Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[TinkerBean]

Love this idea! One bottle of fabric softener will last about ten years this way!!! I'm going to try this idea, but will make 3-4 cloths at the same time (seems like even LESS work), since I'll have to get out the gloves, etc. These should last our family a loooooong time (a year?)

I will bring my cloths over and you can do mine too

 

[Mkgaapril]

Wow, I have really enjoyed reading all of this...CHEMICALS IN MY DRYER SHEETS!!!!, hmmm, vinegar and bakingsoda to clean the bathroom, jetdry is expensive, i will also try the vinegar....with all the costs going up and pay going down I welcome all of this....

I would like to add a little tip ,,,,

I went to sams and purchased a large package of microfiber towels...i think i got 25 for around 15.00....expensive I know but my lord have I been able to really use these for anything....

duster, i no longer buy swiffers to dust the house...i cut one up and wrap it around the wand, boom, lifts the dust great and i can reuse it..

swiffer floor cleaner, ha, again, i took 2 of those towels, cut them in half to have 4 floor rags, i place it on the end of the swiffer(the duster, not the wetjet) and clean the kitchen floor with a spray bottle of cleaner i made of a squirt of soap and a few drops of vinegar....i have saved alot.

I have laundry to do so I am going to try the tip....keep them comming..oh one more thing, i don't know who posted the vinegar uses site but thanks a million.

 

[wdwfanatic80]

subscribing.....great ideas!!!

 

[jinia]

What an inspiration yall are!! My husband got laid off so I will be putting some of these tips to the test!!!

 

[babytrees]

I have no green thumb, I kill all plants!!!

I usually don't either but we tried last year and had great success with lettuce and onions, moderate with our carrots and tomatoes and zucchini.
This year we are letting the strawberries take up one of our 3 "blocks". Lettuce will be in another and carrots and onions in the last. Flowers aren't happening!!

Along stretching things...we use the dryer balls...$10 for 2 balls....don't need fabric softener (can't use it anyway) and cuts down on drying time immensely. I know this because the cat used them for a toy and I just refound them and started using them again after a month....much, much shorter drying time.

We also combine trips if we can and are doing a lot more of staying home instead of going out just to go out. We buy in bulk when we can.

We just started something this week...we'll see if it ends up saving us money. We are going to use our own allotted time of going out (fast food) to decide what we want in the next week to eat for dinner and get our grocery lists together and shop from that and only that. This week...I don't think..wasn't a very good indicator as we didn't shop off the list as much as I wanted because we forgot to put lunch "stuff" on there. I will try and remember that for next week.

Also helps as now I know what the kids want when I get home....no more "I don't know what to have for supper". We just pull something from the list!!!

 

[babytrees]

I'd also like to invite you over to the "what's for dinner-was it budget?" thread on this board. I've gotten great ideas and new recipes that taste great too!!

 

[Jennifer823]

When making seasoned meat for tacos I use a 50/50 mix of browned ground turkey and cooked brown rice - once the seasoning is added it is very difficult to tell that the rice is not turkey - would also work with beef.

Since there are six of us I do something like this too. When I make meat for tacos, we'd normally need 2 lbs of beef, but I use 1 lb and a can of black beans, rinsed. I add them when I add the seasoning mix to the browned beef.

 

[Kycha]

Since there are six of us I do something like this too. When I make meat for tacos, we'd normally need 2 lbs of beef, but I use 1 lb and a can of black beans, rinsed. I add them when I add the seasoning mix to the browned beef.

I like the idea of the brown rice or the black beans to stretch taco meat. I use corn(usually frozen). But, those would be great alternatives too.

 

[NVDisMom]

WOW! I'm impressed guys.

So, I definitely need to add vinegar to my shopping list. I haven't used jet dry or fabric softner in years b/c its so expensive, but I miss the results.

I just recently started adding rice and beans to my taco meat, my family loves it.

We did away with cable. I didn't tell anybody. I just did it. I thought I would catch a rash of you know what...a week later my DH finally noticed. Guess you don't watch as much TV as you thought, huh? Kids didn't know until daddy said something. Its been over two months and we have found that we do a lot more as a family together. The girls read more, DH plays more music, and I get more stuff done(I read a ton anyway). Plus we've all become very good card players. The "oldies", as we call our family elders, better watch out at our summer reunion, the girls are armed and dangerous. I even took the TV thing a step further...I unplugged the darned thing. It took over a week before DH noticed AGAIN...hahaha...the girls could have cared less. We found we don't really miss it. I'm convinced the TV was used more for noise than anything else. Myth Busters is the only thing we seem to miss. I guess that means I'm gonna be buying a DVD set from the Discovery Channel Store. Still Beats that $100 cable bill. Wish we hadn't wasted the $$$ on the two, yes two, HD TV's that DH insisted we NEEDED.

