Frugal Tip Friday: Scrap/note paper

I am a list maker! I have lists of chores to do, leftovers in the fridge, things to buy, meal plans, things to pack for trips, etc. I am afraid I am going to have to start making lists of my lists just to remember them all. :o)

But in the process of making all these lists, I use a good bit of paper. So instead of buying note paper, I simply "make" my own. I use junk mail, printer mistakes, old fliers, (my Mom uses over printed school papers from the elementary school she works at). As long as the paper is only printed on one side, it is usable again! Maybe you can use "oops" prints from your job or church. I usually cut a regular sized sheet of paper into 4 pieces. These tend to be the perfect size for me.

You can also use the scrap papers for other things. Taking down a message for someone, leaving a loving note for your spouse or child in their lunch box, leaving a reminder for another family member on the bath room mirror, jotting down an address or name, or writing down something you want to look up on the Internet. Make flash cards for your child with simple words or memory cards for your teens upcoming test.

I keep some clipped to the fridge with a magnet and some in my purse. Keep a stack next to the home phone and in the console of your vehicle. Maybe even on your night stand for those middle of the night "Gotta remember to do that in the morning" things. Don't you hate those? :o)

Frugal Tip Friday: Rags

Since I was a child, I remember my Mom cutting up old shirts and using them as dust rags. She'd use old wash rags and towels, in too bad a shape to wash dishes or bodies, to wash cars. My Grandma even used her and my Grandpa's old undies. And I have heard of lots of people using their now adult children's old cloth diapers.

Today we have Swiffer, disposable sponges, and Pledge wipes. All that get used and then tossed after just one, sometimes a few more, uses. We live in a "disposable" world. But these cost money and load our landfills with even more trash. While the old shirts, undies, towels and diapers cost nothing.

So the next time you have a old t-shirt that has gotten stained or have a wash rag with just one too many holes in it, cut up that shirt, don't toss that rag. Give them a second life! Use them, wash them and reuse them! I bet you'll find they work just as well as those expensive "replacements."

Frugal TIp Friday: Grill Extra Meat

If you are planning to grill out one day (we did this on Sunday for Father's Day), plan to grill extra meat. Don't just heat up the grill to fix a couple burgers, make your meats for the next few days worth of meals as well. This past Sunday we fixed:

• 3 chicken breasts
• a whole package of hot dogs
• 4 turkey burgers
• 2 steaks (this was Zach's Father's Day "gift." I got him grass fed top sirloin steak from the farmer's market)

We also grilled some peppers and onions to go with it. We had meat for Sunday dinner, Monday lunch and dinner and some more leftovers for throughout the week. I will freeze the extra hot dogs for Zach as a quick meal for him in the future.

This is frugal in that you are getting the most use out of your hot grill/charcoal. Not just using them for one meal but for many. Any who doesn't love the taste of grilled food?

You can also sneak out after dinner with some marshmallows. :o)

Frugal Tip Friday: Coupons

I have found that most often, buying generic/store brand items is less than buying the name brand version with a coupon. I still check every time though because there is a rare case that proves me wrong. However, if you are going to buy something name brand anyway, look for a coupon for the item or stock up when you do find coupons or good deals on it. There are a few items that I have not found a suitable substitute for the name brand in the store brand options. One is my body soap. I have sensitive skin and have only found one soap that doesn't dry me out or irritate my skin. So I watch for when that brand goes on sale and keep an eye out for coupons for it. That way when I do have to buy name brand, I know I am at least getting a better deal on it. Fifty cents here and there can add up to quite a lot in the long run!

Frugal Tip Friday: Dish rinse water re-use

I have given up on the dishwasher! I have banned it's use in my house. It is more eco-friendly and frugal to use the dishwasher because it uses less water than hand washing, but the darn thing just doesn't work! I have tried everything I can think of and nothing is working, so, I give up! I will just hand wash from now on. And that is fine with me. But what to do with all that "wasted" water?

Well, my solution is to save my rinse water and reuse it. I wash my dishes in the sink but then use a dish pan to rinse them in. I then reuse that rinse water to water my outdoor plants. After I have done the dishes, I allow the water to cool to room temperature. Then that evening, I water my garden with it. It doesn't get all the plants but it gets about half of ours. The little bits of food in the water act at compost/fertilizer and the small amount of dish soap acts as a pest detergent. So not only is it frugal and eco-friendly but reusing something that you would otherwise have just run down the drain, but it is also beneficial to your plants!

