"Extreme Frugalness???"

[mickeyfan2]

I have been known to take all of the extra ketchup packets from fast food stops on road trips that end up in my van and instead of tossing them in the trash, I fill up the ketchup bottle at home. I've done this more than once, and usually add 1/3 more ketchup to the bottle. Sometimes the people who work the drive-up windows give us around 10 packets when they only need two!

I keep the too, but use them out of the container. They also make a great addition to a lunch that needs ketchup or mustard with it.

Since we try not to eat fast food too often, we don't get too many of them.

 

[mickeyfan2]

We reuse bags that have not carried meat, cheese or other bacterial carriers.
It costs just as much to use time, soap and hot water as use another bag sometimes.

So true. I have an Amish store near me and I can get 50 sandwich bags for 69 cents. That is 1.4 cents apiece. I use new each time.

Just want to say that I like this thread. My parents raised my with two mottos. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" and "If your outgo exceeds your income then your upkeep becomes your downfall." When I grew up, I was suprised to find that my parents had beaucoup bucks. I thought we were poor. lol!

eta: my Mom is 79 and still can not spend an extra nickel. Old habits die hard. We keep telling her that THIS is the time she saved for, her old age and her comfort. My sister says she scrapes mold off the bread and eats other old food instead of throwing it out. So, my sister and her husband have been taking her dinner every other night and cleaning out the frig behind my mother's back. Sad that she can't let go and spend her money. A lesson for all you penny pinchers.

Great lesson.

My Uncle's Aunt was not a rich women. She scrimped and saved her whole life. Never had any luxuries. When she died about 1980, she left her daughter a $100K inheritance and a house. Guess how long that lasted her. A few year she lost the house. I always remember this. I live frugally sometimes so I can enjoy life now and later.

I will pay full price for a clothing item I love and it is the only one in my size. I also buy on sale and clearance.

I agree, we have a throw-away mentality that previous generations just would not have dreamed of. In the 50's, everyone mended their clothes. And in earlier generations, you put your rags out for the rag man. He picked them up and, I guess, sold the cotton content for paper. Now what are you supposed to do with worn out garments? Goodwill doesn't want them. No one collects cotton rags anymore. So you keep them until the clutter in your house threatens to overtake you, or you toss them and think what a waste it is.

I told my daughter I was taking my shoes to the shoe repair shop to get the heel taps replaced and she couldn't believe it. Do people really throw their shoes away when the heel taps are worn down? I guess some do.

Our local mission takes clothes in all forms. They sort them and then sell the rags to an agency that sends them to Africa.

 

[gabriellyn]

Frugal, yes, but also environmental. The waste of water is a bigger issue than the waste of money...I'd probably do the same thing, at least until I needed to use the bathtub for, you know, bathing.

I thought of that too - he probably accomplished more with the environmental part then the frugality part. Here in Houston water rates are very low so he probably saved literally less than a penny.

But believe me, he is the type to care more about a fraction of a penny then saving the environment. I used to marvel at his frugality - and actually, I should take his actions to heart - his family is loaded!

 

[gabriellyn]

I agree, we have a throw-away mentality that previous generations just would not have dreamed of. In the 50's, everyone mended their clothes. And in earlier generations, you put your rags out for the rag man. He picked them up and, I guess, sold the cotton content for paper. Now what are you supposed to do with worn out garments? Goodwill doesn't want them. No one collects cotton rags anymore. So you keep them until the clutter in your house threatens to overtake you, or you toss them and think what a waste it is.

I remember when I was small my mother used to reuse EVERYTHING - foil, plasticware, plastic storage bags, holey underwear for rags - EVERYTHING! Sadly, she stopped doing that years ago. They had more $$$ then than they have now, though my father is probably making more $ now, even adjusting for inflation.

 

[jetprincess]

I make my own laundry detergent.

I have also been staying out of Wal-Mart. When I do go, I go with a specific list and stick to it!

 

[ceecee]

I ask my boys to reuse their zip-lock bags from lunch. They are packing pretzels/crackers/chips and I just hate that they throw them out every day. This is their proof that I am .

Tell them how long a zip lock lasts in the land fill. Our school has gone green and the some of the kids don't want any disposible lunch containers and bottled water is SO not acceptable.
My aunt kept the syrofoam meat containers and reused them for plates for cookies she gave away (not much about e coli that long ago). She also took her own tea bag and ordered hot water. She lived thru the depression and was very frugal.

 

[EthansMom]

I guess it depends upon your definition of "extreme" but I've had people here go in the past when I've stated that DH and I have gotten away from giving gifts to other adults. We don't buy individual gifts for our parents or siblings for birthdays or Christmas. Honestly, there is nothing these folks need or want that they couldn't/wouldn't go get themselves. And there's no sense in exchanging gift cards with them, KWIM? In fact, for birthday cards, I willl usually send free virtual cards on email. By my estimate, we save about $1000 a year since we've stopped giving gifts to adults... not to mention the money our family members are saving because we encourage them not to spend money on us.

