Tell Us Your Tightwad Secrets!!

[disneyofcourse]

- I buy lots of canned fruit when its on sale . So much cheaper than paying 4 bucks for a tiny thing of blueberries.
- I make lots of pasta and make jello and instant pudding instead of buying pre made.
- I buy arm and hammer detergent on sale for about $10 for a 145 load box. Then I use half of what they say and everything still comes out clean and smells good.
- I buy target brand static sheets. Cheap and it works well.
- Airconditioner is off when not in use. The apartment is shaded by trees all over which I swear cuts the temps down 15 degrees!
- Don't shop for too much clothing. I buy alot of stuff after christmas(basics that have a christmas theme on the box)
- Holiday gifts are bought as they go on sale thoughout the year!
- I keep the windows open alot to let in sun instead of using the lights.

 

[ballle_98]

I love Fabuloso. I dilute it in a spray bottle for cleaning, use it to mop, and clean toilets. It is super cheap and it lasts forever. I use the purple one.

We live in Texas and no a/c is dangerous. We keep it set around 80 degrees and we use fans. Our electric bill is still very high. We have 2 a/c units, one upstairs and one downstairs. This actually helps alot.

Consignment stores here are awesome. I resell most of the kids clothes to get store credit to buy new clothes. Also, they have great toys.

We do not use paper towels unless it is to clean glass or mirrors. One roll lasts a long time. We use cloth napkins, dish rags, and towels.

Crocs actually saved us money this year. I bought them for the kids on shoebuy.com with a coupon. They were a little big but the way they are made they have worn them for 8 months! A record for us. My kids feet grow so fast. And they are easily washable so they still look nice.

Finally, I use Cashduck to earn extra money, Disneyrewards for a free Family Fun magazine subscription, and I took the plunge for a Disney Rewards VISA.

 

[ZPT1022]

Don't mean to be a killjoy here, but the best way to save money is, don't go
to Disney World! Besides your mortgage and food, Disney may be your biggest expense. If your going w/out AC on 95+ days, and making your own hair detangler, this may be Gods way of saying, Disney isnt for you

I think you're way off base. Plenty of people budget and do these things just because they want to, not because they're barely scraping by. In fact, I'd say that some of the richest people I know are also the most tightwad-ish. The kind of people where most would think "Hey, you've got the $$, why not spend it?" but they don't. Unless you know someone's financial situation I think that comments like this are unnecessary.

 

[ZPT1022]

I wouldn't mind sharing the link at all with you - it's a great bunch of socially aware, environmentally- and financially-responsible moms who are tons of fun, to boot - but I don't think it would do you much good! The group focuses on a couple towns in Philadelphia's western 'burbs and it looks like you're in CT, right?

Why not start your own group? It's easy to do with Yahoo and, I swear, I don't know what I'd do without it. In addition to offering support and ideas for parenting, we talk about books, movies, local events and also do the swapping. We've had co-ops for all kinds of stuff, too - organic beef and pork, canvas bags, kids' clothes, toys and so on. I highly recommend this kind of mom-based community group.

Yeah, I'm in CT. I thought maybe it was a national moms group. What is the name of the group so I can search for it on yahoogroups, just for CT?

There are also internt groups called freecycle(.org for your area) that run through yahoo groups. They have led me to other boards in my area that either swap, give away, let you look for or sell cheaper than retail. It is worth looking into!

Yup, I do use freecycle but I am really getting sick of some of the people on my local one. There is one person who has asked for literally every single thing I've offered.

 

[niclodn]

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[/QUOTE]

Wachovia's debit card has a reward points program. You can use the points to buy all sorts of things from gift cards to travel vouchers. Plus, if you use it for purchase from their online preferred venders, you can get up to 10X points!

 

[ballle_98]

Oh, I thought of a big one.... contentment. Being content with what you have and knowing what your families goals are and how to make your families budget reach those goals. I mean if I look around me and think I have to have everything that everyone else has then I might get discontent with what I have. I would rather pinch pennies on things that really don't matter (like what you use to detangle your hair) and spend money on things that are eternal (giving to help others less fortunate, investing in my relationship with my children, and seeing the beautiful places in the world).
Okay off the soapbox...
I forgot one earlier...
I make my own wrinkle reducer. I just use a few tablespoons of liquid fabric softner and dilute it with water. I actually bought a bottle of the "good" stuff and after I blew through it I thought, "This stuff is pricey... surely there is a cheaper way." Now I use the bottle the "good" stuff came in and make my own. I buy Sauvatelle and it's so cheap. I don't use liquid fabric softner in the wash, only in my home made wrinkle reducer. It smells wonderful as well.

