Miserly Money Tips

Miserly Money Tips

While eating supper on our anniversary we went out to eat.  We had decided that we would try the new Texas Roadhouse in Liberty, Missouri.  My husband did a little bit of research to find a coupon for a free appetizer, and Wednesdays they have a great special for a steak for $11.99. It was decided and we left with the coupons in tow.  When we got there for an early supper we were pleasantly surprised with what we found.

If you go eat from the hours of 4:00-6:00 they have even cheaper options. They have a variety of specials for $7.99 which is $4 cheaper than what I had previously decided I was having. SCORE!!!!! We ordered an onion blossom as an appetizer and ice teas.  Both were delicious and the onion blossom was huge. We quickly got our salads and they were both as good as the other. When the steaks and baked potatoes arrived we were already full but dug in anyway- They were amazing!!!

Now as we were eating we were surrounded by older people that always eat early to get the best prices. I am a people watcher though and was amazed at I saw when a table was seated behind us. They all ordered waters with lemon initially, then the next time the waitress came to the table they asked for extra lemons.  Intriqued I couldn`t turn away when they were delivered. She squeezed in a couple more lemons and grabbed the sugar and made her own lemonade!!! What a fantastic way to save $2 per person when eating out. So my next addition to the blog is going to be Miserly Money Saving Tips.

1. Ask for water at the restaurant with extra lemons to make your own lemonade.
2. Save those extra condiments from fast food places, I open mine up and put them into their respective  containers.
3. Make your own Swiffer pads out of old T-Shirts.  (I will post directions in a little bit)
4. • Use Vinegar and Baking soda on your carpets instead of high priced cleaners.  I fill up my soap container with vinegar and water like directed.  Then on those high traffic areas I sprinkle baking soda on the spot and poor vinegar directly on it.  The house smells clean when your done not like vinegar surprisingly.
   • I average carpet cleaning about every 3 months.  Carpet cleaner is on average any where from $8-$15 usually lasting through 2 cleanings.  So if you figure on the high end of things its costing me $30 a year to do the carpets with cleaner.
   • With vinegar, water and baking soda it takes less than $10 for the year.  Maybe $15 if you don’t shop on sale items with a coupon.
   • I also clean my windows with vinegar and water.  I just use my empty spray bottle a 1/4 cup vinegar and fill the rest with water.  I also use Newspapers in place of paper towels because that’s how my Nana taught me to clean windows because they don’t leave streaks.
5. Reuse everything you can to save your money for things you really have to buy that don’t have coupons for.

• Use the back side of junk mail as scrap paper or the paper that you print a coupon on save it staple it together and you have your own scrap paper.
• Don’t forget to throw it in the recycle box when your done with it so you can make a little money when you turn it in to the recycling center or just recycle it.
• Save the envelopes you get from mail that you receive that have envelopes in it.  These make a great organizational tool to carry your coupons and they are FREE!!

• Take your lunch/dinner with you when you have to work.  As well as snacks so that way you don’t eat out and avoid the vending machines.  (It’s healthier for you too.)
• Call different insurance companies and see if they can get you lower rates.  Sometimes it even pays off to call your current company and ask them if they have any more discounts available.
• Buy landscaping mulch in the off season to save 50-99 cents per bag.
• When planning a vacation save your butter,cottage cheese, and like plastic containers.  Then when its almost time for your trip fill them 3/4 way with water and put in the freezer.  They will last longer than smaller cubes of ice, be a lot cheaper and could be refrozen if you have the means to do so while on vacation.
• Save your pop and water bottles to refill them out of a PUR/Brita water filter.  Savings from cases of water will really add up quickly.

Miserly Monday 1/9/12

• Recycle pop cans, paper, plastic, even clothes and take them to a place that will pay you instead of just donating it to the recycling bin or throwing it in the trash.
• Consignment shops often take clothes and other hot ticket items that you can make money on for a small fee.
• Post on your local swap shops/trading posts bigger ticket items when you want something new or different.  Shop sales and other places online so that way you save money and make money at the same time.
• Junk appliances can also be sold, when an appliance goes bad peel the copper out of the motors and cords.  Save the copper and sell it individually from the appliance box itself.
• Pay with cash instead of the credit card.  Cash doesn’t charge you interest to use it.  If you have to use a credit card make sure you can pay it off at the end of the month.

