Stretching pennies

[sophia jane]

My tip is actually not about saving money, but about earning a little (and I mean, little):
take surveys. I'm a member of several free (and reputable) sites. They email me surveys and generally I earn points toward rewards like cash and small items like free cds or magazine subscriptions. It takes a long time to earn rewards, and the reward are never huge, but still it's easy money. Example: I just did a product test survey where I got two free bottles of body wash and will get paid $8 for doing it. To me, it's like free money.
I'd be glad to pass on good sites to anyone interested. Just pm me. Also, I can do referrals thru some of the sites I use (and that way I earn rewards )

Oh! As far as this kind of thing goes: never, ever ever pay money to join a survey site. The good ones are all free.

 

[Guest]

.........x

 

[English Lady]

My tip is actually not about saving money, but about earning a little (and I mean, little):
take surveys. I'm a member of several free (and reputable) sites. They email me surveys and generally I earn points toward rewards like cash and small items like free cds or magazine subscriptions. It takes a long time to earn rewards, and the reward are never huge, but still it's easy money. Example: I just did a product test survey where I got two free bottles of body wash and will get paid $8 for doing it. To me, it's like free money.
I'd be glad to pass on good sites to anyone interested. Just pm me. Also, I can do referrals thru some of the sites I use (and that way I earn rewards )

Oh! As far as this kind of thing goes: never, ever ever pay money to join a survey site. The good ones are all free.

Brilliant advice! I have a bundle of UKfriendy survey companies if anyones interested. Alot pay out in Amazon vouchers but osme pay out in real hard cash.

Oooh and fr ukfolks, or those with a UK bank account check out

www.ciao.co.uk

or for anyone (I think)

www.dooyoo.co.uk

These are onsumer review sites -they pay you to write reviews -it's mere pennies and it doesn't pay out that much , but I do tend to get a couple of amazon voucher payouts form dooyoo a year and about £30from Ciao (they send out surveys too)


Save money on days out -go to free museums (theres loads in the UK now)and parks. If it's raining bundle up and go splash in puddles -kids love that and it's free!

Take your own picnics on days out because buying food at touristy places is not a good idea if you've not got money to throw away *L*

Look inlocal papers and touist information centres to get leaflets and coupons for places to visit -you often get half price or one free entry type vouchers for touristy places -especially in the summer.


Car boots/yard sales/second hand/charity shops. You cna get loads of cool stuff here and you can sell your own junk at car boots -you'll be amazed what money you can make and it tidies up your house.

Note of caution - A thing is NOT a bargain if you'll never wear/use it, even if it is really cheap. Look for real bargains that youknow you'll make use of

 

[kendo1]

Stretching penis..that's not my bag!

oops..dropped a couple letters.







n

e


^THERE they are


welll sure, I tug on it a bit.

Beat me to it.

 

[Guest]

......................

 

[kendo1]

hey, I've been tugging this thing for years...you'd have to be pretty fast to beat me!

I shudder at the thought of beating you.

 

[Guest]

.................,

 

[FallingToFly]

My tip is actually not about saving money, but about earning a little (and I mean, little):
take surveys. I'm a member of several free (and reputable) sites. They email me surveys and generally I earn points toward rewards like cash and small items like free cds or magazine subscriptions. It takes a long time to earn rewards, and the reward are never huge, but still it's easy money. Example: I just did a product test survey where I got two free bottles of body wash and will get paid $8 for doing it. To me, it's like free money.
I'd be glad to pass on good sites to anyone interested. Just pm me. Also, I can do referrals thru some of the sites I use (and that way I earn rewards )

Oh! As far as this kind of thing goes: never, ever ever pay money to join a survey site. The good ones are all free.

I want to do this, lol! My kids seem to think the body wash is buble bath... especially the really nice stuff I splurge on once in a while when my skin gets so damaged that Anfora can't salvage it any further and I need a better mosturizing wash.

Another tip: If you live near an ALDI'S - SHOP THERE!!! Trust me, I wish we had one down here... it saved us so much money when we were dead broke and living in NC. Also, places like roadside fruit stands, etc - you get better deals there, so find one if you can that's on your way to teh grocery store so you can pick up great produce really cheap.

