How Do You Save Money?

Big Horn said:
Now, I'll give you the best tip: if you can find it on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any other overpriced supplier of electronic entertainment, you can find it on youtube, the television network, or a myriad of independent websites without charge. There's no reason to spend hundreds of dollars per year for this garbage.

Some youtube videos aren't available in this country. Simply download the Tor browser and reset it until it shows that it's receiving from another country. Do a search for free television shows. Don't use Google; all you'll get will be ads. Use https://duckduckgo.com/. It's the best search engine as they don't track you. Searches are all objective. Search https://ahmia.fi/ as well. You'll need the Tor browser to go to the results because it searches the deep net only. You can, however, see them on any browser. You can search the clear net from the darknet if you use DuckDuckGo's mirror website. http://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/


Learn about Tor and the deep net. You cannot link to the deep net from a regular browser. For example, the New York Times deep net or dark net website is https://www.nytimes3xbfgragh.onion/. You can only access it through the Tor Browser.

https://www.torproject.org/

https://www.deepdotweb.com/
Click to expand...
Thanks Biggie!
 

SeaBreeze said:
I look through the weekly ads in the newspaper to see who has what on sale in the supermarkets, will cut a coupon or two if needed to buy at the discount price. When I think of it, I shop on the senior discount day at the market, usually only one day a month, but if you're buying steaks, seafood, the total savings is worth it.

We used to make inexpensive meals, like just browning some ground beef and onions and serving it over wide noodles. A crock pot of beans goes a long way too, usually Great Northern, but Kidney, Black, etc. just as good. Made with garlic and onions only for vegetarian, or add a little cubed ham or bacon for meat flavor, don't need much.

If I use one of those big zip lock baggies just for a loaf of bread, some bagels, open sleeve of crackers, etc., I just wash it out and reuse it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your tips. I got a bag of lentils today. I love them!
 
I have so many ways. Some are so small but I think it adds up. I never waste food. Casseroles and soups are my best friends. We rarely eat out. I reuse plastic bags if no meat has been stored in them.We have meatless meals once in awhile. When I wash I hang the clothes out or on lines in our basement. I buy in bulk. Always pay our credit card off on time. I keep the heat low in winter, that's why they invented sweaters. Clip coupons and only buy items on sale. A week ago we went to a theme park with my daughter and family. I brought along two bottles of water for the hubby and myself from bottles I filled from our faucet at home. I noticed a machine at the park was selling bottled water for $4.00 each. I saved $8.00 that day and because we were over the age of 70 we got in free. When we travel we take our lunch the first day out. Fill our coffee mugs at the motel in the morning to drink along the way. I love garage sales and the new Salvation Army store is fantastic and I enjoy the hunt for a bargain.
 

Ruth n Jersey said:
I have so many ways. Some are so small but I think it adds up. I never waste food. Casseroles and soups are my best friends. We rarely eat out. I reuse plastic bags if no meat has been stored in them.We have meatless meals once in awhile. When I wash I hang the clothes out or on lines in our basement. I buy in bulk. Always pay our credit card off on time. I keep the heat low in winter, that's why they invented sweaters. Clip coupons and only buy items on sale. A week ago we went to a theme park with my daughter and family. I brought along two bottles of water for the hubby and myself from bottles I filled from our faucet at home. I noticed a machine at the park was selling bottled water for $4.00 each. I saved $8.00 that day and because we were over the age of 70 we got in free. When we travel we take our lunch the first day out. Fill our coffee mugs at the motel in the morning to drink along the way. I love garage sales and the new Salvation Army store is fantastic and I enjoy the hunt for a bargain.
Click to expand...
Great tips! I can't afford to pay my credit card off each month but I pay. I like the Salvation Army too!
 
Smiling Jane said:
I'm a big fan of washing soda, baking soda and vinegar for cleaning nearly everything. My detergent is basically washing soda and part of the reason it's so great (beyond only using a tablespoon for a washer load) is that it cleans all the way down to the fiber so I don't need stain removers or fabric softeners. I use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting.

