Top 10 thrifty things you do!!

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

What a bunch of great ideas. Here's mine.

Use coupons on as much as possible and stock up on items that are Free or close to it. (haven't paid for toothpaste, shampoo, deodorants in year).

Buy meats in bulk from a local wholesaler (40 lbs at a time)or discounted at the stores. Prepare it and freeze it.

Cook in bulk as well...And freeze for future meals. Meal plan is important and my many crockpots are my best friends.

Plant a garden and freeze/can. Also, trade our bounty for things we didn't plant.

Barter whenever we can. My DH fixed equipment for a tree service and they took down some trees.

Used the above wood for winter heating in the wood stove. 100% of wood is free.

Don't use the dryer in the Winter months. Put up clotheslines in the basement and use the heat from the stove to dry the clothes. They actually dry faster.

Fix everything ourselves....DH can fix anything. He just replaced the light/tube in our 52' tv. Cost $39.00

Shop thrift stores, tag sales, and flea markets. After 20+years together, I've finally converted my DH and now my DD too.

I watch the Disboards for other great Budget saving ideas.

 

[Brandi B]

Thank you for all the great information!

 

[lauradis]

I do most of the things listed and I want to add a few.

Keep a good credit score. Car insurance is cheaper if you have good credit. If you have to finance a car, you can get 0% or low interest because of good credit. (I have a friend, and her interest on her car loan is 28% and her car insurance is triple of what mine costs because of her credit.)

Pay bills on time, to avoid late fees and more interest.

Ouchee. Another trick to lower the interest you pay is borrow what you can afford with nothing down. Higher payment and interest right? Not if you take the money you saved up as a deposit and dump it on your first payment.

 

[Dashzap]

In autumn, I have a mulching blade on my lawn mower and I bag the clippings. This gives me lots of chopped up leaves mixed with grass clippings, which is great nitrogen-rich mulch for the garden. I top this mix with purchased mulch or pine needles in the front yard where I want the beds to be prettier.

In summer, I don't use the bag and leave the grass taller so I don't have to water.

 

[Dashzap]

Someone pointed out to me recently that to use less hot water, be sure to turn your faucet all the way to the cold side when you turn it on, so you don't pull any water from the warm.

I hadn't thought about how I typically pull up on the kitchen faucet with it centered to wash my hands, etc., inadvertently pulling from the hot line as well, even though I'm not using enough water for it to get warm. Doing this frequently will add up to your water heater needing to kick on more often.

 

[sarahk0204]

I LOVE the coffee filter for snacks idea! We haven't had a 4 cup basket filter coffee maker in years, yet we still have a few packages of filters. I just put a package in my dish cabinet.

The biggest for us is our house. We bought a 3 bedroom house in anticipation of having children, and it is still a good size for us. We ended up choosing the least expensive city of the 3 main area we looked at. We've refinanced twice, and each time we not only lowered the interest rate, but REDUCED the term. The last time we went to a 15 year, so the house will be paid off in 2025.

 

[MAJPLO]

Interested in that homemade granola bar recipe. Yum.

 

[DisneyTexan]

1. No snack purchases to go -- no Starbucks, no frozen yogurt, etc. I bring my own drink and a snack almost everywhere.
2. No hair styling at the salon. I always leave the salon with wet hair.
3. Use the coupons that are online for your grocery store. It only takes me about 5 minutes per week, and I don't have to do anything special at checkout.
4. I buy used books for myself. I should go to the library since its so close to home, but I'm working on that. I don't buy many books.
5. No magazine subscription renewals. I have found that the magazines are cheaper if you let the subscription expire, and then subscribe again a couple months later.
6. Never sign up for a credit card with an annual fee. The exception is if you get a discount that exceeds the annual fee, e.g. the Disney Visa which has something like a $100 credit towards theme park tickets with a $50 annual fee. Net gain is $50.
7. Pay off all credit cards and never pay interest.
8. Pay cash for cars.
9. Bring lunch to work. I bring lunch every day for under $2/day.
10. Dig up coin jars, savings bonds, and other bits of money and turn them in for cash.

 

[Carina]

Many friends and co-workers call me thrifty/frugal, but lets see if I can come up with 10 whole things off the top of my head

1) As with many of you I buy many things second hand. 2 years ago I bought my oldest DD her prom dress at the thrift store for $20. Just last week I bought my younger DD her prom dress for $25. And both girls LOVE(D) them. Stylish and cheap YAY!

