The I Am Cheap thread

sweepyhead

sweepyhead

Member
What little things do you do to save money? Little things add up to a lot.

Lately I began a new practice of filling my bathroom sink about 1/4 of the way with warm water when I want to wash my face. I then shut off the spigot, wash up then drain the water. Then I turn the cold water on to rinse my face and fill the sink again (there will be hot water left in the pipe because you were just using it). When it turns cold, I shut it off. This saves on hot water heating.

Is that cheap enough for ya? :sunny: What you got?
 
our 401k at work lets us choose to save more every year, so I would elect to have 1-2 % taken out every year automatically so I am forced to live on what ever the new paycheck level is every year :sunny: but that is a good thing! and I have to save no choice, which is a good choice :laughing: :cheers:
 
We pretty much don't drive our pick-up anymore. At 7 miles to the gallon, it was costing us a fortune. When I can, I take hubby to work and pick him up when he gets back for the day.

I also combine my errands with my mother's so we can go together and only burn gas in one car. And, if I have to go anywhere for work or pleasure, I try to line up any errands I need to do near that location so I can get them done. A gallon here and a gallon there adds up fast.

We also pretty much stopped eating out. I can feed us for 4 days on what one meal out costs. Really made me think when I figured that out.

I also enter sweeps. I haven't paid for Christmas in 3 years now. The gift cards I have won throughout the year takes care of it for me! :headbang: That's huge!

Now, if they would come out with a hybrid tractor/trailer, I would be on easy street. The cost of fuel for the rigs is really hurting hubby's business.
 
Ohhhh, my type of thread! I have posted somewhere else things that I do to cut corners and save. Being on a very tight budget, you have to learn!

I only buy liquid laundry soap, I put the bottles in a corner when finished and then cut the bottoms out later on. I usually end up with 1-2 more loads of laundry.

I love good quality dish soap but, I use it so much. This past week I needed a new bottle and instead of buying some good soap I bought AJAX dish soap yet once again. For a reg. size bottle of the other it is close to $3 and I found a HUGE bottle of AJAX soap for $2.97 at walmart that should last me at least a month or so.

Toilet paper, I love soft toilet paper but, you use it up so quick that it winds up costing a lot in the end. I have been using scott tissue lately, lasts a long time.

I re-use grocery bags for my bathroom trash or cleaning up bedrooms.

I buy pick 5's at the grocery store for $19.99. You choose between meats, lunch meats and various frozen items. I look for the biggest packs of meat on the deal and then separate them into 2-3 meals.

I use coupons when I have them. I went grocery shopping a few days ago to discover ALL of my coupons are expired. Time to stock up again somehow! We don't have double coupons here but, the coupons still help and add up. I don't buy something just because, I have a coupon unless I know it will be used. I try to shop on sale and price match.

I shop clearance racks, you never know what you will find. If we had more thrift stores and yard sales I would shop there also. I buy clothing on sale or clearance. I do not buy high end clothes or shoes, it's a waste of money especially for kids since they grow so fast.

I am a re-gifter. There, I said it. If I cannot use something I will put it up to gift to someone else. I also save some of my wins through the year for gifts. I also sell some of my wins to buy things we may need at the time, help hubby pay bills, etc.

I don't buy music online to fill up my ipod. I upload from CD's as I have a decent sized collection through the years.

I check DVD bins at pawn shops ($3) and stores for cheap DVDs ($5-$10) instead of paying full price. Before ebay made changes (I am on ebay strike) I would look for DVDs there as well. I also trade DVDs with people for movies I want to see. I wait for movies to go on sale before buying any and there is one I want really bad but, it's $20 so waiting since it's a new release for the price to drop.

I use gift cards of any value if I can put them towards needed items or treats. $5 walmart to me equals to a gallon of milk or 2 loaves of bread with a jar of peanut butter, while $5 to someone else might not be worth using.

I buy 100 packs of tea for .98 at walmart, to me it tastes better than Lipton or any other brand and I can get 20-25 gallons of tea from 1 box.

I am not ashamed to accept second hand stuff or hand me downs. My 3 piece sectional and my 6 chair wooden kitchen dining table I received last month was given to me. One part of the sectional has a full size bed and since we needed one more bed, we can use this one for now.

We live about 20-25 miles from town. My husband works in town so if I need anything I try to have him pick it up. I normally go to town once a week myself. If I need little things I go to the country stores less than 10 miles from here.

Amazon is my best friend! I purchase a majority of my gifts or household items from there with GCs I receive from surveys, wins, trades, etc. I shop the clearance and only order when I can get free shipping.

