Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[firsttimer2007]

LOL Mom calls this "Rocking Chairs." Loved it growing up & now it's one of my DD's faves, too.

My sister just taught me Tuna Cakes. A can of tuna (or 2) drained, a box of stuffing, some mayo, relish, a little water for the stuffing....viola! Make patties and brown/crisp them in some olive oil til heated through. My DH loved them. I think he ate 5! LOL DD wouldn't touch it, but she's 3 and decided she's going to be picky.

Oh childhood memories... My mom called them Tuna patties - 1 can of Tuna mixed with 1 egg and some saltine crackers. Fry thm like a hamburgar, top with mayo--yummy!

 

[cndij]

My mom used canned Salmon ( I think it was cheaper back then) and called them Salmon patties or Salmon Croquettes. I didn't make them for a long time, because I'm not a big seafood eater, but started making them for DH a few years ago. I used Mackeral because it was cheaper than Salmon, and to kill some of the fishy taste added, minced onion, and thyme. The rest of it is like you described, crushed crackers, egg, fry like a hamburger. My husband loves them with a little salsa on top. He calls it fishburger. Haven't tried it out on the neices yet, will have to soon, I have plenty of mackeral in the cupboard.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

We have started getting our fruit and vegeables at a local"farmers market". It is not a real farmers market, but a small store that really looks no frills. But the prices are much better than the local supermarkets. It is very close to the grocery store so its not any further than we usuall go anyway. Thanks to all for all the great tips. Grammy

 

[StillPinballFamily]

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.

Hee hee...! Since you posted this yesterday, I've used the powdered milk in my son's oatmeal twice (he's a BIG oatmeal eater!) He hasn't noticed!!! (1/3 cup milk powder: 1 cup water) Yea!!! I think what I might try next is to sneak a cup or two of the powdered milk mixture into our open milk gallon container late at night. That way, it will chill overnight in the fridge and hopefully, no one will notice the difference in the a.m....

Also, thanks to all the inspiration from this thread, I got the idea a few days ago to make my pitchers of sweet tea using 6 teabags instead of 7. We go through a pitcher every day/every other day. Again, NO taste difference! After a bit, I may try to cut this down even more... (I've been making this tea for the same way since God invented dirt, and always use Red Rose decaf bags and they NEVER seem to go on sale.)

 

[mnasmom3]

Also, thanks to all the inspiration from this thread, I got the idea a few days ago to make my pitchers of sweet tea using 6 teabags instead of 7. We go through a pitcher every day/every other day. Again, NO taste difference! After a bit, I may try to cut this down even more... (I've been making this tea for the same way since God invented dirt, and always use Red Rose decaf bags and they NEVER seem to go on sale.)

Funny you mention this. I made tea yesterday, too. I usually use 6 bags but decided to use 5. It was ok, but getting to be a bit too weak for me. Sine it was the first time I made sweet tea this season, I figured no one would notice and they didn't. I'll keep using 5 bags, but I don't think I'll cut back any more. Now....if only I could cut back on the sugar.

 

[Chelley00]

I can add a new one! A friend of mine pointed me to a website with a recipe she uses for making your own laundry detergant. We've used it for a couple of weeks and will never go back! So much cheaper and our clothes and towels smells so nice and are so much softer than using commercial detergant!

http://modcottage.com/?p=117

 

[sunnyday123]

Funny you mention this. I made tea yesterday, too. I usually use 6 bags but decided to use 5. It was ok, but getting to be a bit too weak for me. Sine it was the first time I made sweet tea this season, I figured no one would notice and they didn't. I'll keep using 5 bags, but I don't think I'll cut back any more. Now....if only I could cut back on the sugar.

Wow. I am seriously going to cut waaaaaaay back on tea bags and apparently save tons of money. I use 12 when I make tea.

And when the pp said "tea towels", it hit me. My Mom-Mom NEVER used paper towels. I can't even recall ever seeing them in her kitchen. Plain, white tea towels.

 

[abish19]

I love this thread! Some people think I'm nuts for trying to save money when I spend a large chunk of it at Disney World, but hey - I'd rather spend it on that than, say, fabric softener (LOVED that tip - using it!).

