I use spray oil because it's thrifty - I end up using less of it. I NEVER buy the pre-canned stuff though. All those pressurised cans in the dump, all that expense? Nope. I bought a Misto oil sprayer ($11 on Amazon) and fill it with canola oil. It works a treat, it's kinder to the environment, and I end up using less oil. Since I use cooking oil spray daily, it adds up. Love your content!
My number one tip would be to reduce the use of packaged/processed foods. You can make things yourself with basic ingredients. I keep my cupboards stocked with basics. Instead of buying Bisquick, pancake mix and frozen waffles. Buy a bag of flour and the ingredients to make these things yourself. Pancake mix only makes pancakes but a bag of flour can make biscuits, pizza crust and pie crust (plus a whole lot more). A can of tomatoes can be pasta sauce, pizza sauce, used in soup or a chili.
My best tip for saving money while shopping is to pay in cash and always have a list and a calculator! It really makes you realize what are Needs verses Wants. Also, dont be too proud to walk things back to the shelf...even if you're waiting in line to checkout. The budget rules. Humility and Frugality are partners. Thank you for another wonderful video!!!
Homemade Febreeze. 2 Tablespoons of fabric softener, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, fill the rest of the bottle with warm water. Shake. I have been using the same bottle of softener for about 4 years, so this is very economical. Pennies to make this.
Times change and schedule change I've grocery shop alone for years...I actually love grocery shopping! I love getting deals but we raise and grow most our food so I buy staples mostly in bulk, and some convenient items.
Last November I got serious about my pantry. I eat oatmeal everyday all year. One canister lasts 30 days. I now have 12 canisters so that's one meal a day for a year. When I use one up I buy another. And if times get harder I can always cut that serving in half. I have made food goals and I'm so happy when I reach each one. Slow and steady.
And the type of fiber oats have is so healthy! In India, they eat savory oats that are spicy. So sometimes I eat fruit flavored or pumpkin pie spiced, etc. and sometimes I make Indian style savory oats.
My number 1 tip: Don’t be a snob. Discount grocery stores and Salvage Grocery Stores have many good products at very reduced prices. Today at my local Salvage Grocery, I picked up 2 frozen whole Perdue chickens both 5 lbs for $2.99, a frozen Maple Farm Duck for $9.99, 3 lbs of frozen meatballs for $5.99, 6 individually wrapped sweet potatoes for $1, 5 lbs of yellow split peas for 99 cents a lb. It’s not a pretty store, but the staff is courteous and helpful, and the prices are very affordable.
I had to stop the video to comment about name brand versus store brand. I’ve mentioned before my husband works for a dairy and this dairy not only produces and distributes milk, but also sour cream, cottage cheese and ice cream. The company he works for makes their named product but also the store brand product for at least three other chain grocery stores in the area. They change out the packaging in the filler, alter the recipe of the item based on the chain stores’ requirements and bippity boppity boo, milk, ice cream, cottage cheese or sour cream that is less expensive because it’s the store brand. Same ingredients, same people and same plant mixing up those items - same cows providing the milk, too.
My suggestion for saving money is to buy cheese in blocks and grate it yourself instead of buying the bags of pre-shredded cheese. Yes, the pre-shredded does save time and I can see where for some people it's just as necessary to save time. But if you can spare the time, shred your own cheese. Thanks for another good vlog. And I love seeing Dixie!
We don’t use fabric softener. Purchase a double pack of vinegar at Costco and put into small squirt top container and use in your laundry. This also will help keep your clothes cleaner and your washer clean. Vinegar, baking soda, and Dawn liquid will clean just about everything.
Save the butter wrappers in the freezer. Use the wrappers to grease pans instead of cooking spray. Only keep paper products for emergencies (Water outages. We had three water main breaks one year.)
My top tips to save at the grocery store: #1 Don't go hungry. You will overbuy and be sorry later. #2 buy only what's needed/on your menu or meal plan. Otherwise you'll likely have food waste. Last tip: continue to watch this channel because Emmy is the queen of showing you how to use up left over food and make it something amazing.
#1 be flexible at the grocery store and remember if “they” can make it, so can you. All those packets and mixes etc are doable with things you probably have on hand and will cost a fraction of the price! #2 always compare the unit prices. Thank you! Susan
So true on the packet mixes peter! I've seen several RUclips bloggers post recipes for ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning, Italian spaghetti seasonings, etc. The bonus is you can season them the way your family particularly likes them maybe more spicy or less spicy or add a particular spice or herb that maybe isn't found in the traditional packets. I think if you Google it you will find a lot of options for those kinds of recipes. Also true on shopping around on grocery stores. I'm disabled so I can't really do that easily but I used to be a loss leader follower as I have three good size grocery stores near me and each of them would have their own specials every week. If it was something I used, I was there and I stocked up.
The price of food always shocks me in America. You all need to start growing food on allotments or your back gardens. It's very easy and the warmer weather you experience aids the opportunities. I often resow seeds from squashes, potatoes, courgettes etc.
Hi Emmy and Paul, excellent grocery saving tips! I agree with you about choosing store brands whenever possible, especially for canned goods, rice, oatmeal, etc. There is little or no difference. Some other suggestions are making a meal plan / grocery list that is based off of a grocery store sale. Also, freezing leftovers helps avoid food waste. I just made a big pan of lasagna and after the 2nd day, we decided to Food Saver the rest. Same with Thanksgiving leftovers - I prepped a couple "TV dinners" with turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It is great for days I don't want to cook!
Your paper plate discussion made me smile: My husband and I received a very large stack of paper plates as a wedding gift 12 years ago. We're still using them, which is to say we don't use them much at all! Cloth napkins are the absolute way to go. One tip for cleaning the bathtub: I lather up the washcloth I have just used with bar soap then wipe out and rinse the tub after every use, which makes the tub very easy to keep clean. No extra cleaning products or harsh chemicals are necessary, and the washcloth goes right in the laundry.
I live alone and can't eat a lot. I found that its cheaper for me to buy a small pre-made salad rather than the raw ingredients because I end up throwing most of them out. Sometimes it depends on your situation but, overall I agree with you.
Love store brands, its usually the sane as the name brand! Try it, if you dontnlime, you never have to use it again! Growing up my 3 children thaughtbthatvthe store brand was the name brand & were quiet surprised to fund out what they thought was the " good " stuff was store brand or generic! When they asjed Why,Injust saud look at the price!
My local store sells rotisserie chickens but when it’s the last day for them to be out, they take the meat off the carcass and box it up at the same price per pound. Not sure if they realize they are losing money since shoppers aren’t paying for the bones. BUT- they give away the bones for free if you catch them when they are removing the meat! That’s what I like to get! It makes wonderful broth and it’s basically free!!!
This is just a tip if and when you go to a fast food restaurant save the extra napkins That way you will always have napkins and you will not have to buy them at the store.
I clean and have done for years with vinegar and tea tree oil, a couple of drops of dish soap. The only other thing I use are microfibre cloths and a magic eraser. Everyone who visits always ask how I keep everything so clean and I tell them but they're skeptical until I send them home with their very own bottle lols
A few years ago, a couple in my churrch gave me a fruit platter for Christmas that they made themselves, it has some of my favorrites - Kiwi and blueberries. But the best part was that by buying the fruits and arranging it themselves, they arranged the fruit into a picture of "Baby Yoda" (Grogu) from "The Mandalorian" TV show on Disney+ because both they and I are big Star Wars fans. That was miles ahead of any pre-packaged fruit platter that could have been bought at a store. Made me smile for days at their creativity and thoughtfulness plus I enjoyed the fruit so much. This year, I am making homemade Maple Pecan Granola as Christmas gifts for friends. I am the same way with one-use disposable items. I "collect" tea towels/dish towels from all over and friends have even picked them up for me when they travel so I might dry my dishes with one from Venice and clean the counter with one from London. It makes me smile and I just wash and reuse. I do have a pack of paper plates in my "Storm Drawer" where I keep emergency supplies for when we lose power (and therefore no electicity, no water because my well pump is electric, etc.) ans I can not wash dishes. That pack has lasted me over 8 years. Fun video, thanks
Sometimes it pays to check out different grocery stores. I've completely stopped shopping at one close to me because their prices, even for the house brand, was getting outrageous. I usually shop at Walmart and Aldi now. I also use Ibotta and fetch rewards. The reward apps helped pay for Christmas presents this year.
