Tightwad Tuesday: Take Care of It

A man builds a fine house; and now he has a master, and a task for life: he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, the rest of his days. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've got a great suggestion on how to save money: take care of the things you have!!

Save on paint: don't let your kids draw or put stickers on their walls.

Save on clothes: Have two sets -- play/work and regular stuff.

Save on furniture: Keep it clean and don't abuse it ("No more monkeys jumping on the bed!).

Save on home repairs: Regular maintenance of anything and everything will keep you from having to replace it, which is a far more costly endeavor.

I've mentioned in the past that my DH is a bit of a neat freak. I've had to adapt my clutterbug self in order to promote at least some harmony in our house. I'm also a bit of a freak about order and organization, and so my heart sang when I discovered FLY LADY.

Some of you have most likely seen her site or her books. She is a woman after my own heart (though I will say that I don't wear shoes in the house, only slippers or socks, or I go barefoot). She has a control journal that tells you when to clean certain areas of your house, and hints on making it easy to KEEP the place clean.

I'll say it again: if you take care of your things (and this includes cleaning them and putting them away properly), you won't have to replace them as often.

Check out Fly Lady. See what you think. I'm telling you -- her Fling Boogies are addictive.

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A general note: Tightwad Tuesday is going to change to a once a month posting after today. I should probably think of a new name... hmm... any ideas?

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You Are Not Messy

You're so clean, people have accused you of being a clean freak! You like things tidy, organized, and smelling fresh. Messes drive you crazy, especially when you didn't make them. It's hard for you to live with a slob - or someone who leaves their dishes in the sink.

Are You Messy?

Tightwad Tuesday: Keep the Change

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. ~Frank Hubbard

When I was in high school, the boys used to play a game where they'd throw pennies at the wall. I never did know the reason behind it, or how you won -- but I DID know that they, more often than not, left the pennies behind. For grins, my lockermate and I started collecting them and putting them in a jar in our locker.

We made out like bandits.

Okay, maybe not bandits, but we had enough for a decent meal at Wendy's by the end of the year.

Fact is, folks, small change adds up. I saved enough to buy my first pony using change that my dad gave me. He'd toss the coins in his pocket into a dish every night. Each time I'd visit, he'd say, "Leave me $10 in quarters and $5 in dimes and you take the rest." And I'd painstakingly count out his quarters and dimes, and then keep the rest. And, slowly I got enough -- $25. And I bought my pony. I'm not sure the previous owner was thrilled by the bag of coins I paid with, but I know I learned a lesson.

These days, my DD picks up all the coins she can find on the ground. It adds up. I save money for her college tuition by taking off the odd amounts from our checking account balance every pay day. Balance is $956.76? She gets $6.76. I've done that for as long as I can remember and she has a decent amount in her savings account.

You think the Salvation Army doesn't know this? People toss a few dimes or quarters into those red pots at Christmas ... and they make more at that time than the entire rest of the year.

I had a good friend, a bartender, who saved his quarters. Just his quarters. And after six months, he had enough to take a ten day vacation to Cancun.

So folks, want to save up for something? Keep the change. It's a painless way to make your bank account grow. Just ask the folks at Changepot.
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Another way to save money is to WIN books!!

I have my contest going for another couple weeks. Diane Craver is giving away a book on her blog. Keri Mikulski is giving away THREE books! Melissa and Amy both give away books on their blogs regularly.

Are you giving away a book (or three)? Let me know, and I'll shout it out.

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Accuweather is now predicting that the worst of the upcoming storm may go out to sea. Can you say "YAY!!"? Still, they aren't really willing to commit. I have my fingers crossed for just a light dusting. Please, please...

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I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

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Tightwad Tidbit: Where's the Beef?

Save money on cooking with meat without becoming a vegetarian

I eat a *mostly* meat free diet, but my DH is a carnivore, through-and-through. Because meat is so expensive, even when you get it on sale, I look for ways to cut back on use without DH missing it.

Here are a few tips to help you do the same.

* Check to see when your area supermarket puts their nearly-expired meats on sale. Here, it's typically on Tuesday and Thursday. I'll go and stock my freezer about once every 4-6 months on one of these days.

* Grind your own burger. I have a grinder attachment on my KitchenAid mixer that I'll use for this. I can buy inexpensive roasts or steaks on sale, grind it up and freeze it. I'll do the same when boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (they'll go on sale for less than a dollar a pound, now and then). When's the last time you got ground beef or turkey for less than a dollar a pound?

* Don't serve meat as the main part of the meal. Instead of baked chicken breasts and rice with peas, try using half as much chicken, chopped, and added to the same rice.

* Find ways to extend your meat. I buy TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and boil it in beef bouillon and toss it into lasagna or other casseroles in place of, or in addition to, ground beef. My DH has yet to notice (and, as a side benefit, I can make a small dish of my own, completely meat free). You can also use things like oatmeal or bread crumbs.