Miserly Monday 1/16/12 Comes from one of our readers: Terry Baird

• She says to save those old toothbrushes for cleaning in small areas.  I do this to but didn’t really think of it as a miserly tip.
• Save baby food jars or any small containers for storing nuts, screws, or if you are a crafter-buttons, wiggly eyes, and etc.
• **This one is my favorite!! Take broken crayons, use a food grater to grate them then have the kids put the different colors on paper to create art. After they have created their art, put a piece of waxed paper over it and then a towel and iron it to melt the wax. Now you have a new piece of artwork and its something fun for the kids on a snowy or rainy day.  My mom did this with us when were kids and it was always a lot of fun.
• Thanks Terry for sharing your miserly money tips!! Email me at iteachem76@yahoo.com to claim your envelope of money saving coupons!! Heidi

Miserly Monday 1/30/12

• Budget all of your bills that you can to pay the same amount each month.  Then there are no surprises when the bills show up in your mailbox.
• Don’t buy a newspaper just for the weekly ads. Ask a neighbor if they have an extra or look online.  Most ads are online and just as easy to look at it.
• Check other insurance companies for lower rates and then call your provider and tell them you can get a lower rate somewhere else.  Often times they can come up with a discount that saves you some money.
• Get out of debt or quit using your credit cards. Opt for cash and the savings will add up before you know it.
• Save your change!! Our change pays for a vacation every 2 years.  Our vacations are usually a week long or so and we pack our snacks, drinks, and things for lunch.  We stay at a hotel that is cheap and nice that provides a continental breakfast.  Then we eat out only at supper and an occasional snack.  Travel in the “off” seasons if you can to get lower rates.

2/6/12

I must say I’ve became more and more cheap as I find ways to cut corners and save a few dollars.  This week’s tips are easy and money saving wrapped into one.  Homemade Ice packs, Homemade Imitation Lipton onion soup dip mix, and last but not least a way to save on I-Pod credits.

Homemade Ice Packs

One of our readers Connie asked the other day about ice packs being homemade. Genius idea Connie!!! I quickly googled homemade ice packs and boy am I glad that I did.  With my ankle being sprained we are going through a lot of bags, ice, making messes you know the drill.  When I went to make one we were out of rubbing alchol so I had to go to town to buy rubbing alchol before I could make it.  When I got home I quickly looked at the recipe found here.

I grabbed a bag measured 2 cups of cold water, 1 cup of rubbing alchol and dumped it into the bag.  Took it over to food saver and sealed up the end.  I put it into the freezer for a couple hours and had a slushy like ice bag that fit around my ankle like a charm!!!

Homemade Imitation Lipton Onion Soup Dip Mix
Homemade Imitation Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Copied from the website above
3/4 cup instant minced onion
1/3 cup beef boulion powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed celery seed
1/4 teaspoon sugar.

Combine all together and store in an air tight container.  About 5 Tablespoon sis equal to the package of Lipton Soup Dip Mix.

I-Pod Credits and ways to save!! 
Most everyone has CD’s around the house from back in the day when CD’s were the in thing. You can now add those CD’s to your I-Pod collection with just a few steps. Put the CD in your computer, with Itunes open..It will ask you if you want to add these to your collection. Hit yes, and when your done sync your Ipod with your new songs on it.  For each CD you load into your Ipod this way you are saving $0.99 to $1.99 each.  That’s a lot of savings in a years time!!


2/13/12

Today’s Miserly Monday Tips are brought to you by reader April Rotthman.
Because it is a money-saving-reusing idea I thought that it would fit in perfect for today’s Miserly Monday Tips.

Here’s what April had to say.
I have a money-saving idea..well, more like just reusing what may come your way. I really don’t like throwing out the thick plastic covers/bags that sheets come in.  I reuse them by storing excess pillowcases in them.  They aren’t falling all over the closet and are easy to move out of the way when I want to get a blanket or sheet out.

Also, the plastic bags that infant clothing comes in: they usually have a little hook to hang them by and snap and close.  I store pantry items in them (sweetner, napkins that come from out and about, tea bags, little things that are hard to contain) and hang them on the shelves in my pantry.  The kids can get to the extra napkins easily and I can see through them so I know when I need to reload them.

Awesome ideas April Rotthman!! Thanks for sharing them with us.  Send me an email at iteachem76@yahoo.com to claim your prize for the best Miserly Monday Tips for the week.

