by Lois Breneman, © 2009, Heart to Heart
You may already be saving by doing many of these suggestions. In that case, use this list as a checklist so you can see how well you are doing.
Being organized helps make it much easier to be able to find things when they are needed. Not only will being organized save you time, but it will save you from purchasing something you thought you lost (kitchen utensils, tools, office supplies, books, clothing, toys, etc. Organize your storage space, rather than paying rent for a warehouse.
Work to keep your marriage a happy, fulfilling, and lifelong one. Communicate, be kind, considerate, loving, play together and pray together! Look for ways to serve your spouse. Find ways to have regular dates, even if they aren't fancy. Have less extravagant times together, but plenty of them. If you don't think this is a money saving tip, think again!
Clean your own home, rather than hiring someone else to do it. Use those cleaning jobs as teaching tools for your children, so they are able to do menial tasks when they leave home. Knowing those skills will help get them through life easier.
Keep an extra set of car and house keys handy. You could save a bundle in locksmith's fees. Can anyone relate to this?
Trade toys with friends periodically, to give the children a change of scenery. Make sure they are unbreakable. Very nice toys and books can also be found at yard sales. If you are blessed to have parents who saved the nicer toys and books to pass on to their grandchildren, that's a great savings as well. It may be inconvenient to store so many toys and books, but it's worth it when you see your grandchildren enjoying them, as well as saving your children hundreds of dollars.
Shop for good used clothing at consignment shops, stores such as Goodwill, and yard sales. Great looking, stylish clothing can be found for all the family to supplement what you already have, but you do need to spend some time looking. Work out a swap with relatives or friends to pass hand-me-down clothing back and forth. If you need to purchase new clothing, always shop for items on sales - even on clearance.
Form a baby-sitting co-op with reliable friends, and swap hours of babysitting. Use simple handmade Baby Bucks to pay. Older children might like them to be called "Kid Bucks" instead. One buck per kid, per hour would be reasonable. This will save you hundreds of dollars!
Use a knife sharpener to refurbish your old dull knives and scissors. A whetstone from a hardware store will restore the sharpness of the blade. Learn how to sharpen your own lawn mower as well.
Save packing materials such as bubble wrap to reuse in your own mailing of packages. Styrofoam peanuts can be used in beanbag chairs as well. I've made beanbag chairs for us and our children, using Styrofoam peanuts as the filler. Works great!
Run your dishwasher only when it's full. Hand wash the larger bowls, so more will fit into the dishwasher.
Wash your shower curtain liner with a few towels to keep it clean so you don't need to replace it as often. If it has mildew, soak it in hot water and Oxiclean or hot water and bleach. Note: Never mix bleach with other chemicals, especially ammonia. It gives off deadly odorless fumes.
Do as much as possible for your children's weddings in the way of making things that they'd like your help in. Encourage them to have a nice but simple wedding, so they have a better financial start for their marriage. A wedding lasts only a few hours, but a marriage will hopefully last a whole lifetime.
Consider all the hidden costs before buying a pet - the cost of food, immunizations, expensive visits to the vet, etc. Who will feed the pets? What about vacations?
Use grocery bags as trash can liners, or save them for when you have yard sales, so you have something in which to put the merchandise for those seeking bargains. If you have surplus bags, recycle them at your grocery store.
Don't assume that a broken appliance can't be fixed. Try to do it yourself, if possible. My "Mr. Fixer Upper" husband made our stove last for thirty-six years, actually a little too long for me!
Save all the receipts from major purchases. File all those receipts, warranties and owner's manuals in one location. Filing them in folders according to the room in which they are used helps you to find them more quickly.
Ladies, this one is for the men, as are some of the other tips. Learn some basic mechanics of caring for a car. Begin with changing your own oil and washing your own car. Take a class on auto mechanics. Someone I know liked to talk about keeping his cars until the wheels flew off, which was almost the case.
Do your homework before purchasing a car or appliance. Check the Consumer Report research for best performance and value. Check safety in the case of purchasing a vehicle.
Buy a good used car rather than a brand new one, since a new car will depreciate as soon as you drive it off the car lot. Pay cash if at all possible to avoid monthly car payments and interest. Rather than trading in your old car, sell it yourself.
Buy seasonal appliances at the end of the season - air conditioners, fans, space heaters, swing sets, bicycles, etc. If you want to sell seasonal items, sell them during the season.
Return purchases that are defective, as well as those you find are not needed or don't work for you. Always be considerate when you do.
Sort through your possessions and sell things you don't need. Check with Craig's List or e-Bay, or have a yard sale.
For tax purposes keep track of medical receipts, automobile mileage associated with medical care, items you donate to charities as well. Learn what all you are allowed to deduct, so you are able to keep as much as possible.
Buying extended service contracts is usually a waste of money, and the sales clerks know it. The buyer usually loses.
Take care of the things you have. Keep the inside of your car neat and clean, wipe your appliances clean, care for your clothes in the proper way. Make things last as long as possible.
Keep last year's telephone directory in the trunk of your car and a city map in your glove compartment. It may save you time and gas money driving around to find a certain location.
Plan out your shopping, errands and yard sales on paper. Plan so you make right turns only to save time, gas, money and a higher risk of an accident as well.
Change your lifestyle habits, especially the way you eat, to lose and maintain a healthy weight. You will stand a better chance of avoiding a number of weight-related health problems and the resulting steep out-of-pocket expenses.
Always maintain good health care insurance coverage. Shop around for the best value and premium.
Make your own laundry detergent and household cleaners to save a lot, after you use up what you already have.
Recycle old T-shirts into a memory quilt or cut it up for cleaning or dusting, simply by trimming off the seams. Turn old towels into nice terry cloth cleaning cloths, by zig-zagging around the edges to prevent fraying. One towel makes eight cleaning cloths or dishcloths.
Cut handles off of discarded mops and brooms. Use them as gardening stakes. Cut old pantyhose into strips for tying tomatoes or other plants to stakes. It's more gentle on the plant than twine would be.
Lengthen the time between trips to the beauty shop or barber by doing the yourself in between visits. Better yet, learn how to cut hair for your children and husband.
Launder your husband's own shirts, find a good cobbler for shoe repairs, replace broken or lost buttons, learn how to sew a hem by hand, and buy fewer clothes that need dry cleaning.
Buy clothing that you can mix and match with several garments. Stay away from fads. Purchase clothing in colors that compliment your skin and hair color - spring, summer, autumn or winter. You may want to check out the book, Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson from the library, if you want to learn to wear colors that help you to look your best.
Freezing candles before lighting them will make them last longer. Candles in a candle warmer lose their fragrance after a while. Rather than tossing out the candle though, find candle wicks at a craft shop and pour the melted wax from a candle warmer into glass jars (with wicks) to make new unscented candles. Adding a crayon or two first will give it a new color. If you have nice teacups and saucers or mugs that you no longer use, they make great candles to give a gifts.
Make a list of your talents and skills. Use those resources for gift giving. A gift doesn't have to be something you wrap in pretty gift wrapping paper. It can be a gift of service that you provide, such as meals, caring for children, cleaning a home, washing a car, etc. Teach your children this concept. Plan to make as many gifts or provide a service as you can this year. I find most people especially appreciate a handmade gift or kind act of service.
A great quote that correlates with this topic is: "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." So go look for other ways around your home where you might be able to save as little as a few dollars or as much as hundreds of dollars by changing the way you currently do something. It's worth a try.
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