What did you do today to save money?

[Grumpy's Gal]

Tried cleaning the shower door tracks with vinegar, wow that stuff works great on our hard water deposits.

more info please.....did you use straight vinegar?

 

[calie_j]

more info please.....did you use straight vinegar?

I did just to try it out, I put a little straight vinegar onto an old rag and cleaned the shower door tracks where you could see hard water build up with that. I've read that you should mix it 1/2c vinegar with 1/2c water in a spray bottle (I've also read 1/3c vinegar with 2/3c water?) which is what I'm going to do as soon as I get to the dollar store to buy a spray bottle. I'll use that for everything in the bathroom; shower, counters, toilet, windows, floor.

Still looking for a good homemade/inexpensive cleaner that cuts grease for kitchen cleaning if anyone has one??

calie

 

[Chickysmom]

I did just to try it out, I put a little straight vinegar onto an old rag and cleaned the shower door tracks where you could see hard water build up with that. I've read that you should mix it 1/2c vinegar with 1/2c water in a spray bottle (I've also read 1/3c vinegar with 2/3c water?) which is what I'm going to do as soon as I get to the dollar store to buy a spray bottle. I'll use that for everything in the bathroom; shower, counters, toilet, windows, floor.

Still looking for a good homemade/inexpensive cleaner that cuts grease for kitchen cleaning if anyone has one??

calie

General Cleaner

1/4 c ammonia
couple drops liquid dish soap
fill rest of spray bottle with water

have not tried this myself but have been searching out homemade cleaners online and this one looked good....

 

[Echo queen]

How did you do that ???????????

I did that yesterday . Not a single item.

 

[TKDisneylover]

We replaced our old water wasting washer with a new high efficiency front loading washing machine, that uses high efficiency detergent. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN WATER USAGE! In the old machine a full load of laundry used up to 30 gallons of water, the new one uses less than 10 gallons. SWEET!

And my whites seem whiter!

 

[Echo queen]

We replaced our old water wasting washer with a new high efficiency front loading washing machine, that uses high efficiency detergent. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN WATER USAGE! In the old machine a full load of laundry used up to 30 gallons of water, the new one uses less than 10 gallons. SWEET!

And my whites seem whiter!

We did this about a year ago and enjoy the saving. and whiter whites

 

[minnie1928]

I quit smoking! Only 27 hours into quitting, but I did quit! This weekend should be fun. See, I don't smoke at work, EVER. Being home will be tough!

Congratulations! You should be very proud of yourself!

I was just discussing this with mom, she was a smoker for 40 years and quit 4years ago. She said what she should have done after she quit was taken the money she would have spent on cigarettes and put it into a savings account. She'd have a nice little nest egg by now!

Again, congrats and good luck!

 

[TKDisneylover]

I quit smoking! Only 27 hours into quitting, but I did quit! This weekend should be fun. See, I don't smoke at work, EVER. Being home will be tough!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! And GOOD LUCK!!

DH & I quit 15 years ago and it's the best thing we ever did! I was like you, I didn't really smoke at work but at home and of course the nightlife was the worst. But what a savings, you could purchase a hopper pass with a few months worth of ciggies savings!

I wish you the best in success!

 

[luv2nascar]

I went to Shoprite's semi annual can can sale and stocked up. If we do not get staples at our house I will run to store pay full price and buy extra stuff or eat out and spend way more

I had a cart full for under $100 buck just under but under.

36 cans of veggies (corn, carrots, green beans, peas, and beets)
8 cans of campbell's soup at hand
5 cans of campbell's dora soup
8 cans of campbell's microwaveable vegetable soup
12 cans of diced tomatoes
2 -12 packs of scott's tp
1-8 pack of scott's paper towels
1 bag of potatoe chips
1 lb of chipped imported lunch meat ham
1 lb american cheese
1/2 lb swiss cheese
1/2 lb salami
1 loaf bread
20 can's of college inn broth
12 paks of Lipton noodle sides
6 paks of windex wipes/scrubbing bubble wipes

I'm sure there was more but that was the bulk of it.
Unloading the car in the cold last night was not a dream though.