Does your shampoo use coconut milk as a base, or castile soap? I go back and forth.

The most important question of all, why do so many men on this and other forums call themselves Captain? Is that some kind of guy thing? Inquiring minds and all that.
Click to expand...

I use castile soap as a base because everything else I tried either dried my hair out, or made it look oily within just a couple days. I only shampoo once a week unless I get paint or something in it.

I chose Cap'n Sacto because he was host of a Saturday morning kiddie show I used to watch when my family first moved to Sacramento. I can't speak for the other Captains, but I'll venture to guess most of them either served in the military or own a boat.
 
Cap'nSacto said:
I use castile soap as a base because everything else I tried either dried my hair out, or made it look oily within just a couple days. I only shampoo once a week unless I get paint or something in it.

I chose Cap'n Sacto because he was host of a Saturday morning kiddie show I used to watch when my family first moved to Sacramento. I can't speak for the other Captains, but I'll venture to guess most of them either served in the military or own a boat.
Click to expand...

I looked up Cap'n Sacto and see it was a Sacramento show. We had Miss Frances but I'll be darned if I'll call myself that. She would mention children's names during the show, and I remember being all excited when she gently urged my brother and me to hurry and get dressed. Made my day.

The problem with homemade shampoos is that you have to restore the pH balance of your hair so either a vinegar or baking soda rinse (or better yet a combination of the two), 1 tablespoon per cup of water, will negate any oiliness or unruliness.
 
Smiling Jane said:
I looked up Cap'n Sacto and see it was a Sacramento show. We had Miss Frances but I'll be darned if I'll call myself that. She would mention children's names during the show, and I remember being all excited when she gently urged my brother and me to hurry and get dressed. Made my day.

The problem with homemade shampoos is that you have to restore the pH balance of your hair so either a vinegar or baking soda rinse (or better yet a combination of the two), 1 tablespoon per cup of water, will negate any oiliness or unruliness.
Click to expand...
That said can anyone post some of your recipes for shampoos or other things you make home made to save money?
 
A woman named Jillee has a great blog called One Good Thing. She has all kinds of ideas and recipes to make things that are cheap and helpful. I think she's great, and her site is a good starting point. https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/

I like her coconut milk shampoo formula. It's 1/4 cup coconut milk (canned or homemade), 1/3 cup organic baby shampoo, 1 teaspoon good oil (olive oil, vitamin E, almond oil, coconut oil; I use jojoba oil partly because I always have it around), and 10-20 drops of essential oil (I've never added this but it might be nice to have a scent or the kind of healing you get from essential oils). Shake well and store any leftover in the refrigerator.

During the winter I use coconut milk shampoo every other time I shampoo. I don't shampoo every day because I don't need it, especially in the winter. In between coconut oil shampoos, I use 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of hot water. Pour it over my hair, massage in and rinse. I follow it with a rinse of 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of hot water. I didn't use shampoo for about three years when my scalp broke out from shampoo; my hairdresser said it was scalp acne and it was horrible. While it healed, I only used baking soda to shampoo, and my hair and scalp were never healthier. The combination of baking soda and vinegar is really all you need, but in the winter especially I also like coconut milk shampoo because the oils counteract dryness.

For laundry I use Nellie's laundry soda. You can buy a smallish can that lasts 100 washes for about $18 through Amazon or Nellie's web site. It's the best clothes detergent I've ever used. Jillee has recipes for homemade laundry detergent if you prefer to make your own and it's probably cheaper to do it that way. I don't ever use any kind of stain remover or fabric softener because I don't need it. For whitening in my local hard water, I use 1/2 cup washing soda mixed with 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide. Mix it fast and use it right away. It's a much better whitener than Oxyclean ever dreamed of being for a fraction of the cost.

Jillee also has recipes for both dishwasher detergent and liquid dish detergent. I won't share my dishwasher detergent formula with you because through trial and error I found what works with the water where I live, and I'm sure it would be different for you. It's the same mixture of washing soda, borax, citric acid and kosher salt but I've changed the proportions. I put 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar in the washing cycle of my old dishwasher that doesn't have a rinse-aid dispenser.

