How cheap are you? :D

BlunderWoman

BlunderWoman

Senior Member
What unusual thing do you do to save money?

People out here where I live do not get city trash services. I see dumpsters at most of the homes out here that you have to sign a contract for and pay steep prices. Me..well I put my trash in cans that lock outside. I haul it once a week to my daughters house on her trash days early in the morning and set it with their trash. I do not pay for trash . :p
 

I buy used paint. Well it's not used. Of course. It's in cans. It's paint that was ordered and not picked up or was the wrong color or whatever. When I need to paint any of the units here I pick from the "used paint" pile. I have tubes of paint tints that I can mix in if I need to. The tints were a small investment that have saved me dozens of dollars :playful:.

I buy used wood too. Wait, recycled. Other recycled materials too, if it's in really good condition.
 
I can squeeze a dollar with careful shopping and generics. But get me into Barnes and Noble and I have to force myself to keep it under $50...okay $75 but two were on clearance. I need books more than fancy food. Oh and Wrigley's I love the discount paints. They also have tester jars now for two or three bucks. If you're good with color mixing or just have a small project it's much cheaper than a whole quart.
 

The heat, now with nobody left at him i use minimal energy to heat the house because it doesn't bother me and becomes like a miserly game to me just how frugal i can be about it.
 
fureverywhere said:
I can squeeze a dollar with careful shopping and generics. But get me into Barnes and Noble and I have to force myself to keep it under $50...okay $75 but two were on clearance. I need books more than fancy food. Oh and Wrigley's I love the discount paints. They also have tester jars now for two or three bucks. If you're good with color mixing or just have a small project it's much cheaper than a whole quart.
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I'm with ya!

I am good at making leftovers taste great but going to chapters bookstore ,lol


Wringley,that's how we paint our renntal units! There are ways!
 
I go through all letters and reuse stamps which have not been franked.
I heat only one room at a time (electricity), try to go without any heat as long as possible. (I use the layered approach during winter, sometimes up to 3 layers).
I freeze leftovers (but throw them out if I have not used them after 3 months.)
 
My wife is the more frugal one in our house, but I try to save money by keeping the a/c turned off or on a higher setting during summer (which she HATES), or keeping the rooms colder in the winter (we have thermostats in every room). I can tolerate the heat better than I can the cold. My wife will rinse out plastic bags and use them again. She also takes uncanceled stamps off of envelopes to use again. We're very good about using up leftovers. I've become quite good at turning them into something delicious most of the time.
 
Man, I'm cheap, so cheap that I re-use my coffee filters. Sometimes I'm so cheap that I'll wash and re-use my expensive dental floss. Top that!
 
I wash out the plastic bags also. I always freeze leftovers and a lot longer than three months. I reuse the plastic bags from the grocery store for my garbage can. When the dish detergent bottle is empty I add water for one last use as well as the the one for clothes. I know I shouldn't do this, but I think my toothbrush is over a year old. When the bristles start to lay flat I know I have to get a new one.
 
Since we went "green", most stores charge 5 cents for a plastic grocery bag. Okay, it's to deter people from using plastic, but I begrudge paying. I carry 3 different sizes of tote bags in my purse. The plastic bags from the odd store that doesn't charge for them, get used to line our little 'green' bucket in the kitchen. I recently, very reluctantly recycled a whole heap of paper and plastic shopping bags of all sizes. Surprising how they come in handy.
 
I can't see out my windows as they are totally blocked out by the geraniums and two huge flowering vines that I brought in for the winter rather than pay for new ones this spring.
 
Something that isn't cheap as much as more practical is saving plant soil. I usually have six to ten plants year round. If one dies or gets repotted I'll throw the leftover dirt into a central collection pot. It makes sense, the leaves and roots decompose as they dry and make for richer soil. So I've been recycling the same soil for years. No need to go out and buy a new bag.
 
I buy dented cans, odd shaped vegetables and fruits or reduced. If there is a bargain to be had at the grocery store I usually buy it. I draw the line at opened packages though.
 
Ok..this one is embarrassing. I scratched my white truck. I tried to paint it myself. Every man who saw it had a huge laugh. My son said he was embarrassed to drive it to the shop to get it painted & had to make sure he said " I didn't do this. My mom did."
 
I put bubble wrap on my windows to keep the cold out in the winter and the heat out in the summer. Some windows are fully covered and others are only half covered so I can see out. I also changed all the light bulbs in my home to energy efficient 9watt bulbs and I have added large area rugs to help insulate the floor of my home and on top of all that, I have changed to washing in cold water exclusively. I've lowered my utility bill by $35 a month this way over the last year.
 
Arachne said:
I buy dented cans, odd shaped vegetables and fruits or reduced. If there is a bargain to be had at the grocery store I usually buy it. I draw the line at opened packages though.
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In the area where I live there are two stores that exclusively stock outdated, near outdated, and dented boxes and cans. I shop there all the time and get some fabulous deals! And they sell a ton of organics as well, or I wouldn't be able to afford organics.
 

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