Frugal Tip Friday: Sun Tea

When the weather gets warm and the days get longer, I love to use the power of the sun to make sun tea. Get out a glass jar of any sort. It can be a canning jar, a pickle jar, an actual sun tea pitcher, or what ever else you happen to have on hand. Place in however many tea bags you usually use (we use 7 for a gallon of tea), cover the bags with cool water, and set in a sunny place. This can be outdoors or indoors. Make sure that the top is covered with something. A lid, a plate, a wash cloth, just something to keep the bugs out. Allow to sit in the sun for a few hours. When the liquid inside is dark brown, bring it in a make your tea as usual. We do the 7 tea bags to one cup of sugar and 1 gallon of water. Refridgerate till cold.

This is a frugal option in that you are using no "man-made" energy to steep the tea. It is all done by the sun. And it tastes lovely!

Frugal Tip Friday: Freeze your cheese!

Next time you happen to spot shredded cheese on sale, buy it up!

We use shredded cheese a lot in this house! What can I say? We like it! So I tend to keep quite a bit on hand. But I was still having the problem of it going bad before I could use it all. Until I learned that you can freeze it.

It is actually very simple! Just throw the bag of cheese, direct from the grocery store, into the freezer. When you want to use it, pull out the flavor/kind that you want, break it up a little and use just like you would if not frozen. If you are going to use the full amount in the bag, then you can allow it to completely thaw in the fridge for a few hours before making dinner. If using from frozen, it will take a little longer to melt. So if you are using it on say a baked potato, you may have to give it a few minutes or throw it in the microwave or warm oven to help it along. I use the frozen cheese in salads I send to work with my husband. By the time he gets his lunch at work, the cheese is thawed! And we never have to deal with moldy cheese again!

Frugal Tip Friday: New use for old coffee grounds

Next time you brew up a pot of Joe, don't just toss the used grounds. Instead, put them to work again. Sprinkle a layer on top of the soil of your house plants! They act as a natural fertilizer and insect repellent. You can also use them on your out door plants. Check with your local coffee shop (and isn't there one on every corner now?) Ask if they have can give you their used grounds. Most will willing pass them on to you for free and you can pick them up by the bag full!

So how is this frugal? By reusing something for another purpose, it usually is frugal, not to mention Eco-friendly. It also saves you from buying fertilizer and insecticide. Once again, also Eco-friendly as it saves those nasty chemicals from leaching into the ground. Unless of course you buy organic options. Then your good either way! :o)

Frugal Tip Friday: Cloth napkins

Today's frugal tip is to start using cloth napkins. We just started using these a few months ago and we are loving it! They are easy to use and wash and are really rather inexpensive to buy! We got all of ours at Goodwill on a half off day. We got between 20 to 30 napkins (in four colors/patters) for about $4.00. As you can see below, they aren't the prettiest selection in the world, but for every day use it doesn't really matter. We also have a nice set in dark green for when we have company over for a nice dinner. You could also very easily make your own if you have a surger. I don't, so I bought mine ready made.

We keep our in a small basket on the table, just like we did with the paper napkins before and where they can be easily gotten to when I set the table. I wash them with our towels and they actually enjoyable to fold, but I've always enjoyed folding towels (though I can't say the same for the rest of the clothes.) We also tend to use one napkin for all three meals as they just don't get "dirty" very quickly, but that also depends on what we are having. Fried chicken usually means for a messy napkin by the end of the meal. :o)

They also have many other uses. I have covered up leftovers in the fridge with them instead of using plastic wrap or foil. I have used them to play peek-a-boo with a baby at the dinner table to keep her entertained for just a few more minutes while Mommy finishes her meal. I have used them as a baby head scarf in play. They work great for wrapping up things to go into a picnic basket (cookies, bread, a sharp knife, hot sandwiches wrapped in foil then in a napkin to keep them warm, ect.)

Cloth napkins are frugal in that you don't keep buying and throwing away paper ones. Just imagine yourself throwing away a penny or two every time you toss out a cloth napkin.

