Ziploc money saving tips

If you sign up for Ziploc right at home newsletter you will get money saving tips, great recipes and special offers. Here are a highlight of some tips shared on their forums Storing leftover pizza Use a Ziploc® Brand Big Bag for storing leftover pizza. It’s the perfect size! Ready-to-make pancakes Prep pancakes the night before and store the batter in a Ziploc® Brand Twist 'n Loc® Container. Then all you have to do in the morning is get the griddle hot! Creating 100-calorie snack packs To help with portion control, use Ziploc® Brand Containers to make several 100-calorie snack packs at one time. Keep these snack packs in the pantry or fridge so they're easily accessible.

Driving a million miles

We only have 106k miles on our 1996 Dodge Caravan so I was completely in awe when I read about the Million Mile Truck

Frank Oresnik of Catawba made national news when his 1991 Silverado was about 1,200 miles short of the milestone. He reached it last Friday near Fond du Lac. Chevy’s public relations and advertising people filmed the occasion. He credits regular maintenance for the truck’s long life. It’s had about 300 oil changes between business trips.

I would have to say Frank's middle name is frugal! Most people would give up or need to trade-up. Many people who are Car rich cash poor could take a lesson on how Frank is spending his money.

My no heat challenge

It feels even funny talking about putting on the heat as it will be in the 80s here in New England. I do challenge myself to keep off the heat until November 1st.

Two years ago as of October 21st I didn't turn the heat on, unfortunately I didn't track the exact date. Last year it was October 26th. Pretty good I would say!

Once it gets a little colder around here, we will start to wear warm clothes around the house plus socks and of course there will be extra blankets on the bed.

Home made cheese sticks

My kids love cheesesticks and they are quite expensive from the store. I saw this tip on Dollar Stretcher and tried it out this morning. The cheese sticks were a success (ie kids eating them up) using my french fry cutter


I love cheese, so we buy it in bulk. We received a French fry
cutter for our wedding. I trim a section of cheese so that it
will fit the fry cutter and use it to make cheese sticks. They
make great portable snacks and you don't have to buy the
expensive individually wrapped ones from the store!
Ashley D. in Maxwell, TX

20 Frugal Gift Ideas Under $5

You want to give something but the occasion says it shouldn't be too much. Or the whole family is getting together to celebrate a birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas and that means 45 presents. You want to give something to every one in your class. Or your budget will soon reach the red ink stage.

What should you do? Here you'll find ideas for items that cost less than $5, but each gift can still have special meaning.

1. A swimmer can always use a new set of ear plugs.

2. Someone who works nights will love a new night shades for sleeping.

3. If your grandma travels, get her small travel bottles of lotion, hairspray and deodorant.

4. Everyone can use a new lint remover mitt.

5. A luxury item is sachet bags to hang in closets or place in drawers.

6. A coffee mug with their name or a picture that represents something about the recipient.

7. Most women will appreciate a bottle of bubble bath.

8. Any woman will love mini tote bags to hold and organize items in their purse.

9. A coin purse will be easier to find in a purse and fit easily in a man's pocket.

10. Everyone goes shopping. Get them shopping pads to hang on the refrigerator door.

11. Get padded velvet or satin coat hangers. They come in pretty colors.

12. Find a key chain that represents the recipient's hobby.

13. Jigsaw puzzles will help fill the hours for your stay at home grandmother.

14. Wind chimes will add a cheerful note on almost any day.

15. Everyone has items they keep. Give them decorative boxes to organize them.

16. Decorative baskets hold and organize things throughout the house.

17. Get a special perfumed bar of soap.

18. Anyone who travels will love a fold up travel toothbrush.

19. Bath oils will soothe her skin.

20. Coffee lovers will appreciate small bags of flavored coffee.

Wash, rinse, repeat isn't frugal

Where do you think those "wash, rinse and repeat" directions on the shampoo bottle came from? The manufacturer they want you to use more and more. The more you use the more you buy

I've found that I can cut the cost of certain items by as much as half by just using less. Beauty and cleaning products seem to lend themselves to this especially well. I have even added water in the end especially on the shampoo and it still works fine!

Here are things that I have cut in either half or by a third and have not noticed a change

Shampoo
Hair Conditioner
Toothpaste
dishwasher soap
laundry detergent


So use less and watch your dollars save up!

5 simple ways to reduce your energy bill

Some old, some new tips for saving energy in your house from Consumer Reports

1) Use your washer's cold water setting. 90 percent of the energy you use to wash a load of clothes goes toward heating the water.

Check we do this

2) Use the microwave instead of a conventional oven. A conventional oven uses 5 times more energy.

I do to do this more often. I use my crockpot alot

3) Lose the loaded roof rack on your car or SUV. Doing so can cut fuel efficiency by 5-15 percent.

No roof rack here

4) Use the dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes. It could save up to 20 gallons of heated water per day.

Check this is an easy one for me

5) Let your computer sleep. Allowing your computer to go into a sleep mode when it is idle could reduce your electricity usage by up to 40 percent. You can do this by clicking opening your "Control Panel" and selecting the "Power Settings" option.


