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Eddie
I'm going to school, expecting a kid this summer, and I'm moving out of my parents' house... any good advice to save some money?
Answer
At the grocery store, buy generic or store-name brands instead of brand name items such as Heinz, Campbell's or Kraft.
Drink water instead of soft drinks. When you just want something different to drink, make iced tea from tea bags. It's the cheapest way to make iced tea.
Eat oatmeal at least once a day, every day. It takes very little to fill you up and is very healthy for you. It is full of fiber, reduces bad cholesterol and regulates your digestive tract. Sweeten it with honey rather than sugar. Honey has an avalanche of medicinal qualities while sugar has absolutely none. DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO AN INFANT!
Re-use EVERYTHING. That means any jars that have lids - wash them out and use them to take your lunch to work or school with you. If you have the individual serving sizes of bottled water, use those bottles over and over. You can fill them with iced tea or more water to be more portable. If you buy ice cream in the plastic tubs, that tub is great for storing cereals, crackers or even oatmeal and keeping it fresher than the usual boxes. Plastic margarine tubs make a great bowl for cereals or ice cream or can be used to store other things in the fridge like diced or sliced onions without contaminating the other items in the fridge with that oniony smell.
Use petroleum jelly as a skin softener. There is no need for expenisve lotions when a store-brand of petroleum jelly works just as well - if not better.
Buy your bars of soaps at the dollar store in the multi-bar packs. Use bars of soap to wash your hair. Since you have a little one in the house, you might want to use Ivory for everything. Soap is soap no matter what you need it for. And a bar of soap will outlast liquid soap every time. If you need liquid soap for dishwashing, get the economy brand and the biggest bottle you can find to fill all the soap dispensers in the house. A great soap dispenser are those sports water bottles that have a pop-up lid to drink from. It closes securely between uses.
Use baking soda (doesn't have to be arm and hammer) to keep odors down in the fridge, in the baby's room, in the cat litter box, and even in shoes. Just sprinkle some baking soda in the shoe, shake it around, lert it sit overnight and it will be fresh smelling the next morning.
If there are items that you have to get that are national brand names, use coupons and look around for stores that offer double the value of the coupons. IGA does in most states. Kroger does in some states.
Buy canned meats like Spam and tuna at the Dollar Store or Family Dollar. These stores usually have the best deals on canned meats and tuna. Wal-Mart has the biggest selection of generic brands.
To keep meat in your diet, buy hot dogs in bulk. You can dice hot dogs to put on pizzas, into sloppy joe to stretch your hamburger, pan fry it in barbecue sauce for an inexpensive barbecue sandwich.
Make everything from scratch - it's less expensive and usually tastes better. Make all your own mixes rather than buying store bought items. For mix recipes, go to http://www.budget101.com and click on "recipes."
Mix rice into just about everything you cook. It will make everything thicker and more filling.
Make sure you eat at least two servings of fruits every day. Take a multi-vitamin every day. Keeping the doctor visits to a minimum is essential when stretching your money. Invest in boullion cubes and add them to gravies, sauces or soups. You don't have to use a whole cube in a small recipe - you can chip off a corner or two just to add some flavor.
Buy dehydrated eggs to make your egg money go a lot further. These can be purchased at http://honeyvillegrains.com. To really save on food dollars, you can use dehydrated fruits from honeyville and use them on your cereal. They go a lot further than fresh fruits and contain the same nutritional value when rehydrated.
Don't throw out your stockings that have runs in them. You can use stockings to store onions and potatoes in the cellar. Put an onion in the toe, tie a knot, put another onion in, tie a knot, another onion, then knot - etc. Do not put potatoes and onions together in the same stocking. They should be hung away from each other. When you need an onion, simple cut off the stocking below the knot. To use the stockings after that, cut them in thin strips and use them to tie tomato plants and other vines to stakes. They stretch so they will give when the stem grows thicker.
