|
|
|
I use Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels and fold them into thirds. Put them in an old Huggie wipe box. Mix 2 cups warm water, 2 tbs. baby lotion, and 2 tbs. baby bath. Pour over the paper towels. You can adjust the recipe if you like your wipes wetter or drier.
For each of the following, I use Bounty or Viva paper towels, because neither one of these turns to mush. I take a roll of paper towels, cut it in half, and take out the cardboard inside. You won't need it for anything. You'll pull out the sheets from the center. I keep each of the following in a Rubbermaid container big enough to hold half a roll of paper towels.
Kitchen Face Wipe: 2 T Johnson & Johnson Baby Bath and 2 C water
Bathroom disinfectant wipes: 2 C Pine Cleaner (your choice) and 2 C water.
Bug Wipe: 1 C Avon Skin so Soft and 1 C water
Window Wipe: 1 1/2 C glass cleaner (your choice) and 1/2 C water
All of the above save me some time and money, and they get used a lot here! I've marked the tops of each with exactly what is inside, and the same container gets used over and over again.
Bridget I. G.
more homemade wipe recipes at www.stretcher.com/stories/00/001120a.cfm
Timeshares are a great value - but buy resale, not from the resort directly. I bought two weeks at a Florida resort for $3500 from an owner that could no longer use them; it would have cost me more $15,000 to buy from the developer. I've both stayed at the resort and traded the weeks for other vacations, and it was a great bargain.
There are two reasons to buy timeshares. If you like the resort and want to use it yourself for the week you buy, then buy what you like. If you are buying to trade your week for another resort or week through RCI or II (the big timeshare exchange organizations), buy in Orlando, Hawaii, or the California coast. Those resorts are always in demand for exchange. An excellent source for learning the timeshare game and checking out resorts is www.tug2.net.
Georgia
more comments on timeshares (both favorable and unfavorable) at www.stretcher.com/stories/00/001120b.cfm
Hotels, restaurants, and other service-oriented businesses will authorize your credit card for more than what you were told simply because they want to make sure that you have sufficient funds to cover any additional costs. This is perfectly legal and your original price should not go up unless a mistake is made. Mistakes do happen so always check your credit card statement with your receipts.
J.S.
Someone mentioned bargaining at the bookstore. You can also bargain many other places that I never would have imagined. We have gotten prices lowered for us at Eyemasters, the dentist, eye doctor and our family physician. For regular dental cleanings and check-ups, we get a better price by bringing in all four kids at once. It also cuts down on gas and time running errands.
We have also bargained with the hospital. When my 3-year-old stuck a bead up her nose and we couldn't get it out any other way (believe me, we tried everything), we took her to the emergency room. They used a suction device and we were in and out in less than 10 minutes. When we got the bill, we felt that $236 for less than 10 minutes was ridiculous! We complained and they said they'd look into it. Instead, we got referred to a separate billing agency (the kind that sends threatening letters). I let the billing agency know exactly what was going on and that they had promised to look into it and get back with us. It took a few months, but they finally offered to lower it to $150. It was still a ridiculous price, but it was less. A friend also told me that you can call other hospitals and ask how much they would have charged for the same service and sometimes your hospital will lower the price to match or beat it even if the service has already been rendered. Still, I think next time we will just duct-tape a straw to the end of the vacuum hose!
N.
I have an old bathroom sink, pedestal tub and original toilet in my 1920 house. I love the older fixtures but was somewhat despondent that I couldn't get rid of the rust stains on the bathroom sink. I don't know if this is common knowledge to others, but I saw in a Lillian Vernon catalog that pumice stones get rid of stains without scratching the porcelain. Hallelujah! After unsuccessfully wasting money on various cleansers to remove rust, the pumice stone worked like a charm.
Becky
I always end up with more hair conditioner left than shampoo, but not now...a friend passed along a tip to use hair conditioner rather than drying soaps to shave your legs with. Works great and leaves skin much softer. Don't forget to rinse.
Claudine
I am so surprised no one has mentioned Simple Green. It is a fantastic spot remover! I use it on color and whites. And no soaking. Isn't it disappointing to be folding a clean garment just out of the dryer to discover that you missed spot in your pretreatment. Now you think it's in there permanently. Try Simple Green. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Really stubborn stain, try scrubbing a bit with a toothbrush and leave Simple Green on a little longer before laundering. Sold in the automotive center of most stores. I buy it by the gallon and add a 1/4 of a cup to really dirty loads.
Jeri
This may not seem like a topic on frugality, but if you love coffee, you might be spending $2 - $3 per cappuccino, perhaps everyday or several times a day. My husband bought me a really good cappuccino machine (1/2 price for about $250 CDN at Starbucks) - not a cheapo frustrating one that makes lukewarm coffee slowly - a good one that makes "the real thing" and quickly. I've been using it now for 4 years everday - I figure I've "saved" about $15/week, $60/month, $720/year $2900/4 years...because I make my own good coffee each morning. Plus, often instead of going "out for coffee or dessert" we invite friends home for dessert and coffee, more savings and social time.
