups. And yogurt is WAY more expensive in the single serving size. What you are paying for is the packaging.
-I also bought an $8 sandwich mold on Amazon to make my own PB&J uncrustables. Those things are like $1 each now! I buy a loaf of wonder bread, bulk size PB&J, use a rolling pin to flatten the bread and patch any holes and voilà! Uncrustables for picky eater kids for 20 cents each!
-We also make our own “instant” oatmeal. I make a big batch with my food processor and store it in mason jars. In the morning I pour out how much I feel like eating and add hot water.
-We gave up soda completely and now just make iced tea. If we have a sweet tooth, we’ll make a pitcher of koolaid.
-I buy Ban roll-on deodorant. It’s expensive but lasts FOREVER. Seriously, like $5 for a bottle but it lasts months!
-Bar soap in the bathrooms. It smells wonderful and lasts a super long time.
-Wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets and I never use fabric softener.
-I bought a set of Turkish bath towels. It took some getting used to because they are not the fluffy towels we are used to in the USA, but they are huge, super absorbent and dry insanely fast! It’s more like drying off with a bedsheet.
-Staycations are nice, but if you really want to get out and travel-go camping! A tent site fee is pennies on the dollar compared to a hotel room and many campgrounds have hot showers. KOAs are GREAT! And you can buy a discount pass to save even more if you frequent KOAs a lot. Most even have Wi-Fi. We camped KOAs an entire week long trip from the mid south to LA and another week on the way back. And if you don’t want to pitch a tent, most have cabins-just bring your own sheets.
-Our electric company has an online marketplace where you can buy deeply discounted light bulbs, smart thermostats, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and advanced power strips that stop the zombie drain. Our gas company offers FREE or very deeply discounted shower heads and faucet aerators. I got a chrome shower head with a 5 foot hose for $6, an office sized Honeywell air purifier for $25, and a Google Nest thermostat for $40!
I love these ideas, I have been saving water recently. Each time I turn my hot tap on I put a jug under the tap and the cool water that comes out first goes into this jug, I get about 1 litre of water before my water gets hot that would have gone down the drain. Now it's in the jug and I use it to pour in the kettle or water the plants. This is the main water saving change we have made and our water use has gone down 30 litres a month so our bill has gone down about £10 a month. So simple and take so little time.
Thank you for part 2 of 50 ways to save money. I also recently began the cash envelope system and I believe it does work. You guys are adorable. Love watching all your vlogs. ❤️
My family of 3 has almost stopped getting take out completely and instead we have used that budget line to get some frozen meals from Costco as our “take out.” We save money and time and I don’t even miss take out.
Was in the grocery store last night sausage $3 a pound on sale but pork $1.50 I got pork instead of sausage. Red beans and rice is better with sausage but pretty good with pork chops.
When you want new fashions - shop your closet, recombine outfits, trade clothes with your friends and family, go to garage sales, shop the thrift stores and learn to do a little sewing for basic items.
I just love the two of you, so much positive energy. It's really lovely to spend time in your company, thank you. Lots of love from South Africa. ⚘
Awe, thank you, Debbie!! We love having you along with us!
Yes! We implemented the turn hot water off other than when we shower. Bill went down significantly!
We travel alot for hubby's job. I pack lunch & we picnic. We put our water heater on vacation mode. We also put all services on hold. We removed the Amazon app from our devices to make us think before we clicked. Thank you so much!
Removing Amazon app now, excellent tip!
A lot of great tips! I used to make greeting cards and it could have been cheaper than buying them, but the supplies and embossing machine etc. does add up. I used the supplies to scrapbook photo albums too, but that was for fun and didn't save money on anything else. Since I cannot do crafting any more (arthritis), I have a drawer I keep bulk greeting cards in I buy and they're sorted by categories. Also have free cards in there received from charity places that are soliciting donations. These cards have saved money over buying them at current prices. However, you can purchase good cards from the dollar store cheaper than other places. My plan for saving even more money is to not buy any more cards and call the people on their special day and enjoy a short conversation instead. Bonus for them is they don't have to save the cards or feel bad if they toss them. Lol Thank you for such inspiring, fun videos!
