How to Keep Your Mind Focused on Saving

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Mary Hunt in Tips 30 Comments

Here’s why I love it when readers send me their time- and money-saving tips: Reading them makes me think and focus, if for only a few minutes. And that’s the secret to staying on track with managing my time and money. I know that I move in the direction of my thoughts. So whether a tip is relevant to what I’m doing at the moment or not, simply thinking about it is a good thing. Take today’s first offering, for example. What a great idea!

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PIGGY BANKS IN BULK. I have seven grandchildren to shop for each year for Christmas. In May I bought seven piggy banks at the dollar store. I decorated them with stamps and permanent markers, and lined them up on my dresser. I’ve been dropping my change in each one. When it’s time to wrap for Christmas I’ll make sure each bank holds exactly the same amount. Esther, Oregon

PAPER TOWEL BASKET. I can’t count how many times I’ve reached for a paper towel off the roll to dry my hands and only manage to tear off a piece of the towel. This seems to happen at the most inopportune times, too. Instead of ditching paper towels, I keep a stash folded up in a basket on my counter. Now when my hands are wet or messy, I just take one out of the basket. Annie, Nebraska

DAMPEN THE SMOKE. When broiling meat, I pour a cup or so of water into the bottom of the broiler pan. The dripping fat will hit the water and won’t burn in the pan. This cuts down on the smoke. I started doing this after hearing my neighbor’s smoke alarm going off while she was using her broiler. Ann, California 

CLEANING WINDOWS ON THE CHEAP. I ran out of window cleaner while cleaning my glass doors. Wanting to finish the project, I knew I had windshield washer fluid in the garage. It was a great substitute for the window cleaner and cheaper, too. Virginia, Arkansas

GARAGE SALE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. I agree with Mary about Christmas shopping in July. But I start even earlier. When garage-sale season kicks into high gear during spring in the Midwest, I start looking for specific items and buy them when I find them. I store everything in a box in the attic marked “Christmas.” When December rolls around, I look through what I have and then update my shopping list. Garage sale shopping in the spring and summer is also great for Halloween. I save a bundle on odds and ends for costumes. Marlon, Minnesota

MAKE YOUR OWN SLIVERED ALMONDS. I buy the 3 pound bag of Costco almonds with the skins on. I boil them, slide off the skins, slice them into at least three pieces vertically and then toast them in the oven, turning a couple of times with a spatula. Once cooled, I bag them up. I use my supply of slivered, toasted almonds on my morning cereal and in evening salads. At a cost of $2.50 for four ounces in the supermarket, I’m saving a fortune while eating something healthy. Marty, email 

Question: What “make-your-own” items (slivered almonds, laundry detergent, etc.) do you prepare yourself and use frequently? Discuss in the comments section below.

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Posted on August 15, 2012 by Mary Hunt in Tips 30 Comments
  • Lynda

    I make my own laundry soap and softner. I love it. The clothes come clean and soft and I have saved a ton of money doing this.

    • http://twitter.com/DebtProofLiving Mary Hunt

      I will be publishing a recipe for laundry softener in an upcoming post. Want to share yours?

    • Debbie

      Lynda if you have the recipe to share for the laundry softner I sure would love to get it Thanks for posting

  • Krafty

    After cleaning my glasses with a lens cleaner wipe, I immediately reuse the wipe to clean the bathroom mirror. A $4 box of wipes has lasted me more than a year, and the mirror stays much cleaner in between the regular weekly routines.

    • http://twitter.com/DebtProofLiving Mary Hunt

      Very frugal … !

  • Deb

    I make my own laundry detergent following the recipe found here. I use a grater and grate by hand. Please tell me that there is an easier way. This is very time consuming and the Fels Naptha soap looks like grated cheese. Thanks.

    • Lorraine

      I have a heavy duty blender, and I just chunk the Fels Naptha soap, then grind until it’s fine. I’ve made several batches this way and it doesn’t seem to harm the blender. Comes out much better!

  • Fran

    This is not quite making our own, but I use purified water to stretch shampoo and conditioner. In an 8-ounce plastic bottle (can be bought at beauty supply stores), I combine 1/3 shampoo with 2/3 purified water. Same with conditioner. Shake before using. The watered-down shampoo gets my hair just as clean without being as harsh as straight shampoo, and the water-down conditioner is not nearly as heavy on my hair as straight conditioner.

