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Post by mountainma on Oct 27, 2021 9:46:55 GMT -6
I thought it might be useful to share all our "general" frugal tips in this thread. Most of us probably already know and do these things, but I like to be reminded sometimes. So here's a few to start:
Turn off the lights when you leave a room Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth Use your dishwater to water the plants Save the rubber bands that come on grocery produce (I just started doing this and am making a "rubber band" ball) Use half the recommended amount of laundry detergent Make re-usable cloths for the Swiffer Rinse out and re-use sandwich baggies Use grocery bags to line smaller trash cans Save old butter containers for leftovers or for starting new seeds or plants
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Post by mountainma on Nov 2, 2021 12:17:07 GMT -6
The thin produce bags from the grocery are great for cleaning up dog mess. I save bacon grease in a small jar and keep it in the fridge. It's perfect to use for grilled cheese sandwiches. Keep appliances unplugged unless in use. Save fast food condiments and use them in packed lunches. Old medicine bottles have a lot of uses. I keep buttons and needles in mine. They are also good to store homemade spice mixes.
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Post by mountainma on Dec 23, 2021 10:13:49 GMT -6
Potato chip canisters (like Pringles) are great for gift wrapping long bottles or other gifts.
For some cheap fun, buy a box of drinking straws and tightly roll paper money to fit inside one of the straws. The gift receiver will then have to "find" where the money is hidden by looking through all the straws.
Contact lens cases are perfect for holding a few drops of liquid for travel or camping. Use them for stain remover, dish soap, creams, or even salt and pepper. Much easier than packing a full size.
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Dec 23, 2021 14:57:54 GMT -6
Re fast food condiments: We save these for even more uses. I've found that the sriracha dipped suace from Chick-Fil-A is just the right size for many recipes, so I don't bother buying a whole bottle. We use a lot of tamari (like soy sauce), and when I'm out, those little soy packets fill the bill. I've even found the boys looking through for honey (one of the chicken places here includes honey packets). They've used those to make bread when they have forgotten to tell me we're out of honey, so I didn't restock.
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Post by mountainma on Dec 24, 2021 10:28:29 GMT -6
This year instead of tossing my old Christmas cards, I'm going to cut them up and make gift tags for next year's gifts. I know this is an old recycle hack, but for some reason I never remembered to do it.
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Post by mountainma on Dec 24, 2021 11:08:17 GMT -6
Sandra, I love condiment packets! We toss them in a drawer in the fridge and when there are too many, I open them and pour into the larger bottles. The packets of hot sauce are too much for me on tacos, but they are perfect sized for say, a large pot of chili.
I used to immediately toss all junk mail, but now I'm keeping the newspaper ads to wipe out grease or clean windows. It saves on buying paper towels. Larger junk mail, like clothing catalogs, serve as single-use trivets for dishes of hot food.
My local quilters gave me tons of tiny fabric scraps. I can't use most of these as they are too small, so I'll make a pillow with the larger pieces and stuff it with the scraps and give it to our big dog as bedding. She loves it when I do this!
I took an empty dish soap bottle and filled it with a small amount of dish soap and the rest water. This sits on the counter to use for small clean-up jobs or when I need to wash just a few dishes.
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Post by mountainma on Mar 14, 2022 15:41:58 GMT -6
One of my favorite frugal tips is to use the clothesline outside. I also have a drying rack to use indoors. It's not convenient to have it in the living room, but with rising prices, I'm going to start using it again.
We've been unplugging the washing machine when not in use. I have a surge protector for my sewing machine and iron. That helps some with phantom energy loss.
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Post by mountainma on Apr 16, 2022 9:43:11 GMT -6
Now is the time to make violet jelly and dandelion jelly and dandelion fritters. Our yard is covered. This is a "free" food. We can also eat the dandelion greens if they are young and tender.
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Post by mountainma on Apr 18, 2022 7:48:09 GMT -6
Wash and re-use glass jars to store leftovers or use for drinking. I've found the ALDI salsa jars make great drinking glasses as they hold 24 ounces. They're also the perfect size to store leftover soups.