I buy washing soda at Smith's (Kroger's in this area). It comes in large boxes. Same thing with borax. I've seen washing soda and borax at Walmart, but you have to get there early because they never shelve enough. I buy white vinegar by the gallon at the grocery store; it's usually in the canning section. That's also where I buy kosher salt and hydrogen peroxide. I buy big bags of baking soda through Amazon or Walmart online; I think they're 13 pounds. I buy organic coconut milk by the case through Amazon. It freezes well so you don't have to waste any. I buy 5 pound bags of citric acid through Amazon, and that's also where I buy organic baby shampoo. I bought a bunch of these Lock & Lock bins years ago when they cost a lot less and that's how I store washing soda, baking soda, borax, citric acid and kosher salt. It's much easier to dip a measuring cup into a bin than to lift heavy containers. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=lock+&+lock

I subscribe to Amazon Prime for about $100/year. If you're on any kind of benefit program like Snap or whatever, you can get a monthly Prime subscription for around $6. It's worth it to me not to have to carry big heavy loads of groceries to and from my car. I discovered it was a godsend when I broke my shoulder and got big bags of dog food delivered to my door. I'm a Kindle addict so I use Prime for that and also the sreaming video selection, although I prefer Netflix, PBS and Acorn. I've also been using Walmart and Target's online ordering. I think they both deliver free on orders over $35. Walmart sells all kinds of things online that they don't stock in their stores; they use outside merchants like Amazon does.

I added some large storage cupboards to my kitchen/dining area for non-perishables. (I painted them to match my walls so they're not as noticeable.) I buy 6 cans of San Marzano tomatoes at a time. I buy dried beans and rice in quantity and keep them in my freezer. All of those are from Amazon, so I don't have to lug them around. I make vegetable, beef and chicken stocks and freeze in 1 cup portions. Same with bone broth. I far prefer homemade breads and baked goods to anything bought, and I slice and freeze so I can take out what I want. I use parchment paper to divide the slices.

I have a lot more time than money and baking and doing prep keeps me active, so it's all good.
 
Smiling Jane said:
A woman named Jillee has a great blog called One Good Thing. She has all kinds of ideas and recipes to make things that are cheap and helpful. I think she's great, and her site is a good starting point. https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/

I like her coconut milk shampoo formula. It's 1/4 cup coconut milk (canned or homemade), 1/3 cup organic baby shampoo, 1 teaspoon good oil (olive oil, vitamin E, almond oil, coconut oil; I use jojoba oil partly because I always have it around), and 10-20 drops of essential oil (I've never added this but it might be nice to have a scent or the kind of healing you get from essential oils). Shake well and store any leftover in the refrigerator.

During the winter I use coconut milk shampoo every other time I shampoo. I don't shampoo every day because I don't need it, especially in the winter. In between coconut oil shampoos, I use 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of hot water. Pour it over my hair, massage in and rinse. I follow it with a rinse of 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of hot water. I didn't use shampoo for about three years when my scalp broke out from shampoo; my hairdresser said it was scalp acne and it was horrible. While it healed, I only used baking soda to shampoo, and my hair and scalp were never healthier. The combination of baking soda and vinegar is really all you need, but in the winter especially I also like coconut milk shampoo because the oils counteract dryness.

For laundry I use Nellie's laundry soda. You can buy a smallish can that lasts 100 washes for about $18 through Amazon or Nellie's web site. It's the best clothes detergent I've ever used. Jillee has recipes for homemade laundry detergent if you prefer to make your own and it's probably cheaper to do it that way. I don't ever use any kind of stain remover or fabric softener because I don't need it. For whitening in my local hard water, I use 1/2 cup washing soda mixed with 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide. Mix it fast and use it right away. It's a much better whitener than Oxyclean ever dreamed of being for a fraction of the cost.