  • Dee Bee

    To Deb, who makes her own laundry soap. Walmart now sells already grated Zest soap flakes in a bag. It can be used in place of Fels Naptha soap.

  • Pat

    I get a sleeve of garlic at Costco, then put them all on a cookie sheet. I cut off the top bit of each one, drizzle olive oil over all of them, and put in the oven while I’m cooking dinner. After about an hour, I take them out and let them dry, then take all the skins off, and put the softened garlic in a ziplock bag and put it in the freezer. Then I can pull it out anytime and shave off however much garlic I need for cooking. I do the same kind of thing with chiles.

  • http://www.facebook.com/brenda.nichols.108 Brenda Nichols

    A local organization was having a fundraiser. They were selling these Streakfree Microfiber Cloths. These cloths clean many things by wetting the cloth in warm water, wringing it out, wiping the surface, and not drying the surface. I use it on all of my mirrors, windows, stainless steel appliances, and car windows. I have totally eliminated using window cleaner in my house. Their care is simple – just hand wash cloth in hot water with laundry detergent and bleach, (no fabric softener or any material that leaves fuzz. http://www.streakfreecloths.com

  • Pat

    Correction: After about an hour, I take them out and let them COOL

  • http://twitter.com/bluewildfleur bluewildfleur

    I bought several yards of muslin at the fabric store. I cut the muslin in squares about the size of a square of paper towel. I hemmed the squares with my serger and now use them instead of paper towels. I wash them and reuse them I have been doing this for over a year my use of paper towels has gone down drastically.

    • http://www.facebook.com/sarah.s.hamaker Sarah Smith Hamaker

      What a great idea. I switched to cloth napkins for our family of six–each person has his or her own color. I got the napkin sets at yard sales cheap. That greatly reduced our paper napkin consumption!

  • lindas

    I love the piggy bank idea! I am going to find three containers right now and get started for Christmas. It will be for my grown children – but maybe can change to grandchildren some day :) Thanks

  • Priscilla

    I follow Dr. Oz suggestion and soak my almonds overnight to use for breakfast the next morning. If I wanted to remove the skins, they slip off easily, but I prefer to eat them. They are much easier on your teeth than the hard almonds. After soaking the almonds could easily be skinned, slivered and used in other recipes. They do not really need to be boiled.

  • WC

    Once a year, my grocery store sells Hatch chiles. I wash them and carefully roast them on my electric stove burners, then chop them up and freeze them in 1 quart bags to use them all year in chili and enchiladas. No more buying the tiny 4 oz can of chiles! Not to mention, you’re helping support the chile farmers in Hatch, N.M., who have limited distribution of their product. One tip — wear gloves! I also make my own lotion now…
    http://tinycountercooking.blogspot.com/2012/07/homemade-lavender-lotion.html

  • Martha

    1st my own dryer sheets:I Save the previous bought and used dryer sheets. Add a 1/2 cap to a whole cap of liquid fabric softer depending on how many sheets you have. Let them air dry.
    2 nd. Wrinkle reducer: save the bottle of a previous purchase. Fill with water to the base of the neck of the bottle then add your favorite liquid softener.
    3 rd. Daily shower spray: save previously bought bottle. When empty add water to neck then fill with white vinegar. Will smell like a salad for a few minutes but doesn’t last. I occasionally buy the original to get a new bottle when the sprayer stops working, which is about the same as buying an empty bottle.

  • Pat

    I am going to start making my own cleaning products. I usually get stuff really cheap with coupons but I heard it is still cheaper to make your own. I got Wisk detergent at Kroger for free a few weeks ago (after coupons, register rewards and Savingstar Rebate) but that won’t last long in our house. I am trying to pay off debt (bought a lemon house, home inspectors didn;t do their job so have to fix on credit card because I don’t have any equity in the house) and take care of my brothers and granddaughter on one salary (or two if you count the part time job, still looking for a third one). It is hard to focus on saving sometimes. I have stopped buying lunch (mostly stopped eating it to cut calories and save money) and try to watch every dime when I shop unless my brothers or granddaughter are along. Then the budget goes out the window. Ha!

