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Dollar Stretcher ideas on making homemade baby food, saving money on meat purchases, controlling spiders in the home, simplifying tax season and more.
Premium Package Wrapping
I sew, which gives me leftover fabric and materials. When I need a bow or to tie up a present, I use my pinking shears to cut strips of fabric and use that. You can even use leftover larger pieces of fabric to wrap your gifts. It definitely gives a personal touch.
Ruth
Easy Spider Control
This time of year we have so many spiders coming in the house. A friend of mine told me to hide Bounce® dryer sheets all around the house and the spiders would disappear. I tried it and I have not seen a spider inside the condo since. I just put them behind a couch or under a bed out of site. This is much cheaper and healthier than bug spray.
Anita
Cheaper Big Planters
I love planters for flowers, but the ones I wanted at Wal-Mart were over $22. I bought two large plastic laundry tubs at Dollar General for $7, but they were an ugly blue that I didn't like. They also had rope handles. I removed the rope handles and spray painted them a warm mauve color with dollar cans of spray paint. I then drilled holes for drainage. So for $14 plus $2 for paint and some labor, I saved major bucks!
Bobbi
Faux Shopping
I found that one way to get the enjoyment of shopping without blowing my budget is to go through a variety of catalogs that I have sent to me. Since I'm not in a store, I can't instantaneously spend money, but it's almost as good because I'm looking at all sorts of new products. I mark the items I'm interested in and then file the catalog away for later. When I come back, I find that much of what I thought I wanted was just plain silly, and by shopping catalogs, I can find the best price for the very few items I actually end up purchasing.
Kamia
Buying a Car?
Trying to decide which model/year of a used (or new) car to purchase? Check with your automotive insurance agent and your trusted mechanic before committing to buy. Some cars cost more to insure and/or service because of their size, brand name, theft history, etc. I know someone who bought a luxury brand made by one of the big three auto makers and ended up selling within two years because repair parts cost almost double, and the insurance was also much more expensive than a similar body style car with all the options.
Joan
I Nearly Got Pinned!
Recently I needed safety pins of a specific length to sell items at a consignment sale. After much searching in stores, I found the size I wanted at Wal-Mart in the quilting section, but they were expensive (only 30 or 40 pins for $2.76). I needed over 100. I decided to search in other areas of craft supplies and found the same safety pins in packages of 100 for $1.38 in the beading section. Instead of being at eye level, they were nearly on the floor on the bottom hanging rows in slightly different packaging. Three packages of the pins in the quilting section would have cost me over $8.28, but because I took time to look carefully, I saved nearly $7.
Laura
Easy, Cheap Baby Food
I made my own baby food for years. The recipe my pediatrician gave me was very simple, which included one starch, one protein, and one veggie. Usually, I bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders on sale. Occasionally, if I made chicken or steak for dinner, I'd reserve a portion to cook for the baby. Then, I'd get frozen veggies and maybe about one cup of cooked rice or pasta. I cooked the meat by boiling it with no seasonings. I put it all into a blender with some water for consistency and pureed it.
When it reached the consistency I liked, I poured it into ice cube trays and froze them. When the cubes were frozen solid, I popped them into a large resealable bag. Mealtimes then consisted of one or two cubes placed into a microwavable dish and warmed. The cubes were very easy to take with us whenever we went out too. We saved tons of money over the years, making our own baby food, and it couldn't have been easier!
Erin
Year at a Glance
Here's my tip for saving time. Purchase a 13-pocket expandable file at any discount store. Use the labels to mark each section with the months from January to December.
Each month, when you pay a bill, mark it paid and file it in the appropriate folder for that month. Also, you can add an envelope to each month to hold all receipts for the month. When you are done with the year and have filed your taxes, you can place a copy in the last section of your folder. Mark the year on the front of the folder. Now you have all the most important financial information for the year in one place. You can store three to four years of these folders in one storage box.
My life is so much easier since I began doing this about eight years ago. If I need to retrieve a bill or a receipt, I can find it quickly. I also spend much less time cleaning out my filing cabinet.
Cheryl
The Grocery Butcher's Secret
To save money on meat purchases, I study my store and find out what time they put out the marked down meats. One store puts it out in the evening, about an hour before closing, and another does it first thing in the morning. I make sure to shop at those times and only buy the marked down items. This helps me stretch my dollar.
When I get home, I separate the larger packages into appropriate size packages and freeze them. In doing my shopping this way, I sometimes end up with an excess of one kind of meat over another, but it's still a big savings. It also evens itself out over a period of time because different things go on sale at different times. I wisely use my computer to look up new recipes so I can be inventive with what I make so we don't get bored with the food choices. It was a challenge at first, but it works so well. Now, it's automatic.
S.
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