Readers' Tips
Here's a fun idea that my family did a few years ago. We were Christmas presents!
For each kid, get a box of the appropriate size, cut off the bottom, cut a hole in the top that is big enough to put his/her head through, and cut comfortable armholes in the sides or front. Then cover the box with Christmas wrapping paper, and neatly cut the paper around the holes. Add a stick- on bow or ribbon on his head. We used our Christmas stockings for goody bags.
Dad was a Christmas tree. We made him a silly star hat out of foil. We wrapped and safety-pinned a green sheet around him and pinned garland and ornaments to the sheet. As a warning, do not use breakable ornaments!
It was a fun group costume that got a lot of compliments. Best
of all, it cost us nothing. We used stuff that we already had
on hand.
Sandy
editor's note: more ideas for Family Halloween Costumes and a whole section of costume, fright make-up and party ideas here
I have a simple tip that will save your whole family money on
cream rinse. Because my hair is very long, I have always had
to use more than the recommended amount of cream rinse in
order to detangle my hair. I have found that if I simply brush
my hair free of knots and tangles while it is dry before I
shampoo, it saves dramatically on the amount of cream rinse it
takes to run a comb through it while it is wet and cuts the
time required in half. My whole family now does the same and
we have cut our cream rinse bill in half!
Carol R. in Palmyra, NJ
I had never been successful at keeping a budget before, but finally figured out a system that works for my husband and me. Although I'm in charge of the details, we always go over the budget together so that we both have a fair say in how our money is spent. We also adjust the budget whenever necessary instead of trying to stick to a rigid plan set up only once a month. Our monthly budget includes some "fun money" that we can spend any way we want to, and items that we only pay for once or twice a year (such as car insurance). We divide the full premium by the number of months before it is due and then set aside that amount in a separate account. When the bill comes due, the money is ready to go without any stress and without the added billing expenses!
Using the same technique, we've managed to pay off nearly all
of our debts (two cars, furniture, a computer and credit
cards), saved up for an emergency, and planned financially for
upcoming events. As a result, we were able to pay cash for our
small wedding and European honeymoon and still had cash set
aside to replace a car that was unexpectedly totaled! I never
would have believed that was possible, especially since I'm a
graduate student on a small stipend and my husband is a lab
technician who earns only a little more than I do. It isn't
necessarily how much you make, but how you decide to spend it.
We're both considerably more relaxed when it comes to money,
and aren't worried about our next big "investment," the
upcoming birth of our first child!
TML in Columbus, OH
My husband and I ate at a large BBQ chain the other night. I had a coupon for a free appetizer with the purchase of one meal of the same or higher price. We ordered the large platter, which had four potato skins, a mound of onion rings, and four chicken tenders. Then we ordered two pulled pork platters that came with two sides, garlic bread and water. We ate the skins and onion rings. I ordered my potato dry with no butter/sour cream. I ate my large side of broccoli and my husband ate his potato and BBQ beans. We took home four chicken tenders, which I cut up into two large dinner salads the next night at home. We also took home two pieces of garlic bread, which I toasted later that night and snacked on while watching TV. We had one dry potato to add my own toppings to for lunch and a huge amount of pulled pork that made four BBQ sandwiches or two more meals with me opening canned veggies to complete. I believe with proper planning and a cooperative spouse who understands what reheats well and what doesn't, we can eat out once or twice a month and get several meals out of it.
Using the same coupon with my mother several weeks ago, we were able to order the large appetizer platter. I ordered the large pulled pork platter with two sides and she just wanted a cup of their stew. We ate the potato skins and onion rings. I ordered two baked potatoes for sides with butter/sour cream on the side (sour cream does not reheat well in the microwave so only dress one half a potato at a time) and gave one to my mom. She ate about half of her potato and couldn't eat anymore so we took home her stew, half of a baked potato, four chicken tenders from the appetizer platter, pulled pork, and a piece of garlic bread. Being 82, mom is a very light eater, so she was able to make several meals out of the leftovers.
This may seem over calculating, gross, penny pinching and cheap, but with the huge amount of food some restaurants put out, combining coupons and smart portion control, there is no reason you can't come out ahead when eating out. The other key is to never leave anything. After all, they just throw it out. Also, if you do get a soda or tea, many places will put it in a cup to take with you.
Mom taught us well. She lived through the Depression, and we
had some very lean times growing up. We were taught never to
throw out food, as you can always do something with it.
M.
As my children got older, the gifts at Christmas got more
expensive and a lot smaller looking. The children seemed to
want all the latest electronic gadgets that came out. Not only
was our pocketbook let down, but also we were let down as it
seemed they didn't appreciate the gifts. About three years
back, we decided to do one big family gift at Christmas. One
year we bought a pool table, one year we bought a Wii(tm), and
so on. We would all discuss different things that we might
like to have and agreed on two or three things. By doing it
this way, the total surprise wasn't gone. We still filled
their stockings with a few things. This dropped our Christmas
cost down to under $500. The children are happy and so are we.
Dawnette P.
My grandkids love to do art projects. They are 2, 4 and 5 years old, so it has to be easy, quick and keep their attention.
This Halloween, I saved styrofoam meat trays and cut pumpkins
and ghosts out of the bottoms and larger sides. Their "job"
was to decorate them, adding eyes or faces to these with
finger paints, markers, glue, glitter, leaves, shiny bits and
pieces saved from other items that would have been trashed
(i.e. the lining of some potato chip bags are silver). It was
easy to punch a hole in the top and add a string or hook to
hang them for everyone to admire. I used a plastic tablecloth
under the project to make cleanup quick and easy.
