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Sarah
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Let's share some ideas on what others do to save money.
Here's one to kick it off:
*make your own tortillas
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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lovebeingamom
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Ahhh, think I am going to like this thread!
* Make your own yogurt
* Make your own baby food
* Shop Aldi's for the majority of your grocery items
I will try to think of more to post!
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JodieLyn
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And when there's no Aldi's or Costco or (what is the one I'm missing?) If you're so lucky WINCO is excellent. But SHOP THE SALES.. and stock up when things are on sale.. you'll find that the sales rotate and some items go on sale more often. If you buy enough to last until the next sale you never have to pay full price. And watch for the discounted things. Check the sale area for meats especially! I've gotten chicken pieces that were on sale for about $1/lb for 50% off and they go right into my freezer so no worries about the use by date 
But also be careful, sales of name brands may still be more than regular price of store brands. And if you don't like one store brand try another. We often like the western family store brand over safeway store brand for instance.
HA!! I remembered.. Sam's is the other big discount place
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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guitarnan
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Learn to calculate approximate unit prices in your head (per ounce, per pound, etc.) so you can figure out whether those Costco deals really are good. Or, scrounge up an old calculator and take it with you on shopping trips.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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JodieLyn
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cell phones have a calculator in them
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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kingvozzo
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How do you do that?
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Noreen
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guitarnan
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Jodie, I know, but I'm so tech impaired that it's easier for me to do the math in my head!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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JodieLyn
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 most of the time it is for me too.. I only use it when the numbers make my head spin. I have to admit that the phone also makes a difference.. the one I have is slightly better than the one before it. (meaning works more like a real calculator)
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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stefoodie
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heh, take your kids with you and let them do the math
we take turns, that way no one gets math overload
keeps mom's math skills pretty sharp as well, i almost always still beat my kids; they like the challenge, and when i'm feeling lazy they're more than willing to step up and do the calculations
only bad thing about that is the shopping trip takes longer
i'm not sarah but tortillas = water + flour (or masa harina) + tortilla press -- really easy.
money saving tip: shop your pantry, freezer and fridge first -- make your menu based on what you already HAVE, THEN shop
challenge your family to a no-eating out policy for a certain number of days -- this is our current challenge, for 30 days at a time. since there's 6 of us even just fast food costs $$$, and it's so unhealthy anyway, so you're paying more in the long run. and if we try to eat out healthy food costs more
gotta go, baby needs me
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stef
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Stephanie_Q
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I'm with Noreen...I have tried, unsuccessfully to make my own tortillas - anyone want to give a tutorial (or link to a really good one)?
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Stephanie dh 6.01
dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
Baby boy due 10.13
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SeaStar
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Make your own pita chips!
Cut up old pita bread, brush with olive oil and salt, then broil or bake until crispy/crunchy.
They turn out great, and sooo much cheaper than buying them (I'm a former Stacy's Pita Chip addict)
Also-
PaperBack Swap for trading books. I've gotten so many great book this way just for the cost of postage.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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kingvozzo
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SeaStar wrote:
PaperBack Swap for trading books. I've gotten so many great book this way just for the cost of postage. |
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Second this. I love Paperback Swap!
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Noreen
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Sarah
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I don't have a tortilla press but that sound so much better than rolling them with a rolling pin and frying in skillet like a pancake.
I'll start and new thread on tortilla making. Maybe we can get several way to do it.
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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KackyK
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I invested in 60 industrial white washcloths from Costco...it was like $15 for a pack of 30. Anyways, they sit in a basket near my sink. I use these instead of paper towels. I was a paper towel-aholic! I literally saved probably $30 a month (and who knows how many trees!) I just throw them in a box in the laundry room and wash with bleach every other day.
I bought these baggies these baggies from etsy. We use them now instead of plastic for foods like pretzels, goldfish etc (no sandwiches though). It's saved a little so far. I'm sure some of you are way talented and know how to make them yourself.
I make my own bread, two loaves daily (or sometimes every other day). I do the milling of wheat too.
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KackyK
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Becky Parker
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I'm trying to get organized enough to make a pantry system like this work. I know I could save a bunch if I didn't have to buy things on a weekly basis. If I had enough of a stock I could buy items when on sale and live off of what was in the pantry until then. It's just been a big project to get it together!
I find that the GF food we need around here is VERY expensive. I was pleasantly surprised to find I could order a bunch of items from Amazon.com. I got free shipping, plus the cost of the item was less. I know that wont be the case for everything I need to buy, but it did help on a few things.
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Becky
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mom2mpr
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We are working on our budget big time and the big question is:
Do you need it, or want it?
Also, making a menu and grocery list each week.
Buying chicken/cheese locally from the Amish.
Finding a laundry soap that works and is in-expensive. I just found Bio-Kleen and found it works better than Tide with Bleach-for me.
Staying home more.
Using the library for videos(which we do infrequently) and books(which we do, um, a lot).
Make our own bread.
Stock up at WalMart once a month on the middle of the store items.
I would love to learn how to make tortillas and I love the wash cloth to replace paper towel idea.
Anne
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mavmama
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I've made my own antibacterial wipes for a long time now, and keep them in the van for handwashing/spills. It's the baby wipe recipe with tea tree oil added; sotred in a rubbermaid box. I sewed a mesh bag to toss them in when used. We've had them mildew before the mesh bag, but now that isn't a problem.
I refuse to pay money for plastic bags just to throw them away. If you think about how much food comes in plastic bags (cereal, rice, choc. chips, chicken nuggets, veggies, etc.) you will be surprised how many bags you can wash and re-use every day. I haven't paid for ziplock bags for a looong time!
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Liz
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*Lindsey*
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Clean with vinegar and baking soda! Non-toxic, works great, and is cheap.
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SeaStar
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I found a bunch of on-line tutorials for making your own reusable snack and sandwich bags. I sewed up several snack bags this weekend. Very cute- and easy!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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Karen T
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SeaStar wrote:
I found a bunch of on-line tutorials for making your own reusable snack and sandwich bags. I sewed up several snack bags this weekend. Very cute- and easy!
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Umm, link please?
Karen
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Money Saving Tips