I do catch myself buying things we don't need though. But at least the guilt is nominal when the price is so low.
I got DS 2 dress shirts for work - one that fits now and one to grow into (he is only 15) They were nice, and stylish, one was even a *********** dress shirt, and they were only $2.99 each. The issue? He already has 5-6 work dress shirts and he only works 2 days a week...lol

2) I have started selling things on local buy/sell facebook sites. 2 weeks of VERY minimal effort (minimal meaning, I have listed less than one item per day) has netted me nearly $100
And every person has come to me to get the item. It's amazing the things sitting around (old board games come to mind) that we don't use, yet others want for a low enough price

3) I run PERKTV on any device not in use in my house - I cant get the cheap phone deals in Canada so no phone farm for me

3) I hang laundry in the non-rainy season, which isn't very long but every load hung is approx. 50¢ in my pocket.

4)When something we use regularly is on sale I don't buy one I buy a LOT. Our brand of pasta sauce only goes on sale every 3-4 months for $1. Regular price is $2.49. So I buy 20 each sale.
I watch for loss leaders every week at my grocery store.

5) I contest! It's been my hobby for about 12 years. If I win something I can't use I sell it. It's paid for several great holidays and provided us with many great things we couldn't afford otherwise.

 

[DawnM]

1. Eat out only with coupons/planned budgeting
2. Meal Plan
3. No paid for TV.....antenna/Tivo with lifetime service, Netflix
4. Cell bill is $100 for 4 phones......unlimited talk/text/10gb data shared
5. Thrift store shop often
6. If I want something, I research, research, research for the best deal
7. Live below our means
8. Use half the amount of soap in the washing machine
9. Fix broken items
10. Don't buy the latest/greatest/Newest

 

[barkley]

several things already listed, in addition to-

paying insurance (auto, home) on an annual or bi-annual basis (saves at least $5 per policy per month vs. monthly payments), also we bundle all insurance needs with the same company to qualify for significant multi policy discounts,

when we had a mortgage-we paid insurance and property taxes ourselves. since we paid them annually or bi-annually we earned at least a bit of interest while it sat in the bank.

when we had a mortgage-any extra monies (income increase, cost of a regularly budgeted item like insurance decreased) got thrown at principle. amazing the difference it made.

meal planning/batch cooking-did/do this, but also make larger batches of stuff ds likes and put them up in dollar store individual sized freezer containers. take out to defrost for school lunch (they have a microwave). when buying certain meats/fish for a particular recipe-have butcher weigh/package at specific weight so I don't defrost more than I need.

meat buying-much at Costco (using a sealer machine to put in smaller batches), but also watching sales and having butcher prep the meat. if safeway has roasts on sale for less than high end ground beef or stew meat-I have the butcher grind or chop it. I've also been known to have London broils (back when you could get it for less than $2.00 per pound) cut into fajita strips by the butcher. after thanksgiving I take advantage of turkey sales and get a couple of smaller ones to freeze for later in the year.

CASE SALE-this is my favorite 2 weeks of the year b/c 2 of my local grocers do case sales. between the 2 my total spent is right at about $375 which covers all of my YEARLY needs (family of 4) for canned veggies, canned tomato products, some dry goods, canned fruit products, canned beans, bottled water and paper towels. I've kept track of the savings, and the case sales give me about a 25% savings off the BEST regular sales prices I can get on products

 

[MinnieForMe]

Many friends and co-workers call me thrifty/frugal, but lets see if I can come up with 10 whole things off the top of my head

1) As with many of you I buy many things second hand. 2 years ago I bought my oldest DD her prom dress at the thrift store for $20. Just last week I bought my younger DD her prom dress for $25. And both girls LOVE(D) them. Stylish and cheap YAY!