Along the lines of making your own laundry detergent: if you're interested in a recipe, or in other similar money saving and managing ideas, check out

http://www.thesimpledollar.com

I hope it's okay to post another site's URL here. I've learned a lot from this site.

My biggest money-saving idea is to not shop. Occasionally I online shop, but only if I can do so with free shipping or discounts. You can find pin codes and promotions at retailmenot.com.

Keep them coming!

 

[jinia]

Got one I love carpet fresh, but I am cheap!! You know those containers with the crystal light powder (generic of course ) - we fill it almost completely full of baking soda and put in about 5 drops of essential oil. Any fragrance you like! Shake it up, then put holes in lid, next let set for about three hours, and lastly shake away!! I love this!! You can also put this in the bottom of an ashtray

Keep these hints coming!!!!!!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thank to all for the tips on this thread!

- I got a package of kitchen towels to cut down on paper towel usage.

- I saved an old laundry liquid detergent container. When I bought a new one I put half in the old container and filled it the rest of the way with water. Did the same with the new container. I think I was using too much detergent before anyway. Everything is clean and fresh smelling as before. Nice to have 2 containers for the price of 1.

- I use the soak cycle. I hadn't ever used it before reading about it in this thread. I like it!

- I've been watering down all kinds of things. And it works! No one has been the wiser.

I've stopped going to Bath and Body. I just ran out of the soaps for the bathrooms and kitchen. I do have the refill Dial on hand. But I couldn't find my Dial soap dispensers. So I went to the Dollar Store and got some nice dispensers (with soap). Much better price than B& B and it's still soap. Yeah. I'll miss the different scents. But not that much.

Any more tips? I'd love to hear more!

 

[luckofthedraw]

Yay, I finally found this post again! That'll teach me to be in a hurry and not bookmark things.

DS and I have been wanting one of those for I swear two years. I was *thisclose* to ordering one, then decided to go find reviews on it. I could find very few people happy with them -- and so many complaints! The chief complaints seemed to be cheap design and too small to do half the stuff they show on the infomercial.

But we just saw the informercial again yesterday, and want one worse than ever! It's just the two of us, and I stink at cooking (or having time to cook) but think I could whip us up some yummy stuff in that and save some money on convenience foods. And I trust a DIS'ers opinion about a million times more than some random reviewer. So what pros and cons could you give me for the GT Xpress? I really appreciate it!

-gina-

My only complaint is that it is sooooooo hard to clean, especially eggs. I've tried it with Pam sprayed on both sides; tried putting foods in it hot; tried putting foods in it cold. Nothing seems to work. Maybe I should clean it with vinegar.

 

[StillPinballFamily]

You guys have so inspired me (again!)!!!

I just thought of (and already put into use) another tip today...about laundry detergent. If you're the type who accurately measures the detergent you put in - you can stop reading. If you're like the rest of us (or have family members like the rest of us) who just "pour until it looks about right" than this could help.

We have a front loader (Asko) washer and are only supposed to use one to two tablespoons of detergent per load. But, we're the "just dump it in" types and probably have been using way too much. We also pour from a big bottle of detergent into a smaller clear plastic squeeze bottle (a recycled Yankee Candle handsoap bottle) and keep that on a small shelf above the washer/dryer for easier access and daily use. I refill the small bottle from the large bottle every few days. (I also do the exact same thing with my big gallon jug of white vinegar - it goes into a small Bath and Body Works recycled handsoap squeezy bottle.) These small bottles are so much lighter and easier to handle than the giant jugs.

(NOW THE TIP!) So, today, I actually measured out two tablespoons of detergent and used a Sharpie marker to indicate the new level on the contents of my small squeeze detergent bottle. I then went up the entire height of the bottle, marking off short lines to indicate the two tablespoon measurement. My little bottle actually holds 20 washloads of detergent...and I'm SURE I've only been getting half that from it before!!! It took all of about three minutes to do this - can't believe I haven't done it before... Now...to spread the word to my other "helpful" laundry-doing family members !

