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Forum THE LOUNGE Share-frugal living tips

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    • Kokaneeandkahlua
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        I had a site to share and I thought I’d ask what (If anything) other folks are doing to live frugally during this recession?

        This site http://www.swagbucks.com is powered by goodle and ask so it’s as good as using google-except you get ‘swagbucks’ for using it. AND those can be traded for all kinds of things including gift certificates! I’ve been on for 1.5 weeks and am halfway saved up for a dinner for two! You don’t have to do anything different-just sign up and use the site-then get shopping!

         

        Also I’ve been signing up for freebies/samples. So every once in a while I get free pet treats and the like. I even luckily got in on a limited time doggie sleeping bag freebie (hopefully it comes! I’ll let you know!). I just google (well -swagbucks!) ’freebies canada” etc and then sign up for free things-they come right to the door. Tip for this though-creat a new email account because you do get lots of junkmail from some of the sites.

         

        Sooo….what are you guys doing?


      • Sarita
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          I’m basically just buying less and trying to pay off my car. I have too much stuff anyway. I should have my car paid off soon too – my goal is by the end of the year if not sooner. Then I’m working on my mortgage and I don’t have any credit card debt so that helps too.


        • bunnytowne
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            yes we all need living frugal tips 


          • mrmac
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              I know this isnt available to more people, but since my husband is in the military, I have been grocery shopping on the base which is immensly cheaper and tax free, even though it is a little bit of a drive. I am also trying to pay things of or at least get the balances down.


            • KatnipCrzy
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                This advice may only apply for the US members- as I am sure things are different in other countries.

                I have a frugal living tip for prescriptions- if you do not have medical coverage- or possibly for your pet- mainly dogs (rabbits are generally to small to benefit from this due to larger dose used for humans).

                Many pharmacies have $4 for month supply of prescriptions- they are generally generics- but Target.com and WalMart.com have a list of generics that are very cheap.  This can be awesome for dogs!  Charlie the Golden Retriever foster dog that I had- he got Meloxicam (an NSAID) from Target for $4 a month.  And generic antibiotics can be very cheap also- such as Amoxi and Cephalexin.

                Meijer (grocery chain) even has free Antibiotics and prenatal vitamins (a select list).  But I got free Metronidazole for my dog Molson when he had GI upset/vomiting/diah and free Cephalexin for Charlie after his surgery.

                You still NEED A PRESCRIPTION because these are prescription drugs- but these are ways to save some money.  Also Wal-Greens has a “Prescription Saver Club” with an annual fee- but it includes your whole family including your pets!  So I get my cats expensive insulin cheaper.

                And if you do not have prescription coverage- CALL AROUND FOR PRICES.  My husband lost his job and we had a period of 5 months where we had no insurance- and calling around to find the best price saved us a lot of money.  I found one prescription for $10 a month- where other pharmacies were charging $60 a month.

                Rabbits are not too likely to be able to benefit from this since the human doses are so much higher and there are not as many liquid meds on the list.  It would not be safe to have to give 1/16th of a pill to a bunny as you have no idea what the dosage would really be once you tried to cut the pills that small. 


              • KytKattin
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                  To add to Katnip’s post, I think that anyone (including non members) are allowed to use Costco’s pharmacy and I know they have great discounts on stuff.

                  Other stuff that my family has done range from hanging our clothing outside on a line, switching to more energy efficient lights, and opening windows, using our whole house fan to keep the house cooler in the evenings (instead of our air conditioner). That means when we close up the house the next day it stays cooler longer so the AC doesn’t come on as early. We also rarely go out to eat (though we never have). I know we’ve done other things, but that’s all I can think of right now.


                • KatnipCrzy
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                    I have been saving money by buying the 6 pack of Romaine hearts (for the bunnies and salads for us too) for 4.49 as opposed to the 3 pack which is 2.99.  If I do not end up making salad for us- along with everything else the bunnies get it lasts easily for 2 weeks in the refrig.  Just do not wash/cut all of it at once- leave it in the package until you need it.