Good ideas!
Instead of gifts for friends I send them postage stamps
Until I started watching you I didn't realize I was so frugal. I have always bought household items second hand as well as clothing etc. My husband was firm on paying cash for everything. We never bought on credit or lived above our means. We were always mindful of our spending. We sat down weekly as a family and made up our meal menus for the week and we shopped for what was on the list and nothing more. My children are grown and have families and still follow the same principles. I'm thrilled to see you weekly to reinforce how important it is to live this way and to truly find joy in it.
This is a tip that is pretty specific to location, but very helpful here in Chicago. If your largest windows in your home are east or west facing, keep curtains closed during the summer to reduce sun exposure. Keeps the house much cooler without high AC costs.
Works in Maryland also. By 11-12 I can open the east facing curtains and by 2-3 pm close the west facing. My curtains are also insulated, makes a big difference summer and winter.
Works in Virginia!
Works in Norway too 👍🏻
I live in Ky . During the summer I only open my blinds enough to let in light .
Trust this is not location specific! Very helpful tip though
I’m a pro dog groomer so save money clipping my own dog…this also extends to cutting / colouring my own hair…looks good and saves heaps….👌🏽
Be prepared for a black out not only with candles and flashlights on hand for lights at night but buy some solar lights that you use outside along walkways or flowerbeds at the Dollar Store or other stores and use for lights inside your house at night. Can be recharged each day durning the day. Never be left in the dark!
Haha! Great minds think alike...just did this a month ago. Also bought the rechargeable batteries to go with them ( couple packs) figured that would be a good light source for a couple years...?😉
Where do you get solar lanterns and solar AA and AAA batteries? This would be a HUGE way to save on electricity.
I have a cat and my cat loves temptation treats so it comes in a big jar and many times I put a little mouth in small Ziploc bag to stay fresh because if you keep using it out of the big jar eventually it will become stale and your cat warm want it but if you put it in small Ziploc bags, it would always stay fresh and your cat would be happyGod bless you both
I just love your positive outlook and how you laugh together!
The tips you give are so helpful and many are awesome reminders.
As prices have risen, we have really started thinking about our driving; some kids' hobbies we are car pooling, simply not driving and pooling all chores into one or two months trips. This saves at least $30-$40 / month. We have started to collect cans and bottles while we walk our dog - so far made $40 during the last few months 🙌 we also pick up all kinds of stuff from curbs in our neighbourhood. Some things we sell, others become gifts, some we keep for ourselves and lastly, we even found a box of completely good food!
At the grocery store, our biggest savings come from the clearance and loss leaders items. We plan our shopping very carefully. In other areas, we have simply stopped buying anything that is not a need. Things we absolutely need we buy used, or ask friends and family if we can borrow. There is a lot more, but, like you, I think the key is to be grateful for what you already have and cultivate an abundance mindset 💞🙏
This is a strange one, but I stopped buying deodorant. I use a little baking soda after I shower and am slightly damp. I saw it on You Tube. It doesn't bother my skin, and I don't smell. Also I use baking soda to exfoliate my skin in the shower. I save money not buying expensive skin care products.
i started using baking soda mixed with coconut oil and a few drops of clove essential oil to brush my teeth...seems to me it works better than commercial toothpaste. I also don't shower everyday anymore. I used to think I had to, but found out that we have bacteria on our bodies that we need and we keep washing it all off. Who knew? So, this not only saves on water, but on soap, shampoo and whatever else that you may use when you shower or bathe. I have gotten to where I only shower twice a week now unless I just get really really dirty. It doesn't bother me at all anymore, it did seem to have a learning curve to it; as it took me and my body some time to get used to it.
Exercising regularly is cost effective in many ways. It improves your health, saving on medical costs and medications. It also reduces your appetite, saving on food. Finally, it prevents weight gain, enabling you to keep your present size clothing.
So true!!
Probably also helps with sleep.
My husband and I are firm believers that “Christmas is for kids”. We gladly give the kids in our immediate family gifts but no gifts for the adults. So much less expensive and much less stressful! None of the adults in our family need a thing anyway. When we first got married I had to buy and wrap gifts for 50 adults and kids. 90% of the stuff my husband and I received at Christmas ended up in the Goodwill box three months later anyway.
