Tell Us Your Tightwad Secrets!!

[jgates]

When we dine our both my husband and I normally order water with lemon and then put a pack of sweetner in it. Kids think it is disgusting but we both really like it!!!

We have washed in cold for years - ever since we have been married.

A/C didn't get turned on until 2 days ago - pretty good for us!

Watch the walmart meat department - they mark down their meat 30% sometimes - I have never received any bad meat on markdown. This lets me buy the 92/8 hamburger at the price of normal hamburger. Don't even have to drain it. Have also on occasion found nice pork roasts that way. Ground turkey is frequently marked down like this (we must not be a good ground turkey market area, LOL) but we don't eat that. I buy it and throw it in the freezer for when I need it.

The other item we live without easily is a NEW vehicle. I did just get a 'new' car after 7 years with a 98 Ford Windstar. It was at 210,000 miles, LOL. So we went all out and bought a 'new' 1998 Chevy Blazer with a rebuilt engine and 112,000 miles. It should easily last us another 5 to 7 years and we paid $5,000 for it. Plus selling the old van at $1000. The 'new' one has no rust and is in excellent shape, LOL. So we save a lot by not buying a $25,000 vehicle!

 

[OceanAnnie]

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.

We use the antibacterial shower curtains. They are an industrial grade and you might have to clean them once a year. Got them at Wal-Mart. Reasonably priced.

My easiest money saving tip is I take drinks (and snacks) with me when we go on outings. Plenty of water and such. When we buy lunch out (drive thrus or picnics) we don't buy any drinks. You'd be amazed at the savings!

 

[carmie3377]

When we dine our both my husband and I normally order water with lemon and then put a pack of sweetner in it. Kids think it is disgusting but we both really like it!!!

I do the same thing. I have a hard time spending $2-3 on a soft drink or tea when I eat out. I had a friend (who is always broke and always eating out!) one time tell me, "oh, it's only a couple of extra dollars". But think about it, if you go out once a week and order a drink at $2 each, that's 2 x 52 = $104 x 8.75 (tax) = $113 x 15% (tip) = $130 per year for beverages for just one person eating out once a week. And that's just on soft drinks or tea. My mom and her husband always have a beer or two. Their beverage total is always at least 20.00 each time they eat out and they eat out at least once a week. Then, they complain about money being tight . They spend over $100.00 a month just on beverages eating out!

BTW, we usually don't eat out once a week. We used to be real bad about it, but we've buckled down and now usually just go somewhere I have a coupon for. Now instead of asking me if I want to go out to eat, DH just says "Do you have coupon for anywhere?" Unless we're celebrating something, we will usually not pay full price for dining out.

 

[kimnscott]

I think I will have to start collecting coupons for food places. I never thought about the drink thing how fast it could add up. I love all these ideas keep them coming.
kim

 

[englishteacha]

I washed my laundry in cold today and it's hanging on the line! Unfortunately, the line is full and I have more wet laundry. Poor planning on my part! I'll have to work on my timing.

In regards to cars, I drive a 1998 Neon and my DH a 1999 Dodge Dakota. Both vehicles are paid for and while we're half-heartedly looking for a newer vehicle with 4WD, we won't buy one until we can pay for it in full. We haven't ever had a car payment. The AC on my Neon died 2 summers ago and the dealer wanted $800 to replace it. The car's only worth $2500, so I ride with the windows down and carry a hairbrush with me!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I have a couple tips for saving on kids' sports and activities, but I would love to hear more because this is where ALOT of our money goes.

My tips are:
If you're kids are playing through a rec center or something see if they offer cheaper rates for parents volunteering, coaching, or working so many hours at the concession stand.

Call around to different studios/gyms and get other parents opinions before deciding who to go with

Consider the price of uniforms, shoes, and other special items needed. Consider buying used or from a different source if possible (for example, our karate instructor sells uniforms for $45, they're just plain black so I ordered DD's from ebay for $20 brand new instead).

 

[kid-at-heart]

Not a secret but using the grocery game has REALLY helped my grocery bill. I have saved over $1000 since I started doing it last summer. I LOVE getting stuff for free too!

And I have already enjoyed one free 12 week cycle from referrals!

(Anyone want a referral, PM me!)

What is "the grocery game"?

Thanks.

 

[TNKBELL]

What is "the grocery game"?

Thanks.

Go to www.grocerygame.com and it explains it.

 

[TNKBELL]

I washed my laundry in cold today and it's hanging on the line! Unfortunately, the line is full and I have more wet laundry. Poor planning on my part! I'll have to work on my timing.