Years ago my husband was employed by the Acme grocery store chain and he told me quite a few tips. It was back when coupons were very big and I was saving probably $15-$20 a week with coupons alone. He had me check each of the major grocery store chains add every week, and while we did most of our shopping at the Acme to be oil, we would shop the sales of the other stores. I don’t know if this still happens but it used to be that yes for example a Pepsi products were on sale at Acme one week, they would be on sale at tops the next week, and then the third week it would be on sale at Weis, and the fourth week at P&C. So he had me get several newspapers every Sunday and cut out all the coupons and we would go around and get the sales of the same stuff that we used every day at all. The different stores all on sale with coupons. At the time we had four children to feed and I was not working by choice so I had to save as much as I possibly could. We were only spending total of about $140 on groceries and we had an overfilled cart. In today’s inflationary economy I get maybe three bags for that amount.
I have three large metal shelving units in my basement with 5 shelves on each. They are in a "U" shape and hold food, cleaning and personal care items. I had over 50 shampoos and lots of shaving cream and body wash that I got for free with coupons several years ago and recently donated half to send to military overseas. We cut back paper towel usage drastically and now only use to drain fish or bacon. I retired 2 years ago and hubby is only working 2 days per week. With my stockpile of grocery items I am only spending $50/week on groceries. Luckily, we do not need to dip into our savings for regular expenses and even manage to add to.our savings occasionally. I love your videos and love being frugal.
Our biggest money saver is growing as much of our food as we can. I live in NW FL Panhandle. We can only grow lettuce , cauli , cabbage , broc. in the winter . Zone 8B. I do have my tomatoes and peppers in pots to move into an outbuilding when there's a frost coming. I do NOT have a huge garden. I'm in my 60's. But , I did grow sweet & white potatoes this year. IN CONTAINERS !!! My career was horticulture. I HIGHLY suggest a buddy system if you want to try your hand at gardening. EVERY BIT HELPS !!! Spring we grow tomatoes , cukes , beans , peppers , onions corn ,garlic , herbs ,strawberries & loofah ! The loofah are great in the kitchen and bath,
I guess my biggest tip is shop the sales. I have a large freezer, if something is a good price I buy it and put it in the freezer. Another way we have been saving is not buying bread. It has gotten very expensive here and I refuse to eat that cheap white bread! I make my own bread! This also saves on gas because we aren’t running to town to pick up bread. It’s 25 miles to town(one way), so we try and make every trip count. Thanks for another great video!
Emmy and Paul. Merry Christmas! I anxiously await your videos every week. Love your tips and hints, always been thrifty myself. Grew up around older aunts who were super frugal! One in particular always saved containers, foil and so much more. Always sent home goodies with me. Great memories and money saving lessons. You guys are like part of my family
The only concern about store brand food products is that they often come from other countries where food production standard is lower and wages are very low. In Australia, our own Aussie food products are often dearer and often (but not always) not available in store brand. I like to support our own country's farmers where I can. If I don't support them, I may not be able to buy local food in time. I agree to cut costs where possible, but think of the non-financial costs too.
I have been a loyal Tide fan for years & years, but I recently tried a small batch of homemade laundry detergent. I have had great success, surprisingly. I do two things to enhance the cleaning: let laundry soak 1 hr (my washer has that setting); and for stains I pretreat, as needed, with a drop of Dawn liquid scrubbed onto stain with old toothbrush & hot water.
I have started to check the markdown areas at the grocery store. Bakery products (bread, rolls, etc.) are marked down 50% a day or two before their sell by date. I usually freeze those items anyway, so markdowns are fine with me. One store has a section in their meat department of items marked down the day before or the day of their sell by date. They are always frozen (to stop the clock on the best by dates) and are typically marked down 30-60%…depending on the product. Again, I would take them home and put them in our freezer anyway and I’ve saved a tremendous amount on meat in the past several months. When it’s on sale or marked down, I buy several. I’ve gotten ground beef for under $2 a pound lately, and around here that goes for $5-6 a pound lately. One store had deli roast beef for $3.99 a pound. I bought 2 pounds and asked them to wrap them in two different packages. I immediately froze one and made delicious sandwiches for us and then froze the balance of the roast beef in that package. It just takes a bit if pre-planning to thaw something so freezing is well worth it for us. I’ve also started making a big pot of soup about once a week. We eat it and I save one quart for us to have later in the week. The rest goes in the freezer in quart containers (perfect for the two of us). By rotating flavors each week, we have a nice selection of flavors in our freezer for quick meals or lunches. It’s made with good ingredients and not loaded with preservatives or artificial colors and flavors. I’ve even been inspired to make broth out of frozen veggies that were in their last leg and poultry carcasses. It’s amazing how thick and delicious the broth is as compared with the thin, salty canned variety.
I really enjoyed this video. I have not used paper towels for about 2 years. I have cotton cloths for kitchen things, dish towels for drying hands, and microfiber cloths for cleaning. So much money saved!
My number one tip is to take a rotisserie chicken carcass and skin and vegetables that are approaching expiration and throw them in the freezer. When ready, toss them with water into the crock pot for great homemade stock.
We use cloth diapers! Instead of expensive inserts, we stuff them with used receiving blankets. One receiving blanket holds 13 ounces of liquid. Now that our toddler is potty trained, the receiving blankets are being used for potty accidents and as rags.
Very encouraging and educational video. I am realizing my parents and grandparents were frugal people and I am remembering things they did, and tips from all my favorite RUclips Frugal tip people like you and Paul. I also enjoy Frugal Queen in France. We will get through this time of inflation. We need to share to help those who struggle in our communities. So many young people don’t know how to cook. Hope they watch you cook!
Great video Emmy. My best tip: shop per price. Price per ounce. Or price per package. Example: a package of 12 cheese sticks. How much does it calculate per stick. A big bag of sugar, how much does it cost per pound. Pasta, how much per ounce. And remember, that the foods sold in the bulk section, where you scoop the item into plastic bags are not always a better value.
Amen! I love bringing my own containers to the bulk section, but I shop carefully. If I need a tiny bit of something exotic and pricey, it's cheaper that way. I priced bulk pepper corns, though, and they came out to over $25.00 per pound. That's robbery! Be judicious and pay attention and you can find good deals.
My best tip for the grocery store is to think beyond this week, what is coming in the next few weeks or months and is there something ON SALE that you can get now to prepare you for that. Example you have child that has a birthday in January and in your store cake and frosting are .99 this week. Why pay more in a couple weeks when you could get it now and put it away while it is on sale. I do this at the end of holidays too for the next holiday (stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc). Another suggestion for those who like pre-moistened cleaning wipes, take a pile of rags, wet them and store them in a closeable flat container and maybe add cleaner to them then or just spray some when you need to use them. Then you just wash and add them back to the container.
My biggest tip is planning. I menu plan and then make my list. I also keep paper and pen in the kitchen to jot down what I need as I run out of items. I shop the clearance shelf for produce. I stay away from the stores with crazy prices.
I use cloth instead of paper . Real glasses and plates. Another benefit to saving money is it causes less trash! I have also made cloth feminine napkins. Saves so much!
I only use store brand. I stopped buying dryer sheets and use the wool balls instead ( they work great). I cut out 95% processed foods for improved health. Best tip is shop with a list and stick to it as much as you can, listen to Emmy, she knows!
my wife says: "To stretch your dollar, make extended butter. Whip it in your mixer with added milk or water to double the volume. It spreads so much better, too. Recipes for extended or whipped butter are available on your internet. But for baking, regular butter is needed."
Thank you to you and your wife. This would be a lot less expensive than buying the tubs of whipped butter. Would you ask your wife what the ratio of butter to liquid would be? Or do you jus eye it? Thanks.
Please everyone... Save your orange and lemon skins, put them in bottle's with vinegar... After a few days you have a wonderful antiseptic type general cleaning spray!!
I just learned a great way to peal oranges and I'm sure lemon as well. Cut a small slit around the middle of the orange, not to deep. Then use a large spoon.. like a table spoon and push it all the way around under the skin... It will just come right off like a cup! Repeat with the bottom one. It preserves the skin and all the juices in the fruit as it doesn't break the pulp so very little mess! You can also cook the peels ... (Please wash very well with baking soda and water) You have to boil them a few times to remove the bitterness, then last boil is in sugar water. Then put out on a wrack to cool and dry. Candy peel is wonderful and good for you to. Dipping in chocolate is even better 😁
O. One tip for saving at the market - use the ads, list sales, shop sales only and build menu around sales. Last week I bought chicken tenders, sirloin steak, fruit and vegetables all on sale. Saved $11, and eating well. Bought EVERYTHING on sale!
My best tip is to stop buying swiffer dusters and refills over and over again. I ordered a microfiber duster on amazon. It is washable and reusable. I have saved about 30 dollars in the last month alone!
