90. Water Heater Blanket

If you have the old style of tank hot water heater, one way to save money is to wrap it up in a blanket. This inexpensive blanket option can save you a bundle in energy as it keeps your hot water hotter longer. It is simple to do and doesn't take much time.

Happy Wrapping!

Until Tomorrow!

89. Wash in Cold

Save money by choosing the cold water wash and rinse for your laundry.  We wash our regular laundry in cold and have never had an issue. We get stains out prior to washing and check them before they go into the dryer. Washing in cold also saves your fabric and helps your clothes last longer.

Happy Washing!
Until Tomorrow!

88. Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Energy efficient light bulbs can be a pricey upfront cost; however, they last longer than traditional light bulbs and they reduce the energy consumption for lighting your home and both of those save you money. Change them out a few bulbs at a time as the traditional bulbs need replaced. There are two types of energy efficient light bulbs available, LED and CFL. Either option uses less energy than traditional light bulbs and can save money in the long run.

Happy lighting!

Until tomorrow!

87. Getting Back Your Rental Deposit

Over the course of my adult life, I have had the occasion to rent property. I have always gotten a refund of my entire rental deposit almost every time (there was this one time...). There are a few things that we do to make certain that this happens. First, make sure that you clean the place regularly, this keeps down the need to scrub when moving out. Next, clean when moving out. Make sure that you wipe down all of the nooks and crannies. Clean the unexpected places, like the baseboards. Leave the place looking better than when you moved in. Most landlords want to turn the place over pretty quickly and the better that you can leave it, the more likely that they will have less to do when they re-rent it.

A little elbow grease, saves money!

Until Tomorrow!

86. White Board Shopping List

One way to save money and ensure that you pick up everything needed on your trip to the store is to use a white board. We have one stuck up on our refrigerator with magnets. We use it to write down things that we are running out of as we use them, so that the items can be replenished during our regular shopping trip. We put everything on here, from flour after refilling the counter top canister, to toilet paper after the last roll is put into the bathroom. This keeps us out of the store more often and allows us to keep stocked on essential items without a mad dash around the house during list making time.

Saving time and money!

Until tomorrow!

85. Bag-less Vacuum

A few years ago, we were having trouble with the suction power of our vacuum. Since we have pets vacuum suction is vital to cleaning our house. We began the search for a new vacuum. We ended up selecting a bag-less variety, because after adding in the cost of bags for other models, we realized that purchasing a bag-less model that was a little more expensive initially would save us money in the long run. Not only saving us money, but keeping those bags out of the landfill saving our environment as well.

Happy vacuuming!

Until Tomorrow!

84. Using Sale Items for Menu Planning

Every week, we get the sale items flier from the local grocery stores. By using these "deal" items (after verifying that they are really a deal), we create our weekly meal menu. Keeping in mind the food that we have bulk purchased earlier and what is on sale, we are able to keep our food bill down.

Until Tomorrow!

83. Using Cash

You can save money by using cash when shopping. Not only will this keep you on budget, but it is also harder to spend. When handing someone $100 in cash it feels more like a hundred dollars; when you swipe a card, it often doesn't feel like you are really spending the money.

Until tomorrow!

82. Turning Off Power Vampires

Power vampires can suck the money right out of your pocket. A number of these can be easily managed. We have TV setups with the DVD/Blue Ray player, cable box, games system, etc. all there and plugged in. We have everything plugged into a power strip for protection of the component. To save some money all we need to do is to turn off the power strips. We, also, turn off the power strips to those things that "recharge" (cell phones, IPODs, etc.). When those chargers stay plugged in they continue to suck energy. Another thing that we do to save the energy from the drain is to turn off lights. When the sun is out we open the blinds and let the sun light up the room, free energy.


Until Tomorrow!

81. Prepaying for Regular Services

I have discovered that there are a few services that we incur regularly. These service providers will sometimes offer a discount if you pre-pay. I only do this for services that I definitely use repeatedly, such as trash service. I know that this is not a service that I can discontinue and some companies will offer a discount like a 13 months of service for the price of 12. There are others companies that offer "punch" cards and I try to use these - although I seem to forget to get my card punched when I pay for my service (I have discovered that a number of companies will allow you to bring in your receipt and get your punch later). Trying to take advantage of these types of deals or even asking for them, can save you money.

