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HAVEN for the Economically Challenged » Group Forum

Squeeze that buffalo till it squeeels!!! - or making your $ go further

  
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Lucy Mae

Booda!!!!		 
 
Barked: Wed Jun 10, '09 1:51pm PST 
Tips for saving money.....
.. coupons
.. reducing utility costs
.. free stuff
.. cheap stuff
.. make it yourself
.. making of use things you already have

please share your experiences with money saving ideas that worked (or didn't) for you!!!
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Sassy

Gorgeous- Armageddon
 
 
Barked: Wed Jun 10, '09 7:50pm PST 
We have a 1997 car which isn't worth much but still had insurance with comprehensive/collision include. By dropping that and just keeping the 3rd party coverage mum's auto insurance bill was cut in half. So if you have an old car check out what you are paying for comprehensive/collison and see if its worth dropping it.
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Dakota

Principles ...- Values ...- Common Sense
 
 
Barked: Thu Jun 11, '09 9:33am PST 
laugh out loud yes. My GGpaw always said that. He always said " Squeeze your buffaloes 'till they squeal" and "Make that buffalo squeal". Once in a while he said " I don't hear that buffalo squealing"

When my Momma was a little kid, she didn't understand why one would want to squeeze a buffalo thinking

We use coupons. They can be found in the Sunday paper and online to print at home. Also take advantage of rebates. Sometimes when you combine a sale item with a coupon and a rebate, you get that item for free (minus the stamp) ... and sometimes you even make a bit because they don't look if you used a coupon.

We also use canvas shopping bags. Some retailers will give you a 5 cent rebate for each one used. Sometimes this 5 cent per bag makes an item a better bargain than the sale price at another store that doesn't give you a rebate. Use your bags enough times and you pass having them paid for to start making a few more pennies each week.

Another way we save money is cruise the ads and the online sites of our local stores, and do not assume that an item in a sale ad is lower in price than the same item elsewhere at regular price. Rule of thumb ... it isn't always lower in price at Walmart! Also consider the quality and how long an item will last compared to the cost. How much is that cheep item going to cost you in the long run if you keep having to replace it every 2 to 4 years compared to having an bit more expensive item for 20 years, 30 years? ( Case in point. Momma bought a $20.00 snow shovel in 1980, which caused her father to freak out, and she finally had to toss it in 2000! Momma still has that ugly harvest gold blender from 1980, too!!!!) Also here, look for rebates.

Edited by author Thu Jun 11, '09 9:35am PST

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Lucy Mae

Booda!!!!		 
 
Barked: Thu Jun 11, '09 10:08am PST 
Here's a no brainer (for mom anyway) to saving a bit on utilities...

mom has a wash line. you all remember those, don't you??? we are probably the only family in the neighborhood with one of those. she hangs the wash out as much as possible - they can be left there overnite if needed (and they aren't all wrinkly like the ones that get left in dryer are). The clothes all smell wonderful too! The only things mom always puts in the dryer is the bedding for us furries...the dryer works wonders at pulling all our picky little furs out of fabric.

hanging your wash on the line saves you money on your power bill, using less power is environmentally friendly, it makes the clothes smell good without the use of dryer sheets.

and in case you didn't know, you CAN hang clothes out in the winter. my grampa grew up in waaaay northern wisconsin and gramma HAD to hang them out. mom tested it when she lived up there... hung out blue jeans and sheets and stuff. there was a good wind that day, the laundry got a little bit of ice on them. she shook them real good before putting them in the basket. when she got them indoors she only had to let them warm up, and they were dry. they also smelled really really good!
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Elly

It never hurts- to ask - feed me again
 
 
Barked: Thu Jun 11, '09 1:28pm PST 
As far as utilities go, not much we can do with icky Con edison - but we did combine internet, phone and cable for a big savings. Mom uses coupons, too....
XOXOXO
Elly
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Sassy

Gorgeous- Armageddon
 
 
Barked: Thu Jun 11, '09 6:04pm PST 
Now its starting to get warm, if you have a ceiling fan turn that on and set your thermostat to at least 78 degrees and that really saves on the electric/AC bill.
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Marzipan

The sweetest- little brat :)		 
 
Barked: Fri Jun 12, '09 1:41pm PST 
I hang my clothes up outside too. I saw all my neighbors doing it and thought, why not? It saves on having to buy a dryer and on all the electricity one would use up.
The only thing is --last time I did laundry and was bringing my towels inside, there was this HUGE yellow spider on a towel. I flung it back outside --just have to be a little more watchful.
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kaya skye

not fighting my- demons-we joined- forces
 
 
Barked: Fri Jun 12, '09 3:30pm PST 
awww...i bet marzi would have loved to take care of that spider for you!big grin i ate a spider the other day...it was yummy! (mommy, do you have a hairball?)

