Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[mama4]

GOTTA LOVE IT WHEN NOBODY NOTICES THE SHRINKAGE!

 

[Dizneycrazy3]

Another along the same lines...don't use fabric softener, use vinegar instead (it really does work, I promise!!). Vinegar also works well instead of JetDry in the dishwasher.

Nope does not work.I tried it and my clothes were not soft.So I just skip it and use nothing and it is fine.

 

[Chicklogic]

Painless,but often overlooked......turn down your water heater! I have mine quite low and turn up in the morning if we are all showering in a short time period. When I go on vacation I turn the dial to "vacation mode"!

 

[goofyboyzmom]

Nope does not work.I tried it and my clothes were not soft.So I just skip it and use nothing and it is fine.

I have to agree - unless I am doing something wrong, my clothes are not very soft without my liquid softener.

 

[NVDisMom]

Reading all of these taco recipes had me reconsidering what I fill enchiladas with. I made a batch of spanish rice, added beans, rolled it up in tortillas and smothered it in verde sauce, sprinkled a 1/2 cup of cheese. Nobody missed the chicken and cheese I usually stuff them with. Much cheaper and honestly, more filling. Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[Chicklogic]

Reading all of these taco recipes had me reconsidering what I fill enchiladas with. I made a batch of spanish rice, added beans, rolled it up in tortillas and smothered it in verde sauce, sprinkled a 1/2 cup of cheese. Nobody missed the chicken and cheese I usually stuff them with. Much cheaper and honestly, more filling. Thanks for the inspiration.

If anyone misses the chicken you could always shred one breast and split between the whole batch. Sometimes just the APPEARANCE of meat makes someone (aahhemm.....read MEN) feel more satisfied

 

[Chicklogic]

Along these same lines is a tip that people either try(and love) or don't try(and poo poo it,thinking its crazy)

Buy ground beef IN BULK (i usually buy about 10 pounds at a time) and BOIL the beef in one big batch! Freeze in 1# pkgs for easy dinner nights! Taste is NOT affected (it usually has a chance to brown up in what ever recipe you use it in).

My kids love it when they are home alone to pull it out for hamburger helper, tacos or to add beef to nachos!

May be TOO extreme for some......(i add garlic salt pepper and onions to water before I do the hamburger)I save to broth from boiling the beef for soup or cooking broth!

 

[Chicklogic]

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[Kycha]

Along these same lines is a tip that people either try(and love) or don't try(and poo poo it,thinking its crazy)

Buy ground beef IN BULK (i usually buy about 10 pounds at a time) and BOIL the beef in one big batch! Freeze in 1# pkgs for easy dinner nights! Taste is NOT affected (it usually has a chance to brown up in what ever recipe you use it in).

My kids love it when they are home alone to pull it out for hamburger helper, tacos or to add beef to nachos!

May be TOO extreme for some......(i add garlic salt pepper and onions to water before I do the hamburger)I save to broth from boiling the beef for soup or cooking broth!

I love this tip and will try it the next time I bring hamburger home from the grocery store. When I fry up hamburger I usually rinse it anyway to get rid of a lot of the grease and make it a little healthier. It never entered my mind to just boil it. And I love the idea of making soup stock with the liquid. This is also a great tip if you forget to take the hamburger out of the freezer. It would be much easier to boil a block of ground beef than try to fry it. Plus, you don't get the grease splatters all over the stove like you do when frying it.

 

[pennydlane72]

I love all of these great ideas! I am a newly wed and never really had to budget until after we were married. Ya'll make it so much easier! thankyou!

 

[BusyMom2Three]

I love this thread!

I use 1 cup of baking soda instead of fabric softener in the rinse (vinegar will neutralize bacteria, but baking soda softens really nicely)

I use cloth diapers and buy them at diaperswappers.com (I use Motherease one-size with airflow covers)

This is also for health reasons, but my kids can have a glass of juice with breakfast, but then water the rest of the day, and we water the juice down a little (maybe 1/8th water). We never buy soda except at parties. This is all just normal to them. They think nothing of it.

We never stop at convenience stores for snacks. I always have things on hand in the van (raisins, granola bars, ect).

We never eat out more than once every other week.