Until tomorrow!

80. Buying Postage On-line

If you are sending a package through the USPS, buying postage on-line is one money saving option. Although you can only purchase the more elite services on-line, you do get a discount and you can also save yourself a trip to the post office by scheduling a home pick up service. All you need to have is an inexpensive food scale to weigh your packages and a printer to print your shipping label.

https://cns.usps.com/go



Until tomorrow!

79. School Photo Stacking

Photo frames can be very pricey and can take up a lot of space. Something that we have done to combat this is to stack the school photos. We purchased a really nice frame for each child, then every time school photos come home, we put the new one on top of the older ones. Thus saving our budget and our table tops (or walls). This, also, forces a little bit of nostalgia looking at all of the old pictures and seeing the changes as the years go by.

Until tomorrow!

78. Puzzling Repair

If anyone in your family enjoys puzzles a missing piece can become a problem. We have a cat who likes to play with the pieces if you are not watching and then knocks them onto the floor. Once a piece of cardboard is on the floor, it inevitably becomes a chew toy for one of the dogs. I discovered that one missing piece does not ruin a puzzle. Simply find a piece of cardboard about the correct thickness (we reuse thin boxes or the cardboard that comes in a sheet set), place it under the completed puzzle, trace the missing size onto the cardboard, then cut it out. The hardest step is to color it to become seamless. It doesn't have to be perfect, as long as the colors match the surrounding colors it will work out very well.

Until tomorrow!

77. Buying Used Entertainment Items

There have been many times when someone in our family just had to have some "new" video game. Although in the grand scheme of entertainment, I suppose the cost of the game is not that bad, I just cannot shell out the big bucks for them. So, we discovered the wonder of used. That's right, used games, movies, books, board games, etc. All of these are available used, if you can find that "must have" game used then you can save money on entertainment.

Happy entertainment!

Until tomorrow!

76. Relocate to Redecorate

When I do Spring Cleaning, I move everything. I redecorate most of the rooms in the house by relocating the furniture, the artwork, the rugs, the curtains, etc. This is one of the cheapest methods of redecorating and making the entire house look fresh and new.

Until tomorrow!

75. Drop the Heating Temp

Reduce the heating temperature in your home by a couple of degrees and put on a sweater and socks. This will save you a pretty penny over the course of a year.

Until Tomorrow!

74. Going to the Movies

We all need some entertainment and my family loves movies. One of the money saving methods we use to reduce the cost of this event is to go to matinee shows, after eating a good lunch. To save money we fill up before we view and we purchase matinee tickets. We don't attend the theater very often, but when we do, we plan it accordingly.

Until tomorrow!

73. Piece Furnish Rooms

Selecting individual pieces of furniture, and not furniture sets, is usually cheaper and will give you many more options to fit your room. Generally, pre-owned furniture pieces can be paired with other pieces to create a room design that will work for most situations. This does not meant that none of your furniture should be matching, it simply means that working with similar lines and color pallets can create a one-of-a-kind look for your room and save you money in the process.

Until Tomorrow!

72. Laundry Time/Money Saver

One thing that I have found that saves both time and money is to sort your laundry. I know you are thinking that I mean by wash cycle; however, I mean a completely different type of sorting. Sort by the actions that are needed to save your clothing. Sort items into four containers: soak, sew, reuse, donate/sell. The soak container contains items that are stained and need to be treated and soaked, waiting until you have enough clothes and time to take care of. The sew container is for items that need simple updates or repairs. The reuse container is for items that need a total reconditioning or need to be divided up for cleaning rags, etc. The donate/sell container is for items that need to be re-homed. By having these containers to sort the clothing into as it is laundered, you can save both money and time.

Happy Saving!
Until Tomorrow!

71. Static Eraser

Have a lot of static build up? Try making a static reducing spray.  1 part liquid fabric softener to 20 parts water. Simply put into a spray bottle and spray static filled fabrics.

Until tomorrow!

70. Repairing Clogged/Stinky Drains

If you have clogged or slow drains, before calling a plumber, try the baking soda and vinegar method. This also works for stinky drains. Pour a small amount of baking soda down the drain, then follow with vinegar. Once the bubbling stops, flush with hot water. This should help in clearing the drain without the expense of a plumber.

