Tell Us Your Tightwad Secrets!!

[IDoDis]

I don't wash my towels after every use, I use it 2-3 times.

I wash towels once a week. Guest towels get washed when the house guest(s) leave. Washing towels every day would waste a lot of water which is in low supply in this neck of the woods.

 

[HelenePA]

Can I ask why you'd even bother buying disposable swim diapers? We buy the swimsuit kind and they are less than ten bucks....one lasted a year for our baby (of course, she's tiny and didn't grow out of things fast)

I only bought them this year to go to disney.. i thought it was a "law" or something that kids under 3 had to be in swim diapers? I got those last year with nemo on them for .50.. I dont know if they changed patterns.. but his butt doesn't care if its the latest style at home we wears a reg boys bathing suit..I got those on seasonal clearence (gap) for less than 1.00 when he was a few months old


Right now I dont use a dyrer at all it broke in the late late winter.. never replaced it at first it was because of money... now its because I LIKE to line dry my clothes... saves me alot of money!

 

[mickeyfan2]

I only bought them this year to go to disney.. i thought it was a "law" or something that kids under 3 had to be in swim diapers? I got those last year with nemo on them for .50.. I dont know if they changed patterns.. but his butt doesn't care if its the latest style at home we wears a reg boys bathing suit..I got those on seasonal clearence (gap) for less than 1.00 when he was a few months old


Right now I dont use a dyrer at all it broke in the late late winter.. never replaced it at first it was because of money... now its because I LIKE to line dry my clothes... saves me alot of money!

Every public pool I have seen says that swim diapers are required.

 

[*MickeyFan*]

I use cheap detergent. The kind from Aldi that is between $2-3. I find no problems using 1/2 per load. I tried it once, and everything still smelled nice and fresh, so i haven't looked back.

I don't see a huge difference between using cold and warm for our clothes. We use propane. I don't notice a huge cost difference. I do still use cold for everything but whites, just so I use less propane, in an effort to be kind to the environment, not really a cost savings that I've noticed.

Thanks for the info!

if you are only going to use warm then just use. I use cold/cold for all clothes, which makes them last longer and the colors look nicer longer. Sheets, towel, socks and cotton undies are washed in a hot water wash with a cold rinse. Using "warm" doesn't do much of anything but waste electricity

Thanks! hot/cold doesn't make your clothes shrink?

Our debit card has reward points with it. We use the points to "pay" the annual fee. We use the debit card for everything we can. We have enough points for a $50 gift card to Wal Mart every 3-4 months. There are other gift cards to choose from as well.

I have never heard of a debit card that you can earn rewards from. Can you tell me what bank you use? We don't have any credit cards (learned the hard way twice ) I would love to earn points for spending my own money

 

[prncess674]

Thanks! hot/cold doesn't make your clothes shrink?

I only use the hot/cold for sheets, towels, mens cotton undies and socks. I have never noticed my sheets shrinking. No clothing is washed in hot unless it has a grass stain or some other tough stain. All the clothes are washed in COLD. I also wash my panties and bras on a cold water handwash cycle then hang to dry.

 

[*MickeyFan*]

I only use the hot/cold for sheets, towels, mens cotton undies and socks. I have never noticed my sheets shrinking. No clothing is washed in hot unless it has a grass stain or some other tough stain. All the clothes are washed in COLD. I also wash my panties and bras on a cold water handwash cycle then hang to dry.

Oh ok! Thank you

 

[tcarr5]

I make my own detergent

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Items needed:

Pot
Grater
5-gallon bucket with lid
Measuring cup
Paint stick or large long spoon
1 bar of Fels Naptha soap
Borax
Washing soda
Bluing
Dawn Dishwashing soap
Skin safe fragrance (optional)
Water

Place in a large pot:
1 standard 5.5 ounce bar Fels Naptha soap grated
4 cups of water
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until all the grated soap is dissolved. (Do not boil)

Pour into a five-gallon bucket.
Add three gallons of hot water straight from the tap. Stir until dissolved.
Stir in:
2 cups of washing soda
1-2c of borax
1/2 c Dawn Dishwashing soap
1/2-1Tbs bluing
1-2 teaspoons skin safe fragrance (for those who have to have a scent in their detergent, lol)
Stir and mix well.
Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Stir before using.
Use 3/4 cup for top loading or 3/8 cup for front-loading machines. You can adjust as necessary for your own personal preference. Larger machines or heavily soiled clothing may require more detergent. This is a non-sudsing, fragrance-free laundry product.

*Fels-Naptha® Laundry Soap Bar: found in the laundry or soap aisle of your supermarket or you can call 800 258-3425 if you cannot find it.

