Lean Time Tips........Bring 'Em!!

Star*

call 911........call 911
also -

calendars - there are a ton OF free CALENDARS.....AVAILABLE now....ON THE WEB JUST FOR THE ASKING.....

There are FREE publications from the government about how to talk to your kids about drugs/etc.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
The thing about those "green" lightbulbs -- you know, the flourescent kind -- is that you CANNOT throw them in the trash when you are done with them! They have to be disposed like regular florescent bulbs and a household hazardous waste disposal site. And if you don't have one near you, what do you do? Use a lot of gas to drive to one?

And how much does it cost in terms of energy to recycle or process those spent flourescent bulbs?

Maybe they're not so green afterall?
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
I'm going to paint mine and put googly eyes on them and use them as gifts. lol

Now I just have to figure out WHO would actually get one and say "OH Star that is lovely!" lol.

(going to my corner now with my art kit and glue) :laugh:
 

SRL

Active Member
I mostly cook from scratch but there are times when carrying in can be economical. I was making deli sandwiches the other day (split sub rolls and toast them, then add cheese and deli meat and heat again) and it wound up costing me more than $5 footlongs would have at Subway. Sometimes the pizza places we like run specials that are pretty near or less than what I'd do for homemade.

We do like homemade pizza on our Saturday family movie nights and I just discovered that the sauce I'd been buying in regular cans for $1.59 came in restraunt size for $4 at Sam's. I'm going to split it up and freeze it.

Anyone have great ideas for afterschool snacks for bottomless pit teenage boys? One of my guys just grew about 5 inches in 6 months. This summer and fall I had to replace every single piece of clothing he owned. It's been painful...
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I've always had so little money I've been doing a lot of these things for years! Except the coupons, and most of them are for things I'd never use, or even with the coupons some still cost more than a store brand of the same thing. I'm very big on store brands now.

We have to bring our lunch to work and I've always just shoveled the dinner leftovers off into a plastic container and called it 'lunch' for the next day. One thing I have done (when I remember) is to go to the Sonic on Tuesday evenings after 5:00 when they have their big hamburgers for $1 each - I buy several and take them for lunch every day until I get sick of them!
 

SRL

Active Member
One of the things that I'm not happy about is that my oldest moved up to high school and the kids no longer bring lunches from home. He says the only ones that do are the skinny girls bringing salads and that's it. I can feed him cheaper or at least healthier from here than what he gets with the typical school lunch.
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
The thing about those "green" lightbulbs -- you know, the flourescent kind -- is that you CANNOT throw them in the trash when you are done with them! They have to be disposed like regular florescent bulbs and a household hazardous waste disposal site. And if you don't have one near you, what do you do? Use a lot of gas to drive to one?

And how much does it cost in terms of energy to recycle or process those spent flourescent bulbs?

Maybe they're not so green afterall?

My town has a hazardous recycling day twice a year, they go then. :)
 

mrscatinthehat

Seussical
I noticed with those light bulbs that we haven't had to change but one of those (and it because husband hit it in the fixture accidentally) since we started using them. We used to go through regular bulbs (incandescent) all the time. It also helped bring down the bill a bit. We started with them slowly not all at once. Like everytime we did our regular shop we bought some. The grocery stores around here about twice a year have a sale on them and then offer a rebate that makes them almost free.

The other thing to watch is dollar stores and stuff can be good for some things but others that you can get for like .88 at walmart they still charge you a dollar for. The assumption they are cheaper is not a good one on everything.

beth
 

mstang67chic

Going Green
I also have heard about unplugging appliances and things when you're not using them. I started looking around my house after I heard that and geesh...the things we leave plugged in. Toaster, microwave, sometimes up to 3 phone chargers, fans...all type of things. I went around and unplugged everything but SOMEONE seemed to follow me and plug it all back in.

If you use conditioner, another trick is to put a small amount in a big plastic glass and fill with water. (as much or little as you feel you would need) You use less of the conditioner but with the water spreading it out, get the same result.

