Friday, September 26, 2008
Money Saving Tips
We all have in the past or are currently experiencing, hard times financially. i was wondering if each of you readers out there could post what you do to help save money in your home. also, feel free to post comments about what you do for free date nights, free fun family nights and also any thrift stores you buy from. i haven't purchased clothes from a thrift store since i was a teenager and i did it then because i liked to find unique things. i have contemplated shopping at thrift stores recently but don't know of any good ones around here. since i am starting to lose weight, i am concerned that i won't be able to afford all those "skinny" clothes I'm going to be needing. i will need to buy those transition sizes and i don't want to spend a whole lot of money. any money saving tips would be appreciated. thanks. just post your comments.
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Ok, so I only know things in Costa Mesa but Fairview park has free train rides every third saturday of the month, the OC Fairgrounds has animals you can see for free daily, and I get emails from OC family (google it) and it always has list of things to do and most free or very low cost.
Okay, I have a fun family night idea. Every Friday night, we've been checking out a movie from the library and watching it all together on our big bed. About half-way through I serve a treat. I have something pre-made and put a blanket on the floor. It's been so much fun! And free!
Well mine isn't a fun activity but it's a way I've been spending less recently.
I try to avoid going to stores other than grocery shopping. When I go to Target or the dollar store, I end up buying lots more things because they are such a great price! I don't really need those things if I think about it, and this way my house is less cluttered too.
I thought of one more thing. The Museum of Natural History in L.A. is free on the first Tuesday of every month. We've packed a lunch and stayed all day. They have a park and restaurant and plenty of things for young kids to experience. The parking is $6 though.
Okay, one more! The movie theater in the Main Place Mall has $1.00 movies all day every Tuesday and $1.00 hot dogs! It's called the Picture Show if you look it up.
I try to do all of my errand runnings at the same time and try to do them all in the same area so I don't use as much gas.
I shop with coupons and set a budget of no more than $100 a week for groceries. I also plan my meals a week in advance by looking at the grocery store circulars you get on Tuesdays. If an item is on sale, I will try to use it in my menu. I also make enough for Pablo to take to work the next day for lunch.
Another thing I do is that I no longer buy disposable water bottles or juice boxes. I bought everyone in the family their own reusable water bottle and they fill it up with water. I also just buy the large size juices and stock up when they are on sale.
I use the same concept with crackers, cookies, and pretzels. The boys can use a small bowl for snacks. I also no longer buy sandwich bags.
I also no longer buy fabric softner. I went and bought four dryer balls and use that for drying clothes. In the summer or on warm days hang dry your clothes.
I also clean mostly with baking soda and vinegar. I have cut down considerably on my paper towel use. I bought a bunch of reusable kitchen towels to use instead. I don't use sponges, I use knitted washcloths to wash my dishes and to clean the bathrooms.
A group of LA museums are free the 1st tuesday of every month (Natural History, La Brea etc.). They have free evenings at LACMA and sometimes even special showings and musical events too. LA Public Libraries also let you rent up to 5 movies at a time for no cost for 1 week. There are a few free pools/water parks in Cypress area too.
I try to save money by planning a menu each week and only purchase what's on our list. No extra trips and cutting out premade treats/sweets helps a ton.
If we want to go to the movies I buy discounted tickets from Costco or though my mgmt company at work so we don't have to pay full price.
Oh and we swap get together's with friends and pot luck dinner which makes for a fun night with less $ for a meal out.
When I'm really on top of things I clean out the toys and take them to Children's Orchard and use my credit there for new toys or clothes. Also, you can get free movie rentals from Redbox with the codes online for free Redbox movies. Also we try to find fun things to do close to home to save gas.
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