Ok, I can go on and on but, I am working on an mp3 player someone brought over this morning asking me to put music on and such. Please, someone teach me how to say nooooooo. This thing is a pain and I have been working on it since 9:30!! It is brand new...I wish I was asked first before they purchased it since they don't have a computer. I love doing things for people but, I would have cleared some of my junk off my pc if I would have known beforehand.
 
I'm happy to win stuff I can give as gifts, e.g., I won an expensive piece of luggage last week that will make a fine gift for my cousin's son's graduation. She'll probably have a party, and now I don't have to go to Macy's and buy him a watch, or write him a check. Just show up with the gift (which is ARV $200). Perfect.

I am happy to enter sweeps using free sites, saving me membership fees, and find all the sweeps I can possibly enter (and more).

Next time somebody has a birthday party I have DVDs and a dozen packages of popcorn to give as a movie night present. I think this would be a nice gift. All I would have to do to enhance this is to buy a bucket from the dollar store and shred some wrap for filler.

Yesterday I bought 3 lbs. of turkey sausage for .99 a pound (marked down for quick sale), and put them in my freezer. I double couponed coffee bring the price down to .90 a can, and got a free box of instant noodles. I carefully file my coupons and compare the circular against my available coupons and go where they double 'em.

When I leave the house for more than a day, I shut off the oil burner. I haven't had a delivery since August, and will probably convert to gas heat using the promotional the utility offers and the state rebates.

I buy my denims for $2-$3 at the flea market. One washing and they're good to go. I get the designer brands, too.

The local fruit and veggies supermarket sells big boxes of soft produce for $1. I buy these regularly and cook fruit. I also buy fresh herbs like dill and freeze it. Tastes like fresh.

I generally don't eat out, except for when I splurge at Wendy's using my free hamburger card that I won.

I walk or take the bus instead of using the car. When I do use it, I park in a general area, and walk to my errands if they're close by. This saves gas if you're not moving the car several times.

I changed almost all of my light bulbs to fluorescents. The chandelier bulbs were expensive, but the savings is worth it, and this helps the environment as well.

When I get my Amazon codes that I won from the Yellow Pages contest I am going to buy a solar light for the front of the house. I have been keeping it dark because it's expensive to run the light, but want some light outside.
 
We drive a Yaris and DH drives A motorcycle to work every day he doesn't have to pay for parking and saves huge on gas.

We never go out to eat.

I keep thermostats high in summer and low in winter. I usually keep them off during the day because it's just me here.

I'll think of more :laughing:

More I did shop for Valentines candy today.

I use store brands when I can.

Shoot today you just have to be a thrifty shoper.
 
I am the clearance sale queen! I have always enjoyed going to higher end stores and hitting the clearance racks and buying the cutest clothes for my kids for less than I could spend at a yard sale!

I did almost all of my Christmas shopping online last year ~ saved on gas, got free shipping ~ didn't have to fight the crowds or eat out! I also save my wins for presents. Sometimes I have someone in mind, but a lot of time, things just pop up out of the blue and I have the perfect gift for the occasion.

I love looking for rebates, coupons, and freebies! I have really started buying several products due to the freebies that the company has sent out. If it is a product that I like I am loyal!

We buy all our toilet paper and paper towels in the huge packages! I still buy Bounty and Charmin, but it usually ends up costing around the same by the time I use a coupon. I just won't give up those two brands.

I have already started buying a few things for Christmas next year. I buy all my Christmas cards after Christmas so I can get them really cheap ~ same thing with gift sets as long as they don't have food in them :tongue2:

That is all I can think of right this second ~ but I know there is a lot more. I keep on smelling something cooking and I'm not cooking anything so I can't figure out what is going on ~ I think my cooking ghost is back :laughing:
 
When I need to go shopping because I am out of all my fresh stuff and easy to make stuff, I play a game to see how many extra days I can go without going to the store. This forces me to bake muffins, bread, eat oatmeal for breakfast, grow sprouts, use up all the canned and frozen stuff from last years garden and pretty much be creative and work hard in the kitchen. I figure if I can turn 4 shopping trips a month into 3 or even 2 1/2 (when I'm cooking a lot of bean dishes) we can save a bundle because each time we go shopping we end up spending about the same amount.

I also wash all of my ziplock bags. You would be amazed how many times you can use those things.

We also, switched all the lightbulbs to high efficiency flourecents.

I never buy clothes. All my family and friends hand down stuff to us. My son is 5 now and I have never bought him clothes, same for my 2 year old daughter. I sew too, and if people know you sew, you often get handy me down fabric.

