okay org, lets see how thrifty you guys are.


Ideas?

inspired by ZK have u ever thread
[Edited 1/28/09 21:56pm]

instead of buying a morning coffee, make one at work.

take cut lunches/leftovers instead of buying.




but i make sure that u treat myself everynow and then, coz this will take business from the shops u previously bought from

flow on effect....

prb said:

got these ages ago from Viz I think

Circle the stain in permanent pen, so that when you remove the garment from the washing machine you can easily locate the area of the stain And check that it has gone.

Don't waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand next to the object you wish to view.

Always poo at work. Not only will you save money on toilet paper, but you'll also be getting paid for it.

Recreate the fun of a visit to a public swimming pool in your home by filling the bath with cold water, adding two bottles of bleach, then urinating into it, before jumping in.

An empty aluminium cigar tube filled with angry wasps makes an inexpensive vibrator.

Olympic athletes. Disguise the fact that you've taken steroids by running a bit slower.

Smokers. Save on matches and lighters, by simply lighting your next fag from the butt of your last one.

Vegetarians coming to dinner? Simply serve them a nice bit of steak or veal. Since they're always going on about how tofu, Quorn, meat substitute etc 'tastes exactly like the real thing', they won't know the difference.

Invited by vegetarians for dinner? Point out that since you'd no doubt be made aware of their special dietary requirements, tell them about yours, and ask for a nice steak.

Heavy smokers. Don't throw away those filters from the end of your cigarettes. Save them up and within a few years you'll have enough to insulate your roof.

Corsa drivers. Attach a lighted sparkler to the roof of your car before starting a long journey. You drive the things like dodgems anyway, so It may as well look like one.

A mouse trap placed on top on of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep.

Fool next door into thinking you have more stairs than them by banging your feet twice on each stair.

At supermarket checkouts a Toblerone box makes a handy 'Next customer Please' sign for dyslexic shoppers.

Girls. Don't worry about a nice dress for that important first date. All he's interested in is seeing you naked.

Putting just the right amount of gin in your goldfish bowl makes the fishes' eyes bulge and cause them to swim in an amusing manner.

Avoid parking tickets by leaving your windscreen wipers turned to 'fast wipe' whenever you leave your car parked illegally.

Housewives. I find the best way to get two bottles of washing-up liquid for the price of one is by putting one in your shopping trolley and the other in your coat pocket.

don't spend 70$ on booze everytime you go out

(not to self)

jami0mckay said:

God i love Viz

Bringing my lunch to work is the #1 best way for me at the moment.

No landline

No Cable

No internet at home

Also, when I shop, I put something in the cart to live with it for a few minutes, then think about whether I really need it or not. Lately I've been putting things back on the shelves after walking around the store. I get the glorious shopping experience, and save money too! But it can backfire. Last night I wished I'd bought that plunger sooner!

jami0mckay said:

jami0mckay said:

Buy a big bottle of fabuloso and put it in spray bottles and you can use it for everything, bathroom,kitchen,floors instead of buying all those seperate cleaning sprays.

Catch public transit to work or school,if your just going there and straight back home you could save a lot of gas money and also milage and wear and tear on your car.

Unplug everything when your not using it because even when its not on it still uses electricity.

Use rechargeable batteries, especially if you have kids and they have all those battery operated toys.I have the radio shack 30 minute charger for AA and AAA batteries.

mdiver said:

those were the same 2 I was just about to highlight

egyptkizzee said:

i already do all except the cleaning tip- great ideas

i started to turn off appliances at the the power point coz im paranoid, now i say its to save money

clean the house with HOT water and a face washer, saves on expensive cleaning chemicals (works on most things)
buy generic the staples: flour, sugar, tinned tomatoes, milk etc
dress the kids in salvos and st vinnies until they are old enough to care
get a pair of hairdressing scissors and cut all the kids hair yourself
don't smoke or drink too much
cook at home, don't get take away
wash the kids by topping and tailing to save water
join the kids up in texta kids club, they will send packets of textas and pencils to you kid for every birthday!
join ikea kids club, they also give the kids a present for birthdays
walk don't drive the kids to school if you can
shop at aldi and asian green-grocers - they do stuff way cheaper than supermarkets

Shoplift.

^
Joke... seriously.

ZombieKitten said:

we dont have aldi

texta club is a great idea, i wonder if it would work 4 10 yos

rugrat wont let me use the clippers any more,

and im too scared to use scissors.

great tips

prb said:

more:
uniform shop at school, second hand peoples!!!!
do the working bee at school/kindy for a reduction in school fees
buy bread at the non-chain bakery - 2 wholegrain loaves for $2.80
use the coupons for blockbuster from the back of the supermarket docket - there are always freebies
on sundays dominos have $3 hawaiian pizzas - make sure your kids birthday party is on a sunday!!!!
host kids parties at home while you can, make the cake yourself (decorate a supermarket mud cake, they are $4-5, get 2 if you have 15 kids or more
for pass the parcel, put in happy meal toys instead of buying new stuff


http://www.texta.com.au/k...ndex.shtml
up to age of 12

ZombieKitten said:

:ool:

my house is too small 4 a whole group of rugrats- dont think i could take the stress. rugrat gets a party every second yr.
last yr he took 2 friends to maccas

i had an older nephew at the same school as rugrat, so we got his handme downs.

but never trousers- damn things should come with extra material in the knees

prb said:

they should definitely be triple thickness at the knees

Make a shopping list of essentials, and stick to it.

