Best Money Saving Tips - Eau Claire,WI

My #1 saving tip is to never buy something new if I can find the same thing used. If I can't buy it used, then I wait for it to go on sale and ensure I pay the lowest price. Or I see if I can borrow it from someone or if I can just do without it.

I do not buy something unless I have he cash for it. I do not need jewelry, new clothes, etc...

I go through the house every 6 months and see what I can consign.

I do not buy "toxic" name brand cleaners, so, I stock up when the green cleaners are on sale. Or, I use vinegar and water to clean.

I buy winter clothes in February when they are on sale.

In September, I bought my daughter these gorgeous summer shirts for $3.00 each. They were on clearance. I paid 9.00 for 3 great shirts...and they were 3/4 sleeve, dressy sweatshirts.

My favorite save is the 99 cent loaf of bread that I buy. I take a long walk outside at least once a week. Then, I go back to my car and take the loaf of bread to the duck pond and feed the ducks ! So relaxing !

I love to give my friends B-Day cards --- The box costs me $3.99. I get 18 cards ! That saves a ton of money since cards are usually 1.99 and up per card.

I love salads ! It costs a fortune to buy all the veggies. So, I purchased a bowl of fresh, raw salad veggies for 5.00 and I poured them on top of a lg bag of organic lettuce that was on sale. The olives I like cost 5.99 for 1 jar of them. And the tomatoes cost 3.99. That's 10.00 for 2 things. This bowl from the restaurant had a ton of veggies and only cost me 5.00.
For 8.00, I got a HUGE salad that lasted for 3 days !

I make my own wood cleanser, glass cleaner, all purpose cleaner. We are a paperless household so we save on napkins and paper towels.

Couponing and serious meal planning are the best ways to bring down costs. I make almost everything from scratch...pasta sauces, breads, soups etc.

I have been told (on SO many occasions)..."I can't believe you live on your budget!" :)

First, I don't make any of my own household supplies. To me, I can't imagine that would actually save much money, and I am too attached to the sense of being clean, smelling good, etc, to even go there. Maybe I'm biased, because I tend to save a ton of money on just about everything.

As far as coupons go, never clip one that's for something you wouldn't normally buy...that's actually costing you money. However, I scour the papers we get (free editions) to find coupons on products I'm already going to purchase, and that's a big help. There are some things I will buy generic...diapers, wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, plastic baggies, trash bags, etc...basically, if I'm going to THROW IT AWAY, why do I need to buy a more expensive version? :) These generics work fine, and save me a LOT of money. I also don't use paper products unless necessary (I mean, we ALL need toilet paper...hee hee)...but to clean, I use rags that I wash and reuse, to wipe up spills, etc, I use towels, we use linen napkins, etc...

I also agree with TF that I don't drive around looking for deals. I shop at Target, which has the overall best prices in my area (yes, better than WalMart), and I go once a month to stock up on my household items. I NEVER buy these at a grocery store, because the price difference is astonishing. I plan ahead so I don't run out and have to make an extra trip out...with the cost of gas, each extra trip out is costing a chunk of change.

I think I save the most money on my grocery bill. We eat whole foods, mostly, fresh fruits and veggies, etc...AND we have one child that has CD and lactose intolerance and buy her lots of specialty GF and LF foods, and I still come in under a budget each month that I've heard people say they can't believe.

Again, I don't clip coupons I'm not going to use, I do a lot of shopping at Aldi's, we make our own chilis, soups, and other things you would normally buy in a can (with dry beans, etc)...in large batches, and freeze into portion containers, so we are always stocked up on these things but for way less money. I also make my own "cream of" soups at a cost of about a dime a "can" and they are far more healthy and tasty than Campbell's. I buy what's in season to save money on fresh food, I always look for sales on the foods I buy, etc...I'm sorry I don't have any more specific hints, but I think a lot of it is just common sense.

I quit drinking pop, and that saves me 16 dollars a month. We quit eating packaged cookies, and that saves another 8 dollars a month. We started drinking generic coffee instead of Folgers, and that saves me at least 10 dollars a months. All together, on those three small changes, that's 34 dollars. And I have made SO many changes like that, in order to accommodate my family's diets, needs, and our wants...we probably come in several hundred dollars less a month just on food than the "average" American family our size.