I have also instituted a 30 day moratorium on nonessential purchases over $50. Any bill at the register that is more than $50 has to wait for 30 days and spousal approval. If we still want/need it in 30 days then we can purchase. Gas and groceries are exempt. It was $67 to fill my Toyota Highlander today. UGH!

We have tried really hard to distinguish between wants and needs. Wants are simply gonna have to wait.

 

[donnsuz]

I love the idea about using dishtowels instead of paper napkins...kind of the dining version of using cloth diapers Ref the vinegar how much do you use for all of these tasks?

 

[happycampers]

I love the idea about using dishtowels instead of paper napkins...kind of the dining version of using cloth diapers Ref the vinegar how much do you use for all of these tasks?

I've been using 1/2 cup in my fabric softener dispenser based on what I read on the www.vinegartips.com site. I couldn't find any info on the dishwasher. I was wondering that myself.

 

[mnasmom3]

I've been using 1/2 cup in my fabric softener dispenser based on what I read on the www.vinegartips.com site. I couldn't find any info on the dishwasher. I was wondering that myself.

If you're talking about using vinegar as a rinse agent in the dishwasher, just put it in the Jet Dry compartment and let the dishwasher dispense for you.

 

[happycampers]

If you're talking about using vinegar as a rinse agent in the dishwasher, just put it in the Jet Dry compartment and let the dishwasher dispense for you.

That's kind of what I had been wondering since I haven't used Jet Dry before because of the expense. I poured vinegar in the dispenser and didn't know when to stop. So, if I understand correctly, I should just keep on pouring the vinegar until it looks like it's filling up and it should last for several loads?

 

[mnasmom3]

That's kind of what I had been wondering since I haven't used Jet Dry before because of the expense. I poured vinegar in the dispenser and didn't know when to stop. So, if I understand correctly, I should just keep on pouring the vinegar until it looks like it's filling up and it should last for several loads?

Right. My dishwasher tells me how full the dispenser is so I know when to stop adding and also when it's empty. I guess you'll know when yours starts overflowing. Really though...Isn't a bottle of Jet Dry maybe 5-6 oz? I'd think the dispenser would hold at least 1/2 cup. Another thing you might consider is adding a mix of borax and washing soda to your dishwasher detergent to get extra mileage out of that. I tried using just straight borax and soda but ended up getting a film on my dishes after a while even with a vinegar rinse, so I decided to mix equal parts of borax and washing soda and "dilute" my dishwasher detergent with that....probably equal parts of the detergent and the borax/soda mix. I still get good results, but I do prerinse the really dirty dishes and hand wash pots and pans a lot.

 

[goinback]

GREAT tips everyone! I have a few:

I have stopped buying juice altogether. I was buying 4 containers of Juicy Juice a week, then 2. I was becoming concerned about my kids filling up on juice so I just stopped buying it. I now only buy milk and we drink ALOT of water. I really thought my kids would complain, but they never do. I think not drinking juice is alot healthier for their teeth too. I just make sure they have fresh fruit to eat. This saves me around $12 a week!

I have also stopped using dryer sheets. I have not noticed one bit of difference in how our clothes feel. Some things have a little static, which I am sure will get worse in the winter, so I may buy the dryer balls I have seen.

But, this BIGGEST money saving tip I can offer is this........ I do not go shopping! I usually would go to Target once or twice a week, now I go MAYBE once a month. I don't go to the mall. (hate our mall anyway!) I sometimes get the urge to go shopping, but I ask myself, "What do I TRULY need?" Most of the time, the answer is nothing!

Like a PP, I also use our library for free DVDs. I am also going to hold out as long as I can before turning the air on this summer. Last year I made it to late June before my family rebelled!

I have also considered turning off the satellite, as it seems we are only watching Disney channel! I just don't think my family is ready for that one yet!

 

[happycampers]

I love this thread and everyone's great ideas.

