Time and money saving tips

I had a friend ask for some money saving tips as her husbands hours were down and she was looking for some new ways to save. These are the ones I sent her and I thought I would share with you.

Dear ,

I was thinking about the money saving tips you asked for and all the ones I thought of I knew were time consuming and was hesitant to share since I know how busy you are. But I thought I would give them to you and let you weed out the ones you wouldn’t do. Here is a list of grocery saving ones I put on my blog enclosed too.

Give the job to the youngest person possible. I know this isn’t a money saving tip but it saves time. Also, it teaches them to do the jobs and gives them a sense of self worth. I know with many children it is easiest to give it to one who already knows how to do it but I look back on what my older children did when younger and sometimes I sell them short on what they can do.

I make my own laundry soap.

Calculate how much something really costs. We got a gadget that you plug in and plug that appliance into to see how many kilowatts it uses.

Don’t do a lot that someone else can do for you. Many hands make light work.

Don’t peel your potatoes, we just spot them.

I shop farther for better bargains. I bought chicken quarters by the case because they were only 42 cents a lb that way. Even at 5lb. Per meal that is still just over $2.

Make multiples of meals. It is almost as easy to make double as one. When I make mac and cheese I make an 18 qt. Roaster full and eat one and freeze 3 portions. Today I’m making blueberry bread, instead of 1 or 2, I’ll make 6 and freeze 4. I used to do a lot more once a month cooking but with time constraints this is much easier and I still stock my freezer.

Make what you can.

We are given clothes that are a huge blessing but sometimes something either doesn’t fit quite right or no one likes it. I either pass it or make something else. I have a lot of aprons that were the skirts of dresses. My daughter made a blue jean square quilt. Shorts from flood pants are always easy.

Use CVS for their ebc’s and get free and very cheap items.

Keep a price book so you know how much something costs, where it is the best price and how often it goes on sale.

Garden. You can grow a small salad garden in only a few minutes a day.

Go to the dented stores. Salad dressings are only a quarter and many other good buys.

Shop early if you can. The early bird gets the worm or the sale.

I color code my children so I know whose towel, cup, bowl, etc it left out.

Take care of yourself. Find little ways to still make you feel good without spending a lot of money. A cup of tea, a candle, a good book and a bubble bath are my favorite. They don’t cost much and I feel pampered.

There are many things to do with your children that are very frugal. There are free concerts and movies at the parks soon in the summer. Many museums have free days. Just the park itself is fun. You could make them a treasure map of things to look for so it makes it more interesting. God on a family walk, see if there are any good walking trails near you. 50 cents movies at the show on Mondays are even just library movies, a bucket of popcorn and kool aid. Also, don’t think you can’t have people over just because it cost to much. We have had them over just for dessert, or made homemade ice cream. Everyone gets to turn the crank. Most people are happy to help and bring something to add, potluck style. Spaghetti can stretch really far. A baked potato or salad bar are both fun and filling. Or just snacks after evening church.

I hope this was a help and I will be praying for you.
Blessings, Christina

25 Ways of Saving Money on Food

I was working on my menus plans and thought I would share some ways I save money on food. 1
Since food is one of the biggest areas we can both splurge and save and for most people money is tight right now this is a good place to look to save some money.

1. I plan my menus on what I found on sale last week and not what I am planning on buying this week.
2. I try never to buy anything that is not on sale. Obviously, it's not possible with everything but it is with most items. For example, last week one of my favorite stores had cottage cheese 1/2 off. I stocked up enough to last a while. Another store I know has pasta on sale about every 10 weeks. I buy enough to last 10 weeks and don't buy it in the meantime.
3.I use coupons on things we use regularly or things that are free or almost free. I
4. I don't use coupons on things I wouldn't normally buy anyway just to try them or use a coupon.
5. Make most things from scratch. I think the only thing cheaper to buy in a mix is mac and cheese but it doesn't have much cheese in it. In everything else it is both cheaper and more nutritious to make it yourself.
6. Shop more than 1 store. It is much cheaper to buy the sales and loss leaders at more than one store than everything at one store.
7. Use an Aldi's is you have one. They rarely run sales but their prices are low all the time.
8. Try to find a discount or salvage store in your area. We have a dented store that i get great buys at. I have bought yogurt for $2 a case, chocolate chips for 50 cents a bag, and many other great deals.
9. Do ahead for the week. I cut as many vegetables as we will eat all at once. I brown hamburger ahead of time and bag it. Make an extra casserole and freeze one and cook one.
10. Make over leftovers. We had beef stroganoff Saturday and I had noodles left so I added a little browned hamburger, beans and spices and made goulash today for dinner.
11. Have dessert infrequently. It isn't that good for you and sweets are usually costly.
12. Grow your own fruits and vegetables. We always have a garden and we have fruit trees. It saves on our grocery bill and I know what is in our food.
13. Glean or let the word out you will take extras. My father-in-law has a friend who loves to garden but doesn't use much himself so he gives a lot away. I have seen other do the same, they want someone who will take it and put it up.
14. Can, or freeze your food. We can a lot in the summer of fresh produce so we have it in the winter. Talk to your children about being ants in the summer and preparing for winter. It is a lot of work but so worth it.
15. Eat soup at least once a week. Soup is a cheap meal and you can make many different kinds from all sorts of leftovers. With a loaf of hot bread it makes a feast.
16. Make your own bread. I can't believe how high bread has gotten but it can still be made more economically at home. I see bread machines all the time at Goodwill too.
17. Rotate a lot of the same meals. Our lunches and breakfasts from week to week don't vary much. We have the same meal for lunch every Monday, the same on Tuesday. This way you don't have to stock your pantry with as many different items.
18. Make dinner fun. No, it doesn't really save you money but a frugal meal with lots of love is better than a gourmet feast with strife.
19. Involve your children. Sometimes they can turn their nose up at food but if they help prepare it or better yet grow it they will be thrilled to taste and share it.
20.Buy in bulk, if you will use it. I bought 150 lbs of potatoes last week when they were on sale. Also, GFS sells gallon cans, meat they will slice and you can prepackage it at home.
21. Once a month cooking saves both time and money.
22.Buy spices in bulk. Frontier herbs sell by the pound but if you only want a little a lot of health food stores sell small amounts. One near us will let you buy 50 cents of any spice.
23.Spend as little time in the grocery store as possible. The longer you are there the more you will buy.
24. Try and make it at home. If you love Red Lobsters biscuits try and look on the web for a comparable recipe. You can find so many recipes that are makeovers of restaurant meals. It is definitely cheaper to stay home.
25.Look for markdowns. I stopped in yesterday at GFS and they had their holiday gift hams marked down for 99cents a lb. Different stores have them in different places so you have to check and find out where they are. Most stores mark down in the morning but we have one near us that does it at night. You can save 1/2 or more.