                    Also the Farmers Market could be a way to save money- A) cheap entertainment especially if you are a “foodie” and B) some produce can be cheaper and it is fresher.  I would not say that everything is cheaper- but some things certainly are and the variety and freshness can not be beat!


                  • Monkeybun
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                      I could have saved a ton on bunny toys had I introduced Monkey to the vertical blinds sooner… they are now her favorite toy 😐


                    • MimzMum
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                        The only thing that disturbs me about ‘freebies’ is that they can’t be entirely free. Someone somewhere down the line is paying for it. Probably us… in taxes.
                        That being said however, it doesn’t stop me from clipping coupons and taking advantage of a free offer now and then if it’s something I can really use or that I’ve really thought over that I need. Right now the only free thing I regularly pick up is my t-shirt & goodie bag at the cancer walk each year. ^_^

                        Definitely I need to stay away from shopping sites (*coughEbayEtsyFolksycough*) and stick to a list when going shopping. No side trips, no extraneous items. It’s nearly impossible for me to put this into practice, but I do have my moments. Believe it or not. With the two kids it’s been hard all their lives not to get them what they ask nicely for. (We usually didn’t give in to tantrums, but that never stopped them from throwing them.) Now that they are older and will be bringing friends home from college or work, I’d like to have a home they can be proud to come back to.

                        I agree that in my life, I’ve gathered WAY too much ‘stuff’. And I love the George Carlin bit about it. ^_^ But now that I’ve reached a point where I want less stuff, I look forward to being able to send some of it off to the Goodwill, which is a pretty good place still to get items you need that you don’t want to pay an outrageous new price for. I think up here we’ve got some kind of recycle.com type website that you can free trade and barter between people that I want to give a try.
                        The only other thing I can think of is, not buying in (no pun intended) to the “I gotta have it” culture we’ve been raised with. My father would turn in his grave and do flips if he saw how lousy I am at budgeting and keeping to just the essentials. He used to think of himself as a “frugal Frenchman” and unfortunately I have none of his gift of “less is more”.

                        Undoubtedly, we are all going to have to become that way in the future. The earth just isn’t going to sustain us the way we’re going as a species.
                        Now, I’m going off to my corner to eat my own words and try to put a garage sale together. lolz….


                      • Barbie
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                          Posted By Monkeybun on 08/26/2009 04:57 PM

                          I could have saved a ton on bunny toys had I introduced Monkey to the vertical blinds sooner… they are now her favorite toy 😐

                           

                          Lol, Leroy loves the vertical binds too!!!  Too bad that I’ll be moving soon, and I don’t think the new place has vert. blinds… hmm maybe I’ll have to hang some on an emty wall for him! hehe.  He weaves between them and sometimes hides behind there and takes a nap (becasue none of the hidey huts or boxes I’ve given him will do).

                          I clip coupons sometimes.  But I NEVER go shopping without a list.  I make the list throughout the week as I run out of things, and then I go shopping and try to not buy anything that’s not on the list.  I’m an impulsive shopper and I always find things I never knew I needed when I’m out shopping soo… I have to force myself to stick to the list, and then I can stay under budget.

                          Oh and that’s another thing.  Make a budget and stick to it!  This is what I do: Make a list of all the money I have coming in each month and then make a list of expenses, including how much I want to save for an emercengy fund (I’m working my E-fund up to the cost of living for 3 months – rent, utilities, food, college tuition, etc -  plus $2000 in emergency vet bills).  And then I just make sure that I have more money coming in than going out… if not, I have to cut back somewhere… like maybe my shoe and clothing fund…


                        • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                            That is SUCH A good point! I’m such an impulse shopper! When I used to get stressed out I’d buy makeup and beuty products-I literally have more makeup then a department store! Now when I’m stressed I find myself in petstores spending hundreds on stuff I don’t need and they don’t need. I definitely have an impulse shopping problem! I shop in walmart for groceries because it saves so much money and their produce is fantastic-but unfortunately it’s a supercentre so I’m going through doggie clothes (Mikey has a WARDROBE) and going through the home section for possible bunny toys (That’s how I discoverd NIC cubes ) -I even impulse shop if I’m with others and they are the ones doing the shopping ‘buy this!!’ *hangs head* ok-now I know what I need to work on

