Moonbeam's Frugal Tips of the Day!!!!!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

1. When you get a sales ad from a grocery store, look at the very biggest pictured items at the top of the front page. The ones that are on sale REALLY cheap. Those are called "loss leaders" because they are priced so low the store is actually taking a loss on them. That's ok because most people who come in more than make up for that in their other purchases. Plan your meals around the loss leaders of your local stores.

2. Did you know Windex is nothing more than ammonia, water, and blue coloring? Yep. I bought a gallon of ammonia for 89 cents and made my own windex. One part ammonia to three or four parts water (depends on how strong you want it). It isn't blue, but it works the same. And a regular sized container of Windex goes for $3-4 nowdays!!!!! Make it yourself, by saving your windex spray bottle when it is empty and buying a huge thing of ammonia for cheap!

Got anymore frugal tips? Put them here! Let's help each other!

[charlyvi]

1. Wow Moonbeam_Starlight!

Are you sure your name's not Heloise? LOL

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

8. Heh pretty sure.

Husband and I were REALLY poor several years back and I discovered this woman:

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/allaroundtips/fr/TG.htm

http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC26/Dacyczyn.htm


She is the QUEEN of tightwaddery. She's black belt about it and does stuff I would never do.

But a lot of her tips saved us a LOT of money back when we were extrermely broke and I am going back to using them now.

Here's another good link:

http://www.tightwad.com/

[charlyvi]

12. Thanks M_S....

I may be out of a job soon and need all the help I can get--I'm trying to prepare for a period of unemployment.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

13. I think I should do a regular thread here to help

I have TONS of frugal tips. Like I said above, I've been there done that and it wasn't fun. When a coffee at a coffee shop is as luxurious of a purchase as pearls at Tiffany, it's pretty bad, and that's how bad it was for a few years. (We had just moved to a more expensive area and our jobs didn't pay as much as we were promised, it SUCKED! Plus the cost of moving ate us up....grrrr. But we got through it and learned how to be really black belt about our money.)

[charlyvi]

20. Good Idea.

Not being very practical by nature (I try, but it's hopeless), it helps if someone actually spells out concrete things to do.

[Hello_Kitty]

2. Beauty products.

Those expensive skin creams and makeup at the department store counters are made with the same indredients, often in the very same factories, as their lower priced counterparts at the drugstore. Don't waste 30 bucks for what is essentially mineral oil in a pretty jar when you can get the same results for six. Also, when you go to the hair salon, they will always try to talk you into hideously expensive hair products. Again, look for cheaper equivalents at your local drugstore or supermarket.

[madmax]

9. A cheap skin exfoliant

1/2 tsp. sugar mixed with cheap no brand cold cream. Gently scrub your face and rinse with cold water. Sugar has healing properties and the gentle exfoliating properties of the granules cleans your pores.

Learned this from a nurse.

Bake at 350 for 20 mins... j/k :evilgrin:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

11. Hmmmm

gonna have to write that one down, very good. Better than buying even my cheap exfoliant.

Thank you! I didn't know that one!

[FizzFuzz]

43. the very best skin exfoliant? Miracle Whip

yes, good old Miracle Whip!!

Rub a small amount on your face; let sit a minute or two...then rub. If the layer is too thick, wipe some off, you don't want your finders sliding around. Dead skin will come rolling off in crumbs/globs/peices I can't think of the right word to describe it! Your face will be surprisingly smoother and softer. I haven't tried it as a body rub but I don't see why it wouldn't work that way too.

Thanks Moonbeam, I like this thread. I'm gonna bookmark it so I can check back for tips!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

31. That is what I use!

Here's another variation for your lips. Mash one strawberry mix with sugar and rub on lips for 10 minutes. It tastes yummy and leaves them soft.

[freeplessinseattle]

32. and brush your lips with your toothbrush every other day to exfoliate!

works great!

salt is also a handy face scrub, I add a tad to my cleanser.

mmm, love the strawberry idea!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

10. Yep

Suave shampoo and conditioner ($1 each) allll the way. And our hair looks great.

I use Oil of Olay moisturizer with high SPF and it is fantastic. I even had a coupon for it (I am the Coupon Queen).

