Okay, i like to live a certain comfortable life style. to do this, i've added some ideas to my day to day routines to save money.

*1. when i buy sausage and bacon, i choose (very) early saturday morning's to cook it all (sausage and bacon) at one time. let it cool and bag it individually (3 bacon/sausage per bag). it is then nuked for breakfast meals (or blts) as needed. same with cooking soups and or roasted chicken/beef/pork. (i cook all this food on the chosen day.) i cook a large pan of corn bread to last for the week.

rice is a staple in our home. i cook enough for a week at a time. so as a result everyone just nukes their dinner. all veggies are steamed in the micro-wave or eaten raw.

dwalla! i'm not chained to other's routines, i have saved myself time and money because all the food for the week is done. on average other that saturday morning, i might use the stove once or twice a week. i have more time to myself and my projects. however we all eat together on sundays and mondays (mandatory at my house). (the food is already prepared for these days).

i also took the time and called my local energy company. i found out space heaters cost on average $0.50 an hour. if i use mine i set my timer for however much i can comfortably afford to pay for the month. also the energy company rep told me refridgerators on average cost $17.00 per month.

2. i have obtained the addresses to all the food outlet stores in my area. my budget does allow me shop at the top named grocery stores for a certain percentage of my food needs, however the outlets help my budget tremendously. (also, many times at the outlet stores they have great bargains like breakfast size containers of cheerios 2-for $1.00. i buy an amount to give to my local food closet. )

* anyway, by cooking this way, i've freed my time from daily cooking. i noticed on my energy bill i managed to save $8-10.00. per monthly energy bill. plus i have more time to hang out with all you fine folks.

so these are just three of the ways i add money to my other needs and wants budget.

Please add any $ saving ideas you might have. so we can keep on partying in fun-comfort post 1999.

grammatical or typos---i fess up 2----got to go----time to get to fed-ex.

[Edited 12/14/11 11:19am]

1. Buy these essential oils: Tea Tree oil, Eucalyptus oil, Lavender Oil (will cost you $10 to $20 at first)

2. Clean 99% of your surfaces in your house with warm water, a tablespoon of vinegar, dash of soap, and a 1-2 drops of tea tree oil, euclyptus oil, and lavender oil (or any oil you like the smell of).

Over time those 2 things will save you hundreds of bucks in about a year or 2 in cleaning products. Most importantly, you will greatly reduce your toxic load---which is why I researched them.

3. If you have a carpet, pour a box of baking soda into a plastic container. Add 10 drops of Eucalyptus oil, and 10 drops of Lavender oil. Let it sit overnight. Shake it well, and use that as carpet cleaner/refreesher---Again, cheaper over a year's time by far....AND NO TOXIC load.

4. By a Brita water filter and stop buying bottled water--it's just as clean, and will save you money over time.

5. Use tooth powder instead of paste--much much cheaper....and NO toxins. Rinse with hydrogen peroxide and water (50/50). My teeth are gleaming white and I've been doing this for years....oh, floss, floss, floss.

6. Polish wood in your house with a small cup of olive oil, with a dash of lime juice (if you have it), and a couple drops of eucalyptus oil.---much cheaper than using Pledge....and NOT TOXIC

7. Although it doesn't work as well as TIDE, whenever possible, wash with your own homemade laundry detergent (there are several recipes if you google it). About a fith of the price of store brands, and you can add drops of your favorite essential oils to make it smell nice.

8. Use natural crystal deoderant (you can get it at natural stores). Not any cheaper than regular deoderant, but just as effective.....and they last FOREVER. I've been using the same crystal stick now for 1 1/2 years. A regular deoderant bar was lucky to last me a month....NO TOXIC load

9. Hang dry clothes. What's the point of a dryer? Do you REALLY need cloths to be that soft (a result of Petroleum byproducts anyhow). Hang drying = no TOXINS. Also, the sun kills dustmites, and bright sunlight is one of the few things that neutralizes oders like cat piss.

10. Get a bike... Use it.

12. You won't save much water. But handwash what you can--it burns calories, and is more effective anyways.

I ended up saving quite a bit of money doing the above. But, what I was really after was reducing the toxins in my house. Most people's homes are a corporate consumerist toxic brew.

.

[Edited 12/14/11 10:32am]

cool! thanks for the tips guys

Making my lunch and bringing it to work saves me $5-$10 a day, Monday through Friday. I usually do a big Sunday cooking so I have some tupperwared leftovers in the freezer.

Don't step to hard on the gas pedal. It really makes a difference as to how long a tank lasts. Also, I try to not use AC too often.

No cable TV, no landline, and shared internet with my neighbors=$10/a month

if you drink soda, stop. my family used to drink a lot of soda, now we drink tea, water, lemonade, etc...and we've saved a lot of $ by not buying cans/bottles of soda all of the time. plus we aren't pouring all of that sugar down our throats anymore.

imago said:

1. Buy these essential oils: Tea Tree oil, Eucalyptus oil, Lavender Oil (will cost you $10 to $20 at first)

2. Clean 99% of your surfaces in your house with warm water, a tablespoon of vinegar, dash of soap, and a 1-2 drops of tea tree oil, euclyptus oil, and lavender oil (or any oil you like the smell of).

Over time those 2 things will save you hundreds of bucks in about a year or 2 in cleaning products. Most importantly, you will greatly reduce your toxic load---which is why I researched them.