 

[MYDISNEYHOUSES]

I painted my laundry room and finished at 7:30 pm and was about to go out to get something to eat, but decided to open a can of soup instead.

It was tough though, I felt like I needed to treat myself since I just worked all day on the laundry room.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I'm making my car payment early. The earlier in the month that I send it (it's due on the 15th, so the month starts the 15th), the more goes to principle which means less interest over time!

 

[roadtripper]

Well, this was last night, but we:
--made pizza from scratch for our Friday night pizza movie night (made the pizza dough and everything!)
--watched a movie we already owned, instead of renting

total savings-- about 13.00

 

[ducklite]

Well, today's going to be expensive. They are delivering the ottoman I bought for the sitting area in our bedroom. I've already paid some of it in the deposit, but owe another $750. Ouch! At least it was already budgeted for, and we've only got one more major piece of furniture to buy for the house now.

Anne

 

[Bearvet]

Well, this was last night for us as well, but I'm really excited! I tried a new recipe for Taco Bean Soup - it was delicious and made a TON! So we all ate dinner, I have two lunch-size portions in the fridge for DH and I froze 3 containers which will be at least 2 more meals. The soup was very easy to make and fairly inexpensive. So, for our family of 5 it made 3 meals and some lunches!

I also tried a new recipe for Cheddar Garlic Biscuits to go with the soup. They tasted just like Red Lobster rolls and again were very easy and inexpensive. They were so good that there weren't any leftovers!

 

[ducklite]

Well, this was last night for us as well, but I'm really excited! I tried a new recipe for Taco Bean Soup - it was delicious and made a TON! So we all ate dinner, I have two lunch-size portions in the fridge for DH and I froze 3 containers which will be at least 2 more meals. The soup was very easy to make and fairly inexpensive. So, for our family of 5 it made 3 meals and some lunches!

I also tried a new recipe for Cheddar Garlic Biscuits to go with the soup. They tasted just like Red Lobster rolls and again were very easy and inexpensive. They were so good that there weren't any leftovers!

Share the recipes please!

Anne

 

[Bearvet]

Both recipes are from Quick Cooking magazine Nov/Dec 2003 issue.

Taco Bean Soup:
1 lb. bulk pork sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
4 cups water
2 cans (16 oz each) kidney beans, rinsed & drained
2 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans, rinsed & drained
2 cans (15 oz each) garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) stewed tomatoes
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
1 jar (16 oz) chunky salsa
1 small can green chilies - optional (if you like it hotter - I added these)
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and sliced ripe olives

I a large soup kettle, cook sausage and beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Stir in the water, beans, tomatoes and salsa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Garnish with sour cream, cheese and olives. Yield: 12-14 servings.


Cheddar Garlic Viscuits:
2 cups biscuit/baking mix (Bisquick)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix, cheese and onion. Stir in milk until a soft dough forms; stir 30 seconds longer. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Combine butter and garlic powder; brush over biscuits. Serve warm. Yield: 15 biscuits.

DH and all 3 kids LOVED this meal and they told me I could make these biscuits every night from now on! At first I though the soup seemed almost like chili, but it definitely had more of a "taco" taste, especially when you add the sour cream. As I mentioned before, both things were easy and very inexpensive to make. Enjoy!

 

[ducklite]

That's a HUGE resipe for us. Wonder if I could omit the pork (which I don't eat) and use half of all the other ingredients. If I used 93% fat free beef and omitted the sour cream it soulds like a low fat meal.

Thanks for sharing!

Anne

 

[Bearvet]

I definitely think you could omit the pork (or even use ground turkey instead of the beef) and cut the ingredients in half. I would still suggest using the sour cream - I bought non-fat - because it does affect the taste (IMO). It really did make a TON of soup!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

yeah, I have to look at the proportions on those ingredients because I think that would be more than enough soup to feed our family of 5 PLUS the two dogs.

I don't think our Crock Pot is even big enough for it.

 

[Goofyzgurl]

I haven't gone to Target today. It's been 17 days since I've been there. Target is my weakness. I would check my bank statements online and it'd be Target, Target, Target....whew....