*Super Washing Soda: found in the laundry aisle. It comes in a 55-ounce yellow box. Do not substitute baking soda. For more information see www.thelaundrybasket.com.

*Can’t find Fels-Naptha bars or Super Washing Soda? Purchase by mail order at www.soapsgonebuy.com.

*Borax: One brand name is 20 Mule Team® Borax, also found on the laundry aisle of most supermarkets.



Homemade laundry detergent
Powdered version


1 box of borax
1 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 bar of soap, grated (you can use Dial, Ivory, Fels Naptha, or Zote)

Combine all ingredients and store in a container.

To use:
2 tbsp per load of laundry (no that's not a typo)

If the laundry is really dirty, I will add 1/4 cup of baking soda to the wash.

 

[rockyroad]

One thing to consider about hanging sheets out on the line, which I used to do, is allergies. If something outside is making you sneeze, then you really don't want it on your sheets.

We live in pollen city

I do, however, really like to use the clothes line for tablecloths.
If I hang them out, then I can check for spots.
Once the cloth has gone through the dryer with a food spot, it is hard to save.

About shower curtain liners...about eight years ago I bought one at Sears...$20 with a $10 off coupon. The quality is really nice and I have been using it for 8 years. When the black stuff starts to grow, I wash it on hot with clorox and a couple of old towels.

Jeans...you will not save money by drying them on hot...
If you must put them into the dryer, then use the lower heat cycle...unless you are on a diet and need smaller pants
I hang to dry and then into the dryer to "soften up".

 

[mommiepoppins]

Ok, here's mine. We recently vacationed with friends. They washed their towels everyday. I was like what are you doing?!?! She said they wash their towels after each use. I asked why - if you are clean when you get out of the shower, then the towel can't be that dirty can it? She said her mom and sister does it as well and they thought I was weird for waiting after a couple of showers to wash the towel.

What do you all do?????

So, I am saving a load of towels.......



ALSO - when the summer sun is coming in a certain window, I close those blinds, then reopen when the sun moves. Don't know if that helps or not?!?!?!?

Yes, I unplug every thing when not in use!! Especially when we are out of town!

I will take the towel and wash the floor . I also save the towel that I used for my head and re use one more time.

 

[minnie1928]

In response to the phantom electric/power strips/etc, generically if a plug has a large "box" that gets plugged into the wall, then it's drawing electric all the time. Just like someone mentioned about their cell phone charger. I also noticed that the cabinet of my entertainment center is very warm when nothing is "on". Once I installed a SmartStrip that shuts down the power to my vcr, stereo and dvd player when the TV is turned off...my entertainment center cabinet became much cooler. Just another example of electric use that happens without anyone really thinking about it.

Also, just to weigh in on the towel discussion. We wash ours 1X per week.

 

[LoriMouse]

I do a lot of the things already mentioned. Towels are reused, dryer sheets cut in half or just used for drying two loads, I tear paper towels in half to clean up small spills, etc.

I haven't seen anyone mention refilling the foam soap dispensers. I have Bath and Body Works dispensers at every sink and people always comment on how much they love the smell of the soap. For the past two years, it's been filled with Target brand clear liquid hand soap mixed with tap water . And the Dawn Foam dish soap is just what ever kind of liquid dish soap that was on sale or clearance mixed with tap water.

The foam soap also results in less waste when dd uses it.

 

[asgt]

Okay here are some things that we do to save a buck or two:

~heat our house with wood and NEVER pay for firewood. People pay to have it removed everytime they have a tree taken down so we do it for free. We have tons of it.

~our son wore cloth diapers exclusively. Hidden advantage was he potty trained early (21 months! No lie!). you can even buy cloth swim diapers. I think you can get 2 of them for around $10 from walmart.com

~almost nothing in our house is disposable. We have saved so many containers we have no use for plastic wrap, ziplocks, etc. We dont use paper plates, plastic silverware and always use cloth napkins. Not only is this good for your budget but also for the environment.

~we dont have A/C, Cable Television, Video games etc.

~We love freecycle, Craigslist and Garage sales!

~My husband does almost all the car and household repairs we need (oh yeah I drive a 15 year old car!). He is not a mechanic (though he is an architect) by any means but you would be surprised what you can do by reading a car manual. Our camper just broke and the estimate to fix it was $500, my husband fixed it for $65 thanks to the manual!

~I try to grocery shop 1 to 2 times a month total. Stock up and freeze everything I can including milk.

~when we go out to eat we go to a local diner and the bill for the three of us is around $12. we drink water, skip dessert and share with our son.