Until tomorrow!

69. Reupholstering Chair Seats

A quick and easy method of making your kitchen or office chairs last is to reupholster the seats. We found that this works to make them last or to adjust your decor. It is much cheaper to purchase a seat sized amount of fabric and undo some screws than to purchase new chairs when you need a change.

Here is a link to a site with info on methods to reupholster: http://practicallyfunctional.net/2012/08/reupholster-a-desk-chair/

Happy ReCreating!

Until Tomorrow!

68. Dry Clean in Your Dryer

If you have any clothing that needs dry cleaning, try Dryel. In an effort to save money I generally try to refrain from buying clothes that are dry clean only; however, sometimes things slip by. By using Dryel I  reduce the need for taking these clothes to the dry cleaners. Dryel works very well for clothes that need a simple cleaning, clothes that are heavily soiled may need additional care. Be careful with clothes that have spots on them, make sure that you treat first.

Happy saving!
Until tomorrow!

67. Updating Sturdy Outdoor Furniture

We purchased some sturdy outdoor furniture about 10 years ago and it has survived some desert summers; however, it was looking worse for wear. When we moved into a new house, we decided to clean it up and use it again. We tightened all of the bolts and spray painted a new finish on all of the pieces. They look as good as they did when they were new. Refurbishing used pieces saved us from purchasing the entire set new. It only cost us the price of the spray paint. This could also be used to update second hand furniture. Just make sure that you find pieces that are sturdy and will last if they are refinished. You can even use this to add color to your outdoor living environment.

Until tomorrow!

66. Create Your Own Cookbook

One of our favorite things to do is to try new recipes. Some of them are fantastic and some of them are terrible. We have created our own cookbook with printed versions of all of our favorite recipes. Once we try a recipe and tweak it as necessary for our own liking, we then print out a clean copy and add it to our book. Our book is a 3-ring binder with plastic page protectors to hold our favorites. We have even started a smaller one for recipes that we regularly use and have a larger one for recipes that we only use occasionally.

Happy cooking!
Until tomorrow!

65. Re-Use Grocery Store Bags

Finding ways to reuse plastic grocery store bags. We use these as can liners for our small trash cans, to clean out the litter box, clean out the fireplace, clean the dog droppings from the yard, as stuffing for gift wrapping or shipping. They, also, work great for your vehicle trash.

Until tomorrow!

64. Free Credit Report

Keep your finances in order. Make certain that you get your annual credit report every year. Review all entries and manage your credit details.

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

63. Repairing Your Own Appliances

A few years ago, we had a number of issues with appliances that we had purchased just a little over two years before. One of the items had been previously repaired so the repair was covered under the adjusted warranty. A second item, we paid for a service call and for the repair to be done. Needless to say, it cost us a pretty penny. So, when the third appliance needed repaired we searched for a less expensive option. We researched on-line and found videos on YouTube, and information on How Stuff Works showing how to do the repair. Then, we found an on-line site to purchase the needed parts at Repair Clinic, they shipped it right to us. We were then able to repair the appliance on our own, saving us a pretty penny.

Until tomorrow!

62. Cloth Napkins

We have recently begun using cloth napkins. These are much cheaper to use than paper napkins (over time). They cost a little to purchase, but if you search you could probably find them on sale, or you could make your own. They are available in a variety of colors and styles. I have found that the patterned ones do not show food stains as much as lighter solid colored ones.

Until tomorrow!

61. Washing Your Storage Bags

One tip to save a buck is to wash your plastic storage bags. You can wash them in the sink just like dishes and let them dry. You want to make sure that the inside dries well before storing them. You can get a drying rack like the one pictured or you can just position them over other items to hold them open for drying. The bags can be washed multiple times, saving $ and the environment.

Until Tomorrow!

60. Low Interest Credit Card

Although you don't want to use credit cards unless you absolutely have to or can pay them off every month, finding one with the lowest interest rate possible will save you if you do have to use it and have a balance. Maintain good credit so that if you do need to use the card for an emergency, your interest rate is as low as possible. Make sure that you watch your credit report and score to keep your credit worthiness as good as you can. You can get your free annual credit report from: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

Until tomorrow!