This is a new tip to me. I will have to start doing it

5 simple tips for the college graduate

Most colleges have already graduated the last few weeks, but many recent graduates are deciding what to do. Do they have a job? Will they need to go and live with their parents again. They might burn a "hole in their pocket" with all of the extra money.

Here are some tips from BankRate on how to maintain a frugal lifestyle.

1. Create an emergency fund

My mother alwasy stressed having a rainy day fund. Ir may take longer than expected to find a job or your car may break down. Ideally, you want 3-6 months of living expenses out. Take some of the graduation gift money and put it away.


2. Be thrifty.
Dressing for a first job can be pricey. Be sure to check out the career-wear bargains available at thrift stores. You don't need to shop at Macy's or other high end stores. Marshalls, TJ Maxx all have good career appareal.

3. Watch those cell phone bills.
The suggestion is to get a Prepaid phone because you are more aware of the costs. If you are going to have high-speed internet considering getting VOIP then you won't be using the cell phone as much at home.

4. Learn to cook.
Eating out can ruin anyone's budget. Strive to pack your lunch a few days a week for work. Keep some cans of Progresso soup in your desk. Do potluck dinners with your friends instead of going out to eat. They can be very fun.


5. Join your company's 401(k) plan.
Join the day you can. Saving money for your retirement in your early 20s is a big part of having a good retirement nestegg. Many companies fully or partially match their employees' contributions. Most employers let you sign on as soon as an initial probationary period ends. Setting aside 10 percent to 15 percent of each paycheck toward retirement is a good goal. If you can't do that, atleast do the company match.

So do some frugal tips make you want to gag?

We all know some money saving tips out there are especially crazy. The Tightwad Gazette is the bible of most frugal folks out there. Some ideas are a little gross. Jana Thompson praticially gagged on this one.

I believe one columnist had a reader who suggested collecting all the mostly used-up bars of soap in the house, wadding them into a ball and tying them in the amputated foot from an old pair of nylons. Run the “package” under water, and voilà, it’s bath time! Loofah away. I’m going to throw up now. OK, I’m back. Yikes, lady! Just pop for another bar of soap.

That one is just plain old gross.

Here is a better tip for using old soap.
Don't throw away bar soap that dissolves into those little pieces. Save them and add water, then slowly melt them down on the stove and use as liquid soap. Or melt them down without water and pour into greased jar lids or anything you want to use for the a mold and you have new bars of soap!


Another tip that one reader sent me was to use a tissue as toilet paper later on. Yikes! Sheryl Crowe might like that one, but never in my household.


One that I don't find too bad is reusing the the small plastic baggies or the gallon size ones. Unless I am putting in produce or meat, I like to reuse them. My husband thinks I am nuts.

Any tips out there that you said No way! That's gross or just plain old disgusting.

Lazy and frugal weekend

I love long weeeknds especially like the one we are having. Nice weather, nothing to do but sit and relax. The next few weekends will be hectic as we got graduations, christenings and cub scout fishing derbies going on!!

I shouldn't say lazy because I did have a couple of errands to do yesterday. And my car didn't pass it's annual inspection. Now I got to figure what that is all about now.

It was warm yesterday so the boys were able to go swimming in the pool for a few hours. Hubby and I watched a few movies last night that we rented from Netflix.

Dinner was some homemade pizza. The oldest went to sleepover at his friends house.

Today is more of the same. We are planning to grill some steaks and tomorrow will be some turkey burgers.

Yard Sale Tips What to buy there

If you are going to check out the local yard sales, here are some tips:

1. Make a plan for yard sales. Many people advertise the classifieds of the local newspaper but a lot of people will just put up signs, post a flyers place a free classified ad on a local community website etc. See what they are advertising! You do not want to waste your time or gas going to a yard sale that might not have anything that interests you. Craigslist is also place where people are advertising their yard sales as well. If you are looking for kid stuff, going to the yard sale of an elderly couple who is looking to downsize might not be your best bet! Use www.mapquest.com to make a map if you are not familiar with the location.

Check out group yard sales. My local twin group runs a few each year to help clear out their extra from their resale shop. Tons and tons of stuff!

2. Baby products are a huge market. However, these products are soon disposed of after being used. Why not save some money and get your baby products at huge discounts at your local yard sales. When buying baby furniture, make sure it meets current safety standards. Yard sales often have many used cribs, rocking chairs, and other baby needs that will save you over 50%. Baby clothing is also a good deal at yard sales.

3. Find clothing for your older children. There are some great deals out there. Try to buy a season ahead. Learn your brand names on them as well and you can tell the quality.

4. If you are a huge reader, pick up some books at the garage sale. Many sellers sell books for quarters or less. If you sell books, on ebay or half sometimes you will get some great deals.

5. Use the yard sales for Christmas shopping! You can save big money and look for toys at a great discount. Make sure all pieces are there. Kids get tired of games and toys so great deals are to be found.

6. Craft supplies. Many people start craft projects and never finish them. You can find all sorts of brand new supplies at yard sales for pennies on the dollar. Everything from paints to scrap booking to yarn. Mighty Bargain Hunter got a super deal on scrapbooking stuff from a former scrapbooking consultant. My local scrapbook store also organizes a scrapbooking yard sale where you can find parts of kits, etc.