 

[mlady_france]

I want to do this, lol! My kids seem to think the body wash is buble bath... especially the really nice stuff I splurge on once in a while when my skin gets so damaged that Anfora can't salvage it any further and I need a better mosturizing wash.

Another tip: If you live near an ALDI'S - SHOP THERE!!! Trust me, I wish we had one down here... it saved us so much money when we were dead broke and living in NC. Also, places like roadside fruit stands, etc - you get better deals there, so find one if you can that's on your way to teh grocery store so you can pick up great produce really cheap.

Oh yes Aldi's is great! I remember when I was first married and money was really tight. I sugested that we shop there, since my family had been shopping there for years and the Mr went nuts. He couldn't understand buying food at a "non name brand" store. So I went alone and bought stuff and he didn't know. When I fixed dinner he really loved it. Once he'd eaten his fill I said "see Aldi's isn't so bad is it" *giggles* he couldn't tell the difference and we saved a ton of money. I should probably go back to shopping there come to think of it.

 

[FallingToFly]

Another random one:

If you can afford it, get a Sam's Club membership. You can buy in bulk once every three or four months and only buy perishables (like milk and eggs) in between) And, if you have friends willing to split a membership, then you can all shop at once, and divide up what each family needs once you get back to the house everyone met at.

 

[BlackShanglan]

I second the recommendation to join a Sam's or other bulk club, especially for non-perishable goods. Their prices on things like dishwasher detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, and dish soap are excellent. Ours also has very good prices on meat - sometimes as little as half our grocery store's price - so it's worth stocking up. If the club is a long drive, go rarely and stock up in large amounts. To reduce the price of membership, go in with a friend and get everything at once.

Check out Freecyle (online) and community service/goods trading organizations. I remember Dr. M. saying that he got a plumber's help very cheaply that way, and Freecycle is ... well, free.

Goodwill. Ebay. Anywhere you can get things second hand is your friend, although of course with Ebay be very careful about postage costs. In any store, make this fundamental change: recognize that shopping cannot serve as a form of entertainment. Don't forget to plan for some forms of entertainment, or this will be harder, but buying things must be mostly a to-the-list, no-impulse-items process. Sometimes it's a little easier if you allow a small sum - say the price of a candy bar - of "splurge" money in order to make it easier to pass up other temptations.

Dilute shampoo as well, particularly if you have children. They tend to play with it anyway. I was in my teens before I learned that it wasn't actually sold at the consistency of water.

Speaking of children, enlist them. They like to feel that they are helping, and sometimes they come up with surprising and useful ideas. They're also not usually blind to parental money tensions, which can be scary; feeling that they can help can make this less stressful for them, and they may surprise you with some good ideas.

Exercise portion control on expensive grocery items. Meat is pricey; starches are cheap. Casseroles and stews can let you take advantage of this by letting a small quantity of meat flavour the dish while the cheaper stuff fills people up.

Eschew prepared foods, as noted by others. They are not only more expensive than food you make yourself but are also almost inevitably higher in fat, salt, and sugar and lower in vitamins and fibre.

Don't use anything disposable that can be gotten in a non-disposable variety. Use real plates, not paper; use cloth napkins (which one typically uses for several days before washing when at home, thus making a very minor addition to laundry); use a dishcloth rather than a paper towel; use cloth diapers (better you than me); prepare to scour rather than lining every pan with foil. Convenience always comes at a price. (And cloth napkins, by the way, can be got at a Sam's club for something like six dollars the dozen).

It's no one's favorite taste, but powdered milk is often cheaper than fresh, and it's less perishable. One can also water fresh milk if one must, and orange juice.