I buy all their clothes 1 year ahead at Target, Children's Place & Old Navy when the clothes and shoes are 75% off. I also shop at mom-to-mom sales and subdivision sales (we are lucky this is practically a weekend sport for moms here).

We fill our thermoses with our own filtered water, never buy bottled (plus, I hate plastic)

I spend $1 for $20 worth of coupons on ebay (make sure you can use the amount you buy) then shop at Kroger, which doubles coupons up to $1.

The 2x/year that all the toys go 75% off at Target, I stock up so I have a bday and Christmas gift stash to select from for my kids' friends and sometimes for them (yes, I do have to buy some special things full-price for my kids, though)

I shop & sell on ebay and craigslist.

I freeze overripe bananas until I feel like making banana bread.

Tomato sauce is expensive. I buy a case of 15 oz cans of Hunt's plain tomato sauce at Sam's Club and season it myself with Mrs Dash (or you can use italian seasoning). It is way cheaper and tastes better!

We make our own pizza crust (very easy and quick)--never buy frozen dinners which are unhealthy anyway)

We don't use paper napkins and I just stopped using paper towels (should've a long time ago)

I am sure I have more that I am forgetting!

 

[Chicklogic]

I love this tip and will try it the next time I bring hamburger home from the grocery store. When I fry up hamburger I usually rinse it anyway to get rid of a lot of the grease and make it a little healthier. It never entered my mind to just boil it. And I love the idea of making soup stock with the liquid. This is also a great tip if you forget to take the hamburger out of the freezer. It would be much easier to boil a block of ground beef than try to fry it. Plus, you don't get the grease splatters all over the stove like you do when frying it.

I break mine up with a fork and it gets really fine (think "loose meat sandwich" style)

Last night I used 1/4 pound fine ground beef and 1 cup (about a pound rehydrated) TVP for tacos and my daughter was THRILLED that I thought of her and made ground chicken tacos!!!

 

[semo233]

bump

 

[Mrs.Reese]

Make sure your water heater is wrapped! It costs a little bit but is so worth it in the winter. I have a timer in the bathroom. Five minutes tops for your shower!!! If you haven't, clean your air conditioner filter. A dirty filter = an ineffiecient filter. Not really a budget tip but our a/c bill did go down 5 bucks just from cleaning the filter.

 

[Tinka_Belle]

Where do you buy TVP? I was just reading the website and am very interested in adding this to my meals.

 

[semo233]

As far as I know, it is usually sold as "crumbles" (ground beef) or in some food form. It is also known as tofu. Look in the frozen vegetarian section of your grocery store for Morningstar Farms. They have several products that are made with TVP.

 

[Chicklogic]

bump

Semo.....why do you and I always seem to be the bumpers?????

 

[bettyann29]

Along these same lines is a tip that people either try(and love) or don't try(and poo poo it,thinking its crazy)

Buy ground beef IN BULK (i usually buy about 10 pounds at a time) and BOIL the beef in one big batch! Freeze in 1# pkgs for easy dinner nights! Taste is NOT affected (it usually has a chance to brown up in what ever recipe you use it in).

My kids love it when they are home alone to pull it out for hamburger helper, tacos or to add beef to nachos!

May be TOO extreme for some......(i add garlic salt pepper and onions to water before I do the hamburger)I save to broth from boiling the beef for soup or cooking broth!

Does the hamburger meat taste funny or different by boiling it rather than frying it??

Just curious.. if the taste is similiar I will need to give this a try!

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

Does the hamburger meat taste funny or different by boiling it rather than frying it??

Just curious.. if the taste is similiar I will need to give this a try!

Never tried it, but she did mention that the "taste is NOT effected." I think she also mentioned that you'd probably end up browning it in most recipes, anyway. In most beef based food, save burgers, there's usually something else that covers up the taste (think spaghetti sauce, taco seasoning, etc.). I'd give it a go!

 

[momof296&02]

I have picked up some gr8 tips! Thanks to all.

I Know that the economy is a mess & I would like to know if you any of you were always frugal or just started due to the economy. We have started to cut back. i recently went to the local beauty school for a cut & color & it cost $21 plus tip. I gave the girl a $20 tip as she washed, colored, cut & blew out my hair.