Last year, DH and his dad did some major renovations/remodeling on our house themselves. They really worked their butts off... all summer long. But they probably saved us over $30,000 in labor costs. I'd call that extreme.... well, an extreme amount of savings anyway.

 

[jsmla]

I don't think I'm extreme but here's what we do:

I wash out and re-use baggies and Ziplocs that haven't had raw meat or anything greasy in them. I'm also a member of the Redneck Tupperware club.

Use our wood stove exclusively for heating the house. We get free wood so the savings are huge! We built our house with an eye to keeping it cooler in the summer months (deep porches, high ceilings, brick floors) and only run the AC at night.

I wash all of our laundry in cold water and only use the "recommended" amount of detergent for DH's (dirty job) and FIL's (incontinent ) laundry. The rest of the stuff gets washed with about 1/2 that amount. Same with the dishwasher. I use around a tablespoon and the dishes come out fine.

I hang about 90% of our laundry out to dry. Undies and towels go in the dryer.

I buy almost all of our meat/chicken on sale. Last week Albertsons had their 93% lean gr. beef for $1.99/# so I bought 20 pounds of it. I buy that much chicken when the boneless/skinless breast drops to around $1.69/lb. I stock up on frozen veggies when they get cheap enough too.

We eat at least two meatless/near meatless meals each week.

When the kiddos were young I bought most of their clothes at garage sales and consignment shops. Now in their 20s DS shops the Goodwill but DD has become a complete high-end clothing diva.

I do the CVS ECB roll to keep us in toiletries. I can't remember the last time I paid real money for deoderant, toothpaste or shampoo. I take care of my FIL (84 w/Alzheimer') so I buy lots of adult diapers and Boost which usually have a good ECB return and that helps.

We barter for a few things including our mechanic, lawyer and dentist.

Like I said, nothing too, too frugal but every little bit helps! My brother, whom I think is too frugal, takes it over the top for me. They have an elaborate sponge/dishrag system to avoid using paper towels. I mean like 5 different sponges and 5 different dishtowels, each with a specific use. He also practices the "If it's yellow, let it mellow" system.


Jennifer

 

[unbroken chain]

Our local mission takes clothes in all forms. They sort them and then sell the rags to an agency that sends them to Africa.

I wish I knew of a place like this!

They had a piece on Goodwill in our area that said it costs them $2 per pair to sort jeans and they can't sell the worn out ones, so you are basically costing Goodwill $2 for every non-saleable piece of clothing you give them.

I have heard that some of the places that don't have stores, like AmVets and Vietnam Vets, sells the clothing donations they get to middlemen, who sell them in giant bales to distributors in Africa. Maybe they don't care if the clothes have holes or stains?? Does anyone know? If so that would be a great idea!

For kids' clothes, we have a church that has a children's clothing and toy sale twice a year as a fundraiser. They have a wall set aside for "free" stuff they can't sell, and you can put your stained, ripped kids' clothes, worn out shoes, puzzles and toys with missing pieces, etc. all over there and people DO take the stuff - to mend, for rags, for crafts, or you put 3 Candyland games together and eventually you have all the cards for the set, etc. At the end of the sale all the free stuff is GONE.

I joined Freecycle, but I had so much trouble with people arranging to come and then not showing up that I don't use it now.

 

[timzagain]

Once, I found a small saucepot that had a screw and nut through it (in the "pot" part).

I showed it to my grandfather, and asked him what that was all about. He told me it was a repair! Someone had made a hole in the pot somehow (it was one of those old, thin aluminium ones) and fixed it by putting a small screw through the hole and using a nut to secure it.

I thought that was wicked frugal!

I had to smile at your story - that is something I could easily see my late grandfather or my father in law doing.

I was raised frugal, REAL frugal. I thought there were no new frugal tricks under the sun. However, when DH and I got married, I had the shock of my life to see in my kitchen a small saucepan with a crude makeshift wooden handle! I'm all for frugal but that was easily one on of the most frugal (if not hilarious) things I've ever seen. Saucepan handle broken, no problem - just get a piece of scrap wood and make a new handle! It was one of my FIL's ingenious frugal solutions! We've been married for 10 years and that saucepan is still going strong. I have no idea what wood was used, but after a decade of use, the wooden handle is uncharred! I have to get DH to tighten the handle as it's a bit loose - I want it to be around as a constant reminder to my household to use their God given creativity!