NDRU said:

i dont have those, wasnt paying to have landline connected- and computer is broken- so orging at work- while i still can

ZombieKitten said:

at least

The things I do to save money:

no landline, only a cell phone
no car - I get a bus pass subsidized by my work and my transportation costs are only $40 a month
no cable - I use netflix to watch tv on dvd (netflix is also cheaper than renting dvds/movies individually)
avoiding buying things individually, like yogurt (I buy a big carton! good for the environment too!)

ZombieKitten said:

I remember reading those the first time and i was on the train cracking up

1. Try to get into the habbit of checking out library books. You may want to own books, but if you're just in the mood to browse for something interesting to read, go to the library and check a book out. You can do check out videos and CDs too, though the selection normally sucks.

2. Buy a Brita Water filter pitcher and bring it to work. You'll save a couple hundred bucks a year even with replacement filters factored in.

3. You can freeze several items to make them last longer (lemon grass and other spices, meats of course, veggies and potatoes).

4. Try to hang dry your clothes. It actually preserves the color in your clothes more, and the fabric lasts longer.

5. You can make homemade laundry detergent using laundry powder ($1.50), water, vinegar, and your favorite hand-soap. Add essential oils to the mix to make it more fragrant. This is a phosphate free, non toxic solution to washing laundry too--I find it's not as affective as Tide but for colors and darks, it's just fine. Plus it's about 1/10th the price of laundry detergent.

6. You can wash 95% of the surfaces in your house with a mixture of vinegar, water, and a little bit of dish washing liquid (or your favorite soap). Add Tea Tree oil to disinfect.

7. You can polish furniture with Olive Oil and lime juice.

8. Don't buy boneless chicken breasts. You can save money buying the breasts with bones on them, cut it yourself, and save to bone for making soup broth. There are plenty of inexpensive and delicious recipes using chicken bones for soup. (chicken bone, onion, cilantro, salt and pepper is a great base for many many soups)

9. Drink water. Sweetened soft drinks, coffee, and teas are just empty calories anyway and they're expensive. If you HAVE to have flavor in your drink, bring some teabags to work and use the complimentary sugar in your office to sweeten that.

10. In the summer, try to adjust your thermostat a couple of degrees higher.

12. In the winter, try to adjust your thermostat a few degrees lower. You can compensate for this with an area heater in our bedroom while you sleep.

13. If you live in an urban area, why bother owning a car? It cost about $5,000 to $6,000 a year to drive one of those when you factor insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. in to the car.

14. Clean with baking soda. Put 20 drops of your favorite essential oil into a box of backing soda, let it sit overnight, and use that to freshen carpet. Mix backing soda with water and lemon juice and make a past. Cover your oven and other greasy surfaces with it. Wait a couple of hours if you can, and then wipe.

15. Make your own mouthrinse using water, tea tree oil, a teaspoon of salt, peppermint oil, and a drop of cinnamon oil. Studies show it's just as affective as Fluoride mouthrinse, and far cheaper.

16. If you own a car, always make sure to check your tire pressure. You can save shedloads on gas.

17. For fruits and veggies, go to a local fruit stand or farmers market. You can normally save tons on certain items.

18. Stop smoking, and reduce your drinking. You go out to be around people anyway--not to consume.

19. Shopping should not be a hobby. Take up photography or walking instead. Occupy your time creatively and don't give into tho this vapid consumer mentality corporations have brainwashed you into.

20. If you're buy high end salon hair care products. Try natural organic products from your natural grocers. You'll save a few bucks, even though it's costlier than what you'd find at Walmart, but it's also organic, cruelty free, and non-toxic.

21. Eat before you go out somewhere. Even if you just fix yourself a PBJ. Just make sure you never go hungry.

Make Your Own Laundry Soap
Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA

http://planetgreen.discov...-soap.html

As we note in the Detox Your Home feature, cleaning green is an important step toward better indoor air quality and reduced nasties leaving your home via the sewer drain. One way to be sure that your laundry detergent is part of your green cleaning plan is to make it yourself.

There are two options when it comes to mixing your own: liquid or powder. Liquid can be a little more versatile, since you can (carefully) add essential oils to give it a nice scent, but powder is easier to make, since you won't have to use the stove. Whichever way you go, you'll want to gather the following ingredients: your favorite (not too heavily-perfumed) bar soap, borax and washing soda. That last one-washing soda -is in the same family as baking soda. It has just been processed differently; it's sodium carbonate-two sodium atoms, a carbon atom, and three hydrogen atoms-whereas baking soda is sodium bicarbonate-the same ingredients, but with a hydrogen atom replacing one of the sodiums. It is much more caustic/alkaline, with a pH of 11, and while it doesn't give off harmful fumes, you do need to wear gloves. It is found in the laundry section of most supermarkets.

Liquid Detergent

1 quart water (boiling)
2 cups bar soap (grated)
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda

1. Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.

2. Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the borax and washing soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.

3. Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.

4. Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Once it's cool, add 5 - 7 drops of your favorite essential oil per gallon. Stir the soap each time you use it (it will gel).

Powdered Detergent

2 cups finely grated soap
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax

1. Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.

2. Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

Care2 has more on the wonderous cleaning power of washing soda, and TipNut has a few more variations on the above recipes. Happy cleaning!

Also, this may or may not necessarily be a money saving tip, but during the summer and fall, buy fruits and vegetables at your local farmers market! Most of the time they are cheaper than the supermarket, and they are almost certainly better for you, as they are usually organically grown and have more nutrients in them. Not only will you do yourself and your family well by buying fresher fruits and vegetables, you will save gas by buying locally, plus you will help out your local economy as well.

...dont eat.
lol,but seriously,i dont eat much(b/c i just dont) and i save a lot of money.