I do my own mani’s & pedi’s because I’d rather spend that money on massages for my stiff neck. The BEST polish is Essie Gel Couture Longwear & you need the matching topcoat. It’s $10.00 a bottle but your mani will last up to two weeks if applied correctly. I’m very frugal but this polish is SELL WORTH IT. Don’t use a base coat, apply the color directly to your nails, let dry, then apply the topcoat. This stuff wears like iron and it’s pretty and shiny.
A couple of years ago my daughter mentioned that she really didn't need/want anything for Yule so I donated money to the local food bank (where she used to volunteer) in her name, then the last year I donated to the local Humane Society in her name. We also got a name off a Lions Club Giving Tree last year and bought a huge bag of clothes for an 11-year-old girl. It was so much fun and we were giddy at the thought of her opening the presents on Yule morning.
this is such a lovely thing to do
@@Gothlite-i1l
Living alone, in spring and summer, I put my water heater on only one hour before a shower and I have hot water for the day. It works well.
You two are amazing and so adorable, we always add water to empty dishwashing soape and shampoo containers to get out all the leftover soape it’s amazing how much you get out of them.
Thank you, Beatrice - and great tip. We do this, too!
You can also do this with liquid fabric softener and detergent.
Loved this 2 part video! I have a few more to add...another way to possibly save money on gas is to ask your employer if you can work 4 ten hour days instead of the typical 5 day work week. Both you and your employer benefit from this arrangement. When cooking veggies (esp. potato for mashing), cut them small, cook with a lid on and about a minute after they start boiling I turn off the heat and let them sit until done. I do this with potato, rice, boiled or poached eggs, other veggies, baked potato and casseroles. You mentioned DIY and I resort to RUclips for tutorials. My dryer stopped working and after troubleshooting with the help of RUclips, I discovered it needed a belt. I picked up the belt from our local appliance store and watched a RUclips tutorial and fixed it myself! I saved $80 :) My husband and I do this all the time with our vehicles, but only for replacing parts, nothing complicated...that is for the experts! I would LOVE a video on your solar cooker and if possible, I would love to learn more about how and especially what you eat. We are trying to transition to a plant based diet but I find it difficult to come up with things my husband can take to work, he works outside and has no way of heating up anything. I want to give him more than peanut butter sandwiches, lol! THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the effort you put into your videos, you two are a pleasure to watch!
Ooh yes- cutting veggies smaller is a great tip- I find it uses less water as there is less space between them and they cook faster due to a bigger surface area. I think they taste just as good. Also I think that boiling water in the elec kettle to pour over the vegetables (not potatoes) to start cooking them, rather than starting them in cold water seems more efficient than cooking from cold water on the job- does anyone else agree with this? (Trying to use slow cooker more)
I have to add, when cooking rice I don't just boil it for a minute...but I do cut the cooking time for white rice in half!
Would a Hot Logic work for him? Amazon and Walmart them. They are an insulated lunch box that you can plug into a cigarette lighter. They have a selection of cigarette lighter and house wallplug connectors. If he works out of a truck, he can plug it in an hour or so before lunchtime
@@donnasnell5250 ha! I do the kettle trick too!!!
Had a comment about Christmas gifts: As we got older we started giving gifts to those under 18 only. And for the adults we gave ''food gifts''. Splurged on something they liked but never bought for themselves, wine and cheese, imported beer, nuts and dried fruit, chocolates and jams etc...and made a lot of things, fudge, peanut brittle, caramels, peppermints...they always seemed to love it especially the candy and baked goods.
Fantastic idea ❤️
I give to my friends all throughout the year by doing things like going to the bank and picking up a roll of quarters for my friend who is so exhausted and is in between two jobs or I will read the sidewalk area of my elderly neighbor or I will show my neighbors the smartest finance move they can make regarding interest rates Etc and so they know that I'm not going to give holiday gifts but I try to give them of myself every week
@@KC-dr3cg Wish you were my neighbor, I take the bus yet the neighbors all have cars, never an offer.