 

[pearlieq]

I have a whole set of Red Neck Tupperware - butter bowls, 2 sizes, whipped topping bowls, a 3 piece set of 3lbs cottage cheese bowls, they are great for freezing they don't split like butter bowls. I like that butter lids of different brands fit each others bowls. And there is a never ending supply to replace old ones.

Me too!

I find myself getting things mixed up. I almost put leftover cat food on my toast one morning because it was in an old margarine tub!

 

[tennvalgirl]

My dad removed some of the heating elements in our central heat/air unit, so that even if the temp is set higher in the house, the unit will only put out so much heat!

He does things like this regularly.


It's funny, I am called "rich kid" at work for going to WDW during value season free dining , but when I eat a brown bag lunch every day they want to know, "Why won't your order Chinese/Mexican/Italian with us at $10 a pop every day?

It's like they can't hear the words coming out of their own mouths.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I wouldn't say we're "extreme", but we do try to save where we can. Shopping sales, cutting back, re-using, etc.

Probably my biggest savings comes from second-hand clothes for my children. I shop thrift and consignment stores for ~90% of what they wear. Also, my BFF and I are lucky--she has 5 kids, I have 4, and they're spaced nicely (age AND gender!) to pass bins of clothes down. Since she also shops like I do, some of these clothes really get put through their paces.

My oldest DD12 does have her own sense of style and likes to shop. She comes with me to consignment stores and occasionally will hit Old Navy, where she scouts the clearance racks. Her weekly allowance includes $5/week intended for clothes. It's amazing how much less she "needs" when it's her own money. I don't charge her for a good thrift store find, though.

Then again, probably the most thrifty thing I did was get my tubes tied! Maybe I should have done it sooner (but then I'd be missing out on so much love! )

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Me too!

I find myself getting things mixed up. I almost put leftover cat food on my toast one morning because it was in an old margarine tub!

I had to laugh at this, I used to use mine for strawberries which my kids love, but they weren't getting eaten because no one would see them so I started writing "NOT BUTTER" on the lids with Sharpies so in our house they're called "not butter bowls".

My sister used to give me a hard time because when my babies were just starting to eat table food they would use butter bowl lids for their plates. She thought that was really cheap and kept asking why I didn't just go to the store and buy some plastic baby plates.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

I did want to share something a co-worker of mine did a couple of years ago. A hurricane threatened the Texas Coast - Hurricane Rita. Well of course everyone made preparations, one of which was filling bathtubs with water in case the water service went out. Luckily Houston did not get hit by the hurricane and life went back to normal. My coworker did NOT drain his tub like most people did - instead he had a bucket and filled the bucket with bath water each time he had to flush until all of the accessible bath water was used up. Talk about frugal!!!


More power to them!

I still have a tub full of water I saved from the ice storm on Tuesday, maybe I'll try this:

 

[graygables]

I'll probably win an "Extreme" prize, but my older 2 DDs and I use Diva Cups (you'll have to google it ).

We also use cloth napkins. I used to make my own laundry detergent, soap, etc, but got too busy with life and have returned to store bought. I only use 1/2 the recommended amount, however. We've also switched to a tankless water heater and LOVE it (20% savings on our electric bill). No disposable plates/silverware.

 

[happygirl]

I'm curious how do you all make your own laundry soap??

 

[Cruise]

I'll probably win an "Extreme" prize, but my older 2 DDs and I use Diva Cups (you'll have to google it ).

I use the Diva cup. I never really thought of it as so much frugal as just practical. But I travel a lot and it definitely keeps me from having to play the "how many of what to take" game. But yeah, it's already paid for itself and then some.

 

[graygables]

I use the Diva cup. I never really thought of it as so much frugal as just practical. But I travel a lot and it definitely keeps me from having to play the "how many of what to take" game. But yeah, it's already paid for itself and then some.

for a Diva sister! Saves me at least $10/month, not to mention all of the trash mess. I don't know how I ever lived without it before. The cruise last year was heavenly thanks to my Diva cup!

 

[jetprincess]

I'm curious how do you all make your own laundry soap??

There are tons of recipes out there but mine uses, Fels Naptha (a bar soap), Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, and Borax.

I use an old stockpot for soap only. I fill it with about 15 cups of water. I use 1 cup of the washing soda and 1 cup of Borax. I grate in 1/2 a bar of Fels Naptha. I cook over medium heat until the Fels Naptha dissolves and I add a few drops of essential oil ie. lavender, peppermint etc...

When it cools, it is the consistency of Jello. I use about 1 cup per load. I also use hot water and some extra washing soda if something is particulary dirty.

It is super cheap and very "green"! It works out to about $.70 for 17 loads of laundry.

Borax- $1.59 box (use only 1 cup per batch)
Washing Soda- $1.89 box (use only 1 cup per batch)
Fels Naptha- $1.00 bar (use 1/2 bar per batch)