Mesh bags used for fruits and veggies can be balled up and used as a scrubbie for pots and pans. The little square bread tags can be used as scrapers for baking dishes.
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Post by ginakay57 on Apr 20, 2022 16:21:49 GMT -6
Rebekah, I use mason jars and pasta sauce jars for drinking. Itβs funny how come canning season I have to scrub the tea stains off the mason jars so I can have enough jars for canning. I also use the nylon onion, etc bags to use for scrubbies. Those square bread tabs are very useful for scraping. Being a diabetic I accumulate many of the small plastic containers that strips come in. I find them useful for sewing needles and for meds I need to take with me (on Sundays I wait til I get to church to take my fluid pills & potassium).
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Apr 21, 2022 7:23:33 GMT -6
Gina, your reply reminded me of something...
We reuse jars from storebought foods for dry goods storage. I've found some of them so useful that I will sometimes make a buying choice based on the jar! Most of the jars I like hold about a quart (some a little more or less), and some of them are square (which I really like for making use of cabinet space). The best part about these particular jars is that all the lids fit all the jars. (In case you're curious, some of these jars are things I bought/buy from Costco, while others are pickle jars from the regular grocery store. They must all use the same jar manufacturer.) The other type of jar we use are jam jars - specifically, Bonne Maman but the ones that come from Costco. DH loves this jam and puts a spoonful daily on yogurt. I really liked the wide mouths of the jars, and that they were just under a quart for storage. But they recently changed the jar size... and now, they are DH's favorite drinking glass! We only have a couple that size so far, but they fit the same lids as the previous smaller size. Since DH will often put an unfinished beverage in the fridge at night, I really like that there is a lid handy to avoid spills.
On that note - we haven't owned drinking glasses in six years. We used canning jars for a while, but when those were gone... I only bought metal drinking tumblers (and the kids will save plastic souvernir cups, too). We bought new dishes less than a year ago... and almost half the bowls are broken. πππ Yes, already. Some dishes have been broken, too, but not as many (yet). We used metal plates and bowls for years while the kids were younger, but DH didn't want to use them any more (Don't worry, I have them saved). When enough dishes/bowls break, I'm replacing them with the cheapest possible thing I can find.
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Post by roseofsharon on Apr 21, 2022 19:22:17 GMT -6
We have found that Corelle dishes are next to impossible to break/chip. We move often and these have been a wonderful choice; we previously had heavy stoneware; I think one of them would break/chip if I sneezed wrong! As far as drinking glasses, we do not have glass ones due to breaking. We use a variety of stainless steel and plastic. ... On that note - we haven't owned drinking glasses in six years. We used canning jars for a while, but when those were gone... I only bought metal drinking tumblers (and the kids will save plastic souvernir cups, too). We bought new dishes less than a year ago... and almost half the bowls are broken. πππ Yes, already. Some dishes have been broken, too, but not as many (yet). We used metal plates and bowls for years while the kids were younger, but DH didn't want to use them any more (Don't worry, I have them saved). When enough dishes/bowls break, I'm replacing them with the cheapest possible thing I can find.
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Post by ginakay57 on Apr 22, 2022 16:00:52 GMT -6
Sandra, for the past 12+ years Iβve used a huge old pickle jar for my iced tea. It holds around a gallon.
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Post by mountainma on Apr 23, 2022 8:42:41 GMT -6
I got some "dog" bones from a beef farmer recently, thinking they would be small enough to put in a stock pot to make broth, so I was shocked when the bones turned out to be HUGE! We put them in the electric turkey roaster with some water to cook overnight and made the broth that way. Now I just need to add some veggies and seasonings and we'll have yummy soup.
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Post by mountainma on Aug 23, 2022 7:32:05 GMT -6
I mixed some white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and keep it on the kitchen counter for cleaning. Way cheaper than buying a cleaner!
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