Lucky you, that has the type of friends that don't expect "Both!"
This year I'm making jams, jellies also home canned fruits & veggies
To save on gas, if possible, work from home. This helps with not eating out as much as well. Here in Iowa, KwikStar has the cheapest gas by far. By going a little farther from home, I paid 3.39/gallon instead of the 4.19 at the station closest to me.
That’s a huge difference.
Just filled up my car here in Scotland. OUCH!!!!! Paid, after £ to US$ conversion, the heftiest price to date at US$10.52 a gallon.
@@chelamcguire ouch, that’s painful 😖 I know it doesn’t compare to $10.52 a gallon but gasoline is up 33% -50% and climbing and diesel is up 100% and climbing.
@@chelamcguire Wow! I would have to stop driving if gas was that much.
Who doesn’t like to save money! Thanks for the tips!
It's always good watching you both as you always remind me to be more mindful in my purchases. This is definitely an area that I work on every time I go to the grocery store as I'm always planning 2-4 months ahead....but those little extra items creep in - nothing like a bag of tortilla chips for snacking when the kernel popcorn is better for both my budget and my waistline.
Hope this one’s for you regarding manicures. I just bought some really good nail polish online for $.98 a bottle and it is premium nail polish. I had a good one fall with that. Have not done my nails in years. One thing though to remember to make your manicure last as far as your polish goes… Get a cotton ball or paper towel and soak it with vinegar rub the vinegar on your fingernails before you polish them. Brush on clear polish and let dry if the color polish you were going to use is a darker color as it may stain Your fingernails. Otherwise go ahead and polish with the color but always use a top coat of clear. The clear will seal the color in and the vinegar will also help the polish adhere to your fingernails. Therefore your polish will last longer with less chipping. Out the polish that I found was actually online on Walmart. I have a subscription for Walmart where my groceries are delivered free as well as any of the items that I order online. With some exceptions from outside merchants those you do have to watch. I don’t go shopping I don’t go to the store I do everything online as I’m bedfast at the moment I have a broken leg. I have found a way to make this service work for me. I encourage everyone to do so less trips to the store less gas spent and actually I save money doing that. Let’s say you buy the membership for one year you spend $100 for one year free delivery. Think about how much gasoline that saves. Also you can get a membership for one month free for a trial. I also have a membership for Amazon and I pay $6.99 a month which is half price because I have the discount for that through my EBT. That means free television free movies and free delivery. Can’t beat it.
Cloth napkins instead of paper are more economical, especially if they are used for several meals until they are actually soiled. Cloth napkins can be bought a thrift stores, too, so it's a win-win.
When you're done with the pickles or any pickle item. Keep the pickle juice to use in sauces or to do fridge pickle again. When I want to add spice to a recipe, I'll use the jalapeno juice ( also you'll use less salt). I bought a small space heater to save money. When it is hot you can buy a neck fan to keep yourself cool too. Thanks
I use (actually reuse once the original soap ran out) foaming handsoap dispensers. It only takes about 2 or 3 TB of Palmolive + water to fill the entire bottle and then you are using less soap per wash and using Palmolive is much cheaper than actual handsoap while being just as gently on hands.
This is a really good idea. Going to try this. Good way to stretch a dollar.
I use undiluted dawn in an old hand soap pump bottle. I'll have to try this though!
Awesome tip
@@MommaLousKitchen Make sure it has a foaming pump. That's the $ saver.
I love y’all. Y’all have such good personalities and very informative. Great tips.
I dislike food that is needlessly packaged, especially packaged in plastic. I’m paying for this! and then I’m expected to recycle it at my expense. I bring
My own bags and small cloth bags, I re-use store jam jars in canning 3 X over with no issues. I wash zip-lock freezer bags and re-use (not ones used for meat!). My daughters and I share bulk buying: Bulk goods often come in layered paper sacks. Try to resist or re-use packaging!
Sadly, Costco is very guilty of over-packaging.
This tip may not be for everyone, but my grandmother taught us to save from our mail, envelopes and the enclosed paper, that is blank on one side, to use as scrap paper.
