Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[CobraBubbles]

Cobrabubbles- I love your attitude, from your picture I think we are probably close in age and it's nice to see that we can be responsible with our money, even if we're young. You never complain, you just find a way to make what you have work. I hope that came out the right way!

If you have a library near you, I would check out the king arthur flour cookbook.

Thanks I've not always been responsible, I just had to pull myself together and grow up and become a responsible and budgeting adult-like person. The secret is that it IS actually exciting to see what kind of money you can save, and all that, but I do it out of necessity. I would rather look at it as valuable lesson for the future. When I am doing better financially, I will still budget and be really good at saving. I've recently started cooking a lot of my own foods (not like...dinner, I did that already, but like baked goods, etc). Thanks for the kind words!

I will check out that book ... or maybe I can even find it on eBay.

As far as making your own laundry soap...I also have done this, but I still go back and forth between really good sales and made soap because many times I get laundry soap for almost just as cheap.

PS. I don't have a stand mixer, but I did try to make some in the oven and it turned out pretty good, actually. I think I needed to cook it about 10 minutes longer because it was a little *too* moist, but I still really liked it.

Some posters were talking about inexpensive things to do with the kids. One of our favorite activities is letterboxing.

Interesting you mentioned this because I wanted to try this in the spring/summer. I had found out about it, but it's still too cold to try. My husband and sister are all on board to do this with me!

If you don't mind using beer, there are some great quick beer bread recipes out there. Very simple to make and quite tasty. Here are a few:

I will definitely try them. We have beer around from time to time, but not always. I tried to make a beer batter once, but it didn't turn out like I wanted, but I still have some in the fridge dungeon I think. DH will have a beer (pronounced BEEEEEEEEEEEE) from time to time.

I was always having to chop and freeze fresh produce so it wouldn't go to waste. I finally invested in Debbie Meyer produce bags, and they keep fruit and veggies fresh for two weeks! I also bought some bread bags, and my bread and buns stay fresh soooo much longer.

Good tip, I wanted these, but I only sort of thought they'd work...half of me thinks that they are a scam. Good to hear an actual report!

 

[semo233]

 

[minnie1928]

I'm gonna re-post an idea that I'm sure is in here somewhere. Yesterday I used 2 old, used dryer sheets to clean my shower doors. It's amazing what a great job it does with virtually no effort!

 

[Mermaid02]

I'm making my dishwasher detergent now as well as laundry. I find it does just as good a job!

This morning my dh, myself and ds (12) were chasing around a "hot" smell.... my dh finally figured it out. He had cleaned our pellet stove so it was off and we had opened some windows.... our baseboard heat had come on for the first time since last fall!! What a great feeling (of course we turned it off ASAP!) I can't wait to figure out how much $$ we have saved this winter!

 

[Poohbug]

If you have had your washer/dryer installed by the delivery people-make sure the hot and cold water hoses are hooked up correctly. I just figured out(after over a year ) that the hot and cold hoses were switched when we got our new washer. I usually wash warm/cold but do sometimes wash cold/cold and just noticed how hot the washer felt. So much for trying to save $$ by washing with cold water.

 

[hoffmann2828]

I am an avid couponer, but love reading these other tips.

My biggest tip is to buy cheap and STORE! I have an old bookcase in the basement that I use to store all my "stockpile" stuff. I buy things that do not have an expiration date when they are on a super good sale or free. For instance, GUM toothbrushes go on sale frequently for $1, and there are usually .75 cent off coupons in the weekly paper. For .25 each, I pick it up (or more, because I collect the coupons from friends/family). Toothbrushes will never expire, and I don't have to hear DH complain that he needs one - he simply goes and gets a new one from our "store". I do this with all health & beauty items. We never run out of Shampoo, deodorant, razors, toothbrushes, etc.

Then, if I get more than I think we'll need before I think I'll see another deal for it, then I put it in my garage sale. For instance, this week you can get Gillette Fantom razors (normally on sale for $8.99) at Walgreens using a coupon found in store and a manufacturer's coupon that was out a couple weeks ago ... for .99! That is worth the price just for the few starter blades you get. Or, sell it at a garage sale for $3-$4! Make a couple bucks.