Beware of false economy. As Ent and Miss Scarlett pointed out, it's not worth driving all over town to save fifty cents on milk, and there are some other bargains out there that are really not worth it. The pet food I buy costs about 150% of the cheap store brand's cost; the cats eat half of what they did when they were on the cheap stuff. Cheap clothing is often the worst sort of false bargain; if it's not made of a good quality fabric it won't wear well, so learn to recognize the signs. The same is true for shoes. Don't skimp on car maintenance, even if it means sacrificing other things; it can mean a year or more of extra time before you have to give it up. The same is true of your home, if you own it. Invest in upkeep.

Shanglan

 

[Guest]

Adding to Shanglan's ideas about "entertainment".

Get together with friends and start your own "lending library" of DVDs, CDs, books, books on tape -- my mother in law does a lot of long drives and has a large collection of books on tape/CD. These things are expensive, but she has other friends who use them and they exchange them around. It also can pay to build up a good relationship with a local used bookstore that gives trade in credit. Of course, the local library can be good if you are lucky, but not all libraries are equal, and sometimes return dates can be burdensome.

Right now, with energy costs so high, it pays to reduce energy costs. Check your home for "energy leaks" -- windows and doors that aren't sealed, clogged filters and air vents, lights that don't get turned off. It can pay to use timers for lights. Every month, replace one or two often used light bulbs with lower energy using kinds. Those are a little more expensive, but they last just as long (if not longer) and tend to put off less heat (which is important if you are running the A/C in the summer). They can also save you money over time. Contact your local electricity company or check their website for energy saving programs. Some offer advice about making your house more efficient or even have "home check-up" programs you can use.

A full freezer is cheaper to keep cold than a half-empty one, so pack your freezer smart. Put things you use often in the door or on the top shelf, and things you access less often on the bottom. Also, make sure you use good freezer bags and containers -- no point in cooking large batches or buying in bulk if you lose it all to freezer burn. You can usually wash and reuse freezer bags. Don't use foil to freeze. Get the air out of zipper seal bags, as that can lead to water build up and ruin food. If you invest in plastic containers, be careful about cleaning them so the lids don't warp. Most foods do not freeze well in their original wrappings, meat in particular. Portion bulk buys of vegies and frozen fruit, chicken breasts, etc, into smaller containers to reduce waste and make them easier to use. A bag of chicken breasts or fish fillets will be useless if you have to thaw them all to get a few loose to cook.

Make sure the coils on refrigerators and freezers are clean (they work more efficiently that way). In fact, check dust on all appliances, as it can create other problems. And clean out your dryer lint vent for more efficient drying and to prevent the dreaded dryer fire!

 

[AngelofDarkLust]

Make menus in advance, buy only what you need to cook that, then stick too it. Powdered milk for drinking is crappage... BUT it works pretty damn well in reciepies and keeps for quite some time.

I am a Good-Will/Salvation Army/any other type of thrift store fanatic.

Join a food co-op. A lot of them will let you "work off" part of your contribution.

Become a mystery shopper (at least then you get cool stuff you couldn't otherwise afford). Join a real life survey group. My sis does that. Actually goes down and tests products for people (new lotions, salad dressing, do you like the smell of this laundry soap kinda thing).

If I think of more I'll tell you.

 

[entitled]

Anotherenergy saver - If the temperature outside is comfortable, open windows. If it's a little cool at night, open them during the day while the temperature is comfortable. When it starts cooling down in the evening shut them and turn the heater on if necessary. If it's a little warm, open them at night and close them in the morning. We do that and don't have to turn on an air conditioner until daily highs reach the 90s.

 

[FallingToFly]

For those who have the time and are so inclined: This recipe makes roughly 8-11 loaves of good quality farm bread (of any variety that you prefer) which freezes well, has no preservatives, and is extremely cheep per loaf wise.

1 c. vegetable shortening (the solid, not oil)
1 c. water or milk
1 c. sugar.

Combine in a small saucepan and melt over low heat until sugar is dissolved and the shortening is all melted. turn off heat.

Mix 2 -3 tablespoons of active dry yeast (buy it in the jar, it saves you money) 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 - 1 c lukewarm water in a small bowl and set aside to work.