A few things I do, and I’m sure they are repeats, but they are so helpful. 1) I always check the supermarket flyer and see what is on sale and plan meals around those items as well as items I already have. 2) 9x out of 10 I will buy store brand unless there’s the rare instance a name brand is cheaper. It usually isn’t as you demonstrated. 3) I do pick up a couple of “take-out esque” items from time to time to have on hand so if I am craving Chinese food, pizza, etc, I have a much cheaper alternative on hand I can makes vs spending on restaurants. One of my fav of these types of items is Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange chicken and some of their spring rolls or pork buns or dumplings. If the craving for Chinese hits, I make that, whip up some fried rice or a wok-sautéed green and have spring rolls or whatever and voila…a Chinese takeout meal for 1/2 the cost or more. Plus, leftovers! 4) Make cookies and desserts at home. You can always whip up cookies and such more cheaply than buying a package. Cookies are freezer friendly too. Whenever a craving strikes, if you have some in the freezer you can take them out and warm up. You can freeze cookie dough too and cut it up and save so if you want to control how much you make, you can do a few at a time vs doing a whole batch at once. Cakes freeze well. Pies freeze well. It’s so much cheaper to make your own desserts vs buying the packaged stuff-and it tastes better. 5) Watch the perishables! Only buy what you know you will eat for fresh produce. Overbuying results in waste. Produce doesn’t have a long shelf life so if buying fresh vs frozen or canned, make sure you are going to eat it before it goes bad. Prep it when you get home if you can so it doesn’t get tossed into the fridge and then forgotten about later. Produce can be such a money suck because often we buy a lot more than we even eat in time before it goes bad. If that’s your tendency, buy some frozen veggies and buy maybe one or two fresh items you know you will finish before they go bad.
I found it helpful to invest in a freezer chest to freeze some items that are really good deals. I found 3 lb bags of carrots, onios, and potatoes for 99 cents each and got a couple bags of each and cut and froze them. (potatoes just need blanching first before freezing) :)
Home made mixes, make cookie dough and freeze it in cylinder shapes - roll in waxed paper- slice & bake some when you want cookies (make up a lot at one time so less cleanup), buy the loss leader items
I’ve made my own laundry soap and other items for yrs. When my kids were small I’d buy a big bundle of white washcloths for diaper clean ups. With my first even cloth diapers. I have cloth napkins as well. You can find cute plastic plates at the second hand stores for gatherings. I have some of the divided cafeteria trays lol. No reason to buy any of that stuff from the store!
Love your videos Emmy! I bought some wool dryer balls from a sheep farm in my state a couple years ago. They both naturally soften laundry and shorten dryer time. I am gifting them for Christmas. For laundry, I reduce liquid detergent by half, and add a little white vinegar. Food: such a challenge now. I buy mostly store brand. I clip digital coupons- but only for items I use. Really frustrating when the store is Consistently Out Of items on sale or and offered coupons for. I've been making a lot of soups and stews to save money and stretch food.
For a long time I have : made laundry detergent once per year, used cloth napkins, used rags for clean ups (cut up old t shirts ). I do not use disposable dishes . Meal planning is the number 1 for saving money on food .
Was so excited the other day, I was at dollar general and they happened to have all their summer clearance at 90% off! I got 6 packs of 4 plastic tumblers. A bit heavier than a solo cup, top rack dishwasher safe. They were 10 cents a four pack!!! I got 24 cups to reuse over and over for 60 cents!!! I rarely go to dollar general, and i have never figured out how to track their sales and I just don’t try, but that was a win!!
My tip is to eat seasonally as much as possible. Our fresh produce travels a long way and is very expensive especially this time of year so in the winter months we eat alot of coleslaw, sometimes with grated carrot and sometimes with a grated apple. My mom always put grated unpeeled apple in her coleslaw when we were having pork and its delicious and looks so festive. Pickled red onions are a favourite as well. We don’t worry too much about trying to find nice affordable fresh greens in the winter but rather focus on frozen, and storage vegetables for soups and stews.
I really appreciate your videos, Emmy & Paul. I must say that equally as much I appreciate this community. It's so nice to know I'm not alone in choosing to - or having to - live frugally. You all confirm a lot of ways I think and things I do. Thank you for sharing your tips & tricks as they motivate me to stay the course.
My best tip is to shop around the periphery of the store first where the fresh produce, meats, dairy and frozen foods are and go into the aisles only for things I really need. I look at food labels to compare for the healthiest product and may spend more for quality over quantity.
I shop early in the morning in the meat department and shop for marked down meat. I separate it,put it in vacuum seal bags,freeze and vacuum seal. Or I will pressure can it. Shop with a list and a calculator.
Even though I do not myself frugal, I am already following most of your tips. I say most because I do buy a pack of paper towels that lasts me about six months, and I have to have paper napkins.
I use white vinegar when washing a load of white clothing items instead of bleach-works great. I also use the white vinegar with a bit of Dawn dish soap for cleaning in the bathroom and for cleaning my kitchen floors.
I always, ALWAYS, check the pantry, fridge and freezer before shopping. I always take a list, but, I am always prepared to adjust that list if I find a 'too good to pass up' store special or markdown.
Pre-packed food here in Australia is very similar. Way more expensive than individual items. No Lucky Charms cereal here though - can't believe marshmallow are in breakfast food!
I have been trying to use less wipes because of cost and the effect of the planet. So I have used old bed sheets to make dusters, makeup wipes etc., I used the the flannelette bed sheets my mum gave me 30 years ago that have seen better days. Lovely reminder of my mum.
The prepackaged peppers are the ones that are dying very quickly. They put the bad spots on the bottom so you’ll have to throw away about half of what you buy.
Hi Emmy and Paul. At the grocery this weekend, a can of name brand corn (15 or 16 oz. whatever it is these days) was almost $2.90. The store brand was 99 cents on sale, regular price is $1.19. Needless to say, store brands for us. Enjoy your week.
We retired to Central America in 2020. Shredded cheese is crazy expensive here as it's imported. So for the first time in our lives, we buy a block of cheese & shred it ourselves if need be resulting in alot of savings. We never buy pre packaged carrots. Alot cheaper to peel them ourselves.
Shredded cheese has flour in it. Better to shred your own. Baby carrots are not baby carrots. They are just regular carrots that a machine made look like baby carrots.
Great video Emmy! If you have soap build up in the shower heat up your vinegar cleaner. It will dissolve the soap. My grocery tip is I only buy meats on sale or marked down then I freeze until I need it.
My number one tip is to stay out of the supermarket and especially the shopping malls. If you must go to the supermarket, take a list and cash. Do not deviate from the list at all. Go straight to the items on your list and get out. If you browse and linger you will buy more things than what is on the list.
I use only about 1 roll of paper towels a month, I do still do buy them also napkins. I stop buying cleaner , paper plate, paper cup even coffee filters too. Your right dish soap can clean many things . I do buy vinegar can use in cleaning and cooking.
I bought a Dawn Powerwash and reuse the sprayer. Just add a couple table spoons of dawn and the rest water. Worked great. I just a fraction of the dishsoap as before. Do a similar thing with the foaming hand soap dispenser. Just a little soap and a lot of water. Sometimes I don't get the mix just right so just add more of what is needed a while later.
I used to give my mom a hard time when she bought the store brand growing up. Now that it's coming out of my pocket I'm a store brand girl almost all the way! The thing is with store brands as well if you don't like it, most stores have a money back guarantee on them and they will refund your money if you don't care for the product so you really don't have much to lose. If your kids don't like the store brand of cereal you can always stock up when the name brand goes on sale or a lot of times I know moms will put a store brand cereal in a clear container and their kids don't know the difference. Especially if you're talking about a plain cereal like corn flakes, oatmeal, or a crisp rice cereal. Most plainer type cereals I will always buy in a generic but there are certain times when maybe a generic isn't made of a certain item that I need or I tried the generic and I just don't care for it so I will stick to the name brand but that is very rare for me. I have started switching out to cloth napkins and I have cut back significantly on paper towel usage. I do still keep them for those spills that you shouldn't and can't use a rag on but I do have a good stock of cloths and old towels that I use to pick up spills on the floor and wipe down the counters with. It's no trouble to do a quick load of laundry and wash them in hot water and they get cleaned for the next use as you know. I will admit being a single person I do use some disposable paper products but I've cut back on that significantly as well. When you look at the prices of some of those items it's just insane. I am a big fan of the disinfecting wipes but I always buy them in the jumbo packs at the club stores when they go on sale and I will buy a couple of five packs and that will last me quite a long time. Especially having gone through the pandemic when everyone became an even more germ-conscious person, and now that it's flu season again, it's good to have them around. That's just me and everybody has to do with their comfortable with. I do like your idea of making your own cleaning products. much more natural, much more affordable for sure and many times basic vinegar, baking soda and some dish soap will do just as good a job or better on cleaning. I stumbled upon using Dawn dishwashing soap as a laundry pretreater. I had bought it t-shirt and had had a particularly messy day where I spilled some coffee as well as dropped a strawberry on my shirt. I really thought it was a goner so I went ahead and sprayed it with the dawn power wash I had sitting there. I put it in the laundry and it came out sparkling clean plus it smelled wonderful. Guess who doesn't buy laundry pretruder products anymore? This girl! My biggest savings tip is to shop less frequently and shop and stock up when there are sales. I am finding that when something goes on sale as soon as it goes back off sale, the regular price has now increased so if you want to get a good idea of what's going to go up in price, see what's on sale and grab it while you can! Obviously you don't want to over buy and buy something in a quantity that you can't reasonably use up or can't store safely but certainly taking advantage of buying items on sale especially non-perishables is my biggest way to go and save money. The other thing is shopping less frequently. I do a bigger grocery shop about every 3 weeks. I find when I don't shop as frequently I spend over all less money. It's easy if you shop every week to throw that bag of chips in every week but if you're shopping every 3 weeks, and you buy a bag of chips, that's all you have till your next shopping trip! Maybe that's where I'm saving most of my money? Not necessarily on chips but you get the concept I'm talking about. I do need a restock on milk in between there typically but I always will have a neighbor who's happy to pick up a gallon of milk when they're out. That's just how I have been saving money over the past few months and it really isn't that difficult for me. I'm fortunate that I have a small upright freezer where I can keep extra bread and other things that I purchase when they go on sale so that is a big help to me.