Frugal Tip Friday: Baked potato night

Looking for a frugal meal option? Once a week, institute a baked potato night! Potatoes are cheap! You can buy a 10 pound bag for under $4.00 and have about 25 to 30 medium sized potatoes. You can also buy larger "baking potatoes" as well, just stay away from the ones individually wrapped in plastic to the "baked" in the microwave as they are super pricey. They are really easy to make and can be topped with just about anything!

Preheat your oven to 350'F.

Scrub your potatoes well using a nail brush or veggie brush.

Jab a fork about 1/2 inch into each potato about 2 places on each side and once on each end of every potato.

Rub each potato down with oil (olive, veggie, canola, bacon grease, lard, ect.)

Place into a shallow baking dish or on a cookie sheet, not touching each other.

Bake at 350'F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They are done when the skin is slightly wrinkly and a fork goes in smoothly (should feel like when you boil potatoes for mashing.)

Serve with any of the following:

• bacon bits (homemade or store bought)


• shredded cheese


• sour cream (or plain yogurt)


• salt


• butter


• broccoli


• chives


• salsa
• Be creative!

You can also pair the potato with a side salad, a bowl of soup, or a cup of fruit. Bake a few extra while you are at it. They warm up great in the microwave for a light lunch the next day at work! Try a baked sweet potato. I usually bake some of each as my hubby likes the sweet potato and I can give some to my little "L" as she is starting solids and really enjoys making a mess on her tray with chunks of sweet potato!

This is frugal as potatoes are filling, inexpensive and yet still very yummy. You can add what ever toppings taste good for each family member and they are usually things you have on hand.

Frugal Tip Friday: Half Price Day!

Keep an eye out at your local thrift store for "Half Price Day." Most thrift stores will have one about once every three months or so. On this day, everything in the store is half off! The last one we went to, we got about 20 cloth napkins, 3 shirts for me, and a new baking pan for under $8!

Be aware though that you will NOT be the only one there looking for bargains! The place is usually packed to the gills. We couldn't even get a cart because they were all taken. So maybe think about leaving the little ones home with the hubs! :o)

But it is a great time to stock up on children's and adult's clothes, dishes, linens, decorations and much more! And many thrift stores' proceeds go (at least in part) to help local organizations. Frugal and good of the community!

Frugal Tip Friday: You can freeze butter!

Many people don't know that you can freeze butter. Real butter and "fake" butter (ie. Margarine). Stick butter and tub butter.

So when you find it on sale, buy it up and pop the extra in the freezer. When you are close to running out, just put it in the fridge to thaw. It takes about 24 hours. I tend to keep two sticks in the fridge at all times. When I use the last of one, I get out another. Simple as that!

This is frugal in that you can buy butter when it is on sale and it keeps well for about 3 months in the freezer so you don't have butter going rancid!

Frugal Tip Friday: Bake in batches

In the picture: gronola bars, fresh bread, and 10 half-baked personal sized pizza crusts.
Not in the picture: loose gronola

My frugal tip for today is to bake in batches. As you can see from above, this day I baked a number of things. The loose gronola was first as it takes a low tempature. Then I had to plan out when the bread and pizza dough would get done rising and baked them one after the other. Next was the gronola bars, which I was mixing up as the pizzas were baking. Then I turned around and made a couple of those pizzas for dinner that night. All in all, my oven was probably on for 3 hours. But, there was no preheating for each item. I'd get one done and in would go the next one.

Also remember, during the winter, do your baking in the morning. That way it heats your house. In the summer, do your baking in the evening so you aren't running the A/C to cool off the house again. And when you are done baking in the winter, leave the oven door cracked and you'll have a toasty kitchen to do your clean up in!

Frugal Tip Friday: Freeze Some Grapes!

My husband is a big fan of grapes. And although I like them, we just don't make it though a whole container before they go bad. My husband also loves frozen grapes. So when I find fresh grapes on sale, I buy them up! I will leave some out for him to eat fresh, the rest I freeze.

Pull all the grapes off the vines and place in a colander. Rinse well with cold water and then allow to dry, either in the colander or pour them out (carefully) onto a clean towel. Once dry, spread them out on a cookie sheet, they can me in more than one layer. Place on a level surface in your freezer for 12-24 hours. Try not to accidental dump them in the freezer. There are still a handful of grapes laying in the bottom of my deep freezer right now. :o) Once frozen, store them in a zip top bag.