I do catch myself buying things we don't need though. But at least the guilt is nominal when the price is so low.
I got DS 2 dress shirts for work - one that fits now and one to grow into (he is only 15) They were nice, and stylish, one was even a *********** dress shirt, and they were only $2.99 each. The issue? He already has 5-6 work dress shirts and he only works 2 days a week...lol

2) I have started selling things on local buy/sell facebook sites. 2 weeks of VERY minimal effort (minimal meaning, I have listed less than one item per day) has netted me nearly $100
And every person has come to me to get the item. It's amazing the things sitting around (old board games come to mind) that we don't use, yet others want for a low enough price

3) I run PERKTV on any device not in use in my house - I cant get the cheap phone deals in Canada so no phone farm for me

3) I hang laundry in the non-rainy season, which isn't very long but every load hung is approx. 50¢ in my pocket.

4)When something we use regularly is on sale I don't buy one I buy a LOT. Our brand of pasta sauce only goes on sale every 3-4 months for $1. Regular price is $2.49. So I buy 20 each sale.
I watch for loss leaders every week at my grocery store.

5) I contest! It's been my hobby for about 12 years. If I win something I can't use I sell it. It's paid for several great holidays and provided us with many great things we couldn't afford otherwise.

As far as contests go, is there a certain site you recommend? Feel free to private message me if there are any specific blogs or ideas to get me started. Right now, I only do Disney contests! Thank you.

 

[ah1126]

I started buying the shampoo in the big bottle with the pump. The first one I bought my husband lasted about 8 months! My husband used to go through the smaller bottles so fast, but now he just uses one squirt each shower. Now that I have the big one with a pump, if I get a great deal on the smaller bottle, I just use it as a refill!

 

[KKB]

1. Eat out only with coupons/planned budgeting
2. Meal Plan
3. No paid for TV.....antenna/Tivo with lifetime service, Netflix
4. Cell bill is $100 for 4 phones......unlimited talk/text/10gb data shared
5. Thrift store shop often
6. If I want something, I research, research, research for the best deal
7. Live below our means
8. Use half the amount of soap in the washing machine
9. Fix broken items
10. Don't buy the latest/greatest/Newest

What provider do you get $100/4 phones with 10GB to share??!!

 

[littlezar]

After reading every post, I hardly have anything new to post!

My husband is in the Marine Corps and there is a Birthday Ball every year. Almost everyone I know buys a new gown each year. I have worn the same gown to at least 4 different balls with my husband, 1 deployed spouses ball and as a bridesmaid in my SIL's wedding. (She just wanted everyone to wear the same color, style didn't matter)

One of my sons has a 90 minute practice, twice a week about 7 miles one way from my house. Instead of driving home and then making a 2nd roundtrip to pick him up, I will sit in my car and read my Kindle (that has free books from Amazon or library books on it) and sip my drink in a reusable cup/bottle from home.

We attend a lot of the Lowe's and Home Depot kids clinics. You have to register online for the Lowe's one. Home Depot would like you to register online, but at mine they always have more than enough kits. All my boys have done it a few times over the years. My youngest does it as often as possible. He's made lots of cool stuff.

 

[pampam]

We don't buy soda.
I make most of our snacks.
I don't use dryer sheets or many purchased cleaning products.
We don't eat fast food (well, rarely when we go on a trip).
We cook our meals and fix our own lunches.
I make yogurt and granola myself (non-processed, no salt, and just a little fat and sugar in the yogurt).
I like to repurpose things and I'm pretty good at fixing and repairing.
We have a garden and we raise chickens.
I unsubscribed to zulily. That saves me a bundle
I take advantage of a rewards credit card.
I buy my pet food at Target when they have the brand I use at a good price and with a gift card reward. I often save up those gc's for Disney cards.

Things I'm not good at but am trying to improve:

Limiting paper products. I already do a ton of laundry and washing napkins isn't high on my priority list. One thing I don't need is another load of wash. I have eliminated most of my paper towel usage, though. I sure wish I could cut back on the amount of TP we use. I even told the kids how many squares they were allowed, LOL, in an effort to get them out of the habit of just yanking out a handful of paper. Maybe I'll switch to leaves

Cable. I don't watch TV and if it were up to me we'd eliminate TV in the house. DH is another story, and we have a huge cable bill, bundled in with internet and phone. UGH. It's a real waste--the kids don't watch it because they're too busy doing [good] things and dh only watches sports.

Cell phone cost. There are currently 4 of us on our plan with smartphones/data plans. The twins turn 12 soon and are already asking about getting phones; the thought of 2 more data plans is ugly. I'm thinking about changing our whole cell phone approach. I'd love to go back to the days of non-smart phones. Maybe we'll give it a try.

