Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[Angel16]

I live out west where is is very hot during the summer. I have thermal cell shades on our second floor west facing windows. It has made a very big difference in our summer power bill as well as comfort level for the second floor. During the winter (which is fairly mild......except this past one. lol) It helps to keep the cold out, but I use the location of the sun to warm my house as much as possible during the winter. Plus, I love sunlight and big open windows, so I don't close up the shades and drapes unless I have to.

One of my DD's who lives in the south has thermal curtains on all her main floor windows and it has helped keep her home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Hope this helps a little Bear74.



Angel16

 

[bear74]

I live out west where is is very hot during the summer. I have thermal cell shades on our second floor west facing windows. It has made a very big difference in our summer power bill as well as comfort level for the second floor. During the winter (which is fairly mild......except this past one. lol) It helps to keep the cold out, but I use the location of the sun to warm my house as much as possible during the winter. Plus, I love sunlight and big open windows, so I don't close up the shades and drapes unless I have to.

One of my DD's who lives in the south has thermal curtains on all her main floor windows and it has helped keep her home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Hope this helps a little Bear74.



Angel16

thanks. I had read some where about them before and have seen them in walmart and target. But I wanted to ask people who were budget conscious about them, Do you remember where you got them?

 

[beansmom]

On the same note, someone told me baby wipes work the same and you get a ton more for the fraction of the price. I use the unsented, sensitive ones and they get all the makeup off.

i do this really weird thing and use an ecologically friendly, re-usable, old fashioned washcloth. All it costs is a moment to toss it in the laundry.

I also use microcloths and cloth towels for cleaning. I almost never buy paper towels.

 

[WDW4TheGirls]

When I cook with shrimp, I cut each one in half length-wise (down the middle), so I only need to use half as many shrimp as the recipe calls for. Nobody knows any different!

 

[Angel16]

thanks. I had read some where about them before and have seen them in walmart and target. But I wanted to ask people who were budget conscious about them, Do you remember where you got them?

Hi Bear, The shades we purchased from a local business called Shades and more. The thermal curtains I purchased for my DD's birthday from Penny's.


Angel16

 

[chickflick]

the dry milk did you mix it up and then add it right

Sorry, I fell of the DIS board for a while...life/lemons...you guys understand. I had dry milk made up in the fridge for cooking, so I just used this for this recipe.

 

[kbeam]

We like to not only save $ but eat healthier. So we bought a breadmaker and a deli slicer. My husband now bakes all our bread, slices our own deli meat (slices a TON of meat off), and brews his own beer and makes our wine. We have cut our food and cocktail bills considerably. We eat a lot of refried beans (dips, meals, etc.), so he makes those homemade, too. Taste sooo much better. We never eat canned soup. He'll make a huge pot of soup and freeze it. We don't eat any processed foods (like noodle or rice side dishes, for example)...everything is fresh and homemade. Buying and cooking in bulk (then freezing) always ends up being less costly for us.

 

[pampam]

I believe this is my very favourite thread ever.

 

[tomthebarncat]

1. Turn things upside down! you would be amazed how much shampoo, ketchup, whatever is still left in the bottle.
2. When the mouth wash bottle reaches 1/2 way, I add water to it, my DH has never even noticed, and I have been doing it for years!
3. Turn it off and unplug things that are not used routinely
4. Coupons, they are a good way to save when you can!
5. If it gets warm it is consuming electricity ie: phone chargers, DVD players, etc.

 

[jjsmom]

Here's another shout out to-

-use of white vinegar in laundry and dishwasher rinse container
-re-washing plastic zipper bags (except if they've contained raw meat)
-hanging laundry on clothes line
-use all leftovers, including keeping a "stew bag" in the freezer
-decreased usage of paper products (I love those white shop towels)
-use old stained t-shirts for dust cloths
-re-use platic shopping bags for trash can liners.
-using the proper, actually a little less, amount of detergent/household cleaner (better for the environment too)
-help clean up at gatherings/parties. The host is grateful for the help and you get some great leftovers!
-pickle juice makes a great marinade, don't dump it out!
-boxed wine lasts much longer than bottles (make your own red wine vinegar: 3 parts red wine to 1 part vinegar, store in sealed container)
-Make your own sauces and salad dressings with basic ingredients

-Cut OUT cold cereal, poptarts, toaster streudal. The reasons are endless. Too expensive, too processed, too much sugar. Replace with oatmeal (not instant), homemade muffins (make a quick batch at the beginning of the week, 15 sec. in micro and you've got breakfast). Never throw out leftover white rice. It makes a great hot cereal in the morning.
-Put together a "breakfast casserole" on Sunday night. Here's a basic recipe:
5-6 slices stale bread arranged ina 9x13 dish
4-5 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 c. milk mixed with eggs, then poured over bread
2 c. or less shredded cheddar
-leftover bacon or sausage bits on top. Bake while you're doing other things. A dish of this stuff usually lasts 3 mornings for us.

 

[MapleGirl]

My aunt (as well as my parents) lived through the Great Depression and one of the things my aunt did until the day she died was to serve her "Fridge Supper" on Friday..

She took everything that was in the fridge (NO leftovers were EVER thrown out - even if it was a portion of meatloaf no bigger than a teaspoon) and put it in a great big frying pan.. She would add a little bacon grease (if you don't have any, I'm sure butter or margarine would do), cut up some onions and potatoes, seasoned it with salt & pepper, and let it simmer until the onions and potatoes were done.. It was the best meal ever.. Even her kids couldn't wait for Friday to roll around..

This sound like bubble and squeak. My mom makes it with leftover ham and cabbage. Yum!

 

[lillygator]

bumping for new ideas!!