 

[TNKBELL]

Oh, I thought of a big one.... contentment. Being content with what you have and knowing what your families goals are and how to make your families budget reach those goals. I mean if I look around me and think I have to have everything that everyone else has then I might get discontent with what I have. I would rather pinch pennies on things that really don't matter (like what you use to detangle your hair) and spend money on things that are eternal (giving to help others less fortunate, investing in my relationship with my children, and seeing the beautiful places in the world).
Okay off the soapbox...
I forgot one earlier...
I make my own wrinkle reducer. I just use a few tablespoons of liquid fabric softner and dilute it with water. I actually bought a bottle of the "good" stuff and after I blew through it I thought, "This stuff is pricey... surely there is a cheaper way." Now I use the bottle the "good" stuff came in and make my own. I buy Sauvatelle and it's so cheap. I don't use liquid fabric softner in the wash, only in my home made wrinkle reducer. It smells wonderful as well.

Well said. I think we all live in a world of immediacy, we want it now, we "can't" wait, we borrow so we can have it now instead of saving for it. I know this is my problem as well. I'm so encouraged by all of your ideas!! We can help each other "wait". The reward is sooo much better if it is earned instead of borrowed.

 

[HelenePA]

Is that safe? doesn't that cause a buildup of carbon monoxide or something?

actually they make an attachement for doing just this at lowes... I haven't done it yet.. no it doesn't make any carbon monoxide at least for NON gas ones.. I didn't think about people who have gas ones... you might want to check that one out first... I know its safe for NON gas ones... in my house as a child we never had a vent put in... I'm alive and well

 

[kimis]

As we know every penny saved is going for that next Disney adventure!
I thought we could post our secrets that help up us live our dreams!

This tip is from the tightwad gazette.
Cut up fabric softener sheets into fourths, you won't even notice a difference in your laundry. ( I was skeptical, but it's true, we really don't notice a difference.)

Reuse those "unused" swim diapers. As long as the swim diaper has not been soiled it can be washed in the washer and reused. We have done this a few times, those things are crazy expensive.

A spray bottle with warm water(initially just to mix) and a small amount of conditioner(2T) makes a great hair detangler, just be sure to shake it up before you use it each time.

Inexpensive gifts..

Coupons for free babysitting, massages(Dh's Father's Day gift), dinner of choice, (incentives for the Dks). this list could go on and on.

A Spiritual Bouquet a card with flowers that represent prayers that have been said for the recipient.

Homemade goodies...cinnamon rolls, cookies, bread, muffins, ect.

Homemade jewelry, t-shirts(reallly cool designs on the DISigns threads)
We make DM a new sweatshirt every Christmas with all the DKS handprints with thier names and ages in the center of each one. She wears this ALL the time!ect..

Just a few to get the ball rolling.

I have never been more motivated to save money than when I started saving change for my disney trips. LOL
My dh and I are always looking for "free money". It sounds strange but it happens.
The company my dh works for asked their employees and spouses to take a health quiz on the internet. Whoever did it got a $75 prepaid mastercard. I was very leary since it was so easy. Than they said if you and your spouse do a 6 week servay we will send you each a $100 prepaid mastercard. So it took 5 minutes at the computer for about 7 weeks and we earned $350. money for our disney trips.
Than we use the disney visa card to earn money. We are careful to pay it off each month but the bonus dollars we earn will cover our souvies on our trip. We also always charge the disney trip on the disney visa because you get double bonus dollars and they we pay it off right away. My dh loves to hear how much "free money" we are going to disney with. I live to make him happy. LOL

 

[ntink]

This thread is great. My tip is to not buy any soda. I never thought that would work for DH & I (he used to have 4-5 cans a day and I had 1-2 cans a day of diet soda) but he was looking for ways to help his weight loss and read that reducing caffeine can help so he gave up soda and by default so did I. We both noticed we feel a lot better and can't believe how much money we used to spend on it.

Also - to the poster who is buying canned fruit - make sure you check those labels, sometimes there is so much sugar (high fructose corn syrup) in there that the product is far from fruit.

 

[mjantz]

-I have a few grocery stores I only go to a few times/month because in general they're more expensive but they also have great clearance areas, including meats & breads. I've bought french bread loaves (great for making my own garlic bread) as well as mini-pitas & bagels really cheap. AFA meats, I've found Healthy Choice hot dogs & mozarella stuffed meatballs for a lot less than their regular price.
-We do Angel Food. Its not our sole source of food but it does help stretch our budget. We share some of it with my in-laws & donate at least 1 dry good from each order to our churches food pantry.
-I have to pack lunches at my kids school & I try & do a mix of baggies & containers. I have a variety of containers from Tupperware to Target Dollar Spot that have all served me well. I also look at Bento lunch blogs for ideas on packing these containers effectively & making the most of them. I also purchased a drink Funtainer & a wide mouth jar Funtainer which helps me not buy juice boxes & send leftovers or other warm foods like chicken nuggets.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Here's a small one, but it works ...

Whenever I use a Brillo pad, it's for a small job, and when I stuck it in the sponge holder, it ineveitably rusted. If you put it in a small baggie and pop it in the freezer, it will be as good as new. Mom told me that one.

Also, don't forget about discounts offered by AAA or other organizations. For example, there is a 10% discount at Payless with your AAA card (at least here in NY). Check the websites.

Samantha

I do the Brillo pad in the freezer thing too! I also cut the pads in half (sharpens the scissors at the same time) so a box of Brillo pads lasts me for years! The freezer trick is great.