As for food, I try to do the same thing and freeze whatever I can. A full freezer is more efficient than a half-empty one. Try freezing different things. I have been freezing OJ (which I only buy when I can get it for $1 or less per carton) and it freezes great. I take it out a day before I need it and leave it on the countertop for a few hours. It needs a good shaking, but it takes just fine. I do the same with shredded cheese. I buy it when I can get it for $1 a bag or less and freeze it. Not only does it save you money getting it on sale, I always have some on hand so it saves you the gas money to the store to pick it up!

I joined Mypoints.com and earn lots of gift cards by doing my online shopping through them. I "volunteered" to do the office supplies ordering for my small office and earn a $10 GC every time I do so. The company pays the same amount, but I get a nice little bonus for doing a few minutes work.

I use diaper wipe plastic container for lots of storage uses! Great for toddlers. We use them to organize crayons, markers, small toys, etc.

Check out: cash4books.net - they buy lots of books and provide the shipping label free of charge. You pack up any unwanted books that they will buy from you and as soon as they are accepted, they will deposit money into your paypal account. Not always big money, but certainly better than gathering dust and cluttering up the house.

Hope this gives some people some ideas!!

Jenny

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

speaking of toothbrushes... Our Dollar Tree usually has name brand toothbrushes, 2 or 3 in a pack, for $1. Then they even have a 6 or 8 pack of a cheapo brand (Dr. Fresh I think) that come with a cup and toothbrush holder. These are great for traveling, esp on a cruise with a very small bathroom and not a lot counter space to store toothbrushes. I can pack them way in advance without worrying about having to grab ours from the sink that morning. Since they're only about .20 each, we can toss them at the end of the trip without guilt.

Also great if the kids have a unplanned sleepover, I can always offer a new toothbrush and know it didn't cost the ridiculous $3 they charge in grocery stores and pharmacies. They can take it home as a spare or throw it out.

 

[PollyannaMom]

.....Leftovers make great twice-baked potatoes. Bake a big potato for each family member, then mush up the potato "insides" with the leftovers, stuff it all back into the potato shells, and return it to the oven for 10-15 minutes. This works well if you have a little bit of meat leftover (how else can you make one pork chop and half a chicken breast feed the whole family?) and a little bit of vegetable. Depending upon what I have, I might toss in some cheeses, or even make a small amount of cheese sauce.

Ooh, I am definitely going to make these!!


I'm only on page 2, so forgive me if this one has been added already, -
I used to cut dryer sheets in half, but I recently bought the reusable dryer balls, and they're great! Even the towels are still very soft, AND no chemicals to boot.

 

[CobraBubbles]

Good tips I love stocking up on stuff, but now I'm motivated to REALLY stock up..ha ha

I am an avid watcher of Good Eats. Alton Brown = my hero. Anyway...the other day it was about tortillas and how to make tortilla chips. I bought a huge package of corn tortillas at Walmart for around $2 an I can make oodles and oodles of corn chips when I need them (cut into 4's). I think they will make 3 batches of nachos. You just cook them in your deep fryer (or oil in a pan) on the high heat setting (375 I think?) for between 1-1.5 mins. Very easy and fresh chips taste so yummy!

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Good tips I love stocking up on stuff, but now I'm motivated to REALLY stock up..ha ha

I am an avid watcher of Good Eats. Alton Brown = my hero. Anyway...the other day it was about tortillas and how to make tortilla chips. I bought a huge package of corn tortillas at Walmart for around $2 an I can make oodles and oodles of corn chips when I need them (cut into 4's). I think they will make 3 batches of nachos. You just cook them in your deep fryer (or oil in a pan) on the high heat setting (375 I think?) for between 1-1.5 mins. Very easy and fresh chips taste so yummy!

Thank you for this reminder! I have a big stack of corn tortillas I was staring at after making enchiladas earlier this week (with leftover turkey and beef from the freezer- ) and this is perfect! DH is a tortilla chip addict and I always have salsa in the pantry.

 

[carissanboys]

Check out: cash4books.net - they buy lots of books and provide the shipping label free of charge. You pack up any unwanted books that they will buy from you and as soon as they are accepted, they will deposit money into your paypal account. Not always big money, but certainly better than gathering dust and cluttering up the house.

Hope this gives some people some ideas!!