~Gift closet is my saving grace!!! You can buy anything out of season super cheap and with 19 nieces and nephews even small amounts add up.

~Do single check rebate from Riteaid and Walgreens. Also always use the gift card coupon for new prescriptions.

~my biggest tip though is that we are never afraid to try something new if it will save us time or money. The simpler our life becomes the happier we are!

 

[TNKBELL]

I do a lot of the things already mentioned. Towels are reused, dryer sheets cut in half or just used for drying two loads, I tear paper towels in half to clean up small spills, etc.

I haven't seen anyone mention refilling the foam soap dispensers. I have Bath and Body Works dispensers at every sink and people always comment on how much they love the smell of the soap. For the past two years, it's been filled with Target brand clear liquid hand soap mixed with tap water . And the Dawn Foam dish soap is just what ever kind of liquid dish soap that was on sale or clearance mixed with tap water.

The foam soap also results in less waste when dd uses it.

We do this also, B&B had a sale(listed on the budget board of course) and I was able to get it for 1.67 per bottle. I use the Deep Cleansing and dilute with water it in the foam dispensers and this will last a long time.

 

[mommiepoppins]

here is one for you pulled by my dh who is very persistant about keeping our bills down

I wash laundry in only cold water
we had our bathroom re done this winter and moved the laundry room into the bathroom. This was in Jan

2 weeks ago I wanted to wash blankets in hot. I tuned the dial to hot and I got nothing. :confused. I tuned it to warm and I got frozen cold. I asked dh why hot dose not work. He decided that " we did not need it". I told him thanks for thinking but he will have to put hot sometime in the Close future,

 

[TNKBELL]

here is one for you pulled by my dh who is very persistant about keeping our bills down

I wash laundry in only cold water
we had our bathroom re done this winter and moved the laundry room into the bathroom. This was in Jan

2 weeks ago I wanted to wash blankets in hot. I tuned the dial to hot and I got nothing. :confused. I tuned it to warm and I got frozen cold. I asked dh why hot dose not work. He decided that " we did not need it". I told him thanks for thinking but he will have to put hot sometime in the Close future,

Too FunnY!!
You posted earlier that you know where to get cheap clothes for the DKS for $5 a bag or something. Is that info something you want to share with us?

 

[mommiepoppins]

Too FunnY!!
You posted earlier that you know where to get cheap clothes for the DKS for $5 a bag or something. Is that info something you want to share with us?

a church close to my house has a second hand shop. (great great prices like garage sale). They had a 3$ bag sale. I bought my dd's dresses and skirts and snow boots. Also a duffle bag (for Disney). My girls go to A christian school and the skirts have to be the knee . I found Awesome dresses for next year. I also found so shorts for me. I am going to try and stay away from that place , because I love it so much I will continue to shop


Try calling your local Salvation Army and see if they have 50% on certin days. We have it on wed. That is the only day I go and shop the color tags that are 50 off

 

[rockyroad]

~we dont have A/C
The simpler our life becomes the happier we are!

"The simpler our life becomes the happier we are!"
I really like this.

Right now I have three kids in college, six cars, five cell phones, and on and on.
At this point very little is financially or logistically simple.

I am looking forward to having the kids through college and paying off the house. This is a tough ten years, but you know, whatever. Hopefully things will calm down, but then we'll be here in an empty house looking at each other, so maybe I shouldn't be looking forward to that.

What I really want to know is where do y'all live that you can do without air conditioning and have any quality of life?

Yes, I have survived a summer in Memphis with no AC, but it was difficult and physically stressful.

 

[HelenePA]

we just got A/C this week...So far no need to use it.. but on the 110 days... Yes I will break down and turn that sucker on... Oh I got my A/C for free my dad found it at a garage sale.. I have VERY VERY narrow windows on the front of my house and everyone that I priced was in the 500 dollar range.. needless to say we went with out!

 

[FigmentsBiggestFan]

Okay here are some things that we do to save a buck or two:



~we dont have A/C

You are definitely more woman than I am!!

The only way I would even CONSIDER not having A/C is if I lived in Alaska!!

 

[flying_babyb]

Best secret? Dont laugh please. CURBS!!! Its great to live in a small town. People toss all kinds of stuff and if your willing to spend a little time on it, you can get something great.

Example: I needed a night stand. Well I found one someone built themselves out on the curb. ok so it was missing a top and ugly. I took it home and painted it.
Costs:
$1 for spray paint
$.50 for the wood

I guess im saying never pass up fixable junk. ALSO: We found a old bench. Ugly and dirty. Took it home, slapped on some paint and new fabric. SOLD IT for 30 bucks.