Joyce J.
When I was a young girl, my mom did this. She would cook a
large roast for Sunday dinner, and we would have beef
sandwiches for dinner the next day. A couple of days later, we
would have beef stew that was made with what was left of the
meat, gravy, onions, potatoes, and carrots. She would serve it
over cornbread, toast, or rice. It was great! The stew was my
favorite! I did the same thing for my family as my kids were
growing up. I quit this a few years back for health reasons,
but a couple of months ago I was talking to my grown children
about growing up in our house. I asked them what their
favorite dish was to eat and my son did not hesitate. His
immediate answer was the beef stew!
Nena J.
I learned this from one of my favorite hairdressers (thanks,
Odette). After styling my chin-length hair with a blow dryer
and hot air brush, there is often a lot of static electricity
in my hair and it won't stay in place. Instead of loading my
hair down with a lot of hair spray, I was taught this neat
trick. Spray your brush with hair spray and then run it
through your hair. Very little spray is added to your hair,
but it calms down the fly-away look. Your can of hairspray
will last a lot longer. If there is a family member who is
sensitive to chemicals, this also helps by putting less fumes
into the air. I do this whole process in front of the open
bathroom window while the exhaust fan is running. You'd never
know I'd just been in there with a can of hairspray in my
hands.
Margie K. in Shoreline, WA
If you purchase a coupon book like the Entertainment Book, you may feel that you never save enough to justify buying it. This time, I saved far more money in coupons than the cost of the book. First, I went through the book and removed any coupons that I knew I would never use. These were for stores that are too far from home or work. I gave away those to family, friends, and coworkers. One person then gave me a few that I wanted from her book, which gave me a little bonus.
Next, I removed any coupons that I thought we would use in the
next month. Places that my husband would frequent went
directly into his wallet. Places I shop went into my purse.
The rest went into the car along with the book. Then, I
removed those for places where I go seasonally (like around
Christmas) and clipped them to the family calendar. When
planning a dinner out, we picked a place from the book. I also
put a reminder on my calendar so that I could check the book
each month. Lastly, I signed up for the email list for
electronic coupons. That way, I get period reminders and new
offers for local stores. Also, check the company website. You
can buy books at half price later in the year for even bigger
savings.
Annmarie W. in Philadelphia, PA
Putting your bananas in a brown paper bag before storing them
in the refrigerator will not only help them last longer, but
will keep them from turning brown so fast.
Donna
I shop online. Gas is expensive, and by shopping for basic
items on Amazon.com or other online stores, many of the costs
of items are within pennies of the cost of the items at Wal-
Mart. The ground shipping winds up being less than gas to
drive to get these items. And, having them delivered to the
house saves time.
Katrina
I put plastic on all my windows and it helps immensely. I can
actually see the plastic bowing out with the wind that comes
through my old wooden windows and that cold breeze would be
coming into my home without the plastic on the windows. I put
it up from frame to frame to frame to sill and I am sure I am
saving hundreds on my gas bill because of that.
Rosemary
I save time and money by purchasing a turkey breast and cooking it in the slow cooker while I am at work. I wrap it in aluminum foil and then place potatoes wrapped in foil on top. We make several meals out of it. Save the broth for evening #2.
1. On the first evening, we have turkey and baked potatoes
2. On the second evening, we have turkey and noodles.
3. On the third evening, we have turkey subs warmed in the
toaster oven.
4. On the fourth evening, we have salads with turkey and
veggies.
5. Finally, on the fifth evening, we use the little bits left
to make omelets with cheese, veggies, and turkey.
If you get tired of eating turkey, freeze the meat and save it
for later!
Renee S.
Whenever looking at something to buy, ask yourself, "Do I
already have something that will work instead?" This usually
works. Also, always carry cash and forget about credit cards.
Colleen H.
For years now, I've gone to the dollar store and bought dry powder gravy packets, usually at a cost of two for a $1. I make them up one or two days in advance and put them in the fridge. When I cook a turkey and make gravy from the drippings, I then add the pre-made gravy into it to stretch the amount as gravy is always at a premium. No one knows, as it all tastes homemade because I blended it with my actual homemade gravy. And it is inexpensive.
That's my tip. It's on my mind because I am a Canadian and
today (October 13th) is our Canadian Thanksgiving. The turkey
is about to go into the oven!
Carol D.
With four basset hounds to bathe weekly, or sometimes twice a
week when fleas are particularly bad, flea shampoo was getting
pretty pricey at $3 to $4 per bottle. I have one hound that
gets sick from most pesticides so I was trying to locate the
coal tar variety shampoo at the local superstore. I started
discussing the pesticide issue with another shopper and she
said that most regular human shampoos and deodorant body
washes kill fleas. I went straight home and tried out a body
wash on the hounds and she was right! I soaped them up, left
it on for a couple of minutes and the (dead) fleas rinsed
right off. No more need to spend the extra bucks on flea
shampoo when I can buy a bottle of body wash at the dollar
store!
Michelle D.
Like many people, I have an extra freezer. Sometimes the
freezer gets pretty bare and I worry about using more energy.
It takes more energy to keep an empty freezer at the correct
temperature than a full freezer. What I do is make a bunch of
extra ice and place it in plastic bags to take up the extra
space. This way I always have enough ice and my energy bills
are lower. Also, at my grocery store, they give a discount if
you buy two of the gallon size jugs of milk. We don't need
that much milk in the refrigerator so I put one in the
freezer. Be sure that it is a plastic container, as I'm not
sure what another container will do. The milk will slowly
defrost in the refrigerator and taste as fresh as before.
Sara
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