Jenny

I wish I'd known about this site years ago!! I've given away so many books that I purchased and read. I've since stopped doing that (still have tons of books waiting to be read on my shelf and I use the library), but it's great to know I can get a small amount of my money back. Thanks!

I am an avid watcher of Good Eats. Alton Brown = my hero. Anyway...the other day it was about tortillas and how to make tortilla chips. I bought a huge package of corn tortillas at Walmart for around $2 an I can make oodles and oodles of corn chips when I need them (cut into 4's). I think they will make 3 batches of nachos. You just cook them in your deep fryer (or oil in a pan) on the high heat setting (375 I think?) for between 1-1.5 mins. Very easy and fresh chips taste so yummy!

It's funny you mention this. I bought some white corn tortillas recently because they were cheap and made taco filling for them. We didn't like them at all - no flavor and so dry. But, I figured I could fry them up and make chips. I have the makings for some homemade salsa too.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Good tips I love stocking up on stuff, but now I'm motivated to REALLY stock up..ha ha

I am an avid watcher of Good Eats. Alton Brown = my hero. Anyway...the other day it was about tortillas and how to make tortilla chips. I bought a huge package of corn tortillas at Walmart for around $2 an I can make oodles and oodles of corn chips when I need them (cut into 4's). I think they will make 3 batches of nachos. You just cook them in your deep fryer (or oil in a pan) on the high heat setting (375 I think?) for between 1-1.5 mins. Very easy and fresh chips taste so yummy!

I do this a lot. I buy the low carb pitas or lavash, so if I'm cooking something where I would need tortilla chips, I make some for my son from the pitas. I'm not sure it's really budget, since the low carb stuff is a bit pricier, but my son is diabetic and it's way easier to let him eat some of the chips if they're lower carb.

Another budget idea - trade for things if you can. My husband has a tractor, my neighbor has a rototiller. They trade each other for work all the time. DH will push back snowbanks for them all winter, in return, our neighbor rototills the garden for us in the spring. We trade babysitting with DH's cousin.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I don't think I've posted this recipe yet. These are very easy dinner rolls with NO kneading, and they are delicious. The recipe says it makes 24, but I usually cut it into 16 instead so that each one is a bit bigger.

Easy, No-Knead Rolls

2 tsp dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 cup soy milk, heated
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vinegar
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or you can use part white and part whole-wheat)

In a small bowl, combine yeast and water and set aside. In a separate large bowl, combine soy milk, maple syrup, oil, salt and vinegar. Mix 1 ½ cups flour into the soy milk mixture, stirring thoroughly. Add the yeast mixture, combining all the ingredients together. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour, stirring to form a soft dough. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, making sure all of the dough is lightly oiled. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press down the dough and divide into halves. Roll out one half at a time on a floured board in a circular shape. With a knife, cut the dough into 12 even pie slices. Take each slice and roll it from the wide end toward the pointed end. Place the rolls on an oiled cookie sheet, curving them slightly into a crescent shape as you place them on the sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining half of the dough. Let the rolls rise until double in size, about 35-40 minutes. Place into a 400 degree oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Makes 24 rolls.


Seriously, this couldn't be easier. And they're delicious!

Teresa

 

[Whitty]

Some posters were talking about inexpensive things to do with the kids. One of our favorite activities is letterboxing. All you really need to get started is a small notebook and a stamp (and you can make your own). It's similar to geocaching except you use clues to find your letterbox instead of coordinates. Once you find the letterbox, you leave your stamp in their book and take a copy of their stamp in YOUR book.

All you really pay for is the gas to get where you're going, but you'd be surprised how many letterboxes are in your area - especially if you live in a large-ish city.

When the weather is nice we pack up some snacks or a picnic lunch, get the info for the letterbox we're going to look for, and hit the road. What I love about letterboxing is that it introduces us to places and areas we never would have known about! We've found many great parks this way. It also gets us outside and exercising.


Wooo....we love geocaching!!!! It's fun and free and get's us out to new places

 

[carissanboys]

I don't think I've posted this recipe yet. These are very easy dinner rolls with NO kneading, and they are delicious. The recipe says it makes 24, but I usually cut it into 16 instead so that each one is a bit bigger.

Easy, No-Knead Rolls

2 tsp dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 cup soy milk, heated
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vinegar
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or you can use part white and part whole-wheat)

Could you use regular milk in place of the soy? Great recipe!

