I was thinking about how this board used to be in 1998 we were all so cheap. Some of us wouldn't even buy baby wipes we would make them. We were using Car wash cleaner as windex because it was cheaper. If it wasn't close to free we just didn't get it.

My question is what are the things that you skimp on?

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cmemaloy@yahoo.com


I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.

Life! is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.

about everything.
grow a garden
hang cloths to dry
heat and cook with wood ( in the winter. lol. we have enough free wood on our property to last us 3 lifetimes!)
shop at thrift stores, yard sales.
I figure when I am old enough to retire, there proably won t be ss. so I am trying to save all i can for then so we dont have to change our lifestyle any and can still live confortable.

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·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·
«·´¨*·.¸¸. Jo ¸¸.·*¨`·»
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»


Please leave feedback for me here.
http://www.mycoupons.com/boards/g-l/...-littlejo.html



gretchengirl@gmail.com

http://lifewithlittlejo.blogspot.com/

*use coupons to stock up and store
*re-use gift wrapping items like gift bags and bows
*use grocery bags and trash bags
*re-use ziplocs after rinsing if they only held dry stuff
*buy in bulk at Sams if cheaper
*buy books in paperback and used at half.com
*cook meals from scratch rather than eating out, carrying out or using more expensive pre-packaged dinner type meals
*buy holiday gift wrap and decor at 90% off and save for next year (luckily our house has 3 storage rooms!)
*try to consolidate errands to save gas
*buy many of my basic items in teh children's department (socks, sweats, running leggings, tshirts etc) because the same item is usually a couple dollars cheaper ... children's sizes go so big today that they easily fit a lot of women
*mail away for free address labels (havent bought any in a long time)
*use a digital camera and printer rather than film and developing
*hem things myself unless the hem is tricky (like putting the originals back on jeans -- that I cant do) b/c a tailor charges about $15 here for hemming
*grow hot peppers and herbs

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rhapsody112@gmail.com

I don't think that you can skimp and save enough if you want to actually retire some day.
My DH is Diabetic, Anemic, and now has Congestive Heart Failure and still wants to go back to work soon. He is almost 67 years old.
Money may not be everything but it sure helps to have some when you are "old".!!!

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

I still make my own baby wipes - never felt 'cheap' to do that - actually I like mine better than the store-bought varieties.

Oh, and I did get the recipe right here on these boards so many years ago for my first child. Memories!!

coupon/rebated my way down to $750.00 in groceries with 2 babies in the house!! trying to beat that this year!!
make my own laundry detergent/wipes/seasonings/cream of soups (this is all new this year)
utilize my library in every possible way

hang laundry after it has been washed in cold water
use mystery shopping as dates
reuse all of my bags. I still have ziplocks from 2 years ago...
bread bags go in dh lunches
I go to bread giveaways on freecycle
I only buy thrift/yardsale clothes for all of us except dh who wears a 2x and am finding it is a hard to find size used.
I stock up on items out of season.
I don't wear make up or highlight my hair (plain jane)
turn my sheets around after a week to prolong using the washer 3 more times (one for every set of sheets)
garden and use my vacuum sealer to make vegetables last (they get expensive in ohio in winter!!)
cook once a week
get an entertainment book every year
hit all the free stuff to do around town to keep kids happy!!
we've cut out 40,000 dollars in debt after a flood hit us unexpectedly 3 years ago. We only owe 200.00 on 1 more card!! We have come a long way and will be able to build our home in 2 years.. I'm really proud of how far we have come!!

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

refundsrus am I reading that right? You cook only once a week?
Just wondering.

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cmemaloy@yahoo.com


I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.

Life! is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.

In some ways I am as frugal as possible:

I use coupons as much as possible.
I don't buy "snack" foods
I consolidate trips to save on gas
We rarely do take out
I only buy clothes at a great discount
I take advantage of every freebie I can
Everyone I know knows that I always accept ANY hand me downs
I frequent my local transfer station free area

I wish I:
hung more clothes to dry
grew more vegetables
Listed more on ebay
had a wood stove

I splurge on:
Piano lessons for my kids
Cable tv
Keen shoes
Craft supplies

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Come and visit! http://www.gracefuldesigns.typepad.com

I took vendor jobs for the free write-offs, I don't have to pay for cookies, crackers, candy, makeup, fragrance, lotions, every once an while I can buy Yankee candles for $4.25, and the occasional box of Godiva chocolate or coffee for free, all this is through my job. (the pay is not bad either)

I have another vendor job where I get free greeting cards, girft bags, bows, wrap, party goods.

I use coupons and stockpile when I can get it free.

I shop thrift stores and yard sales (either for us or to sell on Ebay).

I use Suave shampoo for washing dishes because I can get that free using coupons.

I buy alot of books used and do alot of reading.

We have the cheap cable 35 channels

I pay my internet service 6 months at a time because you get a free month that way.

We drive cars that are old with no payments 2001, 1999, 1998

There are alot of things I don't consider that important and will scrimp on those things. I have no problem spending money if it is something that I really want though, like we have an inground pool we had put in, now I complain about the price of heating it, but I will because I like to swim. I don't mind paying $25 an hour for DD's pitching lessons, I don't mind paying for sports equipment for DD. I don't mind paying for DH's professional liscenses as we rely on his income. So there are alot of things I don't mind spending on, but other things like I cringe at paying $1.00 at McDonalds for a drink when you can buy 2-2 liters of generic soda for $1.00, LOL. I am just funny that way.