My husband will get these out when he gets a sweet tooth instead of hitting the cookies or ice cream. They also work great in smoothies as a substitution for the ice.

This saves you money in two ways. You can actually buy frozen grapes, but they are usually more expensive than fresh. And it saves you from throwing away good grapes because you didn't get them all eaten before going bad.

Quick Tip Tuesday: Veggie Soup from leftovers

Have you ever had just a few spoon fulls of left over vegetables and just didn't know what to do with them? Not enough for a leftover portion but you'd really hate to just throw it away. I really don't like throwing any food away! My husband works hard to earn the money to pay for that food.

So, instead of feeding it to the garbage disposal or landfill, how about making another yummy meal from it?

I keep a medium sized bowl with a tight fitting lid in the freezer. Anytime I have left over veggies that are just not enough to keep, I dump them in the bowl. That last scoop of green beans, corn, peas, carrots, potatoes (even mashed), broccoli, and so many more.

You can also put in cut up left over meat like chicken, pork, or beef. Even ground meat works. Those few bites of hamburger that your kiddo couldn't finish, brake them up and add it in. Bits of meat left on the whole chicken you cooked. That last chunk of steak that didn't get eaten. Cut them up and add them in.

When the bowl is full, thaw it out in the fridge, add it to some tomato juice with any seasonings you like and you have a yummy meal! Serve with fresh, warm bread for dipping and you are set!

This also doubles as a Frugal Tip as you are saving yourself money by not throwing away all those little bits of leftovers. Can you beat that? Frugal and tasty!

Frugal Tip Friday: Line drying your clothes

You are looking at my first load of laundry drying on the clothes line this year. I'm so excited!

Call me crazy, but I love hanging clean, wet clothes on the line. I love driving though the country and seeing someones laundry on the line. I love carrying in freshly dried clothes that smell of wind and sunshine. No bottled detergent could ever compare with that smell! And sunshine is a natural bleach for your whites and cloth diapers!

As you can see in the picture, we don't have one of those big beautiful country yards. Heck, we don't even have a "traditional" clothes line. We have what is called an "umbrella style" clothes line. We got ours at Home Depot. It is much like this one but I don't think we paid that much for it!

Anyway, whether you have a regular cloths line or an umbrella type, drying your clothes on the line can save you a good bit of money every year for just a little extra effort. You can throw your clothes in the wash before going to work. Then hang them on the line when you get home. By the time you are ready for dinner, your clothes will be dry!

I did some math on drying clothes on the line verses drying in an eclectic dryer. The price per load is taken from a book called Miserly Moms (this is their website). The book I have was copyrighted in 2001 so these numbers may be a little off but not by much. It is probably more expensive now, depending on if you have an energy efficient dryer or not.

A load of laundry costs an average of $0.70 to dry per load.
I would guess that the average family does 4 loads of laundry per week. (I do 2-3 but we are a small family still).
Here in Indiana there are about 33 weeks in the year that you can dry your clothes outside. Starting the first week of November to the second week of March is what I consider not viable for line drying due to weather.
So...

$0.70 per load X 4 loads a week = $2.80 a week in savings
$2.80 a week X 33 weeks of possible drying= $92.40 per year in savings

$92 dollars that could be spent some where else.

At $7.50 a movie that is 12 movies that could be viewed.
At $1.50 per cup that is 61 cups of morning coffee from a fast food place.
At $4.00 a gallon that is 23 gallons of ice cream.
At $200 a month that is almost half of a car payment.
At $33.99 per adult and $29.99 per child that is 2 adults and one child admitted into Kings Island for one day for just $10.00 more!

Now, I will admit that the clothes aren't as soft as when the come out of the dryer. But there is an easy solution to that. Take the clothes off the line and pop them in the dryer for five minutes with a couple tennis balls (you can read my other blog on that if you haven't) on a low heat or no heat setting.

So whether you have a big yard or a small yard, a traditional line or an umbrella line, you can save a good bit of money every year and enjoy fresh smelling clothes!