* Go meat free for at least one meal a week. If you have a family of four, and you each eat 1/2 lb of meat, you save 2 lbs a week (or at least $4-6 a week, possibly more, depending on what meats you typically buy).

* Cut back on how much meat you serve in your meals. Do you really need a full pound of burger for your spaghetti? One chicken breast is usually more than enough for a person -- if you consider a serving of chicken is the size of the palm of your hand (or about 3 oz), you probably eat far more than you should.

If you save only $10 a week on meat by using these tips, you'll have $520 more a year. What would YOU do with an extra $500?

Anyone else have ideas on saving on your meat budget?

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In other news, I just discovered that Disney is opting to NOT produce "Voyage of the Dawn Treader"... can I tell you how truly distraught I am? What are they THINKING???

**sniff**

I can only hope that another studio picks it up before the original actors aren't too old to play their parts.

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Tightwad Tidbit: Got Gas?

"Can implementing the three R's - reduce, recycle, reuse, save you money? If you only implemented the three R's in your kitchen,
you would save money." -- Catherine Pulsifer, from 10 Tips for Saving Money in Your Kitchen

Although gas prices are currently quite low, there are murmurs about them rising again soon. And, being one to pinch pennies, I always comparison shop.

I'm sure y'all know that typically gas stations right off the highway are more expensive. So are the stations by the mall or other large shopping areas.

I do avoid "no name" stations because they can have bad gas (it only takes once getting bad gas to take steps to keep that from happening again!), so I limit my purchases to bigger named brands. To help, I use this nifty website:

Gasbuddy.com

It's easy to find the prices of gas locally. They also note when the most recent updates are done, so you can tell if the price is old or not.

Anyone have tips on saving money on gas? I'd love to hear them! Just post them in the comments :-)

Thanks!

Also, if you're looking for more penny-pinching tips, my friend Maria Zannini has begun blogging about that subject on her blog. Check it out here!

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Tightwad Tidbit: When Cheap isn't Less Expensive

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. Harriet Van Horne

I made Chili con Carne this weekend. I really love some spicy food and happily cooked up the beans and meat, chopped peppers and onions, added tomatoes ... and then the all important chili powder.

That particular chili powder was a life-changing spice for me. You see, being a tightwad, I tend to look for things that are least expensive... so, you'll find me shopping at places like The Christmas Tree Shop for my spices. At least, you would have until the chili powder event.

Here's what happened: My MIL took a cruise down to the Caribbean somewhere and when she came home, she brought me a gift -- a cute little basket with tiny baggies of various spices. I received ginger, cumin, three kinds of cinnamon, a whole nutmeg (with a tiny little grater), and chili powder. I thanked her and set it aside for an unbelievably long time, until one day I needed chili powder and didn't have any! I remembered the gift, opened the baggie and put in the amount called for in the recipe.

When I sat down to eat, the stuff was so spicy it was all but inedible. How can this be? I followed the directions! It's an old family recipe (tamale pie... yum) that I've made dozens of times.

And then, it occurred to me: I used really good, top quality, fresh chili powder. And because of that I needed to use less--far, far less-- than the recipe called for.

As a result, it's actually cheaper for me to buy good spices than to buy the cheap, old, flavorless ones at The Dollar Store.

So, folks: splurge! There are several places online to buy decent spices, or go to your gourmet shops in person. But, be warned, once you've used good spices, you'll never want to go back. They taste better, smell better and ARE better. So, though you may cringe at the initial cost (I know I did), it's worth every penny (and IMHO, cheaper in the long run).

Just remember... you're going to have to get used to using less. AND, you're going to need a crash course in spices because not all cinnamon (or pepper, or chili powder) is created equal. Who knew?

Where's your favorite place to get spices?

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You Are Cumin

You are warm, unique, and pretty dominant. It's also pretty likely that you smoke or like fire. You are energetic and intense. You definitely stimulate people.

What Spice Are You?

Hmmm... I don't smoke and have a dread fear of dying in a fire, so that part isn't right. Maybe the rest, though. Hmmm...

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Tightwad Tuesday: Cookies!

It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy. ~George Horace Lorimer

Few things make me crazier than seeing things in the grocery store that are only there because folks are unbelievably lazy. The thing that REALLY makes me wonder about folks buying habits? PB&J Uncrustables. WTH? People can't just make their own PB&J anymore?

The other thing is the cookie dough that you lift off the little tray and put on your cookie sheet and call homemade.

I KNOW it's easy and quick and ready to bake when you only have ten minutes... but I have an alternative.

Make. Your. Own.

Yep. With a little planning ahead, you can have your very own little dough hunks waiting for you when you need them.

How?

