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I invested a $100 in an Aquasana water filter that attached to my kitchen sink faucet. I bought a six pack of glass ice tea bottles. Drank the iced tea and now used them for my filtered water. I can put the bottle and the cap in the dishwasher when needed. I save hundreds of dollars every year on bottled water and I am not filling the landfills with plastic bottles.
A word of caution: while glass bottles are OK for most adults they are not suitable for small children.
I do the same, only my filter is built into the fridge and I use an acrylic water bottle that can go through the dishwasher. Safer than glass, and acrylic doesn't leach the chemicals that the regular plastic bottles do. I bring my ice water to work every morning, much better than the water here.
I make my own laundry detergent. I don't have my printed out recipe in front of me, it goes something like this: Just grate a bar of Fels Naptha bar soap and add to about 8 cups of almost boiling water (but don't boil) on the stove. Stir often to help dissolve the soap over medium heat. While that's heating on the stove, I fill a 5 gallon white pail with the hot tap water about half way. When the Fels Naptha is completely dissolved, add it to the 5 gallon pail, and add the Borax and Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and stir until it is all dissolved. Then fill the pail almost to the top with hot tap water. I don't remember the exact measurements of Borax and Washing Soda...it is 1 cup and 1/2 cup, but can't remember which is which (it's on the internet). Then I take a funnel and ladle and fill old empty Tide jugs with the homemade detergent. This recipe fills about 7 to 8 good size laundry jugs...which lasts well over 2 months and costs less than $5.00 to make. I got to the point where I could no longer justify spending over $12 for one bottle of Tide...what the heck is in it, gold? And the whole house smells really clean afterward. It's the easiest thing I do to save money and the savings add up at the end of the year.
I also have a veggie garden and have frozen a year's worth of peppers, made tomato sauce, have 6 more months of garlic, have started growing berries and apple trees. Next year's garden will have fewer varieties, but planted with long term storage in mind.
We also limit going out to eat to once a month (payday). The other payday of the month we eat our $2.99 frozen pizzas (Ristorante yum). Or buy sandwiches to take home and eat in front of TV...relaxing!
I am searching for cable, internet and cell phone alternatives, but am having a bit of resistance on the home front from the football and baseball fans. Would love to drop cable for online options, library and Redbox...but not getting the cooperation I was hoping for. Still researching prepaid cell phone plans (got rid of land line a long time ago), but hubby says he is the only one at work who doesn't have a blackberry (poor baby...worse than our teenager). Does anyone know of a really cheap high speed internet company???
I make my own laundry detergent. I don't have my printed out recipe in front of me, it goes something like this: Just grate a bar of Fels Naptha bar soap and add to about 8 cups of almost boiling water (but don't boil) on the stove. Stir often to help dissolve the soap over medium heat. While that's heating on the stove, I fill a 5 gallon white pail with the hot tap water about half way. When the Fels Naptha is completely dissolved, add it to the 5 gallon pail, and add the Borax and Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and stir until it is all dissolved. Then fill the pail almost to the top with hot tap water. I don't remember the exact measurements of Borax and Washing Soda...it is 1 cup and 1/2 cup, but can't remember which is which (it's on the internet). Then I take a funnel and ladle and fill old empty Tide jugs with the homemade detergent. This recipe fills about 7 to 8 good size laundry jugs...which lasts well over 2 months and costs less than $5.00 to make. I got to the point where I could no longer justify spending over $12 for one bottle of Tide...what the heck is in it, gold? And the whole house smells really clean afterward. It's the easiest thing I do to save money and the savings add up at the end of the year.
I also have a veggie garden and have frozen a year's worth of peppers, made tomato sauce, have 6 more months of garlic, have started growing berries and apple trees. Next year's garden will have fewer varieties, but planted with long term storage in mind.
We also limit going out to eat to once a month (payday). The other payday of the month we eat our $2.99 frozen pizzas (Ristorante yum). Or buy sandwiches to take home and eat in front of TV...relaxing!
I am searching for cable, internet and cell phone alternatives, but am having a bit of resistance on the home front from the football and baseball fans. Would love to drop cable for online options, library and Redbox...but not getting the cooperation I was hoping for. Still researching prepaid cell phone plans (got rid of land line a long time ago), but hubby says he is the only one at work who doesn't have a blackberry (poor baby...worse than our teenager). Does anyone know of a really cheap high speed internet company???
I get the $1.00 laundry detergent at Dollar Tree so I don't have to make mine. Good recipe though, I'll look it up online if I decide to change detergent.