(seriously, she ate a big fat hairy spider...i almost yarked. not as bad as watching one of the kittens-when they still lived outside-crunching away at a mousie, but still...i was glad i wasn't eating anything while either mr. spider or mr. mousie was going the way of all flesh...)

um...saving money. here's a way to save money that's actually good for the environment-switch to those weird bulbs. they last longer, and cut down on your electric bill. and don't cost that much more, actually.
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Dakota

Principles ...- Values ...- Common Sense
 
 
Barked: Fri Jun 12, '09 7:39pm PST 
We have been using those funny bulbs for over 5 years now. We have not seen any difference in our electric bill, but we don't burn a lot of lights anyway. Maybe if we did burn a lot of lights all the time we would see the difference?

We open up the blinds and curtains, and use the free sun. At night there is only the light from the TV or computer monitor unless someone is reading. Dad burns more light than mom. Mom doesn't need light to move around the house in the dark. Mom must be part bat or something.

Those funny bulbs have saved us money in a different aspect in that over 5 years we haven't had to change any light bulbs! With those other ones we were changing a bulb somewhere once a week!

Another way to save on electric is using a counter top over. It's like a toaster oven but bigger and more features. You are supposed to be able to bake a 8X13 cake and 12in pizza in those, but mom cannot find any bakeware that doesn't have that extra lip around them that makes them too large to fit.

Mom loves her little oven. Her favorite feature is setting to oven to shut off when it is done. One thing Mom cannot see heating up a big 'ol oven for little things like 8 Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls. What a waste of energy. If it will fit in her little oven, mom will use her little oven. She has even roasted those little chicken fryers in there - BOL!

Another thing mom does to save energy is NOT preheat the oven (big or little). In the big oven, all you do is bake things 5 minutes longer and you are saving 10 minutes of energy. Bake usual time in little oven. At once per day, that's 70 minutes of savings a week ... 280 minutes of savings a month ... and 3,640 minutes of savings a year! shock

Edited by author Fri Jun 12, '09 7:40pm PST

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Mr. Mow

Mr. Mow is King		 
 
Barked: Fri Jun 12, '09 9:55pm PST 
Mr. Mow here! My mommy has come up with some ways to save that has helped the family.

#1 thing my mommy does to save money is a monthly budget. When you write it out on paper what you owe for the month and what you actually have to spend you really can see what's important. Most importantly stick to the budget. My mommy's mommy taught her this: You need a place to live, electricity to stay warm and cook food, and food to eat. After that you list your wants. Yes it's a basic list but it makes you think of what is really vital to survive.

#2 Eating out is a major money waster. Mommy and Daddy pack lunches for him every day and my big sister too. For a treat Mommy will make something special for dinner on the weekends once in awhile. Consider this: A steak at a restaurant will cost around $20.00 dollars a plate (depending on where you go) plus a beverage cost. At the grocery store you can spend less than one plate when they are on sale for a family of four.

#3 Invest in a deep freezer if possible and buy certain types of meat when on sale only and stock up. You can get better quality cuts of meat for cheaper than hamburger at certain times of the year. Top steak can be ground up for hamburger meat and it's a lot of times cheaper on sale!!

#4 Call your local power company and find out what programs they offer in your state for saving money. In CA there is a program that takes 20% off each month depending on your income. There is a program also for home owners for using certain windows, dishwashers etc... rebates are offered a lot when buying energy saving machines and it's even more money saved.

#5 BBQ! Use your outdoor grill when possible to save money by not using the stove! Costs less to fill up the propane tank than to use the stove. A rotisserie works great for whole chickens on the BBQ and saves on using the oven.

#6 Stop using an electric blanket. Use more blankets and cuddle with your pets!



happy dance
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