couponqueenofcorning

This is the fourth installment in My Best Frugal Tips series. Here are the first three parts if you would like to read those:

Part 1                    Part 2                     Part 3     

1. Most cleaning products are unecessary. There are many things you can clean using vinegar and/or baking soda.  If you do buy cleaning products, look for ones that you can use to clean everything (multi-purpose cleaner).

2. The best (and cheapest way) to clean windows and mirrors in your house is to use a half and half mix of vinegar and water. Use newspaper instead of paper towels. You will not have any lint leftover and the vinegar smell will go away when it dries. You’ll save money by not using paper towels and not buying expensive Windex.

3. Use the library. Not only do they have books, but most have DVDs you can borrow to watch. Though these are usually older DVDs, it’s a lot cheaper than renting at the local dvd place. If you really think you need to have the newest movies to watch, check out Blockbuster Online or Netflix. Also, many stores now have redboxes outside where you can rent a dvd for $1 a day.

4. Sign up for a freecycle group in your area. Not only can you get rid of things instead of throwing them in a dump, you can also get things for free that you can use. I was able to get 7 free cans of baby formula for just driving 15 miles. It’s great for spring cleaning because a lot of things you may think of as junk, someone else may want.

5. When you are looking at buying something, check out Craig’s list and Ebay first. You may even be able to find the item brand new for less than you would at a store. Also, consider sending a mass email around to friends and family asking them to be on the lookout for a good bargain for the thing you are looking for. You may not have time to go to those rummage sales, but your cousin Sue might go to them every weekend.

Getting free samples in the mail has many advantages. You get to try new products that you ordinarily wouldn’t and you also get on the manufacture’s mailing list, possibly leading to coupons and special offers from the company.

If you’d like to start signing up for more samples, I would suggest getting a separate email designated specifically for signing up for samples and offers. You can do this through Yahoo or Hotmail. You may get a lot of junk that you don’t want in your regular email so this is a must.

I find that Walmart’s site has a lot of free samples you can sign up for weekly. Another good place to check is Free Stuff  Times. Each Monday you will find the code for Monday’s free DVD through RedBox, and you will be quite surprised what else you will find for free on there. Subscribe to the blog and you will  get a listing of freebies in your inbox everyday. You can also try Shop 4 Freebies to get free samples and more. Many times, the actual company will have free samples on their sites.

You can free subscriptions to magazines, free samples of shampoo, cleaning products, even toilet paper! We use our free samples of shampoo and bath products when we go camping. I’m sure you can come up with some good ways to use these samples too.

Happy sampling. Leave me questions or comments.

I have started a new series on my other blog entitled Couponing 101. It is going to be multi-part article. Part I is up now if you are interested in learning how to save money for your family using coupons. Please click below to go to the post:

Couponing 101

Today is part 3 of my best frugal tips. These tips are to help you save money by doing the little things everyday. If you’d like to read Part 1 and 2 you can do so here:
Part 1                 Part 2

1. Buy generic when available. You will save a lot of money by doing this. Many times the generics are just as good, if not better, than the name brands. In actuality, many of these generics are made by the name brands. For example, Stroehmann’s makes their name brand bread and bread products, but also makes a store brand bread.

2. Always make a list when shopping. Try to stick with your list, unless you find an exceptional deal.

For example, you go into the store and they have an unadvertised special of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for 3 for $1. If you often eat this, I would buy some even if not on my list.

3. After making a list, estimate how much money you will need or how much you have budgeted for the week. Go to the bank and take out exactly the amount you want to spend. Leave the checkbook, credit and debit cards at home (or in the glove box of the car). You can also add money to a prepaid debit/credit card to use for groceries.

4. Combine coupons with sales, or even clearance, to get the most bang for your buck.

5. Carry either a calculator or a pen and paper and write down the price of items as you put them in your cart. You can estimate to make this easier for you. Then when you get to the register, you have some idea of how much you’ve spent.

6. Having a pantry saves you money. Stockpile food you normally eat when it is on sale, or better yet when it’s on sale and you have a coupon. You may also want to invest in a chest or upright freezer if you do not already own one. You can take advantage of awesome sales and really stock up on food. You can also make double batches of food and freeze the extra for those nights when you’re short on time.

7. Buy fresh fruits when they are in season or buy frozen. Frozen fruits and vegetables have just as many nutrients as fresh and can save you a lot of money.

Stay tuned for my Part 4 of my Best Frugal Tips, coming your way soon. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments.

I posted my deals from Walgreens and Rite Aid for this week  on my other blog. You can see these deals by clicking here. 

Have a wonderful and frugal day!

Lisette

Well, we did the whole Earth Hour thing last night. We did really well until at about ten after 9 when my little guy started getting incredibly grouchy. It was definitely his bedtime! So we ended upo turning on the monitor and the night light. But other than that we had a successful hour. How was your Earth Hour? What did you do to pass away the time?