My husband and I do the same. We make our own cleaner but I reuse my lemon peels and put them in a jar of vinegar in the ref ridge and that is about a cup of vinegar and add Palmolive Dish Liquid Detergent or Soap. I don't like buying packaged chopped up veggies because I don't trust that it is fresh. I try to compare prices and do buy on sale or just shop at Aldi.
In Canada, we have a bulk store called bulk and barn that sometimes is good option to use when buying some of the baking stuff like cho chips especially if you or someone you know is a senior because they get discounts on wednesdays there ;P
I use a spray bottle filled with veggie oil or oil of choice instead of the spray cans and is refillable. I also use white vinegar to clean windows with newspaper(old tip from my grandmother). I live on my own but will by family size meat packs when on offer and make several meals which I then freeze. Juice fruit that is going a bit soft and freeze that as well or bake a cake with it and freeze that in slices so that I only take out what I need. Same with extra veggies that I grow, they too end up in the freezer to be used when out of season and I only buy fruit and veg when it is in season.
I have an ongoing Price book that I use. It has save me lots of money. I not only watch price per oz,lbs,Ea,etc. but how many servings I can get out of an pkg/container. Take a pound of hamburger you can make four medium size hamburgers out of it or split it in half and use half in chili and the other half in a goulash.
I use baking soda to clean my toilet bowl, sometimes I'll add a touch of vinegar for foam action. My counter cleaner is just diluted vinegar and water. Vinegar is my friend! Lol I have eliminated harsh cleaners and the only other cleaning I have is windex, and a cheap pledge.
When I first 'went frugal', I did a little experiment. I had really gotten into couponing...but I often wondered if it was truly saving as much money as it seemed. I took 6 months and couponed hard-core and found that it did save money...but it was a bit of a false economy because coupons were usually for name brand items. I had a sneaking suspicion that buying store brands/generics would save more in total. The next 6 months I rarely used a coupon, but I focused hard-core on buying store brands/generics. I found that buying generic brands saved us more money than couponing...and it was much less stressful! I know that we all have our pet products that we choose to buy name-brands (for me it's flour...ketchup....cranberry sauce...pineapples...and maybe a few other items...)...but buying quality generics can really save cash! Merry Christmas!
most stores put the more expensive stuff at easier to reach eye level spots on the shelves too. So most of your deals will likely be out of reach. I like to bring a retractable back scratcher in my purse to reach stuff that's a lot cheaper. ;P they are counting on you giving up trying to get it or waiting to ask someone for help. it's helpful for the items that are way in the back and almost sold out too.
We keep stocked up and shop only sale items. Keep a list of things we used and when on sale restock. One saver we use is the plastic domes we got from the dollar store. They fit perfectly over a plate to warm up leftovers. No paper towel needed! Also bought the "plastic cover ups" from Dollar store to cover leftovers for fridge. I store the leftovers in the dish I will reheat cover with the clear cover up so I can see what is inside. These cover ups can be washed and reused. Saves covering with foil. I also save parchment paper and reuse to bake cookies. Shop sales, salvage store, Aldi's and Rulers(Kroger discount). Love your videos and your warm personality and genuine joy spreading the frugal lifestyle.😊
Thanks for the latest video will be definitely be taking a look at loose fruit and veggies. Not really got any tips do buy store brand’s and we do our own pickle onions for Christmas. Only buying cheeses we like and no big box of cheese crackers only what we will eat and like xx
I too have stopped buying paper plates. The price has skyrocketed the past few years! Instead, I went to the thrift store and bought some beautiful china plates. If they get broken, so be it, they only cost me a dollar each and will save me money in the long run. I also use cloth baby diapers instead of paper towels (unless it’s an accident from the dog or hairball throw-up from the cats lol) and as soon as I run out of my stock of toilet cleaner, bathroom cleaner etc. I will be using just plain dish detergent. Saves tons of money!
the same baking soda used for fridge/ freezer for odour and I just did the glass coffee pot with it I haven’t made a cup of coffee for a week yesterday- I’m drinking 3 fat glasses of boiled water or 2 tall glasses per day - herb tea in early evening - 2 cups in one to- go porcelain mug 🙂
I use spray oil because it's thrifty - I end up using less of it. I NEVER buy the pre-canned stuff though. All those pressurised cans in the dump, all that expense? Nope. I bought a Misto oil sprayer ($11 on Amazon) and fill it with canola oil. It works a treat, it's kinder to the environment, and I end up using less oil. Since I use cooking oil spray daily, it adds up. Love your content!
My number one tip would be to reduce the use of packaged/processed foods. You can make things yourself with basic ingredients. I keep my cupboards stocked with basics. Instead of buying Bisquick, pancake mix and frozen waffles. Buy a bag of flour and the ingredients to make these things yourself. Pancake mix only makes pancakes but a bag of flour can make biscuits, pizza crust and pie crust (plus a whole lot more). A can of tomatoes can be pasta sauce, pizza sauce, used in soup or a chili.
So true! Great point Grayce!
My best tip for saving money while shopping is to pay in cash and always have a list and a calculator! It really makes you realize what are Needs verses Wants. Also, dont be too proud to walk things back to the shelf...even if you're waiting in line to checkout. The budget rules. Humility and Frugality are partners. Thank you for another wonderful video!!!
You sound like me the only person who in the store with a list and calculate. Glad you do also.
@@debra2463 I do it too lol
Yes, I've taken things out of my cart and walked them back to the shelf.
ALWAYS plus a menu
my kinda ladies! i do the same!! 😊
Homemade Febreeze. 2 Tablespoons of fabric softener, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, fill the rest of the bottle with warm water. Shake. I have been using the same bottle of softener for about 4 years, so this is very economical. Pennies to make this.
Interesting!! The baking soda doesn’t leave a residue? Never knew!
My number one tip is to stick to your list and shop alone!
LOL! Paul and I always go together!
Times change and schedule change I've grocery shop alone for years...I actually love grocery shopping! I love getting deals but we raise and grow most our food so I buy staples mostly in bulk, and some convenient items.
Last November I got serious about my pantry. I eat oatmeal everyday all year. One canister lasts 30 days. I now have 12 canisters so that's one meal a day for a year. When I use one up I buy another. And if times get harder I can always cut that serving in half. I have made food goals and I'm so happy when I reach each one. Slow and steady.
That’s such a good idea,I know because late seventies this is how I grew up 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Sounds like a healthy choice too!
And the type of fiber oats have is so healthy! In India, they eat savory oats that are spicy. So sometimes I eat fruit flavored or pumpkin pie spiced, etc. and sometimes I make Indian style savory oats.
Well done! Plus oatmeal is so very good for the body.
I buy oats on sale and keep in a 5 gallon bucket with gamma seal. Yum!
My number 1 tip: Don’t be a snob. Discount grocery stores and Salvage Grocery Stores have many good products at very reduced prices. Today at my local Salvage Grocery, I picked up 2 frozen whole Perdue chickens both 5 lbs for $2.99, a frozen Maple Farm Duck for $9.99, 3 lbs of frozen meatballs for $5.99, 6 individually wrapped sweet potatoes for $1, 5 lbs of yellow split peas for 99 cents a lb. It’s not a pretty store, but the staff is courteous and helpful, and the prices are very affordable.