2/20/12

• 
  Driving just 5 miles per hour under the speed limit will save you gas which in turn saves you money.
• Swap leftovers with a family member or friends. Then the new leftovers are new to you and them both.  Saving on waste that cuts down on your grocery bill.
• Pay just a few extra dollars towards your vehicle payments or mortgage payments.  If you can swing it tell them to apply it to the principle which pays your debt down faster. If you don’t specify the principle they can take it and apply it to the interest which defeats the purpose.
• Pay off as many debts as you can and pay cash instead of paying with the card. It saves on interest rates and you have to make conscious decisions to spend your hard end cash.

Miserly Monday Money Saving Tips 2/27/12

• Wash your laundry in cold water to save on your electric bill and dry your clothes on a line if you have one available. 
• Use Cloth Diapers I had to use them when my daughter was a baby because of allergic reactions. But reader Sherry Theriault says that’s her biggest money saving trick!! 

• Reader Keisha Wright submitted the next four
• Only spend money on what you truly use/need for your family. 
• If you don’t own a car walk instead of taking the bus. 
• Cash in bottles and coins for extra cash. (We save our coins for vacations and that is what pays our admittance fees into places.) Heidi 
• Entertainment–Search for deals and coupons. 
• 
  
• Connie Barrow says to make your own cleaning solutions just by using a few basic ingredients from your pantry. 

Miserly Monday Money Saving Tips 3/5/12
Reader Kristy Best had these great money saving tips to share with us this week.

• I reuse my aluminum foil. I just wipe it off and fold it for other jobs. If it gets to worn out I crumble it up, set it aside to use as a scrubber in pans that are the hard to clean. Then I toss it. 
• I use my plastic bags from the grocery to line my small trash cans. I also use them to scoop my cats litter into. I am starting to make my own cleaning products and laundry products.
• I hang our clothes to dry then just toss them into the dryer on no heat just fluff with a dryer sheet for like 5 min. to soften them.

All are great ideas Kristy!! I don’t use much aluminium foil but I do the other things minus the cat litter (no inside cats here). 

Miserly Money Saving Tips 3/12/12

Managing money has always been a challenge for my husband and I. We were young once and made lots of mistakes, but thank goodness we learned from them and are setting goals for ourselves to make things work for us.  One of the first thing we learned is that living pay check to pay check was always going to be the case unless we changed something.

One of the first things we did was set out all our bills and the dates that they are due.  For example, house, lights, water, trash, phone, cable, internet, car payments and so on.  We quickly realized we were paying $100-$150 a month in late fees and that really ads up quickly.  Another thing we noticed that robbing Peter to pay Paul wasn’t working out to well for us either because it was causing more late fees and an occasional bounced check.

We didn’t fix everything overnight, and I am sure there are still areas we can improve but I thought maybe someone could learn from our  mistakes.  Since we always have a cushion (granted its only $200) in our account we never are overdrawn anymore and that is a great feeling.

Start small and set your goals accordingly you didn’t get where you were overnight and its not all fixed overnight either.

Miserly Money Saving Tips 3/19/12
With spring comes one of my favorite money saving activities of the year. Garage sales, yard sales and my all time favorite neighborhood sales in Kansas City.  Since its only 45 minutes from my house its pretty affordable to drive down there to go to those great neighborhood sales.  I don’t mess around with the older neighborhoods, I go to the fancy houses.  I’ve been in garages that have granite garage floors (I’m dead serious, I about fell over!!). 

Anyway, I have gotten some pretty great finds by going to those neighborhood sales, but just remember to always negotiate for a lower price.  If I can buy it used/new to me that’s what I do. Last year I bought a brand new dishwasher (still in the box) for only $30.  It didn’t match the ladies kitchen so she bought a new one.  So as Spring time sales start be on the lookout in your area for those great sales!!

4/9/12 Miserly Money Saving Tips

Miserly Monday Money Saving Tips

5/21/12

Reader submitted Miserly Money saving tips from Stacey Gane.

My vacation tips are simple. Camping is the cheapest way to vacation that Ive found and the best thing to do is wait till end of the season each year to replace or upgrade any of your equipment. I’ve gotten a $300 12 man tent for less then $50 from this tip. And to help save when we go camping I coupon all the food as cheap as possible (usually start about 2 months in advance to make sure everything is gotten on time).

Great tips Stacey!! In order to be featured on our Miserly Monday saving tips submit your ideas to smslwithheidi@gmail.com.  There’s always some sort of prize involved.  Heidi