Frugal Mainers like to save money! (buying, costs, storage)

[Elcarim]

I'm absolutely sure of it. So, are there any home-made solutions to everyday problems that you MAINERS (and soon-to-be)have come up with to save your pennys for the upcoming heating bills?

I'll start (Mainer in Training!)

Homemade Febreeze:

Re-use the last $5 bottle you bought
Fill 2/3-3/4 with liquid fabric softener
Fill remainder with water

This solution costs me about $1.25 with my choice of fabric softener, and IMO, it smells better and lasts longer than Febreeze - not to mention a substantial savings!

[msina]

This is one of my favorites for bored kids in the winter

Get 4 spray bottles, I get mine at the dollar store and sometimes they have the ones that come four in a package with differant colored tops. Now take 1 of those little packages of food coloring you get in the baking aisle at the grocery store. Empty 1 bottle of the food coloring into each spray bottle and fill the bottle almost to the top with tap water. Gently shake each full spray bottle.

Now take your "Snow Paint" outside and create snowbank graffitti. The food coloring will fade away slowly and disappear as the snow melts. It will not harm your soil or stain anything but the clothing of the person wearing it. Just be sure noone is wearing their "best coat" when they're playing

[Elcarim]

Very cool and cost effective idea!! The kids will love that when we get moved and actually have snow to play in! Thanks.

[msina]

Well now, you're welcome Deah! I also use Bleach in a spray bottle with water (1 part bleach-7 parts water) as a kitchen and bath disinfectant. Gotta love spray bottles

[deerislesmile]

Most of my food storage containers have "Cool Whip" or "Low Fat Yogurt" written on the side of them (I wash and reuse the lidded containers).

[msina]

I think I have the same "set" deerisle. I also refuse to buy ready made piecrusts or biscuits. It only costs about .79 cents to make what you pay over $2 for at the store.

[Kenowheregirl]

As I'm sure many of you know, a 50/50 mix of vinegar and h2o is an outstanding window cleaner and costs so much less than brand-name cleaners. Vinegar is also excellent for disinfecting and getting rid of stubborn odors(even cat urine!). msina, I am also a big fan of dollar store spray bottles! Since we do get a decent amount of snow here in SE Wisconsin, I will keep that "snow graffiti" idea in mind for when my baby boy(almost 1 year) is a little older!

[starwalker]

I don't buy a lot of stuff that comes in the plastic lidded containers, so my storage containers were bought for that purpose (Ziploc and the like from the dollar store, the ones that are supposed to be "disposable"... but are still going strong with only a few missing after several years.

I haul my leftovers as lunch for work (THERE's a money saving tip if ever there was one!!) and the containers have gotten repeatedly "nuked" too, in the company micro.

But I do wash and re-use my ziploc bags, and even some of the better quality resealable bags that some stuff (cheese comes to mind) comes in. Since plastic tends to hold grease these guys get washed first, each with a tiny squirt of dish detergent to their insides and then I scrub them around, turn inside out and do it again, and rinse and drain them inside out. Turning their zips wrong-way out helps to hold them open to dry. I just turn upside down over the dishes in the draining rack. A friend (MUCH taller than I) used to clothespin them to the slats of the blind over the kitchen sink!. By the time the bags are washed, I have sufficient soap in the dishwater to do the rest of the load.

When they are dry, I turn them right way round again and the get stashed in the drawer with foil, Saran, Waxed paper, etc.

And speaking of recycling.. I hold the line on bringing in bags from the store and still get enough for the kitchen trash can without buying additional. I save the used pet food and cat-litter bags for the litter-box scrapings and emptying and on trash day often those big bags help me collect all the household waste in one place.

I think someone mentioned on another thread the usefulness of baking soda! not only does it deodorize the fridge, when the box is used up there, it still makes a good scoruing powder. I grew up using it as dentifrice, too, believe it or not (imagine a little kid, willingly brushing her teeth with the stuff.. now you know I am wierd!) mixed with a little salt. I still do... cannot stand the texture or the strange tastes of toothpaste.

[treeluvr]

Skywalker--I use a lot of your tips. I like to pinch some of my pennies until they scream--leaves me a few left to have some fun.

I have been brushing my teeth with baking soda for years. However, I take it one step further. I make a soupy paste of baking soda and 3% H2O2. I know that sounds awfull, but dentists did tests a few years back showing that hydrogen peroxide/baking soda was great for preventing gingivitis (something I have to be careful about). It doesn't taste good, but I'm so used to it I don't notice it.--Wouldn't give it to a child as it should not be swallowed, although the 3% they sell in stores is pretty dilute stuff.

[msina]

We grew up with the baking soda also Another good one is Boric Acid. It will get rid of most any insect problem DIRT CHEAP and it's safe to use. We had crickets when we first moved in. A good line of Boric Acid around the outside perimeters of the house, on the porches and in the cellar, no more crickets. It's also used as a wood preservative so it won't hurt your decking.