Use baby powder (store brand) as a foundation under makeup. Use baby powder as an anti perspirant under your arms. Use a sprinkle of baby powder in your shoes to keep your feet comfortable in hot weather.
Use clothes you or your child outgrow to make into quilts. Cut them into squares or triangles for knitting or quilting projects. Sew a seam in pieces of old clothes to wrap a plain old garden pot for an indoor plant. Use the material of old clothes to make throw pillows for your couch or bed. There is nothing wrong with making your own "stuffed animals" with material from a torn or worn dress or slacks. Use everything to the nth degree! Don't throw out the old shoelaces with worn out shoes. Wash and disinfect the old shoelaces to use later in the garden to hold up vining plants.
Save the lint from your dryer and keep it in a ziploc bag. The next time you want to start the charcoal on a barbecue grill, put lint under and around the charcoal and light it with a match. It will light the charcoal without needing lighter fluid. Lint is an excellent way to start a campfire if you go camping, too. The lint fire starter will work longer if you add a dab of petroleum jelly (yes, the stuff you use to moisturize your hands) in the ziploc bag with it and work the lint around with it. The pj will let the lint burn longer to help get the fire really going.
Save pill bottles to keep buttons and sewing needles in.
Save the cardboard rolls when the toilet paper or paper towels are gone. These are an excellent way to store your extra extension cords or computer cables in. Just wind up the cord and stuff them into the cardboard roll. Mark on the roll what cord it is holding.
Use shoe bags - the kind that hang over a door and have 16-20 transparent pockets - to place toys in. You can see at a glance where each item is. Use them in the kitchen to hold spatulas and serving spoons or extra spices and seasonings. Use them in the baby room for the baby powder, safety pins, diapers, first aid items and so on.
Invest in a book called Heloise Hints. She's a saver and frugal housekeeper fron the get-go.
Good luck!
At the grocery store, buy generic or store-name brands instead of brand name items such as Heinz, Campbell's or Kraft.
Drink water instead of soft drinks. When you just want something different to drink, make iced tea from tea bags. It's the cheapest way to make iced tea.
Eat oatmeal at least once a day, every day. It takes very little to fill you up and is very healthy for you. It is full of fiber, reduces bad cholesterol and regulates your digestive tract. Sweeten it with honey rather than sugar. Honey has an avalanche of medicinal qualities while sugar has absolutely none. DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO AN INFANT!
Re-use EVERYTHING. That means any jars that have lids - wash them out and use them to take your lunch to work or school with you. If you have the individual serving sizes of bottled water, use those bottles over and over. You can fill them with iced tea or more water to be more portable. If you buy ice cream in the plastic tubs, that tub is great for storing cereals, crackers or even oatmeal and keeping it fresher than the usual boxes. Plastic margarine tubs make a great bowl for cereals or ice cream or can be used to store other things in the fridge like diced or sliced onions without contaminating the other items in the fridge with that oniony smell.
Use petroleum jelly as a skin softener. There is no need for expenisve lotions when a store-brand of petroleum jelly works just as well - if not better.
Buy your bars of soaps at the dollar store in the multi-bar packs. Use bars of soap to wash your hair. Since you have a little one in the house, you might want to use Ivory for everything. Soap is soap no matter what you need it for. And a bar of soap will outlast liquid soap every time. If you need liquid soap for dishwashing, get the economy brand and the biggest bottle you can find to fill all the soap dispensers in the house. A great soap dispenser are those sports water bottles that have a pop-up lid to drink from. It closes securely between uses.
Use baking soda (doesn't have to be arm and hammer) to keep odors down in the fridge, in the baby's room, in the cat litter box, and even in shoes. Just sprinkle some baking soda in the shoe, shake it around, lert it sit overnight and it will be fresh smelling the next morning.
If there are items that you have to get that are national brand names, use coupons and look around for stores that offer double the value of the coupons. IGA does in most states. Kroger does in some states.
Buy canned meats like Spam and tuna at the Dollar Store or Family Dollar. These stores usually have the best deals on canned meats and tuna. Wal-Mart has the biggest selection of generic brands.