SCORE! Great prices!
I love my discount grocery store Mr. Macs!!
Yes- Our local discount grocery store had a box of whole chickens for $5. They are delicious smoked.
We don't have a discount food store in my area.
I had to stop the video to comment about name brand versus store brand. I’ve mentioned before my husband works for a dairy and this dairy not only produces and distributes milk, but also sour cream, cottage cheese and ice cream. The company he works for makes their named product but also the store brand product for at least three other chain grocery stores in the area. They change out the packaging in the filler, alter the recipe of the item based on the chain stores’ requirements and bippity boppity boo, milk, ice cream, cottage cheese or sour cream that is less expensive because it’s the store brand. Same ingredients, same people and same plant mixing up those items - same cows providing the milk, too.
Thanks D! That is great info you shared!
My suggestion for saving money is to buy cheese in blocks and grate it yourself instead of buying the bags of pre-shredded cheese. Yes, the pre-shredded does save time and I can see where for some people it's just as necessary to save time. But if you can spare the time, shred your own cheese.
Thanks for another good vlog. And I love seeing Dixie!
I don't like the anti-caking agent used in shredded cheese so I only by blocks now.
If you freeze blocks of cheese they will crumble nicely when thawed.
I buy my cheese in a big block at Costco and grate myself. Saves alot of money!
Block cheese is better for you too. No wood pulp like the shredded kind. We are not talking beavers here!🙂 Humans shouldn't eat wood.😃
We don’t use fabric softener. Purchase a double pack of vinegar at Costco and put into small squirt top container and use in your laundry. This also will help keep your clothes cleaner and your washer clean. Vinegar, baking soda, and Dawn liquid will clean just about everything.
Yes! Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Save the butter wrappers in the freezer. Use the wrappers to grease pans instead of cooking spray. Only keep paper products for emergencies (Water outages. We had three water main breaks one year.)
We are always showing that here on our channel!
My top tips to save at the grocery store: #1 Don't go hungry. You will overbuy and be sorry later. #2 buy only what's needed/on your menu or meal plan. Otherwise you'll likely have food waste.
Last tip: continue to watch this channel because Emmy is the queen of showing you how to use up left over food and make it something amazing.
YAY! Love that one LOL!
#1 be flexible at the grocery store and remember if “they” can make it, so can you. All those packets and mixes etc are doable with things you probably have on hand and will cost a fraction of the price! #2 always compare the unit prices. Thank you! Susan
Absolutely Peter! So true!
So true on the packet mixes peter! I've seen several RUclips bloggers post recipes for ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning, Italian spaghetti seasonings, etc. The bonus is you can season them the way your family particularly likes them maybe more spicy or less spicy or add a particular spice or herb that maybe isn't found in the traditional packets. I think if you Google it you will find a lot of options for those kinds of recipes. Also true on shopping around on grocery stores. I'm disabled so I can't really do that easily but I used to be a loss leader follower as I have three good size grocery stores near me and each of them would have their own specials every week. If it was something I used, I was there and I stocked up.
That's great for people who live in a sticks-and-bricks home with running water and their own washer, but laundromats are too expensive.
The price of food always shocks me in America. You all need to start growing food on allotments or your back gardens. It's very easy and the warmer weather you experience aids the opportunities. I often resow seeds from squashes, potatoes, courgettes etc.
Yes we have done several videos on growing your own food!
Hi Emmy and Paul, excellent grocery saving tips! I agree with you about choosing store brands whenever possible, especially for canned goods, rice, oatmeal, etc. There is little or no difference. Some other suggestions are making a meal plan / grocery list that is based off of a grocery store sale. Also, freezing leftovers helps avoid food waste. I just made a big pan of lasagna and after the 2nd day, we decided to Food Saver the rest. Same with Thanksgiving leftovers - I prepped a couple "TV dinners" with turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It is great for days I don't want to cook!
Amy, great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
I grocery shop in my veggie garden . Savesloadsof money
So delicious too!
Your paper plate discussion made me smile: My husband and I received a very large stack of paper plates as a wedding gift 12 years ago. We're still using them, which is to say we don't use them much at all! Cloth napkins are the absolute way to go.
One tip for cleaning the bathtub: I lather up the washcloth I have just used with bar soap then wipe out and rinse the tub after every use, which makes the tub very easy to keep clean. No extra cleaning products or harsh chemicals are necessary, and the washcloth goes right in the laundry.
That is a great trip! Thank you
I live alone and can't eat a lot. I found that its cheaper for me to buy a small pre-made salad rather than the raw ingredients because I end up throwing most of them out. Sometimes it depends on your situation but, overall I agree with you.
Yes, that is true on many accounts! Smaller and no waste is always better!
Great video. It's important to watch when your purchases are rang up. I've caught many mistakes. Store products are great.
Love store brands, its usually the sane as the name brand! Try it, if you dontnlime, you never have to use it again! Growing up my 3 children thaughtbthatvthe store brand was the name brand & were quiet surprised to fund out what they thought was the " good " stuff was store brand or generic! When they asjed Why,Injust saud look at the price!
Exactly! Thanks Kami!
My local store sells rotisserie chickens but when it’s the last day for them to be out, they take the meat off the carcass and box it up at the same price per pound. Not sure if they realize they are losing money since shoppers aren’t paying for the bones. BUT- they give away the bones for free if you catch them when they are removing the meat! That’s what I like to get! It makes wonderful broth and it’s basically free!!!
Yes! Great idea!
This is just a tip if and when you go to a fast food restaurant save the extra napkins That way you will always have napkins and you will not have to buy them at the store.
As long as your not taking more then you would ordinarily use...but that's just us
@@FrugalMoneySaver Yes me too. A Few each time adds up!
I clean and have done for years with vinegar and tea tree oil, a couple of drops of dish soap. The only other thing I use are microfibre cloths and a magic eraser. Everyone who visits always ask how I keep everything so clean and I tell them but they're skeptical until I send them home with their very own bottle lols
A few years ago, a couple in my churrch gave me a fruit platter for Christmas that they made themselves, it has some of my favorrites - Kiwi and blueberries. But the best part was that by buying the fruits and arranging it themselves, they arranged the fruit into a picture of "Baby Yoda" (Grogu) from "The Mandalorian" TV show on Disney+ because both they and I are big Star Wars fans. That was miles ahead of any pre-packaged fruit platter that could have been bought at a store. Made me smile for days at their creativity and thoughtfulness plus I enjoyed the fruit so much. This year, I am making homemade Maple Pecan Granola as Christmas gifts for friends. I am the same way with one-use disposable items. I "collect" tea towels/dish towels from all over and friends have even picked them up for me when they travel so I might dry my dishes with one from Venice and clean the counter with one from London. It makes me smile and I just wash and reuse. I do have a pack of paper plates in my "Storm Drawer" where I keep emergency supplies for when we lose power (and therefore no electicity, no water because my well pump is electric, etc.) ans I can not wash dishes. That pack has lasted me over 8 years. Fun video, thanks
Great ideas! The granola sounds delightful!
What a great way to end the video. That sweet face looking out of the quilt would make a great holiday card!
Sometimes it pays to check out different grocery stores. I've completely stopped shopping at one close to me because their prices, even for the house brand, was getting outrageous. I usually shop at Walmart and Aldi now.
I also use Ibotta and fetch rewards. The reward apps helped pay for Christmas presents this year.
I use Ibotta and fetch to buy my fussy cats their expensive cat food. Petco gift cards
Years ago my husband was employed by the Acme grocery store chain and he told me quite a few tips. It was back when coupons were very big and I was saving probably $15-$20 a week with coupons alone. He had me check each of the major grocery store chains add every week, and while we did most of our shopping at the Acme to be oil, we would shop the sales of the other stores. I don’t know if this still happens but it used to be that yes for example a Pepsi products were on sale at Acme one week, they would be on sale at tops the next week, and then the third week it would be on sale at Weis, and the fourth week at P&C. So he had me get several newspapers every Sunday and cut out all the coupons and we would go around and get the sales of the same stuff that we used every day at all. The different stores all on sale with coupons. At the time we had four children to feed and I was not working by choice so I had to save as much as I possibly could. We were only spending total of about $140 on groceries and we had an overfilled cart. In today’s inflationary economy I get maybe three bags for that amount.
Emmy,I use That Mix too. Water,vinegar and dishwasher liquid.it's perfekt,and saves a Lot of money 👍👍
It really does!
I have three large metal shelving units in my basement with 5 shelves on each. They are in a "U" shape and hold food, cleaning and personal care items. I had over 50 shampoos and lots of shaving cream and body wash that I got for free with coupons several years ago and recently donated half to send to military overseas.
We cut back paper towel usage drastically and now only use to drain fish or bacon.