                            Soooo is there an ‘impuse shopper’ support group *gulp* LOL


                          • mrmac
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                              I wish I could impulse shop! I hvae set aside money for a ‘me day shopping trip’ before and once I have the money all to myself I feel terrible spending it (although I can, its just hard). I keep repeating, ‘this could be used for so many other things!’ It gets really annoying, but I have NO trouble buying things for the bunnies!


                            • Barbie
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                                Kokaneeandkahlua, I shop at Walmart too!  Sometimes Kroger.  But the Kroger near me is a Kroger Marketplace, similar to a Walmart suppercenter (which, btw, the walmart near me is a supercenter!) so either way, I end up looking at things I don’t need and some it makes its way into my shopping cart.  I’m doing better now that I’ve started shopping with a list.  The other thing is, I try to avoid running out for just one or two things.  I do one big shopping trip once a week or once every other week, it depends, and that’s it.  If I forgot something that week, that just means it wasn’t imporatant enough for me to remember on that trip and I can wait until next week.  When I run out for just a couple things, not only does it waste gas, but I end up throwing in extra things that I may or may not need like cosmetics and sandals and new tupperware..   Of course though, if it’s a dire emergency or I’m out of something like dish soap or bunny veggies, I’ll go get it.

                                mrmac, I have NOOO trouble spending money on myself if I’m on a shopping binge; however, it hits me after I bring it home and start thinking about all the money I spent and how else it could have been used… I’m getting better at controling those spending sprees though -darn college taking all my money!


                              • KytKattin
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                                  I’m not an impulse buyer, I really do think long and hard about what I’m going to get before I get it, but I do buy things I don’t really need. I tend to buy things that I know I’ll use and enjoy, but I still spend way to much on that kind of stuff. I think I just dropped $50 at Drs Foster and Smith on fish tank stuff! I have preordered 2 video games and a controller. Not to mention getting another rabbit (whom I love). I also plan on getting 2 more fish sometime before the year is over. So even though I plan for it, I still spend more than I should. I think I do tend to buy more when I’m depressed, though it tends to be the things I wanted to buy before I just knew I should wait until I had more saved up.


                                • flippersmom
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                                    I am definatlely a stick to the list and coupong kind of girl!!! I also got mad at hubby and cut up all but our business credit card – if we don’t have the cash in our pocket, we don’t need it!!!! I also love shopping at Goodwill – my 13 year old son actually begs to go there for jeans and hoodies (he has sensory issues and prefers used clothing because it isn’t so stiff!!!). We also never eat out, and I can make some kick-butt meals by reinventing our leftovers ( i even make my mom jealous!!!)!!! I laugh, my biggest month expense currently is feeding all my critters!!!!!!!!


                                  • kralspace
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                                      I fill out online surveys for reputable companies like Harris Poll and over the past few years earned enough points for several CD players, cordless phones, alarms, and other goodies I hate to spend money on. I took a trip last year on Continental Airlines and since I don’t fly much I used my ‘miles’ to keep my This Old House and other magazine subscriptions going and get movie tickets.

                                      This will sound dumb, but I shop at Walmart for everyone but the bunnies. The veggies are twice as fresh at HEB and the bundles can be 3 times larger for the same price. I’m always complimenting the produce guys on how fresh it is and sometimes they give me a bag of goodies like lettuce leaves or carrot tops.

                                      Regarding medicines, my son has his own individual policy with Blue Cross Blue Shield which has turned out to be much, much cheaper than putting him on my policy at work as a dependent. He has seizures and his meds can run over $700 a month here in the US. I can get the generic equivalent from a reputable pharmacy in Canada for $110 a month (they’re made in Germany and we’ve had no problem with them at all) Sometimes one of the manufactures will give us a few months supply and that always helps.

