Money saving tricks and ideas....

I want to start a section for Money Saving tricks. We all have things we do to save money. Please feel free to contribute! The only thing I love more than sharing my money saving ideas is learning new ones!

Wash and reuse meat carton trays. I also disinfect them with a bleach/water wash! (I do not usually save hamburg ones, cuz you really cant get all the yuckys out of them!) I especially like the black pork loin ones (of course i get the pork, only on sale for less than 2.00 a lb.!) They were great for frosted Christmas cookies, I just put the cookies on the trays, and wrapped them in clear plastic wrap.

Children do not need lots of Juice! and many get too much! So what I do is I take a concentrate thing of 100% juice (Usually under 1.49) and mix it to a gallon of water. Just keep in mind 8oz of this will not be considered a full serving of fruit, your children should eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies everyday, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. I have a really hard time getting my kids to drink plain water, so this is a good way to get them drink something healthy.

I reuse milk jugs, but usually only once or twice. Once the milk is gone (we go through 2 gallons a day for my family of 8!) I use that jug to make the above listed juice, lemon aid or iced tea. In the summer I fill 3/4 way with water and freeze it for keep food in my cooler cold! (and once it starts to melt you have ice cold water to drink! Also you can cut the bottom off to use as a dog dish (especially if your dog likes to chew up dishes like mine!) you can also cut the top off to use as a funnel.

Hang out your laundry in the summer, and if using your dryer use from 8pm till 7am (I just got this confirmed by Central Maine Power. I hang dry all my big clothes, but dry my little clothes, washcloths, towels, bedding and blankets. I would hang dry a lot more but I do not have the room!

Since this original post my dryer has broke. We have decided to not fix it for now. Terry put up a new clothes line and it fits 2 loads of laundry. I have 3 or 4 a day so at least one load gets hung up in the house. I use clothes hangers and hang them up on the shower rod in the bathroom. Its an adjustment for sure, but truly worth the effort.

I reuse all containers. such as big (and little if we had them) yogurt containers, cottage cheese cont., any and all glass Jars I have. Esp. big spaghetti sauce ones and big pickle ones (usually a boiling hot water bath, takes the smell out and sterilizes them). I do however just keep what i need and will reuse. My collection can outgrow my closet sometimes then I get rid of some.

Make food homemade. It saves money, especially when you get the ingredients on sale or by buying in bulk, and its so much better for you than the over processed snack and meal foods bought for convenience! I really do not find it that time consuming anymore. I can throw together a batch of homemade cookies from beginning to end in about 8 min. (not including bake time of course!) If you cant bake them right away but them on your cookie sheet, throw them in the freezer and cook them later. If you can not cook them by that day, once the cookies are frozen take them off the cookie sheet and put them in a freezer bag and cook them anytime!

My children are not letting mommy blog this morning so I will be back with more tips later. Please share any ideas you have!

Buy used whenever possible! This can save you a ton of money! My general rule is: Clothing at a savings of at least 50% off retail. I try and get at least 75% off retail but if its really good shape its worth it for 50% off! I try and stay at least 30-50% off for any type of equipment, such as rototillers, lawn mowers, power equipment ect. Toys you can usually get really good deals on used. I try to save at least 50% on them.

Buy meats marked down! Today I saved about 30% on hamburger, stew meat and pork steaks! Hannaford generally reduces beef in the morning and chicken in the afternoon.

To use less hamburger in tacos replace some burger with black beans! Tip given to me today at play group by my friend Ersula! Thank you!

When making stew cut your meat up very small, that way your likely to get meat in every spoonful without using too much meat!

Share! If your friends with your neighbor and they have something you only need a few times a year (such as a rototiller or power saw) ask if you can borrow it! Just be sure to take really good care of it, and make sure you refill the gas before returning it!