I also use the blank envelopes enclosed in my bill mail to put checks in for my rent and for the people who mow my lawn and snowblow my yard. They are also useful for holding receipts for miscellaneous medical or office supplies for the tax year.
I write my shopping, to do lists etc on the blank parts of junk mail & bills. I hold it all together with a paper clip. It’s like a homemade notepad.
My mom taught me the same. I am thinking about making my kids a sketchbook out of those now.
...I'll do you one better! I use that as fire paper to start my fires. Also for wrapping up breakables!
@@northwoodsmama4973 Good idea. I don't have a wood stove or fireplace, though.
We reused envelopes at a college I worked for to send inner-campus. You crossed off your dept name, wrote who it went to....envs used multiple times!
Take advantage of freebies .In my area a couple times a week outside of the foodbank/thrift store there will be free food and beverages for anyone to take. I've gotten cases of fruit beverages huge bags of flour and in the summer fresh vegetables. Also around my town there are these little wooden boxes on posts with free books I have gotten many many books. Sometimes there are free BBQs typically hotdogs and hamburgers and a beverage for special events in the area. I live in an apartment complex and there is a designated area for people to leave unwanted items I have gotten small appliances vintage dishes tons of craft supplies Christmas items movies CDs books etc
I'm a hearty proponent of the Little Free Libraries as a taker and a giver. I wish my apartment complex was like yours in having a place to recycle things. The LFL and another giving box nearby to the LFL also recycles things such as clothes, food, craft items, etc.
Love all your videos and your smiles. Last summer my body got hot and stopped sweating. Still almost a year later no one knows why. IDEA; I keep a thermos with ice and water next to me to keep wetting my washcloths to cool me down. This way I'm not turning water on and letting it run until it's very cold. This is good for everyone in hot weather so you don't overheat.
Love you both! Your ideas and the way you are as a couple are inspiring ❤️
Awe, thank you, Nicky!
I actually recently quit coffee. I thought I couldnt live without it but after the withdrawal effects man I felt so much more energy. The fact it saves money is a huge bonus. Now I have a nice smoothie instead of coffee and Im working out everyday at 5am. I never would have been able to do that when I was consuming coffee. I was always so tired. I was only drinking 1 cup a day it just didnt have a good effect on me. I just dont think my body responds well to caffeine.
Switching to tea might be an alternative. It is cheaper, and the tannins in the tea are actually beneficial. There is some caffeine in tea but can get caffeine free. I buy regular black tea bags, and they are very cheap. I can get 3 cups of tea from 1 bag.
Buy organic coffee. Use organic sugar. Whole foods sells organic 24 oz for $10. Organic sugar is $11 for 10 pounds. They put bleach and pesticides in sugar. Pesticides in coffee. That's what causes people problems. I use whole milk as creamer
When we go travelling, I check out the local grocery store ads in that town and see what the specials are. Also, when I find a great sale, I buy as much as I can use by the time it expires. I absolutely love, love, love watching your videos.
When our sons were in school they had an auction fundraiser for new playground equipment! People were spending money to purchase expensive items for gift baskets or donating antiques, etc. Having neither, I volunteered a service…I would iron a weeks worth of dress shirts. It was well received and brought in a tidy sum! After I volunteered that, someone else offered to bake a homemade birthday cake which was also well received.
Comment was by Deborah Gnagey
@@garygnagey3569 , what a great idea, Deborah. Peer pressure is a very real thing when it comes to school functions and fund raisers.
Keep an eye out for deals on electronic versions of major newspapers or you local paper. I paid $1 for six months of the Los Angeles Times. I kept track of when it ended and saw they were offering the same deal six months later. I cancelled my subscription for a couple of days and re-started for another six months for $1.
9 years ago I began making my own laundry detergent. (3 tablespoons washing soda, 3 tablespoons borax, and 3 tablespoons Dawn DWL in 1 gal. of water.) I can't even imagine how many hundreds or even thousands of dollars I've saved over 9 years. Depending on which commercial detergent you've been using. Small amounts saved over time really add up!
Is the washing soda, baking soda?
Thanks! For all you guys do!!!!!
Thanks so much for the Super Chat. We appreciate that. And you are very welcome. We love our RUclips family.