[DebJ]

14. coupons! My Sunday afternoon activity. I make the newspaper

pay for itself. But sheesh I hate the new trend in buy two of the item to get $1 off...used to be get 50 cents off one (all I can usually use) and then get the coupon doubled.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

17. Yes

they are really starting to get bad on the coupons, too, I noticed.

I buy a Sunday paper for $1.50 and get WAY more than that back in coupons, but I have noticed the trend towards having to make a bigger purchase than normal and I don't like it.

Plus the coupon inserts are starting to be filled more and more with crap I would never buy anyway.

AND my local stores stopped tripling up to 50 cents, then they stopped tripling altogether, then they stopped doubling them!!! Now it's just face value, which sucks, I used to REALLY get out of there with tons of groceries for cheap and not anymore.

One time I remember I got $120 worth of groceries for $80. I had so many coupons the register actually froze up and they had to use the key to continue with my coupons (I had one for almost everything I bought). The checker said she had never seen anyone get $40 off their groceries. Plus almost everything I bought was on sale, no full-priced items.

It rocked. Haven't been able to do that in a couple of years, though.

[DebJ]

33. I like the juxtaposition of coupons in the paper re low carb diets:

lots of pages loaded with low-carb products, interspersed with coupons for vitamins for low-carbers....obviously a healthy diet, if you read the vitamin coupons stuff, ha ha.

It's like the low carb diet creates yet another market, the vitamin market

[flygal]

42. I remember the Tightwad Gazette lady said to just used warm water

and wash cloth which works like an exfolliant. That's all I've used for the last 6 years. It works great for my skin. I'm 36 and got carded 3 times last year!!! :toast:

[BlueStateGirl]

44. I use witch hazel as a skin toner. It works great and at less than a

$1.00 a bottle you can't beat it.

It works best on oily/normal skin.

[new2004voterWV]

3. awesome

bit of info. Ammonia is also the main ingredient of jewelry cleaners. ya know, those sonic machines they sell for folks to put their jewelry in and get the crud out of thier earrings, and make the diamonds sparkly again? That's right, ammonia. (I worked for a jewler once, breifly.) so, don't pay top dollar for the sonic care liquid in the tiny 4 oz bottle.. buy some ammonia and water it down some. (PS- don't use it on pearls or opals!)

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

6. That's right

all they use is watered down ammonia (windex). And this poster is right, NEVER use that on porous stones!!

But yeah I only use my homemade windex on my diamond ring, or other jewelry.

[Hans Delbrook]

47. Or emeralds

Most emeralds are coated w/ oil or resin - ammonia will remove this and they'll have to be professionally ($$$$) restored.
I clean my diamonds in ammonia ll the time but the emeralds only in soap and water.

[freeplessinseattle]

4. great minds think alike! I love Heloise, etc!

here's my favorite site:

http://members.tripod.com/~Barefoot_Lass/

a few hints I've used:

use vinegar to clean stainless steel sinks and fixtures, cheap, amazingly efficient, and leaves things sparkling!

hydrogen peroxide is great for cleaning almost anything around the home, seriously, try it!

I use hydrogen peroxide mixed with about 2 parts water as a rinse after brushing my teeth, works better than the little bit included in the toothpaste and leaves me feeling extra clean!

one strange-sounding but true tip that works-for grease stains on laundry, use Cheez Whiz-seriously! I never could stomach the stuff, now I know why, it eats away at greases it's so full of something or other!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

5. Another one or two:

1. "Snowball" your debt. Did you just pay off a credit card or some other balance? Rather than spend that money you freed up (unless you need it to eat on!) take it and add that amount to another bill you pay each month. Then once you've paid that one off, add the amounts you were paying to the first two (now gone) debts to a third one. You "snowball" them that way and get them gone faster. Also, obviously, pay off the highest interest rate debts first, don't go by the monthly payment, but the rate of interest. Get those 23% interest rate debts gone first.

2. When you write a check for, say, $15.63, write that amount in your register, but subtract $16.00. Do this every time. The balance you show in your checkbook will be lower than your actual balance, thus you'll be saving just little bits of money without it hurting too badly and it adds up! When you go online or do phone banking, you will see your actual balance is higher. At the end of the month, shift that $10 or $20 or whatever to savings. It doesn't sound like much, but every little bit helps and it is virtually painless to do it that way.

