When the children were small, I color coded them. Each child had a cup with a lid that was his color. If one of the little guys was too full to finish his milk, it stayed in his cup in the refrigerator until he was thirsty again. No waste. Sometimes the cup contained water. They were at the stage where they were too small to reach the faucet to get their own drink but big enough to get into the refrigerator and old enough to know their color. Leftovers were in colorcoded containers sometimes. When a little guy was too full to eat at meal time but got hungry later, the food (sandwich, fruit, that sort of thing) was there for him. We kept from wasting a lot of food that way.
Other personal items were color coded too. Each little guy was proud of his color and wasn't interested in anybody else's color.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
#34 Water Glass
Water is the best beverage. It takes a while to develop a taste for it if you don't drink much of it but, once that happens, water tastes better than almost anything else, especially when you are thirsty. Our bodies crave water and it is necessary for good health. Sometimes I like mine with a slice of lemon, lime or even orange sometimes, with ice. There is mint growing in the yard and a sprig adds a touch of class.
#33 Tea
Brew some sun tea instead of buying premade tea or instant tea for iced tea. It's healthy and the flavor is excellent. Sun tea does not use any extra energy. The sun does the brewing. It even works on cloudy days. Inexpensive store brand tea bags work as well as name brands.
#32 Communication -Mail Savings
Use email instead of snail mail to send out mass mailings of necessary group information such as agenda's, minutes, instructions, formas and other things.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
#31 Clothing
I love to wear blazers and warm cardigans but I hate paying $50 to $100 or more each for them. I prefer to wear layers for comfort and I prefer classic styles. I am getting a good supply of them now in very nice fabrics. The blazers are costing me $2 to $8 and the cardigans have been anything from 50 cents to $3. I buy them at the DAV Thrift stores and at church and Christian organization sales, primarily in the summer.
I love wearing the better clothing but I spend a lot of time working with people, children, babies, food and animals. They are messy so I get messy sometimes. If I am wearing something that costs a lot, I worry more about the clothing than the people and I wind up being miserable. Some people live in such a way that they never get messy. Not me. Life happens. People are worth more than stuff. So I am thrilled with my thrift store finds.
I love wearing the better clothing but I spend a lot of time working with people, children, babies, food and animals. They are messy so I get messy sometimes. If I am wearing something that costs a lot, I worry more about the clothing than the people and I wind up being miserable. Some people live in such a way that they never get messy. Not me. Life happens. People are worth more than stuff. So I am thrilled with my thrift store finds.
#30 Air Miles
If you sign up for air miles or frequent flier miles on long trips, you earn enough for other trips quickly. This is new to me but worth checking into.
#29 Money exchange and Mission trips
We are taking a trip and will need to get local currency. (Dog sitting is free because my adult children will still be in the house.)
I checked with two banks today. One said one to two days and did not mention a fee. No problem as long as I am one of their customers. The other said 7 to 10 business days and there is a fairly high percentage fee even though I have an account at that bank. Guess which bank I am going to use! (since the first did not mention a fee, I will need to double check it.)
I checked with two banks today. One said one to two days and did not mention a fee. No problem as long as I am one of their customers. The other said 7 to 10 business days and there is a fairly high percentage fee even though I have an account at that bank. Guess which bank I am going to use! (since the first did not mention a fee, I will need to double check it.)
#28 Chairs, coffee and such
Today I rewebbed a lawn chair. The webbing was ripped but the frame was fine. I have heard lots of jokes about how people say they will fix the chairs but never do. I really do and it is not hard.
One of our favorite coffee shops is going out of business. They are selling out everything at 50% off, so I bought some more coffee. Half price is good. If you bring your own mug for coffee, they give a discount. Normally coffee costs $1.60 but with your own mug, it costs $1.06 for a "bottomless" cup. Wish I had known that one sooner.
Tonight we ate a meal that cost less than $3 total. I bought a package of 6 bratwursts on sale for $1 a while back. We ate half of them and half will go into future meals. I cooked a pound of potatoes which cost me 25 cents. We ate leftover beans, half the can. The entire can cost 39 cents so that portion was about 20 cents. I had a dollar jar of applesauce and we ate less than half of it so there will be some for a future meal. Bread was $1 a loaf and has about 20 slices, so that is about a nickle a slice. Condiments were pennies. The cost of the meal for both of us was $1.60 total.