I work at home, this has been a very hot
humid week here in MO, and it is only MAY!
Had to use A/C to reduce that humidity.
I am trying to keep the temp up on thermostat so that the AC does not click on for at least 4 hours when I start my work. I am keeping our insulated black out curtains closed.
We try not to use the oven in summers. Our two favorite summer meals are Tuna Pasta Salad; and BLT’s. And we use the charcoal grill.
I plan my shopping trips to use as low as gas as possible, but spouse and daughter work outside of home so they use plenty of gas lol.
We have mostly LED bulbs with a few flourescent lights-in basement.
We have tried the hot water turn down temp before, didn’t work well for us. Maybe we can try again.
My dad was Hvac and refrigeration guy, a couple yrs ago he thought our central air unit sounded like the fan was going to go out soon, he advised us-and we listened-went online and ordered a new fan motor and fan blade so if fan quits we can just replace it. Haven’t needed it so far. He checked the air temp coming out and was impressed as it was working exactly as it should. (this unit is at least 20 yrs old)
I check the pipes outside to the AC unit to make sure the one is very cold to touch as it should be. we keep weeds/grass/etc clear of the outside unit and we wash the outside unit a couple times a season. (hose off, plus there is cleaner you can spray on and scrub a bit if ya want/need to as it gets pretty dirty.)
I don’t have many great tips but am thankful for the ones you share with us!
Thank you for all the tips. In case you do another viewer tips episode here is mine...I purchase everything through my Discover card which rewards me 2-5% on every purchase including household utilities, then I pay my bill off when it comes. It not only rewards me but it helps me organize my purchases so that I can review where I have gone right or need to cinch up for the month. Also I get my FICO score every month plus additional charts and graphs. Then I wrap my card purchases through discounting apps like Ibotta which also adds discounting rewards.
As far as turning off water heater, I grew up like that. Was turned off like 8 am-8pm , since showers were every day after gym class and sports. Alternate days also. Mom heated water on stove for dishes.
I know the Dollar store has nail polish so $1.25. Dont know quality I usually use clear.
TOPS offer gas discounts.
Suggestion:
* cheapest drink- tea, ice tea instead of a lot of coffee or soda
* 100% juice, mix w cheaper club soda instead of soda.
* Use ground turkey/pork/soy products in place of beef especially w spicey foods like chili.
* Learn to sew/quilt. repair instead of replace. Use old clothes for quilts and Boro
Suggestion:
We should all do this on this channel:
* Post our favorite low cost recipe
My girls were starting to act ungrateful when I would get them new toys or something. Every time I went anywhere they asked me if I would get them a prize while I was out. New rule is for every new item they bring in, something else has to go. And they spend their own money. Hopefully, they will learn to be more grateful for what they receive and be more selective about what they want. It's also helpful to not bring kids to the store unless necessary. That saves money. And I let each girl ( we have 2) pick 1 or 2 treats (chips, pretzels cookies, canned ravioli, etc) when I get groceries. They have a limit which saves money and waste. They enjoy their treats when there's only one or two. And shopping less often does help. I shopped last Saturday and spent $159 at Aldi's. I used to go every Saturday morning while my daughter is at dance class. I was thinking about what I need this week and I don't need anything. So that is a win for me. Keeping a stocked pantry is very helpful. And we got a chest freezer last month so we can take advantage of sales. I had purchased 4 or 5 bags of chicken leg quarters for 69¢ a pound a few weeks ago and it filled my regular freezer. (Along with frozen vegetables and the kids ice cream.) Also, shopping sales cycles helps. I bought about 30 lbs of butter at Easter time when Aldi's had it for $1.69 or something crazy because I know it won't be on sale again until holiday baking time. (Which is when we'll stock up on baking supplies, butter, spices again.) Ground beef, hot dogs, Italian sausage, brats, all grilling meats will be on sale just before memorial day. I will try to buy enough to last until July 4th sales. Then again until labor day. That will have to be a big stock up because sales aren't good again until memorial day again. So definitely watch sales cycles around holidays for times to stock up. Sorry I rambled so much but I am typing as I think of things and my daughter is talking to me too. Love your videos and all of your tips. I agree with Larry about showers and shopping. Just get it done. And I cancelled about 4 or 5 subscription channels that we were rarely watching. We watch RUclips and other free streaming channels. Thank you again for your videos. I appreciate you and enjoy watching.