                                      The vets I use are real money savers for me too. Besides the fact that Dr. Erving is the only vet around with rabbit experience, she is also very open about teaching me to do simple treatments at home as with Simba’s abscess and refill the baytril for Hershey without an office visit. She also only charges me $15 to clip Toby’s teeth, before I found her, other vets were charging me $45-$65. And she gives him a mini exam while she does it.

                                      This year I put in 4 window air conditioners and left the central AC off most the time and cut my electric bill by more than 2/3. And this is with the bunny room and son’s room running 24/7. And those rooms are really cool. It’s an older, high ceiling house and really wasn’t built for central air.

                                      Same with the heat. I splurged a few years ago and put in a Hearthstone wood stove and I love it. I wind up buying a cord of wood each winter, and usually have enough other wood that friends and neighbors “give” me (translate, the tree fell down, please take it out of here) to keep it cozy all winter.

                                      I watch for coupons for Joannes Fabrics and score a lot of fleece and sheepskin for the critters. I fill the litter boxes with good clean coastal hay and keep the expensive stuff in a manger so they don’t trash it as much.

                                      I use the soiled hay to mulch my flower beds and it looks nice there too.

                                      I’m taking classes at the community college and was able to buy used textbooks from Amazon for $19 each instead of $125 Yea!


                                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                                        *****Waving Hello***** to all the other impulse shoppers. I then go home and stress about how much money I spent on unecessary things and what I could have used that money for, like paying off credit card vet bills…sigh, I’ll never learn my lesson though.


                                      • MimzMum
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                                          Oh good, I’m not the only mad shopper here! ^_^ Whew! You know, while I was taking my chemotherapy a few years ago, I was always looking around at my cluttered house and thinking, “This is ridiculous, what am I really going to do with all this stuff?” I guess when you have your life, or it’s possible end, staring you in the face it helps to recalibrate your sense of priority a bit. But now that I’m a few years out from the cancer diagnosis, I guess the stark reality is fading somewhat.
                                          I also was raised by a depression baby. So I have this tenet running through me that you always want more of what you need, just in case lack is imminent. Which I tend to turn into overbuying.
                                          My grandfather took care of me and was always “Dad”. Like I said, he was very frugal, but I was his granddaughter, what can I say? I could definitely get him to buy things for me he hadn’t planned on…lol. I can still hear him asking my permission to buy a big screen t.v. a few years before he passed away, because he was using money from my trust to purchase it. He was that uptight about money. (Of course, I told him to go ahead!) So when I hear that still small voice telling me, “Don’t buy that, you don’t need it…” it’s his voice I know I’m hearing.
                                          He always told me to put 10% of what I make away for a rainy day. There used to be programs you could sign up with at your bank to take a portion of what you spend and put it in a savings account, but I think it’s a really good thing to just make yourself do it, too.

                                          But what is nagging me currently is the bunnies. I envy all of you here who can let your bunnies run free through your homes. Now even if I were to get this place cleared out, there are still many hazards we’d have to bunny proof, and I am not entirely sure we can keep it clean enough on the floor for them to wander through the house (not to mention the hubby not being steady on his feet due to his back problems, he tends to trip and fall over the cats as it is). But I still look at them and see them, in my mind’s eye, binkying through the house and so much happier than they are in just their little exercise pen.
                                          That is a goal I want. And I think having a goal is a good way to discipline oneself into getting one’s vices in line. It’ll probably take me forever to get things just the way I want them, but until I start I’ll never know. So just like with our weight loss support, I think a shopper’s support group is a great idea, and we should all have our goals in mind as to how we want to save money for something bigger and better than the rush one gets picking up those things that catch our eyes when we should really be putting essentials in our carts.

                                          Okay, off my soapbox. >.<

                                          I do love Walmart too, but I find I spend more money there than I would at any other store. It doesn’t save me a cent and that’s a bloody shame for a place that’s supposed to keep you on your budget.
                                          And most of our house clutter is from the things we’ve never gotten rid of from when the kids were babies and young children. Sometimes you have to really work hard to ‘let go’ of items that have memories attached to them. Plus the hubby is one of those, “You never know, I may need this for something,” kind of people. Going through all THAT stuff is going to be a real chore! lolz…..