To keep meat in your diet, buy hot dogs in bulk. You can dice hot dogs to put on pizzas, into sloppy joe to stretch your hamburger, pan fry it in barbecue sauce for an inexpensive barbecue sandwich.
Make everything from scratch - it's less expensive and usually tastes better. Make all your own mixes rather than buying store bought items. For mix recipes, go to http://www.budget101.com and click on "recipes."
Mix rice into just about everything you cook. It will make everything thicker and more filling.
Make sure you eat at least two servings of fruits every day. Take a multi-vitamin every day. Keeping the doctor visits to a minimum is essential when stretching your money. Invest in boullion cubes and add them to gravies, sauces or soups. You don't have to use a whole cube in a small recipe - you can chip off a corner or two just to add some flavor.
Buy dehydrated eggs to make your egg money go a lot further. These can be purchased at http://honeyvillegrains.com. To really save on food dollars, you can use dehydrated fruits from honeyville and use them on your cereal. They go a lot further than fresh fruits and contain the same nutritional value when rehydrated.
Don't throw out your stockings that have runs in them. You can use stockings to store onions and potatoes in the cellar. Put an onion in the toe, tie a knot, put another onion in, tie a knot, another onion, then knot - etc. Do not put potatoes and onions together in the same stocking. They should be hung away from each other. When you need an onion, simple cut off the stocking below the knot. To use the stockings after that, cut them in thin strips and use them to tie tomato plants and other vines to stakes. They stretch so they will give when the stem grows thicker.
Use baby powder (store brand) as a foundation under makeup. Use baby powder as an anti perspirant under your arms. Use a sprinkle of baby powder in your shoes to keep your feet comfortable in hot weather.
Use clothes you or your child outgrow to make into quilts. Cut them into squares or triangles for knitting or quilting projects. Sew a seam in pieces of old clothes to wrap a plain old garden pot for an indoor plant. Use the material of old clothes to make throw pillows for your couch or bed. There is nothing wrong with making your own "stuffed animals" with material from a torn or worn dress or slacks. Use everything to the nth degree! Don't throw out the old shoelaces with worn out shoes. Wash and disinfect the old shoelaces to use later in the garden to hold up vining plants.
Save the lint from your dryer and keep it in a ziploc bag. The next time you want to start the charcoal on a barbecue grill, put lint under and around the charcoal and light it with a match. It will light the charcoal without needing lighter fluid. Lint is an excellent way to start a campfire if you go camping, too. The lint fire starter will work longer if you add a dab of petroleum jelly (yes, the stuff you use to moisturize your hands) in the ziploc bag with it and work the lint around with it. The pj will let the lint burn longer to help get the fire really going.
Save pill bottles to keep buttons and sewing needles in.
Save the cardboard rolls when the toilet paper or paper towels are gone. These are an excellent way to store your extra extension cords or computer cables in. Just wind up the cord and stuff them into the cardboard roll. Mark on the roll what cord it is holding.
Use shoe bags - the kind that hang over a door and have 16-20 transparent pockets - to place toys in. You can see at a glance where each item is. Use them in the kitchen to hold spatulas and serving spoons or extra spices and seasonings. Use them in the baby room for the baby powder, safety pins, diapers, first aid items and so on.
Invest in a book called Heloise Hints. She's a saver and frugal housekeeper fron the get-go.
Good luck!
I was reading on the Internet and they said portable hot tubs go from $400 on up. Where can i find the 400 one
mag48
So yea...Im looking for the cheapest portable hot tub out there...and I need to find one A.S.A.P and the cheepest I have found is 800 and I read that the very basic ones start at $400 so could you please send me a link,brand name, or a store that sells it so i can purchase it..I am on a tight budget so lowest price possible PLEASE. Thanks.
Answer
Softub makes great portable hottubs. I've had one for YEARS!
Softub makes great portable hottubs. I've had one for YEARS!
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