Thank you. Very helpful
I used to work for a hospital where carpooling was encouraged and they provided the vans and coordinated everything. I took advantage of that and it was great.
That is awesome.
When drying clothes with a dryer, you can cut down dryer time by placing a clean dry towel in with the heavier items. You can cut down the drying time considerably. Also, I used to allow heavy clothing like jeans to air dry until about 80% dry and then place in the dryer to finish up with a dryer sheet. So they get softened up and smell nice. In addition, I have been reading that blue jeans do not to always be washed after every wear. You can wear them quite a while unless they are dirty or smelly.
We prefer hanging outside when possible. Great tip about drying heavy items in dryer.
Outside is the best but I live in an apartment so it isn't possible, but since I wash my clothes with vinegar they come out of the dryer not stiff (unstiff? destiff? stiff-free?). I used unscented things so a dryer sheet is a non-starter. I've heard you can take most wrinkles out of clean dry clothes by putting them in the dryer with a damp towel.
I use drying racks for clothes. I will only put bedsheets and blankets in the dryer. I love in apt building with shared laundry.
Wow, great idea, thanks for sharing!!
I use a 40 OZ. empty peanut butter jar, water & liquid soap to clean my socks, then hang to dry. I hang my shirts out of washer on hangers on garage door rail to dry. You can reroute your dryer heat to garage during cold winter days, using a woman's nylon over end of hose to filter with.
Thank you both for all your help god bless
I have 2 ways to save. 1) baggies are too expensive to use & toss so I wash and re-use several times..this saves me a lot. And 2) I started a budget binder with a plastic sleeve for each spend category with a ledger page and cash envelopes. I load up the envelopes every payday, track expenditures and put receipts in respective sleeves. This helps me to be accountable to myself. It's a new process so it's tempting to cheat but worth the effort to use only cash.
I like your binder idea, thank you for sharing!
I thought that I couldn't live without baggies but years ago I went cold turkey on them. I don't even remember what I used them for. Try doing without - you can do it!
@@pennynickels5216 I recycle cereal bags (wax paper) and use glass containers for everything I used to use baggies for. If putting leftovers in the fridge for a day or two I usually just put a plate over the leftovers bowl to seal it. I save the bags from bread to put opened bulk cheese in. Can't remember what else I used baggies for.
My mom taught me the value of laying aluminum foil flat on the counter and washing it if it had just been used for something that was not greasy
I have I have learned when it comes to doing things including shopping trips plan what you’re going to do. Always plan ahead. Never leave the house hungry always leave with a list and then plan your trip! If you have to go to the grocery store and there are other errands that need to be ran then think what you’re going to do. If you’re going to have to keep groceries in the car while you’re running other errands I suggest taking coolers to keep your food cold. Drive to the farthest point out in your shopping trip and work your way back going in order of farthest to closest so you end up at home and you save gas and you’re not running around. Back in my last town when I would shop I would go down one side of the street and come back on the other side of the street that way I wasn’t cutting back-and-forth and zigzagging to the stores. Same thing when you clean the house. Start at one corner work your way around the house and don’t be running all around the house. It saves time and it saves energy. You get more done and you feel more productive. Also when it comes to cleaning and general purposes lists are a wonderful thing to have. I even make a list to have reminders in my cell phone That will chime in the order that I want to have completed them or to remind me to start the completion of
I really appreciate your longer videos with explanations. Both your energy and wisdom are greatly appreciated!
What a great idea! Getting your day off on the right foot, indeed.
We have a family of five. Our hot water heater goes pretty often, but don't have a serious power bill. A water saver valve is great for saving hot water. I'm a light switch cop, so is my husband.
We only buy used vehicles, we frequent thrift stores.
I'm super strict about snacks- one snack time a day, and leftovers must be eaten before the next meal is made.