We're going from a cell phone plan to pre-paid since we hardly ever use the phone. Bill should go down from $75.00 month to $8-10 month. There is also Magic Jack (off the computer) that is about $2.00 month.
I'm still researching cheaper internet. Would be interested in hearing from others on this.
I get the $1.00 laundry detergent at Dollar Tree so I don't have to make mine. Good recipe though, I'll look it up online if I decide to change detergent.
We're going from a cell phone plan to pre-paid since we hardly ever use the phone. Bill should go down from $75.00 month to $8-10 month. There is also Magic Jack (off the computer) that is about $2.00 month.
I'm still researching cheaper internet. Would be interested in hearing from others on this.
chuck_steak: I'd say you're doing great with $1.00 laundry detergent and phone for $8-10/mo.. We have a Dollar Tree in town and I think I'll have to buy a bottle of laundry detergent just to try it and as a backup.
We are looking at prepaid phone plans too. Would you mind telling me which one is $8-$10/mo.? For three phones we currently pay ~ $125/mo and only use about 400 minutes talk, but one of the phones has a texting plan (for my teenager, of course) who once drove the bill up one month to over $300 w/texting, video, pics and downloading when he didn't know that it was not included in our plan. Needless to say, we made him pay for the excess.
For internet, I've heard NetZero is inexpensive, but I think they just offer dial up. My husband works 60 hrs/wk in an IT department and it would drive him crazy to go from high speed to s l o w s p e e d.
The library has become my favorite movie theatre. Just not first runs, but I saw "Hurt Locker" a week after it won Best Picture. Someone mentioned front-loaders. Sometimes they provide better entertainment than what's on TV!
chuck_steak: I'd say you're doing great with $1.00 laundry detergent and phone for $8-10/mo.. We have a Dollar Tree in town and I think I'll have to buy a bottle of laundry detergent just to try it and as a backup.
We are looking at prepaid phone plans too. Would you mind telling me which one is $8-$10/mo.? For three phones we currently pay ~ $125/mo and only use about 400 minutes talk, but one of the phones has a texting plan (for my teenager, of course) who once drove the bill up one month to over $300 w/texting, video, pics and downloading when he didn't know that it was not included in our plan. Needless to say, we made him pay for the excess.
For internet, I've heard NetZero is inexpensive, but I think they just offer dial up. My husband works 60 hrs/wk in an IT department and it would drive him crazy to go from high speed to s l o w s p e e d.
The AT&T "go phone" is prepaid $2.00/day. You only get charged for the days you use the phone. For us, it would only be $8-10/month because we RARELY use the phone. I don't know how that would work out for you since your child uses the phone a lot. It could cost you more. I was just saying for "my" situation it will be cheaper.
Dial up is cheaper, but like your husband, it would drive me batty being SLOW. It may come to that, but that will be my last "cut" for luxuries. LOL.
The library has become my favorite movie theatre. Just not first runs, but I saw "Hurt Locker" a week after it won Best Picture. Someone mentioned front-loaders. Sometimes they provide better entertainment than what's on TV!
LOL, I've got a front loader, guess I'll just pull up a chair and be entertained!
I got to the point where I could no longer justify spending over $12 for one bottle of Tide...what the heck is in it, gold? And the whole house smells really clean afterward. It's the easiest thing I do to save money and the savings add up at the end of the year.
I am searching for cable, internet and cell phone alternatives, but am having a bit of resistance on the home front from the football and baseball fans. Would love to drop cable for online options, library and Redbox...but not getting the cooperation I was hoping for. Still researching prepaid cell phone plans (got rid of land line a long time ago), but hubby says he is the only one at work who doesn't have a blackberry (poor baby...worse than our teenager). Does anyone know of a really cheap high speed internet company???
I use dishwashing soap for laundry soap. It's the same freakin' thing and costs less than half. As for phone alternatives- ooma. Keep the cable. As a form of entertainment, especially for sports fans, it's still dirt cheap. One game live and in person and you'll RUN back to cable.
I've been doing dried beans lately... it does save you a bit! And they taste better, too.
I wish there was a way to save on dairy products... milk, butter, and yogurt seem so $$$ lately to me.
Cooking your own beans is healthier for you, too. The sodium content in canned foods is scary and the major cause for high blood pressure. It's great that you are cooking from scratch. Best thing for your body. As for dairy .... many of our health problems come from consuming dairy products. A human being is the only mammal on earth that continues to drink milk after being weaned from its mother. Still, ice cream is so yummy and I'll always find a way to justify that one! lol
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