Finally, I haven't had a haircut since June. I like my hair long and I am sure when it warms up this summer I will need a good trim, but for now, that is money in the bank.
 
I have a crock pot, it's a friend of mine. Not only does it help save $$ by cooking fresh instead of processed/canned items it also saves time. You can buy a huge 4lb bag of dry pinto beans for less than $3 and would be amazed at how many pots of pinto or chili beans you can make from the bag. These are also perfect to have in case of a "Uh oh, I am out of groceries" dinner.

I sign up for all freebies and samples. I keep a box under my bed for samples and they are perfect for travel, emergencies (They have helped tremendously in emergencies) and to try before buying a full size product. Like Ping, I have become a consumer from many products. If I like the product and it's affordable? I become loyal.

Dog food, I know to some this is "iffy" but, I purchase 50lbs of Ole Roy Complete nutrition for them for only $11 vs. the high prices of other dog food. I also sign up for all free samples of dog foods and even cat food and put them in the laundry room in case of emergencies. Why the cat food? We had a cat, he was killed not too long ago and all cat food freebies went to him of course. Well, now I sign up for the cat food to give to those who have cats and I even stash a bag or two in the laundry room. If you are just about out of dog food, you can mix it in. Not to mention that we would like to get another cat in the near future and this is perfect if you want to try your kitten/cat on certain foods to see if they are enjoyed before purchasing a bag of food they won't eat. (Like George, he was sooooo picky that he refused to eat some of the foods we bought!).

As for bird food? I buy large containers of the food specifically made for my birds, it saves $$ buying the larger container and then you could wash the container for storage. I have 2 plastic containers that I keep my corn meal and flour in from the bird food. I do the same thing with ice cream buckets. I have 1 that I keep cereal in. I also use one to scoop dog food into.

I have heard people say that they wash foil. I personally won't do this, it's too much of a pain as it is using foil :laughing: I buy my foil in generic boxes or even Renyolds at the dollar tree of all places, works just as well. Just not as thick.

I rarely buy sponges for washing. I use wash cloths, don't get me wrong. I love using dish sponges but, there are times you can find other uses for your $$ than sponges. Same with cleaning, I use dish towels to use with my cleaners or napkins that I have leftover from when we go out somewhere. I always grab a few extra.

I have a container that I keep all packages of ketchup, hot sauce, etc. I don't toss what we don't use that night. Never know when you might need them!

I do not purchase music online. $1 a song is kinda ridiculous and I also have dial up so it would take hours for 1 song. I upload songs from CD's I already have, borrow or pick up once in awhile on sale or used.

Tshirt wins and freebies are always welcomed in my house! We wear a majority of them and give away the tshirts we won't wear to people who will. Some of them make for perfect work shirts or under shirts.

We don't have cable television although, I wish we did! They don't provide cable service out here, only satelite and we refuse to pay the $400 deposit they want from us. We had 1 channel for over a year at this house and recently my husband invested in an outside antenna so we now get about 6 channels.

I don't fall into the latest fads. I will not buy a blue ray player because, not only are they expensive, so are the movies! I will stick to DVDs and in the long run it will save $$ because, they will become cheaper. I have a DVD/VHS player so when I find VHS movies for .50-$2 I pick them up if they seem interesting. I don't have many though so I borrow movies to watch sometimes. My BIL has an extensive VHS collection.

If it wasn't for sweeping, doing surveys and product tests I wouldn't have some of the things I have today. A wii, ipod nano, $300 new release digital camera (product test!!), new bakeware and cookware, etc. I LOVE this hobby and will never stop. I couldn't imagine owning these items otherwise.
 
My closet is warm, and it's a walk-in with lots of space, so I hang up my laundry and don't use the dryer (except when I wash sheets and tablecloths). I use the dryer once a month or less. When it's warm outside I use a clothesline.

A couple of guys are going to take some trees down, and I will pay for that. The rest of the landscaping work that involves a bit of digging I can do myself. I would rather not pay for that. I also bought some discounted paint, and will do my own painting.

I use hand and body lotion instead of expensive moisturizer. So far, I don't see the difference.

I get my teeth worked on at a dental clinic. I need root canal, and will use a dental school. Dental students aren't motivated to sell you a lot of services like a private dentist would. They get a good grade from only telling you what you need. Their work is vetted by the attending dentist.

I am trying to lose weight by eating right and exercising daily. Good health is thrifty.
 
ping1970 said:
I am the clearance sale queen! I have always enjoyed going to higher end stores and hitting the clearance racks and buying the cutest clothes for my kids for less than I could spend at a yard sale!