Dishes are washed with watered down dish liquid (dawn 3x concentrate), and I only use he detergent for my laundry, and we use very little. We use oxy, but very little.
We are looking for a good mechanic.
I drive WAY back, so I am never ever forced to rear end another vehicle, and I ALWAYS have a way out no matter what. Traffic is dangerous, and most injuries happen when you're in the vehicle.
I use and reuse ALL decent packaging, bread bags, paper bags, shopping bags, plastic take out containers, all bottles are saved, plastic is filled and sent to the basement with water. Glass is saved for...well, our home made tinctures, oxymels, home made juices and teas, and home made vinegars.
I can some fruit with water so we can have a drink when I open one that's delicious, not just a dessert.
I buy all my grains and rice and beans in bulk, btw 20 and 50 lb bags. All coffee is bought in bulk, it usually saves me a dollar or so per pound.
I frequent liquidation centers for snacks, tea, creamer, and anything I else I can.
I keep track of my prices! Knowing WHERE to go for the best deals is the best money saver.
I bulk buy my seeds.
I get old and odd free plant pots from a friend who has a green house...saves me money yearly!
We do not have a tv subscription.
We don't use satellite radio.
I frequently make food to eat before leaving the house, and get a coffee ready in my to go mug so I'm not tempted.
Tomorrow, I'll be cleaning my house so I can focus and get lots of things done...canning, dehydrating and making jam and jellies and pickles and canned meats and veg.
All money saving stuff.
Next... decluttering the unneeded things. I've been cutting up old sweatshirts and t-shirts. These pieces of cloth have significant value. They can be used for cleaning, to wash in the shower, or for the lining of a diaper or feminine napkin.
All of our razors come from the dollar store.
Stashing all preps in the attic, and cleaning up my spaces for a sleeker and more organized look, to save aggrevation!
Loving this thread and the series!
Absolutely agree about DIY manicures. Additionally, there are amazing DIY nail art videos. Make it fun. Friends, moms/daughters, etc can share time together with doing each other's mani-pedis.
If there'a a local college that offers beauty courses, they advertise 'in-house' looking for models. I apply there for manicures, pedicures, waxing, hair colouring, hair styling. All carried out by trainees but overseen by the tutor. FREE.
I just moved into my basement for the summer- it's hot now. But my basement stays pretty cool. I have a couple windows and a half bath, my desk and my bed so it's perfect. It is cutting my AC electric down by a ton because I am now watching that on my electric company dashboard that lets me track by hourly usage.
Just remember when storing bottled water over time the plastic’s can leach into the water so don’t keep it for too long. Might be better to bottle your own water in glass bottles for long keeping sake.
Please don't buy plastic bottled water. Our oceans are dying due to plastic. I keep three glass fruit-juice jugs of water and always have great ice-cold water on hand.
You can filter that out with a Berkey.
Yes! If you can a lot you can add a jar of water in the 7th slot in the canner every once in a while if you have 6 quarts of something to can
You guys are killing it. I’m just saying. Love it!
Thanks, Denise!
Wow. Part 3. Sounds good!!
I love watching the two of you! Getting close to the holidays again, so I thought I would comment on what I do to save cost I told my four adult children and their spouses instead of trying to buy gifts for everyone they are to make donation to a charitable organization or help a family in need at this time and only purchase gifts for the grandchildren. No other gifts allowed.
Thank u for all the helpful tips u guys are amazing I'm watching from South Africa
Consider short hair - less water/washing/showering time.
Consider replacing shampoo and conditioner with baking soda (+/- apple cider vinegar rinse). I put a couple or 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a recycled salad dressing bottle filled with warm water, shake it up, squirt it into hair, work it in, rinse out with plain water. I've been doing this over 2 years now...no going back to shampoo!
Just had a friend give me a 20 kilo bag of rice for free to say I was excited was an understament
A friend gave me frozen blueberries. Delicious.
I have this friend that gives me rhubarb and in turn I give her my extra cucumbers. My neighbour hates to garden (black thumb instead of green) so I made a deal if I could use her garden she got half of the produce. We also take turns watering the gardens, and she has paid me some money for the extra soil, manure, and plants.
What a wonderful gift!