 

[MEM]

(NOW THE TIP!) So, today, I actually measured out two tablespoons of detergent and used a Sharpie marker to indicate the new level on the contents of my small squeeze detergent bottle. I then went up the entire height of the bottle, marking off short lines to indicate the two tablespoon measurement. My little bottle actually holds 20 washloads of detergent...and I'm SURE I've only been getting half that from it before!!! It took all of about three minutes to do this - can't believe I haven't done it before... Now...to spread the word to my other "helpful" laundry-doing family members !

I do the exact same thing when I pack my detergent for traveling - we only use Tide Free HE 2X and I can get 18 loads in one B&BW handsoap refill bottle. DH didn't believe that one bottle could hold so many loads.

 

[happycampers]

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.

Thanks for this idea! We had tacos last night, and I tried it. I cooked up 1/2 cup of the uncooked brown rice, then mixed it with about a pound of taco meat. It tasted very good.

Here's what I use instead of a store-bought package of taco seasoning mix:
1 Tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Combine seasoning mixture with 1 pound browned and drained ground beef (or turkey) and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
I mix up my own packets in advance to make taco nights easier. It's nice to be able to control and adjust what goes into it for your family's tastes. I need to measure the amount of one packet so I could make one big batch and know how much to take out for one recipe. I haven't done the math, but I'm sure this would have to be a fraction of what some of those packets at the store cost.

 

[bettyann29]

The only thing I can think of right now is that I changed the setting on my washing machine.. Out of habit I used to leave it on super load no matter how big the load actually was.. I have switched it to large and am using less water..


There are some great tips listed.. thanks.

 

[beauncoltsmum]

Because they get paid in pounds, the prices aren't as bad to them as they are to us yanks. And when they come to the States, everything is half off! So don't bother feeling sorry for them.

Unfortunately for us we dont get paid that many pounds!

We are facing ridiculous price increases and no wage increases.

Diesel is now over £6.00 per gallon and still rising.

I read an article in the newspaper today which says that groceries have risen by 21% over the past year and are still rising.

And our government continues not to help matters and rakes in all the extra money on fuel duty, etc.

So please do feel free to feel sorry for us.

 

[beauncoltsmum]

That is true. Our son loves to shop here. But still..taking into account the conversion, their gas is way more than ours a gallon. In Ireland (euro's..so it costs us $1.56 to buy one euro) it was about $8-9 a gallon in his area (but what a great bus system they have). I also shopped (trying to get ahead on their Christmas shopping..then leaving the items there to save myself shipping costs), and found the prices very high on the items (I would have paid a lot less in the US), even without the conversion.

We are definately paying attention now, and combining trips.

Everything is ridiculously priced here isnt it! We dont even have good public transport as we live in a small village. I could rant for hours....sorry

 

[LitlbitWraps]

I started cloth diapering & to top it off I can now make my own
I also Delute the juice & coolaid - use less sugar than called for. Use a dash of detergent instead of the "recomended" amount - If you watch - you will stil see tons of soapy bubbles Cloth wipes for Sedona too

 

[pjlla]

Let's give this thread a well deserved BUMP!................P

 

[mrs.explorer1977]

This is a great tip! I love it!

During the summer months, we turn off the pilot light in our gas fireplace. It's easy to turn off and back on (if we can remember when it comes time!) and we save some money on our gas bill.

Also, neither of us grew up with AC, so during our first summer with it, my boss clued me in on how to use it -- make sure the vents upstairs are open when you're cooling, because cold air falls. During the winter, make sure all the vents on the main floor are open, because hot air rises -- the cool or warm air will be more even distributed this way!

We also signed up for a local energy savings challenge for the summer -- save 10% of your energy consumption over the same period last year and get entered into a bunch of draws etc. I think we even get money back on our electricity bill if we do it. I figure we're not going to have too much of a problem doing it -- last July and August I was home after having our first DS, so the AC was on all the time between hormones and the insane heat! This year, there'll be no one home during the weekday, since I'm heading back to work on the 7th!