Money Saving Tips

[Butterfly]

With rising gas prices and the price of heating oil predicted to be as much as 50% higher this winter, I think this is a good time to share money saving tips.

As a start, I always take a walk around the outside of the house and check for cracks or gaps around windows, doors, any place where mortar meets wood or vinyl, around faucets or where cables enter the house.  Caulk is fairly cheap and easy to use. 

Another thing is insulate, insulate, insulate !!  Make sure your attic is insulated, insulate the outlets around the house by installing those foam insulation pads under the outlet plates.

[Guardian Angel]

Been there and done that.....George was an Energy Auditor years ago and used to audit Government buildings.  I will have to dig out some of the material he used and post tips on here.

[pesoto74]

One thing I have started using and so far have been pleased with is the energy saving light bulbs.  The kind I use most uses 15 watts, but puts out the same light as a regular 60 watt bulb.  They are more expensive, however they are supposed to last a lot longer than regular bulbs. 

[Bingo]

I bought a bunch of those at IKEA last December. They weren't very good quality I don't think. Took a long time to light up when switched on. Not a good color.  We are using those outside and have bought a better quality at Sam's and those are doing very well.

We hear it will be a mild winter and so far we can mark most of Oct off the furnace-used month. But it is really scary to think about 70% increases. We can make a lot of changes here but I worry about our younger daughters and how they will afford gasoline to get to work and afford fuel to heat their houses.  Times could get very hard for those who don't have much wiggle room in their budgets.

[Butterfly]

Something we did this winter was to buy a covered tall wastebasket for our recyclables and put it in the laundry room next to the garage door.  We used to open the door, (every time we had something to put in the collection container) and take the stuff out to the garage, which would let the warm air out.  Now I just empty the waste basket into the collection container when it gets full.

For the first time, I reversed the ceiling fans and put them on low.  Since we have vaulted ceilings in the bedroom and great room, I leave those on all the time.  I think it really has made a difference in bringing that warm air down from the ceiling.

I also follow the sun around the house, letting the sun in to warm the house by pulling the shades up, then lowering them as the sun sets.  I usually keep the shades down on the north side of the house in the winter months.

[Guardian Angel]

You can use a hair straightening iron to iron out the wrinkled wrapping ribbons from presents so that you can reuse them without the telltale creases from previous packages....

[ElizabethDyess]

 
  Some lady in a store told me this...

    Each time you buy something. Say the total is 3.40 give the cashier
 4.00. Take the remaining change and put it in a bucket at home.
    Rather it be change from a night trip for milk, or a lunch snack, anything.
  By the end of the month you will have saved 40.00 to 50.00 dollars.

[Guardian Angel]

I can attest to the fact that this is true.  Long before we were on a fixed income we used to do this.  You would be surprised how fast it mounts up.

[Butterfly]

There is a promotion by a bank around here that works like that.  Whenever you use your debit card, the bank rounds it up to the dollar and puts that amount in a special savings.  I think they will go up to $250 a year.  Like, if you debit $10.25, the bank will put 75 cents into a savings account for you. I know people who save their change and use that money for vacations.

[ElizabethDyess]

 You can double your outside, solar lamps as inside lamps.. They will last at least 8 hours...

[Guardian Angel]

That's a cool idea......

[Bingo]

This one is probably a waste of money, but it has worked in the past:

When we go on vacation and stay in a condo for a week, there are great grills outside each unit and full kitchens, including ice machines and dishwashers, trash compactors.

To cook real meals (we eat breakfast at the condo and either lunch or dinner every day if possible) you need a bunch of things.  To purchase all of those ingredients locally means spending a lot for flour, cereal, noodles, produce, coffee, tea, reynolds wrap, etc.  So I stuff a priority mail flat rate box full of tuna, soup, olives, a small cannister of flour, a box of splenda, tortolini, quart sized bags, seasoning salt (the kind WITHOUT salt), coffee, all the comforts of home and things needed to cook meals and refrigerate left overs.  It cost me $8.10 to mail.  However, I have all the stuff in good supply at home. I won't use a whole box of anything while at the condo.  Last week, Schnuck's had the squeeze Miracle Whip and Mayo containers 10 for $10.  For $1, I put that in the container and sent ahead. I think I save money by sending condiments and staples ahead of our stay.

[Butterfly]

Save big on a tiny income

Editor's note: Columnist MP Dunleavey and eight other women have come together online to strip away the myths surrounding money, lay bare their assets and liberate themselves from debt. Follow the quest for financial fabulousness of these "Women in Red" every second Monday in Dunleavey's column on MSN Money.

Tips

[Bingo]

For Mother's Day #1 gave me a computer generated wedding album of about 40 pix that Apple put together for her in a beautiful black book.  I also have the huge proof album here and she will take it back to Chicago after Thanksgiving.  I have chosen a lot of the Black and White pix to frame and hang on the wall.

 While searching for frames I stopped in Goodwill.  They had unopened packages of Thomasville 3-frame wood units, black, for $3 a unit.  I bought two of them since I have chosen six pix to frame.  At Kohl's and Target, similar frames were more than $15 each unit.  Don't count out Goodwill when you are looking for bargains.

[Butterfly]

We have a new Goodwill store here in O'Fallon.  The first time I stopped to look around I found 3 cut glass goblets to match a set my mother-in-law gave me.  I had put the ones she gave me in the dishwasher and a couple of them had gotten marks on top of them.  I was so excited to find these, looked like they had never been used.  I got them for $2 apiece.  I love rummaging through that kind of stuff.  I found Mikasa and another lady found a collectable something or other, asked me if I recognized the name and I said I did.  Great stuff !