 

[ldb1030]

Not sure if this has been posted yet as I've not had time to read the entire thread but another use for dryer sheets it to remove soap scum!! It really works! Just get the dryer sheet wet and srub away in the tub/shower! Works great!

 

[punkin]

I do the Brillo pad in the freezer thing too! I also cut the pads in half (sharpens the scissors at the same time) so a box of Brillo pads lasts me for years! The freezer trick is great.

That's great. I hate those rusted brillos.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

We also do the bread thrift store and freeze the bread.

My biggest saver is on milk- we don't drink much of it but the small containers are so expensive compared to buying a gallon. I pour the milk into about 5-6 pint and quart milk containers I've saved filling them about 2/3 of the way up and freeze them. I get the milk at CVS (using ECB) making sure it has an expiration of 9-12 days out. I take them out of the freezer and set in the refrigerator about a day before we need it. We truly can't tell any taste difference.

 

[ballle_98]

Well said. I think we all live in a world of immediacy, we want it now, we "can't" wait, we borrow so we can have it now instead of saving for it. I know this is my problem as well. I'm so encouraged by all of your ideas!! We can help each other "wait". The reward is sooo much better if it is earned instead of borrowed.[/QUOTE}

We have commtted to live debt free (except for the mortgage). I remember when we were having our 3rd child and we were saving to pay cash for a mini van. During that time I saw so many of my friends buying new mini vans and it was really hard to wait for mine. But I can tell you now all our mini vans have the same car seats, old french fries, and toys thrown in them. The difference is that I have money (from not making payments) to take my kids to Disney. We just got a Disney Rewards VISA to earn some "extra" Disney money. It feels weird to use a credit card, even though I know I am paying it each pay period!

We committed to Dave Ramsey's plan after taking Financial Peace University and we have never looked back! We try to limit our monthly bills to basics. There was a time when we did not have cell phones. Then my dh switched jobs and they pay for free cell phones and the internet. Our friends thought we were weird for not having cell phones but we never really needed them.

I am encouraged by you, TNKBELL. My dh is from a big family and we have such a great time at holidays. I am so glad his parents didn't let income dictate the size of their family.

 

[kfeuer]

Great tips on this thread! Here's one of my tips--if you get your hair cut in a salon, just have them do the cut but don't let them dry it/style it. Every salon I've ever gone to has a cheaper rate for just a wet cut. I usually get my hair cut at night, so styling is wasted on me anyway (since it'll get messed up overnight). Obviously I wouldn't suggest doing this in the dead of winter but in warmer months it's an easy way to save a few bucks.

A previous poster mentioned that they just buy "disposable" shower liners and they don't use any soap or water to clean them. No flames here, but I'd rather use a little soap and water to wash my shower curtain then keep putting that vinyl into landfills (where I'm sure it takes a very long time to decompose). Tuesday Morning usually has nice quality shower liners for a very reasonable price.

Another bank that offers rewards for using your debit card is First Horizon. I have my mortgage with them and they gave us an awesome deal on a checking acct (plus paid us $100 to open it).

For anyone interested in learning how to clean without alot of chemicals, check out "How Clean is Your House" on BBCAmerica. I've been watching it lately and alot of times they use cheap household items to clean horrible filth (they use salt and vinegar alot).

 

[cglaura]

...I make my own wrinkle reducer. I just use a few tablespoons of liquid fabric softner and dilute it with water. I actually bought a bottle of the "good" stuff and after I blew through it I thought, "This stuff is pricey... surely there is a cheaper way." Now I use the bottle the "good" stuff came in and make my own. I buy Sauvatelle and it's so cheap. I don't use liquid fabric softner in the wash, only in my home made wrinkle reducer. It smells wonderful as well.

This also works well instead of dryer sheets, just spray the diluted fabric softener on a washcloth, I cut mine about 1 part softener to 3 parts water...use about 4 sprays/squirts per load. A 40 load bottle lasts almost a year for 2 people in my house, using the dryer for about 1/3 the laundry, hanging the rest. I just have to have dryer done towels & sheets, I'm funny that way.

 

[asgt]

Our bank (Chase Bank) just started doing points for for debit cards last month. Since we live in the city we almost always use our debit cards so the points are adding up fast!

Also we wanted Crocs to go to Disney but I didnt want to pay the hefty price tag. So we looked into the Payless Airwalk brand which are just as nice. I waited for the BOGO (buy one get one) sale and got a pair for me and my husband for less than $25 total. Our feet were feeling good all week!

 

[TNKBELL]

Our bank (Chase Bank) just started doing points for for debit cards last month. Since we live in the city we almost always use our debit cards so the points are adding up fast!

Also we wanted Crocs to go to Disney but I didnt want to pay the hefty price tag. So we looked into the Payless Airwalk brand which are just as nice. I waited for the BOGO (buy one get one) sale and got a pair for me and my husband for less than $25 total. Our feet were feeling good all week!

Right now, Dillons stores have 25% off thier summer shoes which includes generic crocs, Dh has a pair and he likes them just fine, btw..regular price is 7.99 so they are 25% off that.