  • http://www.facebook.com/sarah.s.hamaker Sarah Smith Hamaker

    I make my own laundry soap (Quail Cove Farms sells a kit that makes 3 gallons of gel laundry soap for under $5). I also make my own granola and instant oatmeal, which the kids love. Much cheaper than the store-bought stuff and healthier because you don’t have the artificial ingredients. Since it’s summertime and the veggies are plentiful and cheap, I can salsa (peach and tomato), relish, squash pickles (delish!), jams, jellies, tomato sauce, etc. It’s a little crazy but well worth it.

  • dhouse

    I’ve started making my own yogurt using a crockpot. It’s very yummy and costs next to nothing!

  • Lorraine

    I make the powdered laundry detergent. And I just got a food dehydrator to start making healthier snacks.

  • ellen

    I bake much of our bread. When flour is on sale, I buy eight or ten 5-lb. bags and store them in my freezer, so I always have what I need on hand. I measure out the dry ingredients for all my own baking mixes–all-bran or oat muffins, biscuits, cornbread–into zip-top sandwich bags. I usually measure 4-6 batches of each recipe at a time, and store the small bags inside a large gallon bag. It takes only a few minutes to dump the dry ingredients into a bowl, add the wet ingredients, stir, and get my homemade quick breads into the oven. Not only is it fast and inexpensive, but I also control how much sugar and sodium we consume, without all the artificial ingredients of commercial mixes.

    • http://twitter.com/DebtProofLiving Mary Hunt

      You are to be commended! Have you ever estimated how much you save by making your own bread over buying it commercially?

  • Mary

    I make laundry soap also…by saving and crumbling up old leftover bits of bar soap that nobody can/wants to use anymore. I put the equivalent of a bar of soap into a saucepan add a bit of water just to cover the bar bits, bring to a boil and let simmer (stirring occasionally) until soap is melted. You can help it by breaking it up with a spoon and I do add a bit more water if it looks too dry. You then fill a 5 gallon bucket with hot tap water, leaving some room for the soap (so 4-1/ 2gallons or so) Add 1 cup washing soda and soap from pan. Stir very well and let set overnight. It should get thick and gel-like.

  • Debbie

    Ive been making my own laundry soap for years passed it on to so many who I cross paths with they Love it! Saving money is what it’s all about I make so many of my own recipes and use so many tips. It is un beleiveable how many people don’t know how to do the simpliest things keep posting… I may learn something that I didn’t know or have been using. Thanks Mary

  • Eve

    I make my own Eucalyptus/camphor bath salts for winter baths. They work great when dealing with head colds or when just wanting a soothing winter warm bath. Using epsom salts, Kosher salt and essential oils of Eucalyptus and camphor (not much camphor) they are quite easy to mix up. I also like to add food coloring for fun and to tell when it is well-mixed. Simply mix 2 parts epsom salts to 1 part Kosher salt. Add Eucalyptus and camphor oils to desired fragrance. Drip food coloring directly on top of oils. Mix well. Keep in tightly covered container. Add to bathwater as needed.

  • midnight@aol.com

    I make my own Italian Dressing, I found a tangy recipe we love and use snack-sized plastic bags that zip to measure and store several bags of the the required dry spices and sugar. When I need more dressing for salads (or as a marinade) I just dump the spices into the oil and vinegar required and add a crushed clove of garlic.Cheaper and much better than ready made and a quick fix.

  • Jean

    I make my own laundry soap. I let my 14 year old grandson make it for me once and now he makes it at his house. He saved milk bottles and wrote “soap” in fancy letters and he is going to take to his church and sell it!!

  • Cheryl

    The “make my own” item I have probably made for the longest amount of time is our own pancake mix. I found a recipe years ago and have never gone back to store bought mix.

    5 1/4 cups white flour
    5 1/4 cups wheat flour
    2 cups powdered butter ( or you can cut in 2 cups shortening instead)
    1 cup dry milk
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/4 baking powder
    1 1/2 T salt

    I store this in the pantry . To make the pancake batter: for every two cups mix , you add two eggs and 1 cup milk or water.