3. If you have a carpet, pour a box of baking soda into a plastic container. Add 10 drops of Eucalyptus oil, and 10 drops of Lavender oil. Let it sit overnight. Shake it well, and use that as carpet cleaner/refreesher---Again, cheaper over a year's time by far....AND NO TOXIC load.

4. By a Brita water filter and stop buying bottled water--it's just as clean, and will save you money over time.

5. Use tooth powder instead of paste--much much cheaper....and NO toxins. Rinse with hydrogen peroxide and water (50/50). My teeth are gleaming white and I've been doing this for years....oh, floss, floss, floss.

6. Polish wood in your house with a small cup of olive oil, with a dash of lime juice (if you have it), and a couple drops of eucalyptus oil.---much cheaper than using Pledge....and NOT TOXIC

7. Although it doesn't work as well as TIDE, whenever possible, wash with your own homemade laundry detergent (there are several recipes if you google it). About a fith of the price of store brands, and you can add drops of your favorite essential oils to make it smell nice.

8. Use natural crystal deoderant (you can get it at natural stores). Not any cheaper than regular deoderant, but just as effective.....and they last FOREVER. I've been using the same crystal stick now for 1 1/2 years. A regular deoderant bar was lucky to last me a month....NO TOXIC load

9. Hang dry clothes. What's the point of a dryer? Do you REALLY need cloths to be that soft (a result of Petroleum byproducts anyhow). Hang drying = no TOXINS. Also, the sun kills dustmites, and bright sunlight is one of the few things that neutralizes oders like cat piss.

10. Get a bike... Use it.

12. You won't save much water. But handwash what you can--it burns calories, and is more effective anyways.

I ended up saving quite a bit of money doing the above. But, what I was really after was reducing the toxins in my house. Most people's homes are a corporate consumerist toxic brew.

.

[Edited 12/14/11 10:32am]

i agree (embolded) with hanging out clothes to dry. dryers totally wear out clothes faster. the lint caught in the lint trap is micro layers of fiber from each garment. when clothes are natural air dryed they stay looking new much longer and keep their color. plus the saving on electricity is noteworthy.

imago said:

1. Buy these essential oils: Tea Tree oil, Eucalyptus oil, Lavender Oil (will cost you $10 to $20 at first)

2. Clean 99% of your surfaces in your house with warm water, a tablespoon of vinegar, dash of soap, and a 1-2 drops of tea tree oil, euclyptus oil, and lavender oil (or any oil you like the smell of).

Over time those 2 things will save you hundreds of bucks in about a year or 2 in cleaning products. Most importantly, you will greatly reduce your toxic load---which is why I researched them.

3. If you have a carpet, pour a box of baking soda into a plastic container. Add 10 drops of Eucalyptus oil, and 10 drops of Lavender oil. Let it sit overnight. Shake it well, and use that as carpet cleaner/refreesher---Again, cheaper over a year's time by far....AND NO TOXIC load.

4. By a Brita water filter and stop buying bottled water--it's just as clean, and will save you money over time.

5. Use tooth powder instead of paste--much much cheaper....and NO toxins. Rinse with hydrogen peroxide and water (50/50). My teeth are gleaming white and I've been doing this for years....oh, floss, floss, floss.

6. Polish wood in your house with a small cup of olive oil, with a dash of lime juice (if you have it), and a couple drops of eucalyptus oil.---much cheaper than using Pledge....and NOT TOXIC

7. Although it doesn't work as well as TIDE, whenever possible, wash with your own homemade laundry detergent (there are several recipes if you google it). About a fith of the price of store brands, and you can add drops of your favorite essential oils to make it smell nice.

8. Use natural crystal deoderant (you can get it at natural stores). Not any cheaper than regular deoderant, but just as effective.....and they last FOREVER. I've been using the same crystal stick now for 1 1/2 years. A regular deoderant bar was lucky to last me a month....NO TOXIC load

9. Hang dry clothes. What's the point of a dryer? Do you REALLY need cloths to be that soft (a result of Petroleum byproducts anyhow). Hang drying = no TOXINS. Also, the sun kills dustmites, and bright sunlight is one of the few things that neutralizes oders like cat piss.

10. Get a bike... Use it.

12. You won't save much water. But handwash what you can--it burns calories, and is more effective anyways.

I ended up saving quite a bit of money doing the above. But, what I was really after was reducing the toxins in my house. Most people's homes are a corporate consumerist toxic brew.

.

[Edited 12/14/11 10:32am]

f

I wont give up my dryer! I live in the rainy Northwest! If I don't dry it-it will mold. Darn your back woods ways! lol

1. take your lunch to work instead of restauranting it. average lunch $5-12.00 per day.

2. unplug certain electronic devices when not in use

3. save receipts, add them up at end of month to access what are needs verses wants.

4. rent dvds (free) from library. can be kept up to a week per rental

5. take plastic bottles to recycle stands - get 5 cents per bottle

6. when things like bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste and etc are on sale buy 2 or more instead of just one.

7. (once in a while on week-ends) take the local transit to get from point a to b. saves petro.

in these current eco-difficult times (for many) it's not un-wise to find ways to save money in case of the un-expected.

a friend of mine went thru a job lay-off. thanks to her saving she was able to weather the storm of un-employment by using her money saving tips.