 

[Sagginit]

Here's another shout out to-

-use of white vinegar in laundry and dishwasher rinse container
-re-washing plastic zipper bags (except if they've contained raw meat)
-hanging laundry on clothes line
-use all leftovers, including keeping a "stew bag" in the freezer
-decreased usage of paper products (I love those white shop towels)
-use old stained t-shirts for dust cloths
-re-use platic shopping bags for trash can liners.
-using the proper, actually a little less, amount of detergent/household cleaner (better for the environment too)
-help clean up at gatherings/parties. The host is grateful for the help and you get some great leftovers!
-pickle juice makes a great marinade, don't dump it out!
-boxed wine lasts much longer than bottles (make your own red wine vinegar: 3 parts red wine to 1 part vinegar, store in sealed container)
-Make your own sauces and salad dressings with basic ingredients

-Cut OUT cold cereal, poptarts, toaster streudal. The reasons are endless. Too expensive, too processed, too much sugar. Replace with oatmeal (not instant), homemade muffins (make a quick batch at the beginning of the week, 15 sec. in micro and you've got breakfast). Never throw out leftover white rice. It makes a great hot cereal in the morning.
-Put together a "breakfast casserole" on Sunday night. Here's a basic recipe:
5-6 slices stale bread arranged ina 9x13 dish
4-5 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 c. milk mixed with eggs, then poured over bread
2 c. or less shredded cheddar
-leftover bacon or sausage bits on top. Bake while you're doing other things. A dish of this stuff usually lasts 3 mornings for us.

pickle juice in my house was always saved for coleslaw/potato salad. in fact once i threw it out before a BBQ and got a big lecture on its value.....

 

[lillygator]

hmmm pickle juice, never thought to add to c/s!

 

[wishesuponastar]

Freeze your grapes then you'll never have to throw away the old ones.
My kids are loving them this summer I just rinse the grapes really well and then put some on a plate in the freezer.

 

[averill94]

SOmething new for me when making burgers (always make them at home after chopmeat is on sale!) I add some "TVP" (Textured Vegetable Protein) in. Not a ton, just enough to make the burgers a little bigger.

I bought Bobs Red Mill TVP, it comes dry and you reconstitute with boiling water or broth.

Made turkey burgers this way, they were very moist and NOBODY noticed.

My 13 yr old son is 6'3" 230lbs and I just cant give him a 4oz burger anymore!

I am going to try it with meatloaf in the winter.

 

[Greenepona]

Subscribing!

I love reading all these tips! Recently my DBF switched from pre packaged snacks to one big bag and dividing it up. This has saved money and also made us conscious about how much we eat!

Does anyone have any tips for stretching a budget in an Apartment? We cant do some of the things listed here cause they're not in our control.

Also any cleaning tips that don't involve vinegar? The smell makes me wanna... give back what I just ate...

 

[chickflick]

Subscribing!

I love reading all these tips! Recently my DBF switched from pre packaged snacks to one big bag and dividing it up. This has saved money and also made us conscious about how much we eat!

Does anyone have any tips for stretching a budget in an Apartment? We cant do some of the things listed here cause they're not in our control.

Also any cleaning tips that don't involve vinegar? The smell makes me wanna... give back what I just ate...

I use plain old hot water, Dawn, Baking Soda and Simple green for cleaning up different spots in my house(not together though . These are usually strong enough for the toughest jobs around my house...I'm not a big fan of vinegar either

Also, someone mentioned a leftover bag for stew items, I actually have a leftover bag for fruit in my freezer for smoothie makers...couple of strawberries, a soft peach, couple chunks of watermelon, couple of grapes...etc, I throw it in there in a week, poof, free smooothie makings! yeah! or should that be
Stay cool!

 

[Sagginit]

Subscribing!

I love reading all these tips! Recently my DBF switched from pre packaged snacks to one big bag and dividing it up. This has saved money and also made us conscious about how much we eat!

Does anyone have any tips for stretching a budget in an Apartment? We cant do some of the things listed here cause they're not in our control.

Also any cleaning tips that don't involve vinegar? The smell makes me wanna... give back what I just ate...

you can also add essential oils to vinegar to downplay the smell, and in some cases you can use lemon/baking soda but make sure the lemon won't ruin the surfaced. for example i had used some lemon juice to make pesto. my white cutting board was stained from chopping the basil. i threw baking soda on it and used the leftover lemon wedges to scrub the board to get some of the green off.

i left my parents house last year and moved into the city area in an apt. last fall. i had to give up a number of budget things b/c i just could not do them in a smaller space (garden was a big one, no dirt, no plants!). one thing i did find was b/c the space was smaller it was quicker to clean and i used less supplies. for example i use water/vinegar in my microwave to create some steam to wipe it down. i then take that and dump it in the toilet with some cleaner to soak. the papertowel i use to wipe down the few kitchen surfaces i can then take into the bathroom and continue to use it for the counter there. my sponge often has a lot of dishsoap left in it after i do the dishes so i use it to wipe down the sink real quick, easier than scrubbing real hard once a week with cleaning solution.

i don't have a washer and dryer so i have to go the laundrymat. i bought a bunch of lingerie bags. this lets me separate certain items so i don't have to worry about them getting tangled or roughed up too much and cut back on dry cleaning. i can then also just use two big washers there instead of a few smaller ones.

managing a stockpile can be tricky too. i bought a large tupperware bin and use it in my bedroom closet under piles of shoe boxes to store extra beauty supplies since i cant store them in the bathroom and have no real linen closet. i have to be selective what kitchen supplies i stockpile too. my freezer is my best friend b/c anytime i have veggies or fruit going bad i freeze and use later.

 

[SKWDW]

Bump. I need more tips because I'll be out of my job after next Friday.

We're already using many of these, especially the many vinegar uses. We even use it to kill weeds.