I've been stretching our milk lately. Powdered milk is cheaper per gallon than regular, but I'm not sure we could get used to the taste of drinking it alone. We drink skim milk which is cheaper than the other varieties to start with. I use powdered milk alone in recipes like pancakes and muffins. That stretches our consumption of the regular milk a bit. However, I've also been diluting regular milk with the powdered stuff to make it go a bit farther. So far, no one has noticed a difference when using it on cereal or drinking.

I also use a more expensive toothpaste because I had some demineralized spots on some of my teeth. The larger tube of Pronamel I got at the store (based on a suggestion from a hygienist relative) was cheaper than the smaller sized twenty-something dollar tube of MI paste the dentist had suggested, and it worked beautifully. Even the dentist was surprised at the results. It also worked for DS who had a sticky spot on one of his teeth indicating the start of a cavity. We used it on him, and everything looked great at his last check up. So now we use it regularly. I've been stretching it by using it nightly and using regular toothpaste in the morning.

 

[StillPinballFamily]

I've been stretching our milk lately. Powdered milk is cheaper per gallon than regular, but I'm not sure we could get used to the taste of drinking it alone. We drink skim milk which is cheaper than the other varieties to start with. I use powdered milk alone in recipes like pancakes and muffins. That stretches our consumption of the regular milk a bit. However, I've also been diluting regular milk with the powdered stuff to make it go a bit farther. So far, no one has noticed a difference when using it on cereal or drinking.

This is a great idea - I'm embarrassed to note that I've never thought of it, despite having a huge box of powdered milk in my pantry (I use tiny amounts of it for bread making). in your opinion, does it make the pancakes, etc., taste different ? How much do you dilute your regular milk - how much *fresh* to the "from the powdered milk"? We drink 2%, so I'm looking to see about how much I can sneak in before someone screams, "Hey....wait a minute!" Thanks for this tip!

 

[happycampers]

This is a great idea - I'm embarrassed to note that I've never thought of it, despite having a huge box of powdered milk in my pantry (I use tiny amounts of it for bread making). in your opinion, does it make the pancakes, etc., taste different ? How much do you dilute your regular milk - how much *fresh* to the "from the powdered milk"? We drink 2%, so I'm looking to see about how much I can sneak in before someone screams, "Hey....wait a minute!" Thanks for this tip!

We have not noticed any difference in the taste or quality of baked goods when using powdered milk. I've even used it to make a loaded baked potato soup recipe which calls for lots of milk, and that tasted just like it usually does.

When it comes to diluting the milk, I've mixed up a quart of the powdered stuff and added it to no less than a half of a gallon (2 quarts) of skim milk. I haven't tried making it any more diluted than that.

I have a small pitcher for my 1 quart of powdered milk. The kids think that's cute, so they've asked for that milk before. I thought they wouldn't like the taste, but they didn't complain a bit. The powdered milk does taste better (still not like the regular) when it's been chilled instead of newly made and warm.

 

[jollytammy]

Who ever posted about the impossible pie recipes and where to find them--THANK YOU I just made the seafood one for the family, and now I am the queen of the house ...well at least for the moment. And it was really, really easy!!!

 

[pjlla]

Just wanted to chime in on the cloth napkin discussion. I have been playing with the idea of going to all cloth napkins here. I even had DD start making some with some cotton sheet fabric from the rag bag. But we didn't have enough fabric to make as many as I wanted to have. So I was looking around for an inexpensive alternative. I finally found it. I bought 2 18-packs of white, all cotton washcloths at Walmart. They were about $3.50 each. They wash well and can take bleach. They are plenty large enough (almost too large) and can be used for cleaning rags when/if they get too ratty to use for dinner napkins. I plan to use these even when my folks are visiting, but will use paper napkins for other company.

Since I got a full 36, I have MORE than enough for the time when I may be VERY behind on the laundry. Since the most we would ever use in one day would be 12 (and usually it will be more like 4-6), I can easily just throw them in with the regular laundry without creating another load. I hang my clothes on a line for at least 7-8 months a year, so no extra electricity to dry them either (at least most of the time).

I have been using dish towels (tea towels) around the kitchen for years now to reduce paper towel usage and it is such a habit I don't even reach for a paper towel most of the time (unless it is a really icky, greasy mess).

Anyhow, if you are looking for a cloth napkin alternative, this maybe the suggestion for you!......................P