Jillee also has recipes for both dishwasher detergent and liquid dish detergent. I won't share my dishwasher detergent formula with you because through trial and error I found what works with the water where I live, and I'm sure it would be different for you. It's the same mixture of washing soda, borax, citric acid and kosher salt but I've changed the proportions. I put 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar in the washing cycle of my old dishwasher that doesn't have a rinse-aid dispenser.

I buy washing soda at Smith's (Kroger's in this area). It comes in large boxes. Same thing with borax. I've seen washing soda and borax at Walmart, but you have to get there early because they never shelve enough. I buy white vinegar by the gallon at the grocery store; it's usually in the canning section. That's also where I buy kosher salt and hydrogen peroxide. I buy big bags of baking soda through Amazon or Walmart online; I think they're 13 pounds. I buy organic coconut milk by the case through Amazon. It freezes well so you don't have to waste any. I buy 5 pound bags of citric acid through Amazon, and that's also where I buy organic baby shampoo. I bought a bunch of these Lock & Lock bins years ago when they cost a lot less and that's how I store washing soda, baking soda, borax, citric acid and kosher salt. It's much easier to dip a measuring cup into a bin than to lift heavy containers. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=lock+&+lock

I subscribe to Amazon Prime for about $100/year. If you're on any kind of benefit program like Snap or whatever, you can get a monthly Prime subscription for around $6. It's worth it to me not to have to carry big heavy loads of groceries to and from my car. I discovered it was a godsend when I broke my shoulder and got big bags of dog food delivered to my door. I'm a Kindle addict so I use Prime for that and also the sreaming video selection, although I prefer Netflix, PBS and Acorn. I've also been using Walmart and Target's online ordering. I think they both deliver free on orders over $35. Walmart sells all kinds of things online that they don't stock in their stores; they use outside merchants like Amazon does.

I added some large storage cupboards to my kitchen/dining area for non-perishables. (I painted them to match my walls so they're not as noticeable.) I buy 6 cans of San Marzano tomatoes at a time. I buy dried beans and rice in quantity and keep them in my freezer. All of those are from Amazon, so I don't have to lug them around. I make vegetable, beef and chicken stocks and freeze in 1 cup portions. Same with bone broth. I far prefer homemade breads and baked goods to anything bought, and I slice and freeze so I can take out what I want. I use parchment paper to divide the slices.

I have a lot more time than money and baking and doing prep keeps me active, so it's all good.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the great tips! I will use them for I need to save money as much as possible.
 
Another way I save money is by having a prepaid Tracfone. I don't make that many calls and I have my home computer for paid internet. For me that's enough of a monthly bill, but I understand that other people rely on their Smartphones, etc. for daily internet use, streaming and communication.
 
I've learned to mostly ignore all those ads that keep arriving in my mailbox or on my computer, telling me that I can save 40%, 20%, or whatever, by shopping within the next few days. Save how? By spending money that
I wasn't originally planning to spend? Those discounts are usually off the list price, which was probably inflated in the first place. In other words, buy something because you really want or need it, not because it's on sale
that weekend.
 
Sunny said:
I've learned to mostly ignore all those ads that keep arriving in my mailbox or on my computer, telling me that I can save 40%, 20%, or whatever, by shopping within the next few days. Save how? By spending money that
I wasn't originally planning to spend? Those discounts are usually off the list price, which was probably inflated in the first place. In other words, buy something because you really want or need it, not because it's on sale
that weekend.
Click to expand...
I know what you mean Sunny.
 
I like a shampoo that I find at Sally Beauty. I wait until it's on a 2-for-one deal and buy two huge jugs of it for about $13. As I have short thin hair, it takes very little shampoo for my daily wash. The two jugs will last me much more than a year. It's probably a lot cheaper than my making shampoo from raw ingredients.

I'm also an ardent resale shop hunter. I don't need much clothing and tend to take good care of what I have, so they last longer. The one thing I do splurge on is good sturdy shoes. If my feet ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy in this house.
 
jujube said:
I like a shampoo that I find at Sally Beauty. I wait until it's on a 2-for-one deal and buy two huge jugs of it for about $13. As I have short thin hair, it takes very little shampoo for my daily wash. The two jugs will last me much more than a year. It's probably a lot cheaper than my making shampoo from raw ingredients.