There's the old fashioned way of conserving soap with smooshing soap bits together instead of throwing them out when they get so small.

Anything liquid I will rinse the container out before tossing so I can get that last bit out. Shampoo, dish soap, laundry soap....anything like that.

I don't really buy in bulk but when I see the family size packs of meat on sale, I will buy those and split it up and freeze. My store also has a section in their meat department with clearance items. I check there first because it's still good and if I use it right away or freeze, it will be fine. I also buy some meat at a local convenience store. For whatever reason, they have great prices on ham steak, hotdogs, smoked sausage, etc. Much cheaper than the grocery.

Also for meat, if you can swing it up front and have a deep freeze, getting a side of beef (or even a full cow if you have room) is very economical in the long run. Depending on the size of the cow, all of it will average around $2.00 per pound. Kind of pricey for some cuts but very cheap for other. Plus, it lasts a long time and is much leaner than the pre-packaged meat at the store. You can usually tell them how you want it done also. So much ground beef and what size (1 lb packs or 2 lbs...whateve you want), how you want things cut, how lean etc. I do recommend though that you ask for SOME fat on the cuts...even the hamburger. When they cut it lean, they REALLY cut it lean and there is sometimes hardly enough fat to cook it without burning it.

Get a subsription to your local or nearby Sunday paper. The subscriptions are cheaper than buying them individually each week and the coupons and/or ads will make it worth it, if not pay for itself.

Bales of straw around crawl spaces or older foundations can do wonders for insulation also.

If one side of your house seems to be colder than the other side due to winds, plastic over the windows will help cut back on heat loss. You can get the rolls of plastic sheeting at hardware stores and use duct tape or strips of wood to attach. Or you can buy the kits that you cut the plastic to size and use the hair dryer to make it stick and shrink tight.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Oh, and in addition to the Freecycle............which is awesome by the way.............A new spin off on that has been starting up everywhere called Cheapcycle and it's also thru yahoo groups. Check to see if you have one near you.

Cheapcycle is for you to be able to sell and buy items for reasonable prices. They have lots of good deals.
 

Steely

Active Member
My money saving tip is to trade my kids in for hamsters.

Beth
Holy cr@p you just made me laugh out loud Beth. Best advice of all. :redface: How do we become part of this hamster child freecycle program?

I love this post, it is awesome.

I forget that unplugging every single thing in the house when not in use, saves electricity. Even lamps, kitchen appliances, anything with a cord should not be plugged in unless you are using it (I know, easier said than done).

I work in a outdoor/camping store and our bicycle sales have increased by 40% in the last 3 months. How about riding a bike to work? Now there is a lot of money saved.

Star* I am quite into composting. It takes a little time, but it is well worth the effort. PM me if you have questions ~ but suffice it to say there is no need for someone to buy mulch, or have a yard guy rake the leaves.

Another investment I made long ago was an electric mower by Black and Decker. I have had it 7 years without one problem, and not one repair cost incurred. Well worth the trade off of a gas mower where there was gas, and many, many repairs and tune ups.
 
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trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
But if I trade both my kids in for hamsters, who will take care of the hampsters and clean the cage?

Maybe you could rig up the hamster wheel to some sort of suction device. Whenever they ran it would vacuum out the cage?
(Just make sure you don't put the girl hamsters and the boy hamsters in the same cage)

Trinity
 

Andy

Active Member
That might work -

I will just find someone to take them (the hamsters).

I did get one for difficult child at the end of last Summer. He would let it out of its cage because, "Walnut is a good hamster. He won't run away." Of course not, he just ran straight to my large heavy dresser and stayed there scratching every night. I would have to wait until he came out enough to grab him.

One night we found him in our closet. Now that was strange - could hear him but didn't know where he was. Actually didn't know that it was him. Didn't know he was loose again - why bother with a cage?

difficult child gave Walnut away last Spring when puppy came into our home.
 

Andy

Active Member
Tired - I don't think hamsters know about that. We will need to make sure no relative hamsters are traded out together.
 
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