If you need to clarify your hair I have a recipe that you can use instead of going to the salon that would save you a bit of money. Just don't use it too often, maybe once or twice a month and make sure you have a good conditioner to use afterwards :) It's good for removing well water, hard water and chlorine.

Use vinegar or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and mix it with equal parts of water. I've done 1 cup vinegar-1 cup water. If that seems too acidic increase the water. Just pour it on your head while in the shower being careful not to get it in your eyes. Usually I just wet my hair a lil first and then pour it on. Let it sit in your hair for a few minutes. Rinse, shampoo and condtion.

My youngest has strawberry blonde hair and she wasn't shampooing her hair after swimming in chorinated water. Her hair started turning this ashey color (greenish) so I used this solution in her hair and it got most of the chlorine out. Made it look like her normal color again. I still ended up cutting about 4 inches of her hair though because it was so damaged from leaving the chlorine in her hair and letting it dry.

Now she shampoos her hair everytime she is done swimming.

HTH!

Pretty much everty single cleaning product I make myself. It doesn't take a big arsenol of stuff to do it even. Not to mention I've found that the homemade stuff can, sometimes mind you, be greener and it's always cheaper.

I make LD of course, Dishwasher detergent, Spot remover both clothes and carpeting, solution for the carpet cleaner, Dryer sheets, baby wipes, cosmetic face wipes, shaving cream, shower cleaner, Glass cleaner, Bathroom cleaner, Kitchen cleaner, Hard floor wash, carpet and air freshener, ... to be honest I can't think of much now I don't make on my own. I started out simple with the dishwasher detergent after they changed all the formula's due to the law. I noticed my dishes all the sudden were spotty and dirty looking. I'd used the same detergent forever so I switched and found it was all of them. So I went to work to figure out how to not have to wash my dishes in the machine then by hand again! I got opened up to the world of saving money and actually helping the environment. I can't even believe how much money on use to spend on this stuff either!

All you really need on hand is Alcohol, Ammonia, Dawn dish washing soap, hydrogen peroxide, Vinegar, Baking soda, washing soda, and borax. You can pretty much most any cleaning ingredient with that stuff. Doesn't cost much either. I'll never go back!

Slow down. It really saves money. Walk instead of driving when you can.
Drive evenly, without quick starts or stops. Reduce highway driving speed by 5 miles.

Also, pretend you're broke. I mean really without money. What you don't buy costs you nothing, doesn't need to be organized or stashed, and never gets outdated! Pay cash for each purchase. Keep smaller bills in your wallet, because when you spend them, it seems like a lot. Keep any splurge purchase in the store bag. Peak at it for a couple of days, enjoy the thought of having the purchase, and then return it if you realize you won't really be using it.

Enjoy freebies. The air, leaves, snow, etc. on your walk. The library. School activities. Senior center activities. Volunteer activities. Church. All of these can enrich your life endlessly.

Empty an entire closet. After you donate what you are never going to use, look at the rest and how it can be used in different ways. And use the wedding pieces, enjoy them, live in the moment. You deserve it. Too many mittens or single socks? Great for dusting! You may find objects and clothing you forgot you had.

I do make my own glass cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups H2O
1/2 tsp Dawn

But mostly, dont window shop. Only shop when you need it.

The most expensive food you will ever buy is the food you don't eat.
Find a way to make left overs look different. Cook once, eat at least twice.

Barter with your friends for babysitting, tools, lessons, anything you can.

Buy food that's on sale and freeze it or stock up. Its called pantry shopping.
What ends up happening is you have a can of tuna in your pantry that costs $2 and I have 3 at a $1 each. Combine with coupons and you have real savings. Be loose with meal planning. If something is a good price, we are having that this week. Cut back on meat. Meatless Mondays are a great way to start.
The library is your new bookstore. Lots of money saving tips and recipes and entertainment.
Good luck!

i review my car insurance bill and homeowners every year and my utility bills to make sure that they are correct and will call around for other quotes. I check to see if i am getting all the discounts that I am eligible for.

I just shop smart and I don't waste money. I am not a couponer but when I come up on a good deal on something we use a lot of, I stock up.

I refuse to run from one store to the other for the weekly deals because by the time you do that, you have used up your savings on your gas, wear/tear on the car and your time!

Another point (at least for me) is Time = Money. Think about the time involved in all the make your own things as well. I can make more $$ using my time wisely.

Best of luck to you!