Couponing/cartwheel and those type of savings. So much time investment for the amount of return where I live. There are a few things that work for me but I'm not very good at most of it.

I accidently found a way to cut back on TP. DD would fling the roll and if 17 feet rolled off, that is what she would use. To save TP I thought I would step on the rolls to make them oblong like the paper saving devices we sometimes see in public washrooms. Well, one time the cardboard center came out. I put the roll on the TP holder without the center, and discovered that the paper only turns as long as you pull on it. DD can't fling the roll like she did before and less TP was being used.

As a side note, instead of using leaves you might want to try family towels. they save a lot of TP and are great if you are on a septic system.

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

I am not nearly as thrifty as many of you but a few that we do are :

-color my own hair, after many bad costly exp between my sis and I we have finally got to where we do it ourselves. Same with haircuts for me-not dh or ds's-they are at great clips nd I snip in between to extend them

-dropped travel hockey for ds a few years back-the cost was getting obscene and he was not going to be in the nhl

-DIY- tiling, car repairs,painting, planting,roofing, wiring,...anything we can manage. This has saved tons of money.

-no eating out for self and 2ds unless going to MIL deli! Meal plan-eat at home -cheaper and better tasting.

-coupon and bonus points from DH business CC and rewards points at Best Buy, they have paid for lots of gifts and trips!

- ebay, currently have about $900 in paypal for use for the holidays

-we split the direct tv bill with sister so it's much better

-cars for cash,Idrive until they are ready to really go

-used items like furn , electronics, many have been given to us and I am happy to get them-we have a huge leather sect, pool table, all our TV's, several pc's, art, a dirt ike, go-kart, glasses, coffee maker, plates,...when we get something , we try to pass on the other items to people who can use it(like my sis who's dogs keep destroying there furn!)

These ideas have been great-you are inspiring me to do more and have less.
-

 

[kayrosek]

There are a few things Im super thrifty about.
1. Thrift store shopping, but not just any thrift store shopping. We shop thrift store sales almost exclusively. Our local thrift store has one color tag that is .25 or 5 for a dollar. We have bought designer clothes, furniture, kitchenwares, electronics even a treadmill for 20 cents. We make it a game and pretty much only buy that color tag. Now normal thrift store prices seem expensive. I have heard my daughter complain that 4.99 was too much for a pair of jeans.
2.Kohls 10 dollar off 10 dollar or more cards in the mail. Everytime I get one of these I go shopping. I buy gifts throughout the year with them. I shop clearence and try to stay as close to the 10 dollars as possible. I just got dd a watch that was on 80% off plus the ten dollar coupon. It was nearly free but is so pretty. She will love it.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

1. Double coupons on top of sales and extra fuel points for groceries.

2. Coupons for everything we normally might use/buy.

3. Sign up for all free rewards, especially for my work travel - flight, hotel, restaurant, etc.

4. Use no fee credit cards with rewards programs and pay them off as soon as the billing cycle closes.

5. Always searching the sales racks - and knowing when to search them - like after a season or holiday ends.

6. To build off of #5, I shop all year round for gifts and take advantage of sales.

7. Call our service companies every couple of months to get the best deal - cable, phone, trash disposal, pest control, lawn/tree, etc. And knowing the people that service us (they can give credits or extra services but they will only do that for their valued customers.)

8. Barter - Exchange services rather than pay for something. My husband is a contractor so he might help someone build a gate for their fence and they will give a service back we need (like pet sitting) or pay him with some 'thing'. He once got paid with a motorcycle

9. Budget and track every penny we earn and spend. And talk about the budget with our children. Once you prioritize the 'savings', the 'spending' is naturally limited.

10. Garage sales - both having them, and shopping at them. This is a great way for the kids to earn money and learn about negotiating and how much work it takes just to get $1!

 

[cajunbaby1]

I too use coupons. Krogers recently quit doubling,tripling coupons. Which sucks!! But Brookshires still doubles, here.

Go to Savings Star.com. Here you sign your store loyalty cards up after you register of course : ). You then can activate various items that you would normally buy, purchase said item and they will then credit your Savingstar acct. once you reach $5.00 you can cash out to Paypal. Most items eligible are stuff u buy anyways. I do this throughout the year and use towards my Disney trip.