I retired 2 years ago and hubby is only working 2 days per week. With my stockpile of grocery items I am only spending $50/week on groceries.
Luckily, we do not need to dip into our savings for regular expenses and even manage to add to.our savings occasionally.
I love your videos and love being frugal.
Amy that is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
Thank You for the ideas. We are rethinking freezer & fridge storage. We maybe without electric too. Stocking up on
canned & dried fruits & veggies.
Very smart
Our biggest money saver is growing as much of our food as we can. I live in NW FL Panhandle. We can only grow lettuce , cauli , cabbage , broc. in the winter . Zone 8B. I do have my tomatoes and peppers in pots to move into an outbuilding when there's a frost coming. I do NOT have a huge garden. I'm in my 60's. But , I did grow sweet & white potatoes this year. IN CONTAINERS !!! My career was horticulture. I HIGHLY suggest a buddy system if you want to try your hand at gardening. EVERY BIT HELPS !!! Spring we grow tomatoes , cukes , beans , peppers , onions corn ,garlic , herbs ,strawberries & loofah ! The loofah are great in the kitchen and bath,
Great ideas! Thanks Kim!
I guess my biggest tip is shop the sales. I have a large freezer, if something is a good price I buy it and put it in the freezer. Another way we have been saving is not buying bread. It has gotten very expensive here and I refuse to eat that cheap white bread! I make my own bread! This also saves on gas because we aren’t running to town to pick up bread. It’s 25 miles to town(one way), so we try and make every trip count. Thanks for another great video!
Thanks Andrea!
Emmy and Paul. Merry Christmas! I anxiously await your videos every week. Love your tips and hints, always been thrifty myself. Grew up around older aunts who were super frugal! One in particular always saved containers, foil and so much more. Always sent home goodies with me. Great memories and money saving lessons. You guys are like part of my family
YAY! We love to hear that! Thank you Margaret!
Yall really are like family and this community I always read comments
The only concern about store brand food products is that they often come from other countries where food production standard is lower and wages are very low. In Australia, our own Aussie food products are often dearer and often (but not always) not available in store brand. I like to support our own country's farmers where I can. If I don't support them, I may not be able to buy local food in time. I agree to cut costs where possible, but think of the non-financial costs too.
Great point…
I'm in the United States, so shopping at ALDI is a huge step up from the stuff that passes in the states. The ingredient lists are way shorter.
I have been a loyal Tide fan for years & years, but I recently tried a small batch of homemade laundry detergent. I have had great success, surprisingly. I do two things to enhance the cleaning: let laundry soak 1 hr (my washer has that setting); and for stains I pretreat, as needed, with a drop of Dawn liquid scrubbed onto stain with old toothbrush & hot water.
Thanks!
Be cautious about this. Homemade laundry soap can tear up your washing machine.
I have started to check the markdown areas at the grocery store. Bakery products (bread, rolls, etc.) are marked down 50% a day or two before their sell by date. I usually freeze those items anyway, so markdowns are fine with me. One store has a section in their meat department of items marked down the day before or the day of their sell by date. They are always frozen (to stop the clock on the best by dates) and are typically marked down 30-60%…depending on the product. Again, I would take them home and put them in our freezer anyway and I’ve saved a tremendous amount on meat in the past several months. When it’s on sale or marked down, I buy several. I’ve gotten ground beef for under $2 a pound lately, and around here that goes for $5-6 a pound lately. One store had deli roast beef for $3.99 a pound. I bought 2 pounds and asked them to wrap them in two different packages. I immediately froze one and made delicious sandwiches for us and then froze the balance of the roast beef in that package. It just takes a bit if pre-planning to thaw something so freezing is well worth it for us. I’ve also started making a big pot of soup about once a week. We eat it and I save one quart for us to have later in the week. The rest goes in the freezer in quart containers (perfect for the two of us). By rotating flavors each week, we have a nice selection of flavors in our freezer for quick meals or lunches. It’s made with good ingredients and not loaded with preservatives or artificial colors and flavors. I’ve even been inspired to make broth out of frozen veggies that were in their last leg and poultry carcasses. It’s amazing how thick and delicious the broth is as compared with the thin, salty canned variety.
Such great ideas Linda! Thanks!
I really enjoyed this video. I have not used paper towels for about 2 years. I have cotton cloths for kitchen things, dish towels for drying hands, and microfiber cloths for cleaning. So much money saved!
Thanks!
I am getting to the point with digital coupons, Paper coupons and buying on sale that I am saving more than I pay. I love it!
Wow, where do you locate all the digital coupons?
Zazi, each store offers digital coupons that you load onto your store membership card.
@@zazicool6275 Yes I get most of mine at Kroger stores and Safeway but most bigger markets offer them.
My biggest tips: 1. Shop your pantry first. 2. Make a list before you go to the store. 3. Use what you buy 4. Have a budget
Great tips!
My number one tip is to take a rotisserie chicken carcass and skin and vegetables that are approaching expiration and throw them in the freezer. When ready, toss them with water into the crock pot for great homemade stock.
Emmy do you think maybe you could show how to make some homemade salad dressings please. Thank you.
That would be super helpful!
Absolutely!
We use cloth diapers! Instead of expensive inserts, we stuff them with used receiving blankets. One receiving blanket holds 13 ounces of liquid. Now that our toddler is potty trained, the receiving blankets are being used for potty accidents and as rags.
Thank you for sharing
Mine is very simple and many people do it...re-use freezer bag. Wash them well hang up to dry
Very encouraging and educational video. I am realizing my parents and grandparents were frugal people and I am remembering things they did, and tips from all my favorite RUclips Frugal tip people like you and Paul. I also enjoy Frugal Queen in France. We will get through this time of inflation. We need to share to help those who struggle in our communities. So many young people don’t know how to cook. Hope they watch you cook!
Thank you Trudy
Great video Emmy.
My best tip: shop per price.
Price per ounce. Or price per package.
Example: a package of 12 cheese sticks. How much does it calculate per stick.
A big bag of sugar, how much does it cost per pound.
Pasta, how much per ounce.
And remember, that the foods sold in the bulk section, where you scoop the item into plastic bags are not always a better value.
Amen! I love bringing my own containers to the bulk section, but I shop carefully. If I need a tiny bit of something exotic and pricey, it's cheaper that way. I priced bulk pepper corns, though, and they came out to over $25.00 per pound. That's robbery! Be judicious and pay attention and you can find good deals.
My best tip for the grocery store is to think beyond this week, what is coming in the next few weeks or months and is there something ON SALE that you can get now to prepare you for that. Example you have child that has a birthday in January and in your store cake and frosting are .99 this week. Why pay more in a couple weeks when you could get it now and put it away while it is on sale. I do this at the end of holidays too for the next holiday (stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc).
Another suggestion for those who like pre-moistened cleaning wipes, take a pile of rags, wet them and store them in a closeable flat container and maybe add cleaner to them then or just spray some when you need to use them. Then you just wash and add them back to the container.
Thanks! Great ideas!
My biggest tip is planning. I menu plan and then make my list. I also keep paper and pen in the kitchen to jot down what I need as I run out of items. I shop the clearance shelf for produce. I stay away from the stores with crazy prices.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
I use cloth instead of paper . Real glasses and plates. Another benefit to saving money is it causes less trash! I have also made cloth feminine napkins. Saves so much!
Yes! So cost-effective!
I only use store brand. I stopped buying dryer sheets and use the wool balls instead ( they work great). I cut out 95% processed foods for improved health. Best tip is shop with a list and stick to it as much as you can, listen to Emmy, she knows!
LOL! Thank you!
I use vinegar to clean the floors. I unplugged everything I can. I bought cloth napkins everyday and company nPkins at the thrift store.
When the kids were little I switch the x of lucky charms for the cheaper brand and they didn't know the difference
Exactly!
my wife says: "To stretch your dollar, make extended butter. Whip it in your mixer with added milk or water to double the volume. It spreads so much better, too. Recipes for extended or whipped butter are available on your internet. But for baking, regular butter is needed."
I’ve never heard of that before, that would be much more frugal than buying the tub of spreadable butter !
Charles thank you and thank your wife!
Thank you to you and your wife. This would be a lot less expensive than buying the tubs of whipped butter. Would you ask your wife what the ratio of butter to liquid would be? Or do you jus eye it? Thanks.
Please everyone... Save your orange and lemon skins, put them in bottle's with vinegar... After a few days you have a wonderful antiseptic type general cleaning spray!!
I just learned a great way to peal oranges and I'm sure lemon as well.
Cut a small slit around the middle of the orange, not to deep. Then use a large spoon.. like a table spoon and push it all the way around under the skin... It will just come right off like a cup! Repeat with the bottom one. It preserves the skin and all the juices in the fruit as it doesn't break the pulp so very little mess!