Siobhan J.
Big food chains offer deals on meals that are three times what a normal person needs to eat. After drinks and tip, eating out becomes very expensive. Especially if you do it often. Ask for the kids' menu at any chain restaurant. Usually they have a decent selection, and a reasonable sized portion. If they won't give you the same price, usually they only ask for $1 extra, which is still at least 50% less expensive, and you aren't wasting any food!
R.
I have three small children and a husband who is disabled. I buy most of my kids' clothes at Sears. Some people automatically shy away from retail stores that are within a mall BUT, Sears has a wonderful policy on their kids clothes. If the kids outwear the clothes before they outgrow them you simply bring them back to any Sears store and they will replace the used/worn out item of clotting for a similar article of clothing that is the same size. One of my children has worn the same size jeans for 2 winters. All of his jeans from last year, I simply took them to Sears and got all news ones at no cost to me.
Pamela K.
We all know that "a place for everything, and everything in it's place" saves money, but sometimes that seems like an impossible goal, especially when you've got kids. (We've got FOUR!) Here's a tip to help kids to be mindful of cleaning up OTHER people's stuff. We call it the Secret Service Game.
Choose a stuffed animal, and give it a silly name. (Our son made "Socky" by stuffing an old sock with newspapers, and pinning tiny safety pins on for a face.) Have a family meeting and explain that "Socky" is going to help the family learn to do service for others, as well as keep the house clean.
Give Socky to someone in the family, and tell them that they will have the opportunity to put away one item that someone else left out where it didn't belong. The goal is to put the item away without being discovered, and then to put Socky on the pillow of the person for whom you picked up after. When Socky is on your pillow, it's your turn to find something to put away, and pass Socky on. This game has helped our kids to learn that we all can work together to keep our home looking nice, without pointing a finger at the messmakers.
Patty
Who wants to shell out $10 for a man's haircut? Not me. It's really not that hard to cut hair. I have cut my husband and son's hair for years. I got a hairclipper set with attachments from the store. The set was paid for in three haircuts. Think of all the money I have saved over the years cutting my husband and sons' hair. And it's not that difficult, give it a try.
JS
After cleaning your shower, take some Rain-X, (the invisible windshield wiper), found in the automotive department, put a little on a dry cloth and apply it to your shower tiles. It will repel water, soap scum, etc.
Reapply as needed.
Dede P
With kids a great source of real cheap entertainment and a new way for them to meet new friends have them join an organization such as Scouts, 4-H, Camp-fire. With Scouts you can find out what group is the most active and lots of times the most active group will provide the most and cheapest entertainment. If you volunteer lots of times that includes you and sometimes many other family members as well. I'm a Brownie leader and we love the parents to volunteer. It's a big help and it makes for more fun for everyone. If your budget is tight most do have financial assistance. You just need to ask. If you don't get an answer right away keep asking until you get someone that can help get the ball rolling.
Amy D.
What would you do with an extra $100? One lucky Dollar Stretcher "tipster" will win a $100 check each month just for sending in their favorite time or money saving idea. It could be you. Just click here to submit your suggestion. If we use your tip in any of our publications, we'll send you the next three issues of our print newsletter as a "thank you" and you'll automatically be entered into our monthly $100 drawing!
If you'd like to receive our Dollar Stretcher Tips ezine, click here to subscribe.
Dollar Stretcher Tips is a weekly feature of The Dollar Stretcher.com. If you missed last week's tips click here.
Sign up for our free eNewsletter Dollar Stretcher Tips.
Looking for an answer to a frugal living question? Click here to ask a Dollar Stretcher Stretchpert!
To subscribe, check the newsletters you wish to receive, enter your email address and then click Subscribe.
Each month one TDS reader will win $100 just for telling us your favorite time or money saving idea. It could be you!
Click here to share your idea.
Recent winners are:
- Michelle from NC
- Matt from CO
- Joan from CT
- Joanne in New York
|
Money problems? Struggling with credit card debt? What you need to know about bankruptcy? Trouble repaying student loans?
|
Copyright 1996 - 2012 "The Dollar Stretcher, Inc." All rights reserved unless specifically noted.
Contact the Dollar Stretcher at:
Dollar Stretcher
PO Box 14160
Bradenton FL 34280
Voice 941-761-7805
Fax 941-761-8301
"The Dollar Stretcher, Inc." does not assume responsibility for advice given. All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if advice is safe and suitable for their own situation.
| About Us | Privacy Policy | Writer's Guidelines | Sponsorship | Media | Contact Us |
Dollar Stretcher Community
Forums
Blogs
Also In This Week's Issue
In The Dollar Stretcher Community
Reader Favorites
Newsletters
Email
Print
Contact Editor
RSS Feed
Share
Leave a Comment
