With diligence and a little creativity, you can make your budget go farther than you think! You can live within your means and even have money left over to put in the bank. Here are seventy ideas to get you started:
1. A roasting chicken costs anywhere from $4-$7, depending on the size. Cook one, then shred it! Use those chicken shreds in tacos, casseroles, salads, etc. Cook the bones down into a broth for soup base with noodles and a package of frozen vegetables. (Many grocery stores put variety packs on sale at different times.) Don't worry if there's no chicken in the soup; the broth will act as your protein for that meal. Serve with bread or crackers to fill up your family!
2. Make your own "lunchables."
3. Buy in quantity for a better price per pound. Split the food with a friend!
5. Stretch two breasts to feed four, and half a round steak to feed four by slicing the meat very thin and serving it with veggies and pasta or rice.
6. Use a three ring binder to make your younger children's workbooks. On loose leaf paper, draw shapes for them to color or trace and to count.
7. Print out work sheets from the internet.
8. Use the library instead of buying books.
9. Hang the clothes out to dry. (This saves a lot on power!)
10. Measure serving sizes at meals, and only one serving per person.
11. Walk to the store.
12. Plant a garden. Freeze, dry, and can what you harvest. Sell or give away any excess.
13. Go to bed early. Turn off the lights, and turn down the heat.
14. Save all the mismatched socks and worn socks on a bag. When the bag is full, braid them into rugs, color them, and sell them at the flea market or a craft sale.
15. Stay away from stores. Grocery shop only once per month. Buy everything for the month, and make several meals to freeze.
16. Stay or get fit and healthy, so you can avoid medical bills.
17. Save onion bags or any other plastic mesh type bag make a scrubber out of it.
18. Wash and save box type containers (that you get meat in at Wal-mart for instance.) Use the box to start seedlings in.
19. Don't buy soft drinks or kool-aid type drinks. Just drink water.
20. Save milk jugs and milk jug lids. Cut them open to plant flowers in. Use the tops of the cut jugs for funnels. Use the lids to make a homemade checkers game for your kids.
21. Save old clothes to cut up and make quilts. Or cut into strips and braid them together to make mats.
22. Cook your own meals. (No pre-made foods) Eat rice, beans, and potato soup.
23. Make inexpensive gifts for family and friends. Or skip gifts and just spend time together.
24. Avoid knick knacks; they take up space, have to be cleaned, create clutter, and cost money.
25. Don't spend money you don't have, i.e.; use credit cards for wants. Spend cash for everything.
26. Reuse, reuse, reuse. Rinse out baggies that have only held bread or other dry things and leave out to air-dry. That old bottle-dryer rack is perfect for drying open baggies!
27. Foam meat trays are great paint palettes when properly washed and dried. Give each child a palette with squirts of paint on it. We even trimmed one tray, wrapped it in gauze and made it our "mummy".
28. Make your own notepads by taking junk mail, envelopes and leftover notes, turning them over, trimming them (if necessary), and clipping them together. Leave by the phone so you always have paper to write on. Put a big line through the notes on the back side so you don't accidentally use the same note twice.
29. Make sure clothes are dirty before you wash them. Some shirts or jeans may be able to be worn twice.
30. Easy lighting for parties (or around the home): mason jars filled 1/3 full of regular park sand. Stick in your taper and light. Perfect! Tie a bit of raffia around the jar to make it look more festive. Use leftover Christmas trim for a great holiday look.
31. Use empty peanut butter jars to store the dry ABC pasta, peas, or beans.
32. Make gift boxes. Save empty boxes from tea and cereal. Cut the cereal cardboard to the same size as the tea boxes. Glue it on the tea boxes to make the boxes strong. Then line the inside of the tea box with scrap cloth. Let the kids glue small rocks or shells or buttons on the outside of the boxes. You now have personalized gift boxes.
33. Find out how to sell on e-bay or some other on-line flea market, then sell all the clutter that's hanging around the house taking up space.
34. Use up any scrap cloth to make scrunchies for your girls or yourself or to give as gifts.
35. If you must go to a store to buy gifts, go to a thrift store or consignment store. Buy cups that are in good shape, clean them, and fill with a small bag of candy, pencils, pens, tea bags, or hot chocolate mix. Put a ribbon around it, and you have a original gift. You could also put pencils or pens or something else.
36. Buy small bowls or plates and make a gift like homemade cookies to put on them. Cover them with colored plastic wrap.
37. Use the cotton out of vitamin bottles instead of buying cotton balls.
38. Make cloth napkins instead of buying paper ones.
39. Use worn out towels instead of paper towels.
40. Use worn out washcloths instead of swiffers.
41. If you have a wood stove, ask around all year for trees to cut down.
42. Make sure your water heater is set to the most economical setting -- 120 degrees. There is usually a dial on the outside, near the bottom.
43. Buy a timer that automatically turns your water heater off during the middle of the night.
44. BAKE you own bread. It saves a FORTUNE.
45. Eat soup made from scratch.
46. Have a menu plan!
47. Be organized so you don't end up buying duplicates.
48. Read books and websites on being a tightwad.
49. Don't scrimp on health--it may cost you your life.
50. Eat less--lose weight. You'll be healthier too.
51. If you want to buy something, wait three weeks to buy it, and see if you still want it.
52. Don't read the sale papers. If you don't see it, you won't think you need it.
53. Ditch your cable or satellite TV. Borrow movies from the library.
54. Just because the neighbors do it or have it, you don't have to copy them. Only buy what you need.
55. Learn to give family haircuts - the clippers pay for themselves the fist time!
57. Chart your energy use and compare to the previous year. Decide what is different and make corrections if you bill has increased.
58. Turn off fans when you aren't in the room. Bump up your thermostat for the A/C or down for heating. Wear a sweater if cold or lighter clothes if warm.
59. Consider working with your power company - they offer a box to turn off power during the day which will not only help you save but they pay you!
60. Have soup with your meal.
61. Have a meatless meal once a week. (Beans - healthy and inexpensive)
62. Take care of your car - oil changes, check fluids regularly.
63. Watch prices - if it ends in a $.81 at Sam's, chances are it's their lowest and is a discontinued item. Target is a $.x4, $.x0 at Costco. Wal-mart now has a sale aisle with items that have been discontinued.
64. Stock up for the year at back to school sales and especially after kids have gone back to school.
65. Buy candy when it is 50% off (Valentine's, Christmas, Halloween) and freeze it.
66. Use old, stale bread for either bread crumbs or for croutons.
67. Make your own cleaning supplies.
68. If you haven't used an item all year, either sell it or throw it away.
69. Combine trips to save gas! Wait to go out until you have at least two stops to make.
70. Watch the clearance racks after major holidays, and buy items when they are 50% or more off. Hide them away for birthdays and Christmas.
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