Last night we had nachos. I used 1/4 lb of hamburger, precooked. The hamburger cost about $2 a pound so that was 50 cents worth. We had corn chips, on sale $1 a bag and used half the bag. We used half a can of pinto beans (this was new for us but really good!) which was 20 cents worth. Cheese was a bit more expensive. I got it on sale for about $3 a pound and we used about 4 ounces, that's about 75 cents. Condiments like Miracle Whip (2 oz out of a 32 oz, 99 cent jar is about 6 cents) and hot sauce (Crystals $1.29 a bottle and we used about 1/12 of it or 10 cents worth maybe). The whole meal came to slightly more than $2.
I have been buying the ripe bananas for 19 cents a pound instead of 69 cents a pound and they make a good dessert or snack.
One of our favorite coffee shops is going out of business. They are selling out everything at 50% off, so I bought some more coffee. Half price is good. If you bring your own mug for coffee, they give a discount. Normally coffee costs $1.60 but with your own mug, it costs $1.06 for a "bottomless" cup. Wish I had known that one sooner.
Tonight we ate a meal that cost less than $3 total. I bought a package of 6 bratwursts on sale for $1 a while back. We ate half of them and half will go into future meals. I cooked a pound of potatoes which cost me 25 cents. We ate leftover beans, half the can. The entire can cost 39 cents so that portion was about 20 cents. I had a dollar jar of applesauce and we ate less than half of it so there will be some for a future meal. Bread was $1 a loaf and has about 20 slices, so that is about a nickle a slice. Condiments were pennies. The cost of the meal for both of us was $1.60 total.
Last night we had nachos. I used 1/4 lb of hamburger, precooked. The hamburger cost about $2 a pound so that was 50 cents worth. We had corn chips, on sale $1 a bag and used half the bag. We used half a can of pinto beans (this was new for us but really good!) which was 20 cents worth. Cheese was a bit more expensive. I got it on sale for about $3 a pound and we used about 4 ounces, that's about 75 cents. Condiments like Miracle Whip (2 oz out of a 32 oz, 99 cent jar is about 6 cents) and hot sauce (Crystals $1.29 a bottle and we used about 1/12 of it or 10 cents worth maybe). The whole meal came to slightly more than $2.
I have been buying the ripe bananas for 19 cents a pound instead of 69 cents a pound and they make a good dessert or snack.
#27 Moving tips- basic
When moving long distances, the less weight you have, the less it costs to move it.
#1 Get rid of all of the trash and items that have no value to anyone. It is amazing how many people move trash.
#2 Sell and/or give away everything you do not love or use regularly.
#3 Consider selling your heavy furniture if it is not something you do not feel you could live without. For the frugal among us, we can buy furniture at garage sales, thrift stores and second hand stores in our new home. (If you are particular, must have brand new things to survive and have a tight budget, this will not work for you. )
#4 Get a home with a refrigerator, stove and other heavy appliances already in it.
#1 Get rid of all of the trash and items that have no value to anyone. It is amazing how many people move trash.
#2 Sell and/or give away everything you do not love or use regularly.
#3 Consider selling your heavy furniture if it is not something you do not feel you could live without. For the frugal among us, we can buy furniture at garage sales, thrift stores and second hand stores in our new home. (If you are particular, must have brand new things to survive and have a tight budget, this will not work for you. )
#4 Get a home with a refrigerator, stove and other heavy appliances already in it.
#26 Borrow
Instead of buying something you rarely use, see if there is a way to borrow it from someone who owns it when you need it. If you have several friends, you might be able to share things so that each of you saves money by not buying it.
If borrowing is not possible, check into renting the item. Items you do not own do not have to be stored so there is less clutter too.
If rentals are not available, see if it is possible to buy the item second hand.
If borrowing is not possible, check into renting the item. Items you do not own do not have to be stored so there is less clutter too.
If rentals are not available, see if it is possible to buy the item second hand.
#25 Shots- vaccinations
The county health department gives shots very inexpensively. Some counties are free for some ages. You do not have to pay all the fees that come with going to the doctor's office such as the office visit, the fee for the nurse to give the shot and stuff like that, plus the cost of the actual medicine is cheaper.
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