In regards to cars, I drive a 1998 Neon and my DH a 1999 Dodge Dakota. Both vehicles are paid for and while we're half-heartedly looking for a newer vehicle with 4WD, we won't buy one until we can pay for it in full. We haven't ever had a car payment. The AC on my Neon died 2 summers ago and the dealer wanted $800 to replace it. The car's only worth $2500, so I ride with the windows down and carry a hairbrush with me!

 

[punkin]

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.

I am still driving my 2000 MPV with 110K on it, for which I paid cash. I want a new one and I probably need a new one given the age of mine, but I will only buy one with cash so I am waiting. My BIL bought a brand new Town & Country with every bell and whistle this year. Last year he bought a brand new SUV. He has $70K in debt and all I have is my mortgage.

I'm doing much better financially, but I am jealous of him.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Go to www.grocerygame.com and it explains it.

Thank you for the grocery-game website!

My hint:
We all "carry" our lunches. Bought a "food thermos" from Target (yes, I know, we all spend too much at Target) so now even DD can carry hot leftovers. DH and I have always carried leftovers but we bought DD's school lunches. Last year at age 8, DD started to gain weight, not too much but definitely above the 50%. Since DH and I both work more than full-time we had taken the easy way out by buying her lunches. We decided to stop ballet, "sample" a few more active "activities" and for her to start carrying her lunch. End result: She started "Mall walking" with me (I love this one-on-one time with her), she joined a swim team (year round), started playing soccer (a lot cheaper than dance) and now refuses to buy hot lunch, says our food tastes much better. We are not competitive folks hippie: ) so swim team and soccer are for fun, not to win. She now is a slim, trim and healthy nine year old (and I save $$$ not paying for hot lunches and dance recitals).

 

[kid-at-heart]

My paternal Grandmother taught me an easy was to be off burn on stuff. Put the pot/pan on the stove with water and dishwashing soap. Bring it to a boil. Off it all comes. I impressed DH with this "trick" once!

We must have have the same grandmother. Just kidding, my maternal "Granny" also taught me the same trick.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Take this one with a grain of salt.

I also have an older house, and gas heat. Can't set our thermostat above 65, or it will run continously. When I dry a load indoors in the winter, I put a pair of old panty hose on the end of the dryer hose to catch the lint, (after i have closed off the end to the outside) & use the heat in side the house. It helps add humidity to the dry indoor air, and we get the benifit of having warm air!

We too have an old house (turn of the century - last century, not this one). We bought a "dryer vent converter" from Home Depot (has a lever where you can direct the heat either outside the house or inside the house). Before we found the converter we used a stocking on the dryer hose. Works for our "dry" environment.
Someone decided to "modernize" the house in the 70s, took out the radiators (big mistake) and put in centeral air. After freezing for a couple of years, we had gas stoves (that look like wood stoves) placed on each floor (a couple on the main floor, one upstairs and one in the basement where my mother has an apartment). What a difference, saves $$$$ and keeps us toasty. Oh, we also do not have ac, we just sleep in the basement when it gets too hot (although if we lived in the south I am sure we would have ac).

 

[minniemair]

Thank you for the grocery-game website!

My hint:
We all "carry" our lunches. Bought a "food thermos" from Target (yes, I know, we all spend too much at Target) so now even DD can carry hot leftovers. DH and I have always carried leftovers but we bought DD's school lunches. Last year at age 8, DD started to gain weight, not too much but definitely above the 50%. Since DH and I both work more than full-time we had taken the easy way out by buying her lunches. We decided to stop ballet, "sample" a few more active "activities" and for her to start carrying her lunch. End result: She started "Mall walking" with me (I love this one-on-one time with her), she joined a swim team (year round), started playing soccer (a lot cheaper than dance) and now refuses to buy hot lunch, says our food tastes much better. We are not competitive folks hippie: ) so swim team and soccer are for fun, not to win. She now is a slim, trim and healthy nine year old (and I save $$$ not paying for hot lunches and dance recitals).

Kid at heart, I heartily agree that the school lunches can be less than healthy some days! One of my friends works in our middle school's caf and says some kids throw out all the good stuff and buy snacks ie junk! If their parents only knew. I'm surprised your daughter didn't feel ballet was a work out. My 13 yo DD is on pointe and has 2 hours per week. She gets quite a work out. She's 5'1'' and just hit 75 lbs. We've been fighting to keep her above the 10 percentile for her whole life! She absolutely loves dance and drama and never stops moving or talking! And I know what you mean about recital prices. Our studio is little so we only pay $6 per ticket but the biggie in the next town, people sleep out the night before to get tickets! Crazy! Our downfall is the costumes, with 2 dancing daughters in 7 numbers the costume prices add up. We had Emma professionally fitted for her first pair of toe shoes, but now I get them on Ebay, brand new, 1/4 the price.