So who can post how to make your own baby wipes? tia!

Cici's Blog can! See here:

http://admin.mycouponblog.com/post/1/13

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This space for rent

refunds my husband used to wear a 2x we have some clothes if you want them we can work out shipping! let me know i could send you some pictures if you need something specific maybe we have it!!

we rarely eat out
I wash my own cars instead of paying for a auto drive thru car wash
I do not buy drinks at restaurants, only water for me
I never buy expensive trash bags, I do not think they are any better than generic wm ones
Bought most of my kids toys growing up at thrift stores, same with their clothes
I make my own ice in the freezer
Ido not pay to park, I will park at a school and walk 2 or 3 blocks ..yesterday it was pouring rain so I had to pay a meter or get soaked. I did not like doing that..ugh

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Live, Love, Laugh

I remember when we all discussed making our own baby wipes!!! Wow, the good old days.
I am way too time challenged/lazy these days to be as cheap as I used to be.

I do think i'm the only person I know who doesn't have digital cable, but, I won't skimp and use dial up internet.

We never go out to the movies anymore. We have a Blockbuster online membership & I always return my movies at the store rather than through the mail. That way I get 3 extra free rentals each time. We also get two free video game rentals each month through our Blockbuster membership. If we rent them one at a time (and use the extra 5 or so day that you get for the "no late fees" program) the kids have a "new" video game to play almost all month long.

I buy all of my kids' clothes out of season. Shorts in the winter, jeans in the summer.... I save a ton that way with three kids!

I use my digital camera for family photos, and order pictures online. (Even my kids get involved with coming up with scenic settings and creative poses, and the faimly loves them because they're not the same old department store photos).

I don't ever buy books anymore since I discovered paperbackswap.com. Once I'm done reading a book, I trade it at paperbackswap for a new one. All I spend is postage.

I don't have a home phone anymore. I just use my cell phone for everything & save a small fortune on long distance.

We all have MP3 players (that I got really cheap, thanks to these boards). I never buy whole CDs anymore, since we usually only like a few songs on each one anyway. We just order music from walmart.com. 4 of us can "share" one 88 cent song.

l

Hm. Using cloth diapers for my third baby (but when the washer broke I started using disposables, was using them for outings anyway), need to buy a larger size cover now and debating whether I want to or continue using disposables.

Turned off cable, just use cable internet and pay the extra $10 for not having cable.. considering turning a little bit back on since the kids have asked a few times Hubby's work reimburses $50 of our internet bill.

We use Vonage for phone service, not that we use long distance much (usually have about 30mins usage per month, maybe pre-paid cell would be cheaper...)

I'm interested in that Blockbuster membership... Didn't sound like you could use it for games from what I saw about it, is that an in-store only thing? I signed up with Gameznflix.com (and used a coupon - Emmys - for 25% off so it's $12.75/mo for 3 games and/or movies at a time).

Making an effort to keep more food in the house lol... the kids keep comparing it to their grandparents house because they have tons of food... this helps cut down on ordering out.

I don't think that they offer the free video game rental option with new memberships anymore. It was part of the membership when I joined over a year ago. They were probably losing money on that deal, since two game rentals are about $14, and my monthly online membership is only $19. So, they stopped offering it for new memberships, but customers that already had it got to keep it.

I don't really scrimp on anything. I use coupons and things but there is a difference between the value of something and how much it cost.
I refuse to use cheaply made things, clothing or anything else, that will not last just because it is cheap to buy. I would rather spend a little more on something that I know will last.
As for food I don't believe in skimping. My health now and in the future and the quality of my life is much more important that saving some money buying food that is cheap and will contribute to my being unable to function properly later in life.
But I do look for deals on the things I use and I only buy non food items i.e. clothing and household goods on sale. If I can get it 50% off great but I will not buy at full price. I even got a deal on my new car waiting until the end of year clearance. I drove my old piece of crap until I was sure I had the best deal possible.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I have been a little concerned about this. I have recently started really trying to buy only organic when available and eliminating items with trans fats and high fructose corn syrup from my diet and I am noticing a significant difference in my food bill. (it is getting higher) I am worried that when my baby is born and DH returns from deployment, our food bill will be through the roof. I am hoping the prices on organics go down once more people start buying them.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!

I signed up for blockbuster.com about a month ago and I LOVE it!

They are still offering the free rental a month that can be used on a video game and I really like this feature. We hold our movies also and take them back to the store on Tuesday so we can get the new releases. LOL

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Give me the wisdom and grace to understand

Tracy S
Mommy to 5 little girls
Victoria
Alyssa
Samantha & Selena
Malaya
Tracy_s5girls@yahoo.com

yep! i started this winter. i planned breakfast, lunch, and dinner.. even snacks on sunday morning around what I have in my freezer. We always include a leftover buffet one day and 2 days of no meat and 1 breakfast for dinner.

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

really?? that would be great!! we are in dire need of xxl clothes. He is a truck driver so any kind of t shirts would be perfect.. small stains or none!! he is in a size 44 pants..
contact me when you are getting rid of anything .. 4parkers@sssnet.com thanks so much for offering!!

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers