Your best $ tips & frugal advice!

buy fruit in season and freeze them for smoothies. I just bought a ton of berries. Layer them washed on a cookie sheet and freeze them then put them in a baggy or container for the freezer. If you buy them in season they are cheaper. Same with corn and vegetables.

On non-food purchases, I always consider if i *really* want/need whatever item I'm considering. If you leave it on the shelf/rack and walk away for a few minutes, you'll find out if you miss it or not.

Also, when I went vegetarian last October, I started paying a lot more attention to what I eat, and how much I spend on my food! Vegetarian meals are usually less expensive for the prepare at home meal, and it also makes you pay more attention to finding proper nutrition. It's a win-win!

buy fruit in season and freeze them for smoothies. I just bought a ton of berries. Layer them washed on a cookie sheet and freeze them then put them in a baggy or container for the freezer. If you buy them in season they are cheaper. Same with corn and vegetables.

cheaper even still if you can find a place to pick your own berries. even a berry farm if you don't have foraging skills.

I've heard from 2 different people that turning off the water heater every day saves loads of money off your electric bill. :flowerforyou:

bump

Oh and another water saving tip (and time saving) - bathe your kids together - We used to bathe our two boys separately every day - now we find it easier and cheaper to bathe them together and we cut out the everyday bathing - I usually judge it by the day's activities - of course a lot of time outside or running around warrents a bath, but if they have been playing inside all day we will probably skip it!

another laundry tip - i buy the arm & hammer powder detergent and use about 1/2 of the recommended amount. my clothes are clean and smell good every single time. i also always wash in cold water and my clothes last longer for it.

shower tip - i've started timing my showers for every day immediately after my workout. by then i've usually worked up a good sweat and a cool shower feels great. no using hot water unnecessarily.

We use about half the recommended detergent too. There was an article about how unnecessary it is to use the full amount.

Another shower tip a friend of mine uses. Before she gets in, while the water is warming up, she uses a watering can (or a bucket) to collect the water and waters her plants and herbs with it.

Also, I cut up old t-shirt for cleaning and dusting around the house. They can be washed and reused.

As for cleaning glass, my hubby taught me this one....instead of papertowels, use newspaper. Trust me, it is streak free and you don't waste the papertowel!

So many great tips! I just have a few to contribute, sorry if these have already been mentioned:

Cut your own hair. I have been cutting my own for about 2 years now and have just started cutting my fiancee's. I like the way I do it better, and honestly think I'm pretty good at it! You can buy a set of hair trimming scissors at CVS/Rite-Aid/Wal-Mart for super cheap, and even an electric razor if necessary. You'll really see the savings add up!

Pay bills online. Not only does it save money in stamps (those really add up!) but also saves paper and is better for the environment.

I bring fabric bags when I go grocery shopping. Some stores will offer you a 5 cent discount per bag, which might only add up to about $5 over the year, but regardless, it's still better for the environment than all those wasteful plastic bags!

I never EVER buy books. Borrow from the library, or do a book swap with friends and family.

Monitor your thermostat. My fiancee is a thermostat freak! If you're alright with cuddling up with a big comforter in the winter and going light and easy with a single sheet in the summer, turn down the thermostat while you're sleeping.

I heard this tip from Suze Orman: try to go one day a week without spending a cent! No morning coffee, no newspaper, no lunch, not even paying toll roads. Even if it means going a few minutes out of your way to avoid a toll, reading the news online, making coffee at home in the morning, you'll feel really good about not spending a dime! We've actually tried to sometimes go for 2 or 3 days a week. Once you see how easy it is, it'll become a habit.

Another tip I read somewhere (don't remember where though) is to post your financial goals. I actually have a post-it on the inside of my wallet with some goals written on it (Pay off the house in 10 years; Pay cash for our entire wedding - no credit cards to rack up the debt etc.). Everytime I'm tempted to dig out my wallet and do some frivolous spending, I'm reminded of what I'm really saving for. Whatever your financial goals are, actually seeing them posted somewhere helps keep them in mind.!

My husband and I have saved loads of money by shopping at the 99cent store for canned goods, dry beans and they even carry produce now, which is great! We also will frequent Big Lots for any bargains we may need and thrift stores can be your best friend. We have gotten so many kitchen utensils, baking pans, etc from there and saved a ton! Also something cool we figured out, you can buy spoons there for about $.25 each, hammer the spoon part out, drill a hole in the center and bend the end of it to form your own hook. They are super strong and you only pay $1.00 for a set of four that would cost you maybe $3-4 in any store and they look cool!

Craigslist is also your best friend. I have found so much free stuff or really cheap stuff on there it's insane. I found an ad last year for a local hotel that has pear trees on their golf course and let you come and pick all you want. We filled 4-5 5lb buckets with pears and I canned a bunch of them in a very light syrup and he made a batch of pear wine. Both turned out awesome. All it cost was a little time and effort. Can or freeze excess fruits, and make huge pots of vegetable soup with the season's bounty to be used later in the year.

Once you get stuck on the bargain train you will find yourself stalking thrift stores and estate sales for the best deal on anything you need and loving that what you bought usually comes with a story and a little piece of history.

Bump-o-doodle

Regarding credit cards:
A common tip is "don't use a credit card". If you have no control, this is definitely good.

However, the rule I follow instead is "pay it off IN FULL every month." I never, ever carry a credit card balance. It works out to the same thing as paying cash or using a debit card, but I do it because:
1. I earn cash back on my purchases. 3% on gas, 1% on everything else. It works out to $100-$200 per year for me (and I don't spend a whole lot of money either; when I had a long commute, I would earn big $$ every month on the gas).
2. A credit card is more secure than cash or debit. If someone steals your card number and uses it, your liability on a credit card is limited to typically $25 (or $0 on some cards). On many debit cards, your liability stops only once you report the card used--so someone could take out all the money in your bank account, and you'd have a really hard time getting it back. And obviously, if you lose cash, you're out cash!
3. If you keep your money in an interest-bearing bank account, then you get to earn interest on it during the month while you're using your credit card. As long as you pay off the full balance of the card before the due date every month, you essentially earn free money. This is a concept that every bank and employer knows. Why do you think banks put a 3-5 day holding period on any money you deposit? Because they earn interest on that money as soon as it hits their accounts. If they can force you to keep it in your account for 5 days, that's 5 days of interest they earn. Have your paycheck deposited into an interest-bearing savings account. A week or so before your credit card bill is due, transfer the necessary funds to your checking account to pay the card (or, if you can, just link the savings account directly to the card).

A few other tips that I haven't seen yet:
1. Bank online. You can often get much better interest rates from online banks (e.g., ING or Everbank) than from banks with brick & mortar buildings. I have an account with a brick & mortar bank that accepts all my paychecks, but I transfer the money from there into ING because ING pays me much better interest.
2. If you have a high interest rate on your credit cards, or you're not getting rebates, call them up and ask them what they can do for you. You can often get them to give you lots of benefits if you just ask.
3. I haven't tried this, but have a friend who did it: if you're paying full price for your cable/internet/phone, call them up and tell them you're switching to a competitor to get the intro rate. Chances are they'll give you the intro rate even if you're a longtime customer. My friend said that she's done this several times and gotten the "new customers only" deal renewed each time.
4. If you have Netflix (I LOVE it), carefully evaluate your usage. The default account type is three out at a time, unlimited, but they now have ones as cheap as $4/month. If you only watch one movie per week anyway, switch to a one-at-a-time plan. I did this and save something like $10/month.
5. If you already have high-speed internet service, investigate VoIP phone service (e.g., Vonage). It's a lot cheaper than most landlines. I pay $20 or so per month for unlimited calls (local and long distance), 3-way calling, and voice mail.
6. Check your cell phone/text usage and make sure you have the right plan. You should be able to see the actual minutes you are using; make sure you're not paying for time you're not using!