CommonSenseHere

• Stretching Dollars

  24Jun
  Categories: ECONOMICS Comments: 3

  Dish Soap
  Purchase an inexpensive spray bottle (pick a clear one so that you can recognize it later). Place a couple of spoonfuls of your favorite dish soap into the bottle and fill the remaining space with water. Using a permanent marker, label it and let it reside near your kitchen sink. In the future when you need to wash something, just spray some from the bottle. A mist or two will save larger globs that you would normally pour straight from the dish soap bottle. You can also save by emptying the new bottle half way and put it in the previous bottle. Top off by filling both bottles now with water.

  Prepare Ahead For Next Day’s Lunch
  When you prepare your evening supper, plan to cook enough for the next day’s lunch. One example is cooked hamburger patties, slice them in half to make patties for tomorrow’s lunch. Usually, thick patties overpower the taste of the rest of the hamburger or just a meal’s patty. It can be just about anything you plan out in advance.

  Save On Diet Gimmicks
  Here is a diet that doesn’t cost you anything. Use smaller plates, glasses, bowls from your cupboard (how come this word isn’t spelled “cubbird” the way it sounds ?). Using smaller containers means you cut back percentages on consumption. No fair stacking foods.

  Soap Those Pests
  Dish soap and water in a spray bottle can be used in your garden to help prevent pests from having a daily lunch. It seems they don’t like the taste of soap.

  Inexpensive Trellis
  If you have always wanted a archway trellis, purchase two 6 feet pieces of re-bar from your locally owned Mom & Pop hardware or lumber store. Purchase about 18 feet of flexible plumbing water line (comes in various sizes and colors). Measure the width of your desired archway(e.g. 48+ inches) , drive the re-bar down into the ground on both sides of your measured width for archway. About 18 inched deep should suffice. Place one end of the plastic pipe down over the re-bar (now vertical in the ground) and the other end of pipe down over the right vertical re-bar. Stand back and admire your arch. You can use a duplicate arch just slightly larger than the original (an arch over an arch). Now wrap pipe with wire mesh or flexible twigs and branches to allow your vegetation to commence clinging to the trellis. I have one and it serves as an entrance to our walking trail. Be creative, customize your new trellis with ideas that you come up with. If you think this sounds ugly, just remember, its up to you to cover it over with whatever vegetation you plan to use. Try planting something wild that grows in fall and winter and something that grows in Spring and Summer. A mix of these two will bring year round growth. Don’t judge a trellis by it skeleton.

  Make Your Purchases In The Wrong Seasons
  Don’t buy clothing at the beginning or during the season. Always buy at the close out of the season when they have clearance sales.

  Use The Closet Next Door
  If your closets are not large enough, take out the out of season clothing and hang them in any unused room or guest room. Train yourself to go to that particular closet when it is in season.

  Cut Back On Paper Towel Use
  Just tear off half of the paper towel and use up as much as possible of the half in your hand. You will be surprised as to how much farther it will go from a great squeeze from your loving hands.

  Toilet Paper Miser
  Instead of just giving a big tug on the toilet paper roll, count out the number of sections that is adequate. Six or Eight squares goes farther than 12 to 16 squares. You heard the old saying, “use both sides”… it works as well. Your toilet paper should dissolve fairly quickly. Roll off about 3 squares and place in a glass of water. Sit it on the kitchen or bathroom counter in plain site and observe it for a couple of days. If it is not fairly dissolved the next day or two, you are using a brand and ply that is setting you up for a plumber in your future. I have tested some and it took more than a week or more to dissolve and tear down. Look for the logo “Septic Safe” also when you purchase toilet paper.

  Save Yourself A Ticket
  Teach your children not to be litterbugs. Most states carry a hefty fine for littering. You children will thank you someday as well. Don’t forget to tell you children to use the interior trash bin or bag and that it does need to be emptied periodically. I made the mistake by not telling my son to empty the back seat and floorboard routinely. First time I had ever seen a penicillin factor in action was when I had to clean out my son’s vehicle.

  Now, just by reading the previous paragraphs, you can start saving hundreds of dollars immediately.

  Tags: common sense saving, how to save, how to save money, money mizer, save money, saving ideas, simple money saving ideas, tight budget