Frugal Living Tips

• Need a funnel? Cut the top from any plastic bottle and turn it upside down.
  You can have a variety of sizes! In a pinch, put a sheet of wax paper over a
  newspaper and roll the whole thing up starting from one corner. Pull it snugly
  into a small end and use it for a funnel for almost anything.
• Wear socks to bed! There's nothing more snuggly than having warm feet on a
  cold winter's night. If you don't want to use your regular socks, make 'bed
  socks' by cutting a triangle of flannel or warm knit cloth big enough to fit over your foot with one point at the toe. Sew a seam along both edges, leaving a hole big enough to fit your foot through, turn down the edges and put elastic in it.
• If you get your shoes or boots wet inside, stuff them full of crumpled
  newspaper. Change the newspaper a few times to absorb it all. This is also good treatment for shoes in hot weather, to absorb perspiration and odors.
• Put those small soap slivers in a bath mitt or simply put them in the center
  of a washcloth and bring two opposite corners together and tie; do the same
  with the other two corners. When you're through, untie the washcloth and put the soap bits back for the next time.
• If the snaps on your clothing won't stay snapped, you can sometimes flatten
  the 'ball' part slightly to fit more snugly into the other half. Just tap it
  gently with a hammer, but don't over do it!
• Did you know that psychology can help keep you warm? Warm colors, soft and/or
  fuzzy fabrics and low lighting will make a room - and you - feel warmer.
• If the shelves in your shower stay too wet and make the soap 'melt', put it
  in a net produce bag and hang it over the shower head or faucet. It will dry
  out between showers and last longer.
• If you have a wood stove or fireplace, save some of your ashes to sprinkle on
  icy sidewalks. Ashes melt ice almost as quickly as salt - and they're free.
• If you need insulation for your water pipes before winter, check the
  difference in specially formed pipe insulation and regular sheet insulation. You can cut strips of sheet insulation and wrap around pipes, holding with duct tape and it works just as well.
• 'Soup bones' that you find at the grocer any more don't have much food value
  at all, but you can boil them and crack them to get the marrow, if you can
  find them cheaply enough. Mix the marrow into the boiling liquid and use this a base for soups. If you add barley or wheat to your soup along with the marrow, it will taste like a meat stew.
• Before you put things like shortening or peanut butter in a measuring cup,
  wet the cup with whatever liquid your recipe calls for first, and it won't stick to the sides. Less waste and less mess to clean.
• This may not be a straightforward frugal tip, but if you use your 'Find'
  function on your browser, you can zero in on the tips that you want. In Netscape and Internet Explorer look under 'Edit'. For instance, if you want tips about keeping windows clean frugally, enter 'window' and your browser will highlight that word anywhere on the page.
• Kitty litter will soak up oil and other car fluids from your garage or
  driveway just as well as those more costly products.
• When you take your children to the grocery store, give them a certain amount
  of money to spend instead of you buying the things they like. Explain that
  when they use up their allotment, that's all there is, but they can put something back if they would rather have something else, etc.
  This teaches them several things: how to manage money, why you buy some
  things and not others, and the fact that there is a limit to funds.
• Use old panty hose to hang onions for storage. Just put in an onion, tie a
  knot, add another onion, etc. The flow of air will make them last longer, and
  when you want to use one, just cut it off below the knot.
• Baking cakes and other treats is not always cheaper from scratch, especially
  if you have to buy items you don't always keep on hand. Boxed cake mixes can
  sometimes be found for a dollar or less, so do the math before assuming you can save by making it yourself.
• Save popsicle sticks for the kids to play with. They can build 'log' houses,
  fences for a miniature farm (or zoo) or whatever they can imagine. A very
  cheap toy, and with some stain (like Koolaid) and printed ideas, become a gift-quality toy.
• If you're thinking of repotting those plants to bring inside before the first
  frost, use a coffee filter (or combination of them) in the bottom of the pot.
  They will allow water to drain through, but retain the potting soil. Cheap
  fix!
• Use rice in almost any dish that calls for pasta. It's cheaper and the mild
  flavor goes