In a large (and I mean enormous) bowl or dutch oven, combine melted mixture with 1 quart of cool water. Add all-purpose flour of your choice (see below) and mix until it has the consistency of pancake batter. Add yeast mixture, and continue adding flour and stirring (stir only in one direction to avoid toughening the dough) until you have, well, bread dough. I usually flip mine out of the bowl onto a floured brown paper bag at this point, wash and grease the bowl, knead the dough until elastic, and roll it into a ball, returning it to the bowl, seamed side down.

Cover with a dish cloth and let rise until double. Punch down, recover, and let rise again for 2 hours. Turn out onto a floured surface, knead and divide into greased baking pans. While the oven is preheating, places pans on the stove, covered, to rise at least thirty minutes. Bake at 375-400 degrees (your oven may well be different than mine) for 30-40 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped with the fingertips.

You can do all sorts of things with this recipe. I make cinnamon rolls (1 stick of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, melted together and spread over a rolled rectangle of dough, then done up jelly roll style and sliced in 1-in thick sections.) and feta cheesebraid (3 sections of "snake" rolls, with feta cheese crumbles, garlic salt, parsley and minced dried onion kneading in before the division, then braided and baked on a cookies sheet) and garlic-butter braids (same as above, only using a stick of butter chopped into small pieces and garlic salt with parsley added in) and dinner rolls (basically roll a section of dough to about 1/2 thickness, then use a mason jar lid to cut them.) and a few other things with it.

For wheat bread, use wheat flour. For Honey wheat, add 1/2 c. of honey to the batch at the pancake batter stage, to make both white and wheat, you have to divide the dough after the yeast, but before you start adding the flour. I also make a type of bread that has ground flax (I buy mine at the feed store - .80/lb instead of 4.99/8 oz at the health food store) rolled oats, honey wheat base, and then we throw in whatever catches our fancy that day - last time it was buckewheat flour and sunflower seeds (all chopped up and roasted) and we substituted molasses for the honey and ended up with what I'm told greatly resembled black bread from the UK. All I know is that the kids ate so much of it they were nearly sick.

This is an all day affair. I usually start mine in the morning after the kids leave for school, and by the time they come home, I'm either pulling the first batch from the oven or putting the second batch in. If you're going to store this bread - freeze it. It doesn't do well out on the shelf, because it has no preservatives. I usually let my frozen loaves thaw about half way, wrap them in a dish towel, and put them in the oven (On a cookie sheet) on the lowest heat for about thirty minutes before time to serve dinner.

ETA: This usually takes about a bag and a half of flour (5 lb size) but I'm told that in different climates from Florida, it takes either more or less.

 

[entitled]

Homemade egg noodles! (thanks for the reminder, ftf) MUST use farm eggs, not the store bought. Basic recipe: dump about 4 cups of flour in the middle of a clean table. Add four or five eggs, squish it all together. The dough should be fairly stiff and dry, a little drier than bread dough. If it's too dry, add another egg. If it's too wet, add a little flour.

As soon as the dough is the right consistency, take out a handful and either put it through a noodle machine (one of those that both flattens the dough and cuts the noodles) or roll it really thin (whould be able to see the silhouette of your hand behind it if you pick it up). Then cut that sucker into noodles either by machine or hand. Spread them out to dry, making sure they're not clumped together. We always used to spread a clean flat sheet over the beds and fill them up.

Coming from a german heritage family that really likes a lot of the traditional pasta dishes, a couple of 10 pound bags of flour and a couple dozen eggs would make enough noodles to last at least 6 months. The can be bagged and frozen easily and will stay fresh that way.

 

[cricketbug]

Can I just say Ent, I your noodles...they's yummy!

off to go bake bread and make noodles now....

 

[entitled]

Can I just say Ent, I your noodles...they's yummy!

off to go bake bread and make noodles now....

i need to get Grandma's noodle machine next time i get out that way. She said i could have it, since she knows i'll use it. Then you'll HAVE to come visit, so we can make nooooooooooooooodles.

Saving tip: Hand wash and line dry your undergarments. They'll last months longer.

Buy shoes that can be resoled, instead of sneaker types. The cost of a few stitches at a shoe repair shop is MUCH less than the cost of a new pair of shoes.