Frugal Tip Friday: The Juice on Juice

I don't buy juice very often, though I really do love the stuff. Frankly, it just isn't very cost friendly. And it isn't really very good for you either. Fruit juice has all the "bad" parts of the piece of fruits, with out much of the good stuff. You get the sugar but none of the fiber. You do get the vitamins and flavor though.
When I do buy juice, I have found that the least expensive way to do so it to get it in frozen concentrate. It usually comes out to about $1.00 less per container. They are also super easy to keep in the freezer and pull one out whenever we are in the mood for a glass of juice with breakfast.
Also, one way you can save your self a little more money is to dilute it just a little bit more than is called for. Most frozen juice concentrates call to be mixed with three containers of water. Instead of the three, I usually do four and sometimes even 5, depending on the strength of the juice being used. I find the flavor to be strong enough and it makes it go that much further.
Also, make sure you are buying 100% juice!! We seriously don't need any more high fructose corn syrup in our diets and that is pretty much all you are getting with juices that aren't 100%. Would you buy an apple that wasn't 100% fruit?

Frugal Tip Friday: Buy it used!

Before you head to your local "big box store" the next time you need a new pair of pants, a muffin pan or a fresh book to read, check out your local second hand stores and garage sales. "Buy used, save the difference" actually works! In fact, you can actually save lots of money and still get a great quality product. Take for example the pictures above. Today we popped into our local thrift store and happened to spot this beautiful quilt. Upon looking closer, I was overjoyed to discover that it was actually hand sewn! The entire thing. Someone spent hours upon hours cutting, ironing, stitching, and pouring their love of the fabric and the craft into this absolutely lovely blanket. A blanket, that if placed on a site like Etsy, would sell for $100 or more. And how much did I pay for it? $11.o0! There are a few small stains on it, but I think I can probably get them out with a little stain remover. Other than that, it is in perfect condition.
While there, we also got a "new" small skillet, as I had totally worn my old one out, and an Easter basket for our little girlie's first Easter Sunday. In total we spent about $15 dollars. About what we would have spent on the pan alone had we bought it new.
We buy used for everything we can. Clothes, dishes, decorations, books, furniture, movies, games, toys, appliances, vehicles and the list goes on and on.
So the next time you need something "new," look into "next-to-new" first!

Frugal Tip Friday: Natural Air Freshener

Do you love the smell of those canned air fresheners but hate the cost?

Next time you eat an orange or peeled apple or have a recipe that calls for fresh squeezed lemon juice, save the rinds and peels!

Place the rinds/peels in a sauce pan and add enough water so they are completely covered.

Place on the stove and set to a slow simmer. Add in some whole cloves, cinnamon, or nothing at all.

Let simmer all day, adding water as needed. Your house will smell sweet and natural for days to come! And at no extra cost besides a little electricity!

Frugal Tip Friday: Dish washer Soap

I have always gotten liquid dishwasher detergent because it works so well. Then I heard a great tip that can save you a good bit of money in the long run while still getting your dishes clean.

Most powdered dish washing soaps are cheaper than their liquid cousins. The biggest problem with them is that they tend to leave soap scum and a white film on all your dishes. Well, there is a solution to this!

First, get out an old (but clean) ice cream bucket. I use these for everything by the way! Measure out 4 cups of the powdered dishwasher detergent and pour into the bucket. Next, measure out 4 cups of baking soda and pour into the bucket. Get out an old spoon (I use a metal one that has been bent a few too many times from dipping out hard ice cream). Stir the two powders together, not too quickly or you will send a fine dust into the air that will make you sneeze! :o) Put the lid on the bucket and store under your sink like normal. (Make sure you label the bucket!)

Next time you do a load of dishes, use the spoon to dip out what you need into the two soap cups in the door of the dishwasher like normal. Then, and this is the secret to not having the soap scum, pour about 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the bottom to the dishwasher. At this point, I just eye ball the vinegar.

The vinegar will react with the baking soda (just like in your 3 grade science fair volcano project) and will rinse your dishes clean.

The baking soda will make the washing detergent last twice as long, for half the cost, and still get your dishes clean!

You can buy large boxes of baking soda in the laundry detergent aisle. You can also buy 1 gallon jugs of vinegar in your favorite super store (you know which one I am talking about). It is in with the regular vinegar, just look down. :o) Oh and it's super cheap! Like less that $2.00!