You can also cook the peels ... (Please wash very well with baking soda and water)
You have to boil them a few times to remove the bitterness, then last boil is in sugar water. Then put out on a wrack to cool and dry. Candy peel is wonderful and good for you to. Dipping in chocolate is even better 😁
O. One tip for saving at the market - use the ads, list sales, shop sales only and build menu around sales. Last week I bought chicken tenders, sirloin steak, fruit and vegetables all on sale. Saved $11, and eating well. Bought EVERYTHING on sale!
Yay! Joan that is great
My best tip is to stop buying swiffer dusters and refills over and over again. I ordered a microfiber duster on amazon. It is washable and reusable. I have saved about 30 dollars in the last month alone!
A few things I do, and I’m sure they are repeats, but they are so helpful. 1) I always check the supermarket flyer and see what is on sale and plan meals around those items as well as items I already have. 2) 9x out of 10 I will buy store brand unless there’s the rare instance a name brand is cheaper. It usually isn’t as you demonstrated. 3) I do pick up a couple of “take-out esque” items from time to time to have on hand so if I am craving Chinese food, pizza, etc, I have a much cheaper alternative on hand I can makes vs spending on restaurants. One of my fav of these types of items is Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange chicken and some of their spring rolls or pork buns or dumplings. If the craving for Chinese hits, I make that, whip up some fried rice or a wok-sautéed green and have spring rolls or whatever and voila…a Chinese takeout meal for 1/2 the cost or more. Plus, leftovers! 4) Make cookies and desserts at home. You can always whip up cookies and such more cheaply than buying a package. Cookies are freezer friendly too. Whenever a craving strikes, if you have some in the freezer you can take them out and warm up. You can freeze cookie dough too and cut it up and save so if you want to control how much you make, you can do a few at a time vs doing a whole batch at once. Cakes freeze well. Pies freeze well. It’s so much cheaper to make your own desserts vs buying the packaged stuff-and it tastes better. 5) Watch the perishables! Only buy what you know you will eat for fresh produce. Overbuying results in waste. Produce doesn’t have a long shelf life so if buying fresh vs frozen or canned, make sure you are going to eat it before it goes bad. Prep it when you get home if you can so it doesn’t get tossed into the fridge and then forgotten about later. Produce can be such a money suck because often we buy a lot more than we even eat in time before it goes bad. If that’s your tendency, buy some frozen veggies and buy maybe one or two fresh items you know you will finish before they go bad.
Great comment Gretchen! Thanks for taking the time to share with us!
I found it helpful to invest in a freezer chest to freeze some items that are really good deals. I found 3 lb bags of carrots, onios, and potatoes for 99 cents each and got a couple bags of each and cut and froze them. (potatoes just need blanching first before freezing) :)
Home made mixes, make cookie dough and freeze it in cylinder shapes - roll in waxed paper- slice & bake some when you want cookies (make up a lot at one time so less cleanup), buy the loss leader items
I need to do that with the cookie dough Lexi! Thanks!
I’ve made my own laundry soap and other items for yrs. When my kids were small I’d buy a big bundle of white washcloths for diaper clean ups. With my first even cloth diapers. I have cloth napkins as well. You can find cute plastic plates at the second hand stores for gatherings. I have some of the divided cafeteria trays lol. No reason to buy any of that stuff from the store!
Thanks Sharen!
Love your videos Emmy! I bought some wool dryer balls from a sheep farm in my state a couple years ago. They both naturally soften laundry and shorten dryer time. I am gifting them for Christmas. For laundry, I reduce liquid detergent by half, and add a little white vinegar.
Food: such a challenge now. I buy mostly store brand. I clip digital coupons- but only for items I use. Really frustrating when the store is Consistently Out Of items on sale or and offered coupons for.
I've been making a lot of soups and stews to save money and stretch food.
Oh how cool! Love the idea of the natural wool balls!!
For a long time I have : made laundry detergent once per year, used cloth napkins, used rags for clean ups (cut up old t shirts ). I do not use disposable dishes . Meal planning is the number 1 for saving money on food .
I agree! Meal planning helps so much!
i use coupons for paper products and toilet paper laundry detergents etc
Was so excited the other day, I was at dollar general and they happened to have all their summer clearance at 90% off! I got 6 packs of 4 plastic tumblers. A bit heavier than a solo cup, top rack dishwasher safe.
They were 10 cents a four pack!!!
I got 24 cups to reuse over and over for 60 cents!!!
I rarely go to dollar general, and i have never figured out how to track their sales and I just don’t try, but that was a win!!
SCORE!!! Great delas!
Wow great job.
My tip is to eat seasonally as much as possible. Our fresh produce travels a long way and is very expensive especially this time of year so in the winter months we eat alot of coleslaw, sometimes with grated carrot and sometimes with a grated apple. My mom always put grated unpeeled apple in her coleslaw when we were having pork and its delicious and looks so festive. Pickled red onions are a favourite as well. We don’t worry too much about trying to find nice affordable fresh greens in the winter but rather focus on frozen, and storage vegetables for soups and stews.
That’s actually very smart and economical
I really appreciate your videos, Emmy & Paul. I must say that equally as much I appreciate this community. It's so nice to know I'm not alone in choosing to - or having to - live frugally. You all confirm a lot of ways I think and things I do. Thank you for sharing your tips & tricks as they motivate me to stay the course.
So happy you enjoy our channel Holly! Thank you!
My best tip is to shop around the periphery of the store first where the fresh produce, meats, dairy and frozen foods are and go into the aisles only for things I really need. I look at food labels to compare for the healthiest product and may spend more for quality over quantity.
Excellent tip!
I shop early in the morning in the meat department and shop for marked down meat. I separate it,put it in vacuum seal bags,freeze and vacuum seal. Or I will pressure can it.
Shop with a list and a calculator.
Smart!
And a cel phone so you can show the cashier the price on the shelf if it rings more.
Even though I do not myself frugal, I am already following most of your tips. I say most because I do buy a pack of paper towels that lasts me about six months, and I have to have paper napkins.
My father made his own Catalina dressing back in the 1960s. And he did it in the living room well watching television with tons of bowls.
Love that!
I use white vinegar when washing a load of white clothing items instead of bleach-works great. I also use the white vinegar with a bit of Dawn dish soap for cleaning in the bathroom and for cleaning my kitchen floors.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
I always, ALWAYS, check the pantry, fridge and freezer before shopping. I always take a list, but, I am always prepared to adjust that list if I find a 'too good to pass up' store special or markdown.
That's such a smart way to shop!
Pre-packed food here in Australia is very similar. Way more expensive than individual items. No Lucky Charms cereal here though - can't believe marshmallow are in breakfast food!
Most of the American cereals are loaded with sugar. It’s so sad! Profit before people.
I have been trying to use less wipes because of cost and the effect of the planet. So I have used old bed sheets to make dusters, makeup wipes etc., I used the the flannelette bed sheets my mum gave me 30 years ago that have seen better days. Lovely reminder of my mum.
Great idea!
The prepackaged peppers are the ones that are dying very quickly. They put the bad spots on the bottom so you’ll have to throw away about half of what you buy.
Hi Emmy and Paul. At the grocery this weekend, a can of name brand corn (15 or 16 oz. whatever it is these days) was almost $2.90. The store brand was 99 cents on sale, regular price is $1.19. Needless to say, store brands for us. Enjoy your week.
Walmart is 50 cents a can everyday,
I agree Karen!
We retired to Central America in 2020. Shredded cheese is crazy expensive here as it's imported. So for the first time in our lives, we buy a block of cheese & shred it ourselves if need be resulting in alot of savings. We never buy pre packaged carrots. Alot cheaper to peel them ourselves.
Shredded cheese has flour in it. Better to shred your own. Baby carrots are not baby carrots. They are just regular carrots that a machine made look like baby carrots.
Great video Emmy! If you have soap build up in the shower heat up your vinegar cleaner. It will dissolve the soap. My grocery tip is I only buy meats on sale or marked down then I freeze until I need it.
Oh great tip! Thanks!
We don't use cleaning products and dont use napkins except for parties. I use baby wipes.Some convenience in baby stage is really handy.
Thanks for sharing!
My number one tip is to stay out of the supermarket and especially the shopping malls. If you must go to the supermarket, take a list and cash. Do not deviate from the list at all. Go straight to the items on your list and get out. If you browse and linger you will buy more things than what is on the list.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
I use only about 1 roll of paper towels a month, I do still do buy them also napkins. I stop buying cleaner , paper plate, paper cup even coffee filters too. Your right dish soap can clean many things . I do buy vinegar can use in cleaning and cooking.
Yes! Thanks Patricia!
