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My mom washed out baggies and saved foil. I don't. But she did teach me other things. I use my dryer once a year to make sure it still works. Other than that, I dry my clothes outside. I take them from the washing machine and put them on hangers, then out to dry. Mom taught me to hate ironing so much, I just don't buy anything that has to be ironed! I save all my bones in a bag in the freezer and when it's full I make bone broth for the dogs and to use as soup stock.
I love to make bread but I can't justify it, even paying myself nothing for my time. Bread is a buck at the store. Plus we try not to eat too much bread and the homemade stuff is so good I would be a whale in no time at all! Better for me to have the tasteless stuff that claims to be bread!
I do buy and cook in bulk. In August I got 40lbs of bacon and 40lbs of ground beef from Zaycon Foods. The bacon is wonderful but 40lbs is a lot. If I ever want to order again I will have to find someone who wants to share! Most of what I cook is from scratch. To me, it's easy. Probably the best thing I learned from my mom was how to cook/bake.
I miss drying clothes and sheets outside. Nothing smells fresher ...but with feral cats roaming the landscape...total different odor! Yuck.
I miss drying clothes and sheets outside. Nothing smells fresher ...but with feral cats roaming the landscape...total different odor! Yuck.
Sorry about that odor --reminds me, I've got a fresh load of laundry to hang out. Thank goodness the air here is fresh and clean. I use folding drying racks on the deck. In winter, when I absolutely have to, I use the dryer. I do miss my clothesline from when I had a bigger house and yard--pre-retirement.
I also use the rewards credit cards. Love the ones with lots of points for gas and groceries. You pay it off every month and then redeem the points so you're making a little bit of money while keeping your credit score high.
A vegetable garden saves money and guarantees you good, organic vegetables. I grow heirloom tomatoes and a few other things. Fresh green beans tonight!
Another thing I've always done is to use up old computer paper by ripping it in half or into quarters and using the blank side for scrap paper.
I can't think of too many other money saving tips. Maybe buying nice quality used furniture on Craig's List instead of buying new at our age. Anyway, most of the new furniture is either extremely expensive (and who are we going to leave it to?) or it's very low quality. I still appreciate real wood and furniture that's well made but I am not going to pay high prices for new like I did when I was younger. That same money can go towards travel or something else.
OP, is the farmers market really a money saver for you? In all of my experiences with farmers markets, I end up paying a premium for, admittedly, fresher, higher quality foods.
We buy at a nice farmers'' market throughout the spring, summer, fall. Sometimes produce is cheaper, sometimes not. It is generally more local early in the season,
I really admire the farmers that bring in the produce. They obviously work very hard.
And I love our market! It is a chance to sample locally baked goods, roasted coffee and some handmade items. And I buy local honey there too.
I miss drying clothes and sheets outside. Nothing smells fresher ...but with feral cats roaming the landscape...total different odor! Yuck.
When my older sister was first married she and all her neighbors hung their clothes on their lines to dry. At that time my sister and her husband had a golden retriever named Chad that was purchased as a duck hunting dog. Chad had zero interest in retrieving ducks, but he was great at retrieving the neighbor's clothes off their lines and bring them back home. My sister even has a picture of her well endowed next door neighbor chasing Chad down the street after he had retrieved her 40 DD bra off her line After that episode there was no more free ranging in the neighborhood for poor Chad
The way I seem to save the most $ is by buying clothes during the pre-season sales and the end of season sales. It's kinda weird buying sweaters and long pants when temps are in the 90's, but the 30-40% off is great!
The way I seem to save the most $ is by buying clothes during the pre-season sales and the end of season sales. It's kinda weird buying sweaters and long pants when temps are in the 90's, but the 30-40% off is great!
I used to do that, but found that pickings were sometimes slim and would just buy because it was on sale.
So I decided that if I wanted something badly enough, I would just go ahead and get it at regular price. I saved money and space. I would end up buying so much of the bargain sales and end up with too many items hanging in my closet with price tags still on them.
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--reminds me, I've got a fresh load of laundry to hang out. Thank goodness the air here is fresh and clean. I use folding drying racks on the deck. In winter, when I absolutely have to, I use the dryer. I do miss my clothesline from when I had a bigger house and yard--pre-retirement.
Bit I understand making license plates does not pay too well.