3. If you start using coupons, find a store that doubles or triples them. Also do NOT use a coupon for something you wouldn't normally buy unless it's an extraordinary situation like it's on sale, plus you have a 50 cent coupon that got tripled so it was practically free. That's ok.

4. Speaking of free, if you do go to a store that doubles or triples coupons, you can actually do that. It's not unusual at all. I have bought many a box of cold cereal or instant oatmeal or boxed dinner that I got for free and sometimes PLUS 20 cents or so. How it works is, the item is already on sale, plus I have a coupon that is doubled or tripled. It's awesome. But some don't want to bother with coupons. That's fine, do what works for you.

[charlyvi]

7. That checkbook idea is great.....

I'm going to do it. Thanks! I'm trying to snowball the debt, but something keeps popping up--car repair, insurance, etc. But 2005 will be a better year--I know it!

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Moonbeam. Good thoughts, but here are some shortcuts.

Our country has seen leans times before so we can learn from the past. First, a little background. When I was in college (in the late 70s) there was a magazine called "Apartment Life." I use to love reading it because it basically gave you frugal tips on how to make your apartment look better. It was very creative. Then, in the early 80s, "Apartment Life" went upscale. According to them, their clientele had changed and were upwardly mobile. It became a furniture shopper's guide. The magazine was then called, "Metropolitan Life." For the entrepeneurs on this newsgroup, get back copies of "Apartment Life" and modernize them for today's new world. Looks like thin is in again.

In the same vein, there was a weekly that came out call the "Quality Consumer" also, another called "The Thrifty Shopper."

We're smart enough to understand that we're going through lean times, but we have been there before. Dig up the old periodicals so that we don't have to re-invent the wheel.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

19. Oh true

and there is TONS of information on the inernet too. Completely free.

http://www.tightwad.com/

Also, this is a great list of links from that site: http://www.tightwad.com/links.htm

That's too bad about those publications. But not surprising, eh?

[UrbScotty]

16. Turn off the monitor while typing a message on DU.

Then, turn your monitor back on and edit for spelling.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

18. Hee hee.

Actually you made me think of something else: we unplugged the chest freezer and the second fridge in the garage. We were only using them for a few things, so we didn't see the point of using up the electricity on them.

Plus I need to sell our old oven that's currently in the garage. It still works fine, but my husband bought one of those smooth top ovens a year ago.

I'm rambling, sorry.

[DebJ]

21. wish I had an extra freezer! I'm a buy one get one free freak...

and there is just not enough room in the regular fridge for me to buy all I could, getting half off everything we use the most.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

22. Damn

wish you weren't in Pennsylvania! I'd give you mine. It's a chest freezer, not an upright, but only five years old. We were hardly using it at all, found some scary stuff so frozen we hardly knew what it was.

Hey do you ever go to http://www.freecycle.org/ ???

They are yahoo mail groups in which local people post things they are giving away or things they need. The only catch is they HAVE to be free and they have to be local to you (thus the local group). I belong to the Dallas/Ft. Worth freecycle group, one of the biggest in the nation! Check them out!

Here are the Pennsylvania groups:

Pennsylvania
Alle-Kiski Area-187 members
Allegheny County-262 members
Allentown-933 members
Beaver County-253 members
Bethlehem-131 members
Boyertown-210 members
Bucks County-1910 members
Bucks County North-642 members
Butler County-303 members
Carbon County-216 members
Carlisle Area-159 members
Centre County-184 members
Chambersburg-169 members
Chester County-151 members
Clarion County-143 members
Columbia County-39 members
Coudersport-103 members
DuBois-186 members
East Suburbs of PGH-74 members
Easton-143 members
Elizabethtown-1 members
Erie-237 members
Franklin County-137 members
Hanover-299 members
Harrisburg-180 members
Hazleton-68 members
Hershey-583 members
Honesdale-107 members
Johnstown/Altoona-146 members
King of Prussia area-196 members
Lancaster-993 members
Laurel Highlands-124 members
Lawrence County-122 members
Lebanon-224 members
Lebanon County-127 members
Lower Bucks County-416 members
Macungie-297 members
Mercer County-270 members
Montgomery County-1406 members
Mt.Pleasant-Greensburg-Latrobe-281 members
North West Philly-227 members
Northumberland County-19 members
Philadelphia-3085 members
Pittsburgh-643 members
Pittston-60 members
Pocono Mountains-753 members
Pottstown-113 members
Pottsville-79 members
Reading-1596 members
Schuylkill County-368 members
Scranton-463 members
Slatington-80 members
Southern Chester County-463 members
Upper Dauphin-50 members
Warren County-111 members
Washington County-22 members
West Chester-65 members
Wilkes Barre-334 members
Wyomissing-92 members
York-1349 members

[DebJ]

34. cool, thanks! I'm in York...1349 is a nice large number!

