Thursday, June 10, 2010

More Ways to Save

I am just in a saving money mood lately! :-)  I thought of a few more ways that we cut corners around here, so I thought I would share.  Maybe you will find something that is helpful!
  • I only use half a dryer sheet for each load.  I find that half works just as well as a whole.  Better yet, you can skip dryer sheets altogether.  But I like the way they make my clothes feel and smell.
  • I reuse gallon ziploc bags when I can.  When we open a bag of cookies I store them in a ziploc to keep them fresh.  Instead of throwing it out after the cookies are gone, I reuse it for something else.  Since the cookies were in their original bag still, the ziploc isn't dirty at all.  I do this for as many things as I can....ziplocs are expensive and not exactly a "green" product.
  • I only use half of a baby wipe on small messes.  I tear them in half if it's just a wet diaper and stick the other half back in the container for next time.  They tear easily and half a wipe is all I need for wet diaper changes.
  • Brian and I rarely buy gifts for each other.  Neither one of us has the love language of gift giving or receiving, so gifts just aren't a huge deal for us.  We would rather have a hand written letter than an expensive gift.  However, it is nice to get a surprise every once in a while. :-)  But normally when we want or need something, we just buy it then.
  • I save scrap paper if it's blank on one side.  Instead of throwing out paper that only has a little writing on it, I try to reuse the clean sides.  For example, when I print a coupon it only uses the top of one sheet of paper and the rest is just blank.  After cutting out the coupon, I save the rest for writing down grocery lists or other notes.  This is definitely the "greener" way.
  • I never get my hair cut!  This is not because I want to save money, it's more of a matter of laziness really.  But I really only get a hair cut once a year, if that.  When I do get it cut, I have it cut fairly short and then it just grows out over time.  I like going from long to short and I get to donate the hair they cut every time.  I also don't color my hair or highlight it because that is just so expensive and really not good for your hair.  I figure as I get older and get grey hairs I will have to dye it, so why start now?!
  • Brian does all our lawn care himself.  Granted we don't have a very pretty yard, but it is maintained and looks just fine for us.  We aren't very outdoorsy people, so as long as the grass is mowed, we are fine! 
  • Brian does our taxes himself.  He actually enjoys it....one benefit of marrying a finance guy! :-)

2 comments:

  1. Some of these are great ideas I never thought of (like the ziploc and baby wipes)... Thanks :)

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  2. Our families sound very similar :) Love it!

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