Frugal Tips

[Prudence]

Woohoo!! What a great forum -- especially for a site like this because you ~know~ diaperswappin' CD Moms are always thinking about stuff like this...if we save money in other areas, then we can spend more on diapers.

So what are some of your best frugal tips?

What are some of the ways you try to save money around your home?

[beanmama]

Just noticed this forum, great addition!

[mrsbehaven007]

haha.. a new place to hang out .. sweet..lol.. sorry .. I just seen this on new posts.. haha.... never knew this was here

[Manna00]

I just saw it too... I'm ALL about being thrifty/frugal and yes, you can even call me cheap...

[Prudence]

Okay...here's what I'm working on right now:

1. Turning our thermostat down. It is still winter here in Vermont so I'm trying very hard to put on a sweater instead of running the heat all the time.

2. In the summer I'm hoping to run the AC less...we'll see how that turns out.

3. Cloth Diapering (of course) but I'm trying to ~use what I already have~ instead of buying more and more fluff.

4. Staying Out of the Stores. I've found if I don't know it is there, I don't want it. So I'm making a concentrated effort to spend less time shopping. Especially at Costco. Costco is a minefield for me -- I run in for a loaf of bread, come out with $150 food processor. Must stay away from Costco.

5. And Target. Target is dangerous for me.

6. Going to the library more. Checking out DVDs instead of renting them.

I'll think of more...that is just off the top of my head.

[kht2006]

stayin' home seems to help
garage sales for baby items
resell the baby stuff when we're done with it (a good idea in theory..haven't done this yet)
eat at home
drink coffee at home
karen

[DEmomof2]

This is such a great thread! (and forum)

I reuse pretzel barrels to store toys instead of buying new containers.

I also stay away from stores.....I spend WAY less money that way!

Our thermostat is at 62 degrees (yes, it's still winter here!). It does get cold but we just layer up....it has cut our energy bill a lot!!

I try to not go grocery shopping for as long as possible. I had a freezer FULL of stuff and a pantry overflowing and we weren't using it. So I started to use up our stash before buying any more food (aside from the staples). It worked pretty well and our freezer is just about ready to be restocked!

[4chixmama]

We had a rate freeze go off our electric this year, & bills went up over 200%, so my biggest effort has been towards that. I don't use my furnace, we have a Rohn wood stove & dh gets the wood for free by clearing lots. We also weatherproofed all the windows & doors we don't use. I switched to all compact florescent bulbs, don't use the dryer if at all possible. ( I have a line inside & one outside).I am constantly reminding the kids to turn off lights & TV if they aren't in the room. I make my own laundry detegent & all my cleaners. Cook from scratch most of the time. We used to go out to eat about twice a weekend, now once at most. I buy extra canned goods & non perishables every time I go to the store so I can build up a pantry & then only buy when things are on sale. Aldis is great if you have one. Some things I don't like from there, but most are ok. I've noticed a lot of LDS ladies on here, there is a LDS website that is a great resource for building a pantry & stockpiling food. I get a lot of clothes from thrift stores or garage sales in nice neighborhoods.

[janendragon]

Originally Posted by kht2006 resell the baby stuff when we're done with it (a good idea in theory..haven't done this yet)

this isnt as good as you think. For cd's it is, but for general clothes, if you plan to have more, keep most of your stuff, resale on kids clothes it redicioulsly low, so just keep them in storage for the next kid. Some clothes can last 5 kids! (some of the clothes I have, were used by 4 other kids before ds, and they are still in good condition for the next)

[deb]

I actually do well reselling my baby equipment here and I'll explain why... We have a Mattel Warehouse just down the road from us that has a toy store. Every month they have coupons, and one week out of the month they have a 50% off one regular priced item of your choice. When I was preggo with my daughter, I took full advantage of this, and bought all her Fisher Price equipment (Jumperoo, Swing, High Chair, etc) from the store at half price. So far I have sold a couple of things in yard sales, and was able to get back what I paid for it. I did sell one for $5 less than what I paid, but everything else I have been able to get back what I spent. I still use these coupons when they come out. For Christmas I was able to get my son the Kid Tough FP3 player and the Digital Camera for half price. (otherwise he would've only got one of them) Can't beat that!