[freeplessinseattle]

37. more free stuff!

to be found on craigslists-here's today's in Seattle-some good stuff, but it goes fast!
http://seattle.craigslist.org/zip/

[KarenS]

23. frugal eating,,,,

We stopped eating meat a year ago ~ big savings!!

enjoy & overindulge on the fruits/vegetables while they are 'in season'

When I see a sale on non-perishables or freezables I stock up!! I think if something 'big' happened we could eat for about 3 months on my food stash,,,,

I make my own 're-fried' beans,,,, a can of pinto beans, salsa, some spices/herbs, a little bit of butter & an old fashioned potato masher,,,, to save even more use dried pinto beans to start with.

plan the leftover usage ~ when I steam broccoli, I make enough for tomorrow night's meal as well ~ extra mashed potatoes can go in soup ~ the same with rice.

Thanks for starting this!! :bounce:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

25. Good tips

and furthermore, it takes far more resources (land, food, etc) to raise meat than to raise crops, so you are being kinder to everyone when you reduce or eliminate your meat consumption.

We think of meat as a condiment. I said that once to a rightwinger and he laughed his ass off, a truly delighted laugh. He never told me what was so funny about that.

Maybe he thought I said "condom." Who knows?

Anyway, thanks those are indeed good ones. I need to get back to doing such things.

[sendero]

24. Waste not want not..

.... is a adage I try to live by. The Windex idea is great - you'd be amazed at how many product you buy are, in price:

40% advertising
40% packaging
10% product
10% profit

I buy things in bulk whenever possible - even if the wife and I have to "repackage" them or whatever. Vinegar, ammonia, bleach and Simple Green will cover 90% of the cleaning products anyone needs.

We have a place in the country we go to on weekends. There is a meat market in the little town nearby, and meat costs 30% less than in Dallas and is much better in quality. We buy a bunch and freeze it.

Those little flourescent replacement bulbs have gotten really cheap, they are a no-brainer put them anywhere you don't have a dimmer.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

26. Hey I'm in Dallas too!

You reminded me when we were on our road trip this summer, we were in Colorado and saw a butcher shop. The sign read (no kidding):

"Christian Butchers--Holy Cow!"

Then there was that fish symbol.

We laughed so hard.

[The empressof all]

27. Freecycle

Check out your local Freecycle at Freecycle.org Not only can you recycle that stuff you don't know what to do with there is often a ton of stuff you can get free from others. (The trick is to only take what you really need)

http://freecycle.org/

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

28. Yep

I posted a link to freecycle above. I belong to the DFW group and a lot of time I read the stuff and think "eh" but sometimes there are things put up (ALWAYS for free) that we really need and so I contact them right away.

We got a large fish tank with equipment for our daughter that way! All we paid for was the fish and food and chemicals, etc. No buying a tank! That rocked.

[Shoeempress]

29. Don't forget white vinegar. Cleans the coffee maker, put in the laundry

when you wash something dark for the 1st time, it sets the dye. I also add it to almost all the laundry I do, it makes it smell fresher. (because of my allergies I can't use scented soaps or softeners.) Mixed with water about 50/50, cleans wood floors and won't damage the finish, cleans pet stains and helps prevent them from re-soiling. But don't use it if you have a stain on clothes as it will set the stain.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

30. Another use for white vinegar

if your garbage disposal or other sink drain is a bit stinky, put baking soda down it, then follow with some white vinegar. It will bubble and foam (fun for kids to watch--cheap entertainment) and then run HOT HOT water and your sink will smell clean and fresh and it's cheap!

Also an old lemon, cut up, will do the trick, just not as well.

White vinegar rocks. I always buy LARGE store brand containers of that and baking soda.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

35. Vinegar is also great for removing scale in the bathroom

Use it like you would CLR or Lime-away. It does a great job on shower door, tile etc. I use the pickling grade as it has a higher acid content for cleaning.