I did almost all of my Christmas shopping online last year ~ saved on gas, got free shipping ~ didn't have to fight the crowds or eat out! I also save my wins for presents. Sometimes I have someone in mind, but a lot of time, things just pop up out of the blue and I have the perfect gift for the occasion.

I love looking for rebates, coupons, and freebies! I have really started buying several products due to the freebies that the company has sent out. If it is a product that I like I am loyal!

We buy all our toilet paper and paper towels in the huge packages! I still buy Bounty and Charmin, but it usually ends up costing around the same by the time I use a coupon. I just won't give up those two brands.

I have already started buying a few things for Christmas next year. I buy all my Christmas cards after Christmas so I can get them really cheap ~ same thing with gift sets as long as they don't have food in them :tongue2:

That is all I can think of right this second ~ but I know there is a lot more. I keep on smelling something cooking and I'm not cooking anything so I can't figure out what is going on ~ I think my cooking ghost is back :laughing:
Click to expand...

Im the clearance queen!!! :laughing: You can see me standing on my tip toes looking for the clearance signs. I never pay full price. never. I went to pennys yesterday and bought a really nice south pole jacket for my daughter. reg price 40.00 got it for under 4.00... :headbang: also a really nice shirt for my youngest for 1.50.. Im sooo cheap. Nowdays ya gotta be. Having three kids I have to shop like that. just buying shoes for the three of them gets very expensive so Im always looking for clearance deals. I also buy clothes off season. shortly all the winter stuff will be on sale and Im going to clean up.
 
I took any free coupons I received in the mail this week from sweeps and freebies to the grocery store yesterday. I wound up getting $40 worth of groceries (would have been more but, a few things was on clearance) for $21.95 :headbang:

2 Pepperidge farm products (1 cake, 1 bag of goldfish crackers) FREE
4 20 oz bottles Coke Sweepstakes FREE
1 pk yogurt shots FREE
1 pk Kids yoplait yogurt FREE

1 8 pk dannon yogurt on clearance (dates still good) $1.50
1 box of pumpkin pie gems kit $1.50 on clearance

and then some other items I needed. I would have got free bread with my coupon but, they didn't sell the brand (rainbo) so I need to check other stores for it. I got so much yogurt because, it makes great snacks and my kids and I love yogurt. I would have bought more if I knew they wouldn't expire before we could eat them all.
 
ping, 3mnkids1, I'm the clearance queen!
I love the clearance racks. I know to wait after the new spring/summer line has come and went, and wait till fall, that the summer/spring stuff will be on clearance for less than half the price and then I buy them and put them away till the following spring/summer.

for just washing my face in the morning , instead of using washcloths, I buy baby wipes and use them, and then throw them out, I also found out that brands like eckerds and walmart, riteaid, are really good and strong and not only cheaper, but just as good.
I bought sesame street brand thinking it was going to good quality, and I was let down they were soooo cheaply made.
buy not using extra washcloths i'm saving on laundry. Just use them for when I take my showers.

I too buy scott toilet paper as it lasts the longest. and the best product for the money. and I think it's good quality.

I make over 20 cups of hot tea a day, I'm addicted to it. so, I make one cup and save the tea bag in another cup, so at least, I'm getting 2 cups out of 1 tea bag. since I use so many of them.
I didn't know walmart sold boxes of tea that cheap, I will have to look next time i go. thanks.

I try to always remember to shut the light after I leave the room.

I clip, clip, clip coupons. I miss the days of triple coupons. even shoprites can -can sale doesn't compare to 5 years ago when they had their can -can sale. I miss those days.

I was able to get an xbox 360 game for my brother for less than $20 bucks. those games go for $40-50 bucks a pop.

I didn't have to buy any christmas presents this year, sweeping enables me to give alot. Thanks SA and sponsors!!!!!!!!!

I too save the plastic grocery bags and find other uses for them.

I save all my extra change , wait till it builds up and then cash it in, and put that money each month towards gas for my car. I only use my car locally. it's a sports car, and only has 2 seats, usually when traveling there are 3 or more of us, so usually we'll take someone else's car, which cuts down on costs for me. and i just chip in for the gas.

I don't consider myself cheap, just very smart and frugal, I do not believe in wasting. I have very nice things because I know how to save and cut corners so I can afford to buy the things I would like.

I don't throw food out after a meal, If i'm out at a restuarant and I don't finish everything, I have them wrap it up and take it home, chances are I will be hungry later on and will have something to pick on. or the next day for lunch I will have it.

make alot of chicken , chicken is cheap to buy.

so glad to hear there are "others" like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top