Prism99

Shampooing with conditioner may not work for everyone, but it is actually recommended for curly hair and it also works great on gray/white hair like mine (which is much more dry and wiry than my original brown).

mommafank

Thrift store shopping is a must! Keep a floor rag instead of using paper towels every time something needs wiped off the floor. Limit use of plastic storage bags by either recyling ones that other things come in or using reusable containers. I do not throw anything much away---keep containers that food stuffs come in to reuse for other things. We never throw food away------ever! We eat leftovers and that means less cooking. Lots of vegetarian meals, soups and salads that we make from salad greens in our garden. Garden every summer and freeze or can lots of produce. Watch for rebates. We use a credit card that gives us back money and that is a big bonus. Keep the thermastat low, turn off lights, weatherproof windows and doors. Hubby always checks the wattage of our appliances with a little meter he has. We limit use of anything that uses a high rate. We do not go out to eat----and we have no complaints about that. I prefer my own cooking---I know how it has been prepared and exactly what is in it. We live simply and love it. We are relaxed and happy and healthy. Hubby researches everything to make sure we get the best for our money. And we did away with our dish TV---we now have an antenna and a roku. We have more to watch and no bill. We are going to switch our cell phone service soon to Consumer Cellular.Cheapest service with a very good rating. We will cut our bill to more than half what it is now. Check it out if you use cellular----just google it.

canmitch1971

One thing I do is buy articles of grocery when it has been reduced. They reduce it by 30% when it gets near its due date. I buy meat, yogurt, bread, pies and other things this way. I use the bread to make bread pudding or to make bread crumbs. I even bought a little caramel birthday cake for my daughter's birthday last week at 30% off. It was very good..Sometimes they even reduce things by 50%. I use the meat immediately to make a stew or soup. Everything is very good.. I try to turn the thermostat down but my husband and I are getting to be wusses... We are always cold. We do wear sweaters and socks but we are still cold, especially in the evening..

irishrose

I reuse grocery bags for the trash. Have quilted panels in doorways so I only use 1/3 of my house in the winter. Consolidate trips. When I figured out how much just gas was per mile, I learned to not make extra trips. Never mind the oil, tires, insurance, etc. I only buy items on sale - even when I have the money. I have Christmas money for dog walking gloves. I found the perfect pair that were within the amount, but left them there because they weren't on sale. I cut my own hair, have never had a manicure - nor do I want one.

I could reduce my expenses if I didn't have two dogs, but I'm not to that point yet. I need back surgery, of which I have to pay 10% and now may need a new roof this summer. These two would keep me awake nights if I let them.

owlvamp

There's some really good ideas.

cybermom2

I'm enjoying the many ideas you all have for cutting down on spending. One thing I do is check the price of gas on the computer and buy while it is at a low usually Monday/Tuesday. I Google "gas prices in (my town & state)". I have used coupons for years and print a lot of them from the computer. I am lucky to live near a Kroger store that doubles $1. We are lucky that we grew up with thrifty parents and grandparents. Would these younger people be able to handle a big cut in pay? Cooking from scratch would be one of the things I can think of that might be a big problem for them.

miriam

I never gave it a thought until my then teenaged son bragged to someone that I was a gourmet cook since I only bought ingredients. Ha what does he know. Nothing pre-packaged. We don't use food in cans or boxes - chips on occasion - like chili... I buy meat at a slaughter house. Very limited eating out. I shop at the thrift stores with a list - no new clothing except underwear and socks. I buy fabric at the thrift store. We do our own lawn care, home repairs & snow shoveling. I don't have a clothes dryer - everything gets hung. If I need to know something I look it up at the library or on line. I donate hair when I need a haircut - it's free. Someone mentioned shampoo. I use citric acid instead of rinse - it's cheaper. Mix a 1/2 tsp of citric acid in about a quart of water - pour it on, rinse it off. I repair my own sewing machines - I've done it for years.

coopah

These are all good ideas, but might I suggest using microfiber cloths and to use instead of Swiffer cloths and paper towels? I bought a few at Big Lots or Bed, Bath Beyond (using a coupon) when they came out 10 years or so ago. The biggest plus is they can be washed and reused often and last forever> Just don't use softener/dryer sheets when you wash them. I've even seen these cloths at the Dollar Tree. PLUS you don't have to use chemicals to get things clean. Just the microfiber cloth and maybe a little water, depending on what you're cleaning. This is one of my biggest savings...and helps my asthma when I don't use chemicals. Great for washing windows and even dusting! NO CHEMICALS!! And no, I don't own any stock in these companies!!

romanojg

You are already doing a good job at cutting cost. You can change out your light bulbs to energy efficient. I know that in the beginning it seems expensive but in the long run they last longer and take less energy to run. I get them at Home Depot and they have some at a good price. I cut my cable down to just getting basic TV for the reception so it is only 21 a month instead of over 60. I have a sprint cell phone and I got a sprint house phone; they switched my home # so I got to keep the same # that I've had for over 20 yrs. Now I get long distance for free and caller Id, before I would have been spending around 45 for these same features thru the cable co and now I spend 20; plus I use my employee discount to cut my cost of my cell phone bills; most companies you can get a discount with. I'm getting ready to buy a reqular cell phone and switch out my smart phone which I love but you have to have a bigger plan so this will save me more money. I'll keep my smart phone so that when things get better I can go back to using it. Thru Craigslist I found one lady who for making her some baby quilts that only took sewing two pieces of flannel together and birthing them and top stitching them around the edges and she supplied the fabric. In exchange I got alot of free fabric that was great and some very expensive. Then I found another lady who had lots of fabric that she wanted to give away because she decided she would never use it. So I went from not having a stash to having a nice one and now I only buy if I "need" something for a project. Which goes along great with my plan not to start any new projects until I get the old ones completed with the exception of my monthly embroidery club. I also checked around and switched car insurance; I went from Geico (which I loved) to Nation wide and saved a 120 a month and got better coverage. I had to skip a payment so that one company would listen to me that thier interest rate and payment was too high to handle and then they lowered the interest rate to way more than half and lowered my payment so now more of my payment actually goes to lowering my bill. They wouldn't do anything as long as my payments were up to date. It's crazy how you have to do things sometimes. Good luck on your cutting cost, I'll be checking here for more ideas too.

romanojg

I use leave in conditioner. It takes less and you aren't rinsing it down the drain. When my hair is frizzy I get the oil base Garnier and mix a little with my conditioner to calm them down. I add a little gel to my conditioner and it keeps it moist even in the winter time.