Tag: Saving Money

Today’s thrifty living tip is declutter. Clutter makes your life unorganized, looks messy, and makes your life expensive. What I mean is if you can’t find that certain widget you know you own, then you waste time finding it. You might also buy another widget since you can’t find it. This happened to me last year at Thanksgiving. I couldn’t find a pastry cutter so I bought another one at the store for $5. I later found one that I couldn’t find so I now own two. I actually plan to use the one I already have, and have stored the other one in a place that I can now find it if I need it one day.

This happens very often to people. It’s money wasted as well as time. I try to declutter at least once a year. You can either sell or your stuff online like ebay, Craigslist, an ad in your local paper, or at a yard sale. I also like donating some of the clutter to my local church and women’s shelter. I usually don’t have enough stuff to justify a yard sale so I prefer to just give most of it away. This way I can help others in need.

Today’s thrifty living tip is use a pumice stone to clean hard water stains. This works really well with porcelain sinks, toilets, and even tubs. You can buy them at Lowes or any hardware store. We have an older toilet plus hard water. So deposits will build up over time, and it’s the original toilet to our 50 year old house. You do have to apply some elbow grease and it took out all the old stains. The inside looks brand new again. They are relatively cheap and I think I paid under $4 with tax. It’s a lot cheaper than most chemicals and it’s not toxic. I would recommend putting on a pair of latex gloves first.

Today’s thrifty tip is to reuse and rewash food containers and plastic ziploc baggies. I’m sure you have read this tip before but it’s such a great one. I never reuse anything that contained raw meat. I love those small plastic containers that deli meat comes in. My husband uses these to hold his bolts, screws, and nails. They are clear which makes it easier to see what is inside. They stack nicely. I also like to these for leftovers to give to other people. I never give out my Tupperware containers and use these instead. They make great containers to use for homemade goodies and treats.

Today’s thrifty living tip is extend the life of your shower curtains. I wash mine in the washing machine on a short cycle with vinegar and hot water. I also throw in a towel to help weight it down. The curtain comes out clean and it’s easier than scrubbing it by hand. I have been able to keep a curtain for at least 2-3 years. These are the cheap vinyl ones. I do eventually throw them away once they start ripping or starts looking like swiss cheese.

Today’s thrifty tip is bring samples on vacation. Why carry all those full size containers of toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo, and such? It would be much easier to bring the smaller travel sized samples. Unless you have a coupon to make it either free or under 50¢ cents, then don’t buy the travel size items in the store.

Just spend a little time daily requesting free samples. Look through my FREEBIE LIST HERE to find many samples to request. I post new ones daily.

You also get great coupons that you can buy again for later. Some coupons do have the wording “not good on travel or certain size items” so do read the fine print.

If you bring the smaller items, then you will have more room for your souvenirs. Less chance of having something leaking in your suitcase. If you leave behind a travel size item then you won’t be so upset compared to leaving behind a $5 or more item.