7. Home decorating stuff. My mother has some wonderful finds over the years that we teased her about. We have a beautiful clock that she bought 20 years ago from a yard sale. Picture frames, small tables that might need some tender loving care but overall still in good condition. You can tend to pick up this stuff when they stress that it is a moving sale at bargain prices.

Whether you are the seller or the buyer at a yard sale, there are great deals to be found. Enjoy your yard sale experience!

How to sell books using ebay and online auctions Books Using simplified the whole eBay process for me. There seems to be so much to learn and to remember about using eBay effectively and your book took some of the guesswork and uncertainty away. Learn how to make a profit selling your books on ebay (and half.com)

Frugal gardening and lawn tips

I love to garden especially vegetables. Nothing like some fresh tomatoes off the vine. Keep the flower beds and lawn looking good can take time and money.

Here are some tips for keeping a frugal garden:

Do it yourself

The most obvious way to save money is not to hire a landscaper to mow the lawn, mulch and weed the grass. If you do need someone to mow your lawn, see if you can hire an individual vs a landscaping company. Gardening is good exercise as well as mowing the lawn so maybe turn off the TV for a few hours a week.

Leave the grass clipping on the lawn
When you are mowing leave the bag off and the grass clipping go right on the grass. Bottom line you can use less fertilizer and weed killer plus they make your lawn look nicer.

Use homemade weed killer
Use boiling water or vinager to kill the weeds. A lot cheaper than the commerical weed killers on the market.

Compost
Creating a rich soil can be as simple as mixing in some fallen leaves that you've let sit in a trash bag over the winter with some ventilation holes cut in it. Mix the leaf debris into your soil for spring planting. Things like coffee grounds and egg shells can be thrown in as well.

Use what you got
You can use old garlic cloves or potatos-plant them the garden to see if they will grow.

Grow a salad
Salad greens are so expensive. Growing different types of lettuce for variety can help decrease your overall produce bill.

Hanging solar lamps for outside

Elisha wanted to share a frugal idea on the Solar Lamps! I haven't seen these at my local hardware store, but hopefully they are available in your area!

There was a recent tip in the Dollar Stretcher newsletter about using a
solar yard lamp during a thunderstorm. I can take that one step further.

When I lived with two roommates, we had little extra spending money. We
were always looking for ways to save a buck or two. Electricity was one
area where we thought we had done enough, but we were wrong!

During a trip to a local hardware store to pick up some nails, we
noticed that there were TWO types of solar yard lamps available- fixed
(on a spike or stake), or hanging (from a hook, sometimes connected to a
stake). We saw that it was only $20 for a three-pack of solar lamps
(I've since seen four packs for the same price, on sale). We bought two
packs of them and six of those pretty plant hangers that people
sometimes use for their hanging plants (the ones that look like pretty
shelf brackets, but with hooks).

When we got home, we mounted the plant hangers over or next to four
windows in our house & put the solar lamps on them. Then, we hung the
other two on the house, next to the front and back doors. In the late
afternoon or early evening, we would open up the blinds to allow the
sunlight to "charge" the indoor lights. The outdoor lights took care of
themselves. At night, we had free household lighting that would last
until sunrise if we'd charged them long enough! We kept a piece of nice
material in rooms that we needed to sleep in, in order to cover the
lights when it was time to go to sleep.

The day after we started doing this, we had a neighbor call us to let us
know that we'd left both our porch lights on overnight. We asked if it
had disturbed her.

"No," she said, "I was just worried about your electric bill. Actually,
I felt safer when I came home from work and they were on, because I
could see to put my key into the lock!"
"Well," said my roommate, "You'll feel safer EVERY night then, because
we're leaving them on from now on- in fact, we CAN'T turn them off!
They're SOLAR lamps & the power is FREE!"


I hope that this tip is useful to all of you & to your readers.

Thanks,
Elisha

Healthy eating on a budget- Part 2

Frozen dinners, Hamburger helper are staples of many households now these days. Convieience food isn't always good for the waist line as well your food budget

Here are some tips for Cooking From Scratch or atleast not from a a box!

1. Use your freezer! Sometimes you will hear this called Freezer cooking, once a month cooking. Otherwords cooking multiple entrees in a single session banks home-cooked meals--and precious family time--for busy moms. I don't do "once a month cooking" but more bulk cooking. If I am going to make a lasganna, I make two. The same with meatloaf. Friendly Freezer is a great resource to see what freezes well, get menu suggestions etc.

2. Use a crockpot! I use my crockpot atleast once a week. Nothing is easier than throwing in some chicken, sauce and some veggies for a great filling dinner.

3. Be creative Homemade hamburger helper mixes are a great way to make a good filling meal.

Make sure you add veggies to every meal!

Frugal meal planning Jan 14th

Here are our frugal dinner plans this week:

Sunday pizza, snack type for the Big Patriots Game today!!

Monday Steak, baked potatos, veggies

Tues Chili

Wed Dinner over moms

Thurs Chicken nuggest, french fries

Fri Chicken, rice,

Sat 40th birthday party