hperttula123

I am learning to be more frugal as time goes on. I do make my own laundry soap and cleaners. I bulk shop only buying milk and anything we run out of as we need it. We cut down on meat and we do eat alot healthier. You pay a little more for the food, but it takes less to fill you and your health is very important. Oatmeal is mostly what we eat here for breakfast. I will do 4-5 batches of waffles/pancakes at a time and freeze them so the kids always can have a quick easy breakfast that they just throw in the toaster oven. I don't buy lots of juice like I used to(water and tea are great). Make big meals....leftovers freeze easy too. I'm looking into making my own paper towels out of cloth and they snap to each other.

Judy McCrary

If you have a Dollar General nearby, you can get some good deals. Once a month I go to the Dollar General website where I print off a $5.00 coupon and use as many coupons from the paper also and get all my washing supplies, soap, bathroom tissue, etc. I also look for fabric that I can use when I go to thrift shops, salvation army, or goodwill stores. For shaving lather use the cheap brand of hair conditioner which is much cheaper than shaving lather. Baking soda and vinegar for cleaning, much cheaper than store bought cleaners. Zip lock bags can be washed and reused, also aluminum foil, if not too messy, can be washed and reused. Leftovers accumulated over a few days can be combined to make a great pot of soup. Will be looking forward to more ideas from everyone.

Judy McCrary

Glad to hear that idea about using the fabric softener sheets for cleaning bugs off the front of the car. Never heard that before. I do use a fabric softener sheet to put my sewing needle in while not using it, so that it goes through the fabic more easily when sewing.

TanyaL

Being frugal reminds me of a saying my grandmother used to have "A woman can dish out more with a teaspoon than a man can bring home in a bucket." She had been born 3 years after the Civil War ended and had lived through several depressions, recessions, and change of fortunes. She had wonderful stories to tell. However, I think that today no matter how frugal we are in small things like zip lock bags and paper towels, etc. we save the most when we can find ways to knock a $100 off a utility bill here and there or reduce our gasoline intake in the old tank per month.

QultingaddictUK

They are also great for cleaning the sole-plate of your iron.

TanyaL

I just read a report that an average family health insurance cost per year is now just over $15,000. Obama care made health insurance mandatory for everyone and in most states health exchange programs will help to pay for some of the health insurance premium cost, however there has surfaced a large number of income classifications that will NOT qualify for any help with the cost of premiums. The report I read said that Congress is trying to help with that by making it so that these families are not charged with breaking the law by not having health insurance if they cannot pay the $15,000 plus for premiums. We aren't in that category, but our health insurance premiums have just increased by over $2400 for the year and our benefits have taken a drastic drop. My husband has failing kidneys and 3 other diseases. What are others doing to help with these expenses this year? This is a bad hit to our budget!

mudose8

I made corn microwave bags for Christmas gifts for family and use them every day for hubby and myself. Just pop them in the microwave for about 2 minutes, they are so warm. Also use the heating pad.

Krystyna

I just thought of a couple of other ideas that might be useful. Use Freecycle. There are Freecycles in almost every area of the country. All you need to do is post a request or look through the offers. I am involved with a little group that makes crocheted and knitted things for charity and they were looking for a way to get inexpensive yarn. I mentioned Freecycle and they got tons of it right away.

Also visit estate sales and garage sales at the end of the day. They would rather take $1 than throw the item into the trash.

AUQuilter

*One tip I forgot is for those who don't have dental insurance or a plan that doesn't pay well for some procedures. If you live near a dental school(DDS/DMDprogram) or advanced dental program- http://www.ada.org/267.aspx then, give that school a call and ask them about getting dental care done there and their costs (most of the time at a reduced rate). You will be seeing a dental student or resident but heavily supervised by dentists or dental specialists like endodontist/periodontist/prosthodontist- it is a hands on teaching program. * As far as the Affordable Health Care Act , we will see a lot of increased costs and cuts to services. It is just supply and demand- more demand with less supply of physicians. We will see a lot more PAs and nurse practitioners instead of doctors. If you are still working, check out your W-2 in box 12- it is not part of your taxable income. It tells you how much your employer pays for your health insurance coverage. The amount we see this year is $5,000 more than last year- huge increase for 2 covered persons with the exact same insurance coverage. * Last tip - eat eggs- they are cheap protein, we enjoy egg white omelets (I throw in leftover spinach, diced meats with a little cheese-feta, cheddar, or that cheese that got a little hard because DH didn't seal it just right) for breakfast and dinners. So keep the tips coming as we need to find ways to cut costs across our household budgets.

miriam

I have had the best dental work at the dental school - no short cuts - it does take longer