Wooo....we love geocaching!!!! It's fun and free and get's us out to new places

We've tried geocaching twice, but we just used our GPS for our car and it wasn't quite accurate enough. Both geocaching and letterboxing are great activies!

 

[carissanboys]

Last night I added some powdered milk (already mixed) to our regular milk. This morning the boys tasted it (I didn't say anything to them) and immediately said it tasted funny and didn't want to drink it. I use to do this a few years ago with no problems. So, now I have a ton of milk that I can only use in baking, etc. Oh well - it was worth a try.

Yesterday I looked online for an alternative to my powdered Cremora. That is the only thing I like in my coffee (not a fan of milk, cream, or half 'n half). I ran out (I go through a lot) and didn't want to buy anymore for economical reasons, but also because of how bad it is for you. I found this recipe:

1 cup of powdered milk (dry)
1/2 T. nutmeg
1/2 T. cinammon

I tried it in my coffee this morning and it'll work for me. It doesn't taste the same, obviously, but it's good enough for me. I think I'd cut back on the nutmeg and add a bit more cinammon as I found the nutmeg to be a bit overpowering.

 

[rottiemom]

I bought a huge package of corn tortillas at Walmart for around $2 an I can make oodles and oodles of corn chips when I need them (cut into 4's).

You can also bake them then use them for nachos...or one of my favorites, use them for quesadillas. Heat a cast iron pan & place the tortilla on it, sprinkle with cheese, fresh tomatoes, scallions, refried beans or whatever & top with another tortilla. When the bottom tortilla is toasted flip the entire thing & toast the other side (pressing down with a spatula so the quesadilla stays flat). Serve with salsa, avocado, sour cream...whatever. It makes a quick, fun dinner especially if you have fresh, ripe tomatoes.

My son isn't a big eater & we would have frequent "cocktail parties" where things like quesadillas served on a small plate were a great way to sneak protein, calcium, fiber & other good stuff into him. Of course I can only imagine his teacher's reaction when he'd tell them about our cocktail parties

Also for Jen in NH (and everyone else searching for lo-carb)...one thing that I noticed that not everything labelled lo-carb, high fiber, etc is necessarily lower (or higher) than some of the non labelled counterparts. Always check the labels to make sure as you may be able to get the same (or better) nutritional content on something that doesn't proclaim itself lo carb. Like tortillas...in my local market the high fiber, multigrain ones cost about twice as much as the white corn store brand...but the store brand actually has more fiber, fewer carbs & less fat . This may not always prove itself to be true but I got into the habit of reading labels when I was pregnant & had gestational diabetes (each and every carb mattered and fiber didn't make a bit of difference) and now I do it as a matter of habit.

 

[Corner Monster]

Thanks for all the tips!!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Also for Jen in NH (and everyone else searching for lo-carb)...one thing that I noticed that not everything labelled lo-carb, high fiber, etc is necessarily lower (or higher) than some of the non labelled counterparts. Always check the labels to make sure as you may be able to get the same (or better) nutritional content on something that doesn't proclaim itself lo carb. Like tortillas...in my local market the high fiber, multigrain ones cost about twice as much as the white corn store brand...but the store brand actually has more fiber, fewer carbs & less fat . This may not always prove itself to be true but I got into the habit of reading labels when I was pregnant & had gestational diabetes (each and every carb mattered and fiber didn't make a bit of difference) and now I do it as a matter of habit.

You're right. I was amazed when I saw the carb count for Cheerios As soon as my last box is gone, that's it for those. But the low carb tortillas and pitas that I found really are (8 carbs for a pita, 5 for a tortilla). I know for a lot of people the carb count doesn't justify the price, but for my son to be able to eat something everyone else is, it is worth it for me. Now if they only had coupons for them.....

 

[rottiemom]

I know for a lot of people the carb count doesn't justify the price, but for my son to be able to eat something everyone else is, it is worth it for me. Now if they only had coupons for them.....

Jen, you're absolutely right. I just meant that sometimes you can find items that have the same carb count as their labelled & priced as lo carb counterparts for less money, since they're not labelled as lo carb. But then again, reading labels takes up more time when you're grocery shopping...something that you may already not have too much of when you've got a little one in tow .