 

[Plantlady]

I have a couple tips for saving on kids' sports and activities, but I would love to hear more because this is where ALOT of our money goes.

My tips are:
If you're kids are playing through a rec center or something see if they offer cheaper rates for parents volunteering, coaching, or working so many hours at the concession stand.

Excellent idea. I volunteer at my kids' karate as a secretary, and one kids gets all classes for free due to this.

I also now know when other parents need to buy larger uniforms, ect.. and I struck up a deal with another mom, that when she buys her daughter a new Gi ($45), I"ll by her daughters from her, for $20. Boom, new Gi for my son, for much cheaper, barely used!

 

[ericamanda01]

I don't know if it's been said here or not but I buy all our summer clothes on sale at the end of the season. All the clothes we have for this year I got in Aug and Sept last year. We don't wear anything fadish (sp) so it works great for us.

Also we have a debit card that earns miles. It's only one mile for every $2 but hey it's something. So I pay all our bills and everything I can with it so we end up with around 2500 miles or more a month with no intrest. Since we only take our Disney vacations everyother year we earn enough miles to fly first class for free.

 

[mjantz]

I have a couple tips for saving on kids' sports and activities, but I would love to hear more because this is where ALOT of our money goes.

My tips are:
If you're kids are playing through a rec center or something see if they offer cheaper rates for parents volunteering, coaching, or working so many hours at the concession stand.

Call around to different studios/gyms and get other parents opinions before deciding who to go with

Consider the price of uniforms, shoes, and other special items needed. Consider buying used or from a different source if possible (for example, our karate instructor sells uniforms for $45, they're just plain black so I ordered DD's from ebay for $20 brand new instead).

This is in regards to ballet/dance:

I'm sure someone elses experience will be different but I found that when we moved from an independent studio to one attached to a performing company, our expenses went way down. We went from a $100 recital fee as well as approx. $250 in costumes to a $50 fee that covered both her costume & the recital fee. And, we got 2 performances as her current studios company does 'The Nutcracker' every year & those costumes are provided by the company. My class fees only went up about $5 per class & the level of instruction was much better IMO.
I also buy her tights & leotards at Wal-Mart. Until they tell me I have to buy the more expensive brands, I'm going cheap. I do buy the Capezio ballet slippers as I've found them to be very good quality & worth the cost. I've also bought leotards (but not tights) off of eBay for very good prices.

I figure one of the reasons I'm so cheap in other areas is so I can afford these fixed expenses. I don't mind shopping off the clearance rack at Target if it means DD can dance in 'The Nutcracker' & DS can learn to play guitar.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Good morning Minniemair , Actually my daughter did want to stay in ballet (and play soccer and swim and play piano and belong to the sign lang club and, and, and). We had to limit the activities so she would have time to sleep, eat, have play dates... I watched her ballet classes (she took lessons for five years) and I agree, they are getting quite the workout but apparently, Sar needed a different type of activity (also, for her age group the class was only 1 hour a week). She may return to dance this fall - or not, her choice but regardless of the sport, I am very pleased to see the money-saving ideas on this board. The more I can save on day-to-day activities, the more often I can go to DW.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I am still driving my 2000 MPV with 110K on it, for which I paid cash. I want a new one and I probably need a new one given the age of mine, but I will only buy one with cash so I am waiting. My BIL bought a brand new Town & Country with every bell and whistle this year. Last year he bought a brand new SUV. He has $70K in debt and all I have is my mortgage.

I'm doing much better financially, but I am jealous of him.

I am jealous of you! Our minivan is a 1998 Town and Country with 135K miles on it. The only difference is I still love it, simple mind I guess ,and want to keep it for many more years. Maybe at 200K I will start looking.

 

[swea_pea1]

You can sign up almost any non-reward VISA card for rewards here:

https://www.visaextras.com/

The Disney, USAirways, etc. VISA cards won't be eligible because they are already earning those specific rewards, but if you have a debit card you can probably sign it up there.

I use my debit card for everything as a "credit" card and get a gift card once every couple months or so. I try to get stores where I shop for Christmas so it lessens those bills.