[sendero]

39. And let's not forget....

.... that it works well in place of bleach as a whitening agent in the washing machine.

Not that it is all that much cheaper than bleach, but it puts less wear and tear on your clothes :)

[nine23]

36. I have absolutely nothing to offer here.

I just love the name "Moonbeam Starlight". It get's me feeling "randy".

I'm a child of the 70's.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

48. Well THAT'S a totally unexpected side effect of my screen name

I never anticipated!

LMAO! I was born in 1970, maybe that's why I chose it.

No but seriously, maybe I shouldn't tell you why I chose it. It would totally "ruin it for you."

So I won't.

LOL. Your post completely cracked me up.

Imagine me with really long, all one length hair, parted in the middle, dewy skin and highly glossed lips, ok?

And a flower in my hair.

;)

[Lars39]

38. Recipe for "Spray n Wash"........

Let me preface this by saying I have been using this recipe 4 yrs.
I have NOT tested this on baby formula.
If you have a stain that you treat, check to see if it came out before putting the garment in the dryer.
When in doubt, let the garment air dry.
I have rarely had to treat a garment more than once.

DO NOT USE WITH BLEACH

These amounts just fill an old "Spray n Wash" bottle:
Add in this order(funnel comes in handy):

3/4 cup ammonia
3/4 cup Whisk Detergent
3/4 cup white vinegar

Other laundry tips:

Cut your dryer sheets in half. You only need half a sheet for a small/medium load.
Re-use your dryer sheets at least once.

This method especially works if you keep up with your laundry every day or so:
If you have the room and have floor vents, you can get wooden dryer racks and save a bundle. I have three. I can run the towels/clothes thru the washing machine, hang the towels, socks and underwear on the racks, hang up everything else that can be hung up.

Some dress clothes will have to be run through the dryer to look right, though. You'll just have to figure out what works best for you time-wise and clothes-wise.

I saved $50/month when I went without a dryer, and also felt that I was saving time, by not being attached to the dryer's buzzer/schedule.
Lars

[Shoeempress]

40. And air drying adds moisture to the air in winter.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

49. Wow great tips!

I am going to make up some of that spray and wash, fantastic!!!!

I really need to start air drying things that I can air dry instead of using the dryer for everything. It's hard on your clothes, too. I've got a great clothes rack and room for it, I just never use it. Thanks for the kick in the seat of the pants!

[flygal]

41. My husband used to make us put a bucket in the shower...

to catch the colder water while it was warming up. Then we'd use the water to flush the toilet and water plants. I can't believe we're still married!

But, he does make really good homemade pizza! I love my little tightwad ;)

[Zookeeper]

45. My tip is seasonal...

and here in the great, white north it's the wrong season. But, in the summer my family makes a couple of trips out to strawberry, raspberry and blueberry pick-your-own farms and we buy 20lbs (or more) or fruit to freeze and use all winter. The produce is tastier and so much less expensive than buying it shipped in during the winter.

We also are supporting small, local businesses and cutting down on cross country transportation costs. It makes a nice outing, as many of the farms have a spot for a picnic.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

50. Mmmmm

frozen fresh berries......drooling on keyboard now......

[Mizmoon]

46. Cheap meal at work

I do this one at work. Get the largest container you can of inexpensive instant oatmeal (I get the store brand), a bag of powdered sugar, and dry milk.

Take a plastic bag and put in about two cups of oatmeal, three or four tablespoons of powdered sugar, and a generous helping (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup) of dry milk. If you like cinnamon, raisins, or other things you can add them too. Shake the bag up until the contents are well mixed.

Bring the bag to work and all you need is hot water, a cup, and a spoon and you can have healthy, inexpensive instant oatmeal anytime. Helps save you from buying snacks if you get hungry.

Dry milk is also great for milk intensive recipes like jello pudding. You can make your own milk cheap with the dry milk. I also use it for mac & cheese, things like that. In fact, a little extra dry milk in mac&cheese makes it taste even better in my opinion.

If you're really short on cash, you can use dry milk for all your milk needs. It's very nutritious. Just make sure you make it in a glass container or it tastes funny.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

51. Yep the woman

who writes the Tightwad Gazette ONLY uses dry milk, even to drink. I can't go quite that far, but you are right, it is a very overlooked, inexpensive help in recipes.