Make a HUGE batch of cookie dough -- choose your flavor. We like peanut butter oatmeal or chocolate chip. Triple or quadruple your batch and then chill it. Once it's fairly firm, either roll it into little 2 tsp balls and place on a greased cookie sheet or roll into a log using waxed paper. Place in a freezer -- the balls don't need to be wrapped or covered because, once they are frozen you can put them in a ziplock baggie all loose -- and because they were frozen separately, they won't stick together and you can pull out however many you want for your batch of honest-to-goodness homemade cookies on a tightwad budget! The log you can thaw and slice.

And the best part? You know what they are made from -- add a little whole wheat flour or cut back a smidge on the sugar (I almost always cut the sugar in half in my recipes with no noticeable difference).

So... cheaper. Healthier. What's not to like?

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You Are a Jam Cookie

On the outside, you project a straight-laced, innocent vibe. But on the inside, you're complex, exotic, and full of flavor.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

Tightwad Tuesday: Laundry

Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it. ~Author Unknown

Today I'll be advocating hanging out your laundry to dry.

"What?" you say. "In the middle of winter?"

Yep. In the middle of winter.

Fact is: I almost never use my dryer. And, I only hung my laundry outside three times this past year because of all our funky wet weather. First, why hang your laundry to dry? Project Laundry List offers several reasons, and I'll include the ones I use as my own:

* Save money (more than $25/month off electric bill for many households). Any appliance that generates heat uses a TON of electricity -- try watching your meter when you run the dryer... it's frightening!

* Clothes and linens smell better without adding possibly toxic chemicals to your body and the environment. Actually... I just really like the smell -- I DO use fabric softener, so that eliminates the "toxic chemicals" reason for me. Still... it's not just the clothes that smell better, but my house!

* Clothes last longer. Where do you think lint comes from? Seriously folks... I have some clothes I've had for fifteen years and I can still wear them (sweatshirts that I adore, mostly). It really DOES make a difference.

And... if you hate how stiff some clothes are (especially things like towels and jeans) then take the laundry off the clothesline when they are still slightly damp and toss in the dryer. Everything will be soft and flexible just as if they were in the dryer the whole time. I have one line in the basement and then I use racks that I stick wherever I have room. For instance... this is what my craft area looks like right now:

And, if you're really interested in going the extra mile to save money ... you could make your own laundry detergent. There's a great recipe for that on Suzanne McMinn's "Chickens in the Road" blog right here.

The time isn't really a factor, either, once you get into a routine. I wash clothes every three days or so -- two to three loads at a time. I do dry my socks and undies in the dryer (in the winter) because they take up tons of room on the dryers and are ridiculously time consuming to hang. In the summer, though, up on the line they go!

Talk to you next week!

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A video of my loopy dog -- I was trying not to laugh, so that's my heavy breathing you hear -- but how can you not smile when you see her absolute joy?

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Tightwad Tips Tuesday

Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work. ~Robert Orben

Maria Zannini mentioned something in the comments of my post last week about how to shop wisely and get the best prices on food and sundries.

Use a notebook.

I have three grocery stores, two warehouse stores, a WalMart and a Target that I use for my shopping. I have a notebook and a calculator in my purse (for those times when the "cost per..." is different for every brand -- why do they do that? If it's a "cost per gallon" for one, why is it a "cost per each" for a second, and a "cost per quart" for the third? Drives me batty... anyway...) and I am constantly checking prices. This was especially important lately when all the stores boosted prices because of gasoline cost (but did they go back down? Uh.. no. And there is a news story on why here.) because all the "usual" prices went way up.

It's simple to make a notebook. Find a little notepad, make headers at the top with each store, and a sidebar with your products and columns to write prices -- it's important to write the "cost per whatever" because manufacturers are known to decrease the size of a package slightly (anyone look at Breyer's ice cream lately, or your tuna cans?) and keep the price the same. You might want to write the prices in pencil since they are fluid.

I don't advocate hitting six stores in a day to shop, though, unless they're very close to each other. I also keep a list in my storage with what I want on hand, and what I've used to show what I need to buy when I'm at the place where whatever I need is cheapest.

The biggest way to save money is to be an informed consumer. Never make assumptions that WalMart is the cheapest on everything, for instance. Maybe it is, most times. But what about when the usually very expensive grocery store has loss leaders on sale? Do your research. It adds up. I used Rinaldi pasta sauce as an example on my post last week (since I never have enough tomatoes in my garden to make my own sauce). Hunts sauce is nearly always $1 a can, but I don't like the taste... so I wait. I love Rinaldi, but it's usually almost $3 a jar! Every few months or so, though, the store near me puts it on sale 10/$1. They have a limit of ten per visit ... but they're close to me, so I'll go back a few times during the week. Or, I'll go to another store in the chain that's near where Dakota goes to obedience. It's worth it to me. I saved $20 on ten jars of sauce!

So... keep your notes, be organized, know what you have on hand and what you need and always watch the grocery store sales. You'll save hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars a year!

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And a picture of the cat helping us decorate the Christmas tree (just because):