The Dollar Stretcher frugal money saving ebooks from the same great site that brings you the Dollar Stretcher Tips
Welcome to Homemaking Organized
where we feel the keeping home is
much easier when you're organized.
Make this the year you get it together!
Make your outdoors as inviting as your indoors visit Northline Express for Outdoor furniture, Mosquito Control, Outdoor Grills, and more.
| Dollar Stretcher Tips for November 6, 2008 |
 |
 |
| Written by Gary Foreman | |||
|
Your Dollar Stretcher Tips for November 6, 2008 including frugal meal planning tips, rental savings, gift ideas and more.
Frugal Meal Plan At www.hillbillyhousewife.com, there are menu plans including one “emergency” plan at $45 per week and one plan for $70 per week. These are assuming no pantry supplies are on hand. These plans are very frugal yet adequate for a family of four or more. Cooking and baking from scratch would be required on any frugal meal plan that I am familiar with. I spend approximately $40 per week but do not follow a set meal plan. My plan involves using what I have on hand, purchasing items on sale, and volunteering at two food pantries so I am given a few food items in exchange for my labor each week. Holly Dry Winter Air? To easily dry clothes in the winter and add much needed moisture that a fireplace takes from my home, I use a clothes rack on wheels to dry some of my clothes. I have an adjustable rack that stands about four feet off the ground and holds about 15 t-shirts on hangers. I simply wheel the rack into the room with the fireplace and let the heat in the room do the drying. I keep it far enough away for safety. K in PA Before You Rent My husband and I wanted to move into another home. We rent, and of course, there is the first month's rent and a deposit required. I looked at this home before they'd cleaned and painted it. I talked with the agent who also manages the property and asked her if I could paint the walls for her and knock a little off of the deposit. I know how to spackle and paint professionally so this was a small job for me. She was ecstatic and asked me if I'd accept half off of the rent and she'd provide the paint. We had a deal. This is a wonderful way to help yourself and your new landlord. LynAnne M. Inexpensive Flavored Oatmeal I like to have oatmeal for breakfast during the cold winter months, but the plain canisters of quick oats don't have any flavor, and the packets of flavored oatmeal are so expensive. I also tend to use a lot of canned, juice-packed fruit in the winter months. So now, whenever I use canned fruit, I save the juice instead of pouring it down the drain. Then, when I want oatmeal, I just prepare the inexpensive bulk quick oats with the leftover juice, making low sugar, fruit-flavored, inexpensive oatmeal! Plus, there are often little pieces of fruit left in the juice, so I get real fruit bits in my oatmeal too.Jamie K The "Wish Book" When my children were at home, we had a wish book. This was a small notebook that was kept on the bookshelf. There was a section for each of my children and one for me. We also had a section for other people that we would purchase gifts for, such as grandma. Whenever one of us thought of something we wanted, we would write it in the wish book. Also, we would write down items we heard friends saying they would like. We kept this book up to date, crossing off things we decided we could do without or no longer wanted. I made sure that my section had many very inexpensive items that the kids could buy for me out of their allowances. When birthdays or Christmas approached, we would consult the wish book for ideas, and from time to time, I would find a great sale on an item I knew was in the wish book and give a "Just Because" gift. Sharon M. Broken Picture Frames I had taken down a picture frame with some of my child's artwork from school in it to move to another location, and before I could re-hang it, we had a mishap and the glass in the frame got broken. I went to my local craft store's framing department and was told a new piece of glass would cost $33! They suggested simply buying a new frame with glass in it as it would be cheaper than ordering cut glass separately. Even with a 40% off coupon, the best I could do was $12 for the size I needed. Then it dawned on me how to solve my dilemma. I went to our local mission's thrift store and found a picture with the frame the size I needed and bought it for $4. I simply took it home and took the glass out and replaced my broken glass with it. I can even put the frame and picture I'm not using in my next garage sale and see if someone else can use it! So I saved $29 and was able to re-hang my beloved artwork. Karin M Homemade Birthdays Making my own birthday cake has saved me money. Buying a pre-made birthday cake can cost $30 or more! My daughter's favorite birthday cake was when I made a princess ballerina cake by making a tube cake and placing an inexpensive Barbie in the center. I then iced a long flowing gown for her dress. It was perfect. I even made the icing myself and saved money there.This year, I will make a pinata for my daughter's birthday. Buying one new can cost $20 or more. I will definitely save money by making it myself, and it will be fun, too. Shannon Family Christmas Exchange Our extended family has perfected a fun, eco-friendly gift exchange at Christmas. Throughout the year, we make a list of items that are good and usable. These are items that we know someone may enjoy but we just aren't using, such as kitchen items, gardening tools, books, CDs, etc. We also include homemade items like scarves, jams, cookies, etc. On Christmas day, everyone brings all of the items wrapped in reused or hand drawn wrapping. We count the number of gifts total and divide it by the number of people present. We agree on the number of "stealings" and rules of the exchange. At the end, one person is responsible for bringing non-loved items to the thrift shop for a new owner. This exchange reuses items, clears out some of our clutter, reduces our need to buy new and reduces the Christmas price tag, which before this tradition was ridiculously too high. Best of all, it is very fun, especially when we win Grandma's jam. KS
Related news items: |
|||
| Last Updated on Thursday, 02 April 2009 02:05 |
© 2012 Homemaking Organized Powered by Joomla!. Designed by: free joomla 1.5 themes shared hosting Valid XHTML and CSS.
Home
Money Matters Dollar Tips Dollar Stretcher Tips for November 6, 2008