 

[FallingToFly]

i need to get Grandma's noodle machine next time i get out that way. She said i could have it, since she knows i'll use it. Then you'll HAVE to come visit, so we can make nooooooooooooooodles.

Saving tip: Hand wash and line dry your undergarments. They'll last months longer.

Buy shoes that can be resoled, instead of sneaker types. The cost of a few stitches at a shoe repair shop is MUCH less than the cost of a new pair of shoes.

By the same token - I only buy the $3 plain canvas sneakers from Wal-mart. I have a black pair, a white pair, and a denim pair, they've lasted forever (which, considering where I work, is a miracle) and when they get dirty, I throw them in the washer and dryer with my blue jeans and they're good as new. My kids have also learned to be content with the plain, ordinary shoes from the discount stores, and not one of them is label-concious at their age...

Then again, it won't matter whether they hit that phase or not. I refuse to pay $40 on a pair of shoddily-made jeans or a shirt, when the plain, functional clothing works just as well. If they want fancy, they get a job and pay for it themselves, or learn to sew.

 

[cloudy]

By the same token - I only buy the $3 plain canvas sneakers from Wal-mart. I have a black pair, a white pair, and a denim pair, they've lasted forever (which, considering where I work, is a miracle) and when they get dirty, I throw them in the washer and dryer with my blue jeans and they're good as new. My kids have also learned to be content with the plain, ordinary shoes from the discount stores, and not one of them is label-concious at their age...

Then again, it won't matter whether they hit that phase or not. I refuse to pay $40 on a pair of shoddily-made jeans or a shirt, when the plain, functional clothing works just as well. If they want fancy, they get a job and pay for it themselves, or learn to sew.

However......

I run, and it's much more economical to pay for GOOD running shoes, than to pay for surgery later on.

 

[FallingToFly]

However......

I run, and it's much more economical to pay for GOOD running shoes, than to pay for surgery later on.

Fair enough... but do you pay $200 for good running shoes with a name brand, or $40 for a pair of good running shoes by a generic?

 

[cloudy]

Fair enough... but do you pay $200 for good running shoes with a name brand, or $40 for a pair of good running shoes by a generic?

I can usually get a really good pair of running shoes for around $100, and in this instance, it really does pay to get a name brand. Generic ones just don't hold up, and aren't made with the same quality of materials.

Athletic shoes, if you're actually using them for athletics, are worth paying the extra money for, but make sure you get them fitted by someone who knows what they're doing (if you don't). The wrong type, fitted poorly, etc., can cause horrible problems later on.

 

[FallingToFly]

I can usually get a really good pair of running shoes for around $100, and in this instance, it really does pay to get a name brand. Generic ones just don't hold up, and aren't made with the same quality of materials.

Athletic shoes, if you're actually using them for athletics, are worth paying the extra money for, but make sure you get them fitted by someone who knows what they're doing (if you don't). The wrong type, fitted poorly, etc., can cause horrible problems later on.

I'm the same way about my tack... I'll pay the full $175 for a well-made, well-fitted bridle that actually does FIT my horse's damn Arab head, but I consistently buy off-brand jeans and shoes and make my own tops. It's better in the long run - a well-fitted bridle and saddle (I love my Stubben) will keep my horse comfortable and willing, which translates into safety for myself and my kids, whereas one that irritates him is going to cost me more in the long run, in time, training, vet bills, and medical bills for the babies.

 

[entitled]

Instead of buying throw away feminine products every month, either make your own (thick pads of flannel sewn to shape work well) and wash them or get a product such as a moon cup or diva cup. They're little silicone thingies. Mine cost about $40 with cost of shipping, but i haven't had to buy another product since.

 

[Recidiva]

Instead of buying throw away feminine products every month, either make your own (thick pads of flannel sewn to shape work well) and wash them or get a product such as a moon cup or diva cup. They're little silicone thingies. Mine cost about $40 with cost of shipping, but i haven't had to buy another product since.

GladRags sells them, along with washable organic cotton pads, if you want some backup.