                                        • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                            Hmmmm Maybe a ‘impulse shopper/decluttering’ support group I’m afraid I’m so envious of those who have ‘a place for everything and everything in it’s place’ I always get rid of things-and tried to do “one thing in, two things out’ but -i can’t!


                                          • Barbie
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                                              Oh my goodness, i’m definitely one of those “you never know when you might need this!” * holds up random piece of plastic from a toy that was lost long ago *…. ok so I’m not quite that bad, but I tend to “collect” make-up and clothing and shoes and tupperware. Oh and papers and mail! I’m terrible about throwing away mail an/or papers, school notes etc. I’ve tried to clean up and throw things away but… you never know when it might come in handy!


                                            • mrmac
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                                                I keep everything! I love to do art and craft type things so I see a scrap of something-“hmm this would be cool for this!” It gets stocked away, but I do like things to be organized though! I cant throw away old school notes/homeworks, I always will think they are good for reference someday, then when I do throw something away I end up needing it months later!


                                              • Sarita
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                                                  MimzMum – I’ve been on a total cleaning out my house binge and I mean total. I don’t tell my Mom anymore what I’m giving to charity because I’m afraid she will make me keep it. But honestly I have so many decorate knick knacks that I am thrilled to give to charity and it is a tax write-off too so that helps. In the beginning when I was overrun with so much stuff (and I still have so much stuff) I vowed to put something once a week in the charity box – this was after I did a huge declutter. I have declutter quite a bit but still try to put a little something in the charity box once a week (no matter what it is). So far I haven’t had any thoughts about anything I’ve given away or thought I should have kept that.

                                                  I also vowed not to buy any more cleaning products (I love cleaning products but I’m not that great of a cleaner) until everything was used up that I have. I’m doing pretty good there as well.

                                                  Stopped totally buying any bath and body products about 2 years ago and am still working through what I have.

                                                  I have to say that it hasn’t been as difficult as I anticipated and it feels liberating not to have so much stuff and clutter. I’m still not as disciplined at Target as I would like but I’m trying.


                                                • Sarita
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                                                    Another thing I did this year was to clean all my stuff from my Mom’s attic that she kept for me. I did not keep anything but photo’s – the rest went to charity – I mean what was some of that stuff! I said to my Mom, know doesn’t that feel good to get that out of your attic – I think she felt more regret than I did – I don’t know maybe she regrets not giving it away sooner :~) I think it was about 5 boxes and well, it was pretty scary too.

                                                    Now I have to find something to do with my Grandma’s Wedgewood Jasperware – it’s beautiful stuff but I am never ever going to use it and it’s not the stuff you give to charity either…


                                                  • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                                      I guess if we’re decluttering (and Sarita you made me think of it) stuff that isn’t going to charity or the garbage-Garage sale time is pretty much over, but we could use kijiji or ebay to sell items and make a bit of cash!


                                                    • Sarita
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                                                        I will never ever do another garage sale again :~) My Mom and I did one and they just nickel and dime you and quite frankly it’s exhausting – we hardly made anything for the 3 days we did it. Better to give to charity and get the tax write-off or do the craiglist or ebay deal.


                                                      • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                          I’m a clutter bug/pack rat too. It’s hard to throw anything away!!! I did make a pile of stuff though that I will eventually get around to putting on kijiji to sell.

                                                          The hard part for me is I have a pretty small house and way too much stuff. My bf is just as bad. He collects action figures and movie collectibles and there are over 1000 of them on display in my basement. I’m really bad with horse stuff too. I have 1 horse and enough stuff for about 6. The problem with that is my horse’s new barn has a much smaller tack room than my previous barn so 1/2 my stuff is in my basement. Saddles and horse blankets all over.

                                                          And I can very rarely part with clothes. Even those that haven’t fit me for like 5 years…I WILL fit back into them…

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