I'm also an ardent resale shop hunter. I don't need much clothing and tend to take good care of what I have, so they last longer. The one thing I do splurge on is good sturdy shoes. If my feet ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy in this house.
Click to expand...
Take care of those feet Jujube! They get you where you need to go!
 
jujube said:
I like a shampoo that I find at Sally Beauty. I wait until it's on a 2-for-one deal and buy two huge jugs of it for about $13. As I have short thin hair, it takes very little shampoo for my daily wash. The two jugs will last me much more than a year. It's probably a lot cheaper than my making shampoo from raw ingredients.
Click to expand...

That shampoo probably contains all kinds of harmful ingredients I wouldn't use. Besides, how much do baking soda and vinegar cost?
 
SeaBreeze said:
Another way I save money is by having a prepaid Tracfone. I don't make that many calls and I have my home computer for paid internet. For me that's enough of a monthly bill, but I understand that other people rely on their Smartphones, etc. for daily internet use, streaming and communication.
Click to expand...

Me too. I have one of Consumer Cellular's cheap flip phones. Not a consumer of social media and I prefer using my desktop for Internet browsing. It probably helps that I'm waiting for cataract surgery so I'm not inclined to watch movies on a cellphone.
 
Stay in Gulf Shores, Al instead in mid-southern Florida for the winter. Costs are 25-35 percent of cost of Florida. One bedroom fully furnished less than $800/month and that includes taxes and fees.
 
I'm with Camper6 on that thinking. Savings by using electronic direct deposit and online bill payment isn't much and more of a convenience. Eating well like jumbo shrimp & center cut loin lamb chops bought when on sale, again not much but combined with other grocery purchases on sale pays for the gas to go buy whatever.

Biggest saving is discount spa treatment for when my wife gets the urge to indulge. Not to sure Amazon's deal of the day with some decent reductions on items qualifies as saving. A few deals have already been donated to charity since those were really not needed.

The save so we can spend part is the $2,400.00 budgeted monthly for going out to eat, go to shows & gambol. Winning is nice but it's not about winning it's about spending time together enjoying our lives the way we hoped to.
 
todalake said:
Stay in Gulf Shores, Al instead in mid-southern Florida for the winter. Costs are 25-35 percent of cost of Florida. One bedroom fully furnished less than $800/month and that includes taxes and fees.
Click to expand...
I can beat that-I pay 210.00 a month rent! That includes a garage parking space! I pay gas and electric.
 
I got rid of my cell phone last week as I realized the only thing I use it for is so my husband and I can find each other when we get lost in Wal-Mart. Now we can get more exercise looking for each other. :eek:nthego: If the kids want to get in touch with us while we are out and about they can call their dad's cell phone.

I hang cloths on a cloths line, it's good for the cloths too and saves on the electric bill. Of course a lot of places won't allow a cloths line up.
 
I bring a lunch everyday for work. A salad with veggies from our garden when in season, sandwich, apple slices, yogurt, or whatever we had the night before.
My co-workers eat fast food everyday. Usually something fried or cheesy. What is the cost of that in the long run to your health? I think to myself I've had cancer she hasn't so don't judge. But the thread subject is saving money and I'm sure I do. Unless you eat the dollar menu everyday that gets expensive.
Otherwise I will never be as thrifty or frugal as my husband so I always feel like a big spendthrift if I don't save a slightly used baggie or reuse the coffee grounds for one more cup.
I do love thrift stores especially one in particular because I like quality clothes but not the prices and I can often find what I want there. The malls are filled with trendy stuff that aren't for me even with a sale and coupon.
Someday I'd like to try some of the detergent recipes etc.For now both my husband and I are pretty brand loyal and buy the same deodorant, soap, etc. It's a plus if it's on sale.
Big Horn, as for Irish Spring, I like it too.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top