Dollar general 5 off 25 on Saturdays along with digital coupons. Vinegar dish soap laundry soap food items etc
Thanks Kelli!
I bought a Dawn Powerwash and reuse the sprayer. Just add a couple table spoons of dawn and the rest water. Worked great. I just a fraction of the dishsoap as before. Do a similar thing with the foaming hand soap dispenser. Just a little soap and a lot of water. Sometimes I don't get the mix just right so just add more of what is needed a while later.
Smart!
You are wonderful. That is my way.
So kind...thank you!
I used to give my mom a hard time when she bought the store brand growing up. Now that it's coming out of my pocket I'm a store brand girl almost all the way! The thing is with store brands as well if you don't like it, most stores have a money back guarantee on them and they will refund your money if you don't care for the product so you really don't have much to lose. If your kids don't like the store brand of cereal you can always stock up when the name brand goes on sale or a lot of times I know moms will put a store brand cereal in a clear container and their kids don't know the difference. Especially if you're talking about a plain cereal like corn flakes, oatmeal, or a crisp rice cereal. Most plainer type cereals I will always buy in a generic but there are certain times when maybe a generic isn't made of a certain item that I need or I tried the generic and I just don't care for it so I will stick to the name brand but that is very rare for me. I have started switching out to cloth napkins and I have cut back significantly on paper towel usage. I do still keep them for those spills that you shouldn't and can't use a rag on but I do have a good stock of cloths and old towels that I use to pick up spills on the floor and wipe down the counters with. It's no trouble to do a quick load of laundry and wash them in hot water and they get cleaned for the next use as you know. I will admit being a single person I do use some disposable paper products but I've cut back on that significantly as well. When you look at the prices of some of those items it's just insane. I am a big fan of the disinfecting wipes but I always buy them in the jumbo packs at the club stores when they go on sale and I will buy a couple of five packs and that will last me quite a long time. Especially having gone through the pandemic when everyone became an even more germ-conscious person, and now that it's flu season again, it's good to have them around. That's just me and everybody has to do with their comfortable with. I do like your idea of making your own cleaning products. much more natural, much more affordable for sure and many times basic vinegar, baking soda and some dish soap will do just as good a job or better on cleaning. I stumbled upon using Dawn dishwashing soap as a laundry pretreater. I had bought it t-shirt and had had a particularly messy day where I spilled some coffee as well as dropped a strawberry on my shirt. I really thought it was a goner so I went ahead and sprayed it with the dawn power wash I had sitting there. I put it in the laundry and it came out sparkling clean plus it smelled wonderful. Guess who doesn't buy laundry pretruder products anymore? This girl! My biggest savings tip is to shop less frequently and shop and stock up when there are sales. I am finding that when something goes on sale as soon as it goes back off sale, the regular price has now increased so if you want to get a good idea of what's going to go up in price, see what's on sale and grab it while you can! Obviously you don't want to over buy and buy something in a quantity that you can't reasonably use up or can't store safely but certainly taking advantage of buying items on sale especially non-perishables is my biggest way to go and save money. The other thing is shopping less frequently. I do a bigger grocery shop about every 3 weeks. I find when I don't shop as frequently I spend over all less money. It's easy if you shop every week to throw that bag of chips in every week but if you're shopping every 3 weeks, and you buy a bag of chips, that's all you have till your next shopping trip! Maybe that's where I'm saving most of my money? Not necessarily on chips but you get the concept I'm talking about. I do need a restock on milk in between there typically but I always will have a neighbor who's happy to pick up a gallon of milk when they're out. That's just how I have been saving money over the past few months and it really isn't that difficult for me. I'm fortunate that I have a small upright freezer where I can keep extra bread and other things that I purchase when they go on sale so that is a big help to me.
You can freeze milk in the original plastic jugs. I do it when on sales.
Thanks so much for sharing Rosemary! Appreciate the time it takes!
My husband and I do the same. We make our own cleaner but I reuse my lemon peels and put them in a jar of vinegar in the ref ridge and that is about a cup of vinegar and add Palmolive Dish Liquid Detergent or Soap. I don't like buying packaged chopped up veggies because I don't trust that it is fresh. I try to compare prices and do buy on sale or just shop at Aldi.
Sounds great!
In Canada, we have a bulk store called bulk and barn that sometimes is good option to use when buying some of the baking stuff like cho chips especially if you or someone you know is a senior because they get discounts on wednesdays there ;P
I love my oatmeal and I use splenda with it. I'm diabetic and it helps me keep my numbers good.
I use a spray bottle filled with veggie oil or oil of choice instead of the spray cans and is refillable. I also use white vinegar to clean windows with newspaper(old tip from my grandmother). I live on my own but will by family size meat packs when on offer and make several meals which I then freeze. Juice fruit that is going a bit soft and freeze that as well or bake a cake with it and freeze that in slices so that I only take out what I need. Same with extra veggies that I grow, they too end up in the freezer to be used when out of season and I only buy fruit and veg when it is in season.
Such great frugal ideas! Thanks Caroline!
Thank you for such good advice.
Lots of times, you just pay for the high priced label.
Love your videos!! So inspiring and encouraging. I love your positivity and the great motivation you share each week. Thank you for being a light!
Kim thank YOU for the encouragement!
I have an ongoing Price book that I use. It has save me lots of money. I not only watch price per oz,lbs,Ea,etc. but how many servings I can get out of an pkg/container.
Take a pound of hamburger you can make four medium size hamburgers out of it or split it in half and use half in chili and the other half in a goulash.
Great idea!
I use baking soda to clean my toilet bowl, sometimes I'll add a touch of vinegar for foam action. My counter cleaner is just diluted vinegar and water. Vinegar is my friend! Lol I have eliminated harsh cleaners and the only other cleaning I have is windex, and a cheap pledge.
Sounds like us lol!
When I first 'went frugal', I did a little experiment. I had really gotten into couponing...but I often wondered if it was truly saving as much money as it seemed. I took 6 months and couponed hard-core and found that it did save money...but it was a bit of a false economy because coupons were usually for name brand items. I had a sneaking suspicion that buying store brands/generics would save more in total. The next 6 months I rarely used a coupon, but I focused hard-core on buying store brands/generics. I found that buying generic brands saved us more money than couponing...and it was much less stressful! I know that we all have our pet products that we choose to buy name-brands (for me it's flour...ketchup....cranberry sauce...pineapples...and maybe a few other items...)...but buying quality generics can really save cash!
Merry Christmas!
GREAT INFO! Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas to you as well!
most stores put the more expensive stuff at easier to reach eye level spots on the shelves too. So most of your deals will likely be out of reach. I like to bring a retractable back scratcher in my purse to reach stuff that's a lot cheaper. ;P they are counting on you giving up trying to get it or waiting to ask someone for help. it's helpful for the items that are way in the back and almost sold out too.
We keep stocked up and shop only sale items. Keep a list of things we used and when on sale restock. One saver we use is the plastic domes we got from the dollar store. They fit perfectly over a plate to warm up leftovers. No paper towel needed! Also bought the "plastic cover ups" from Dollar store to cover leftovers for fridge. I store the leftovers in the dish I will reheat cover with the clear cover up so I can see what is inside. These cover ups can be washed and reused. Saves covering with foil. I also save parchment paper and reuse to bake cookies. Shop sales, salvage store, Aldi's and Rulers(Kroger discount). Love your videos and your warm personality and genuine joy spreading the frugal lifestyle.😊
Brilliant idea on the plate covers!
I enjoy chopping my own food! I make it fun. I can make different shapes too!
Thanks for the latest video will be definitely be taking a look at loose fruit and veggies. Not really got any tips do buy store brand’s and we do our own pickle onions for Christmas. Only buying cheeses we like and no big box of cheese crackers only what we will eat and like xx
So smart Carol!
I too have stopped buying paper plates. The price has skyrocketed the past few years! Instead, I went to the thrift store and bought some beautiful china plates. If they get broken, so be it, they only cost me a dollar each and will save me money in the long run. I also use cloth baby diapers instead of paper towels (unless it’s an accident from the dog or hairball throw-up from the cats lol) and as soon as I run out of my stock of toilet cleaner, bathroom cleaner etc. I will be using just plain dish detergent. Saves tons of money!
It really does!
I will only buy store-brand oats because Quaker is so so expensive.
I use vinegar in the ‘toilet’ and fixtures
and I use baking soda on the tub/ toilet/ sink
the same baking soda used for fridge/ freezer for odour
and I just did the glass coffee pot with it
I haven’t made a cup of coffee for a week yesterday- I’m drinking 3 fat glasses of boiled water or 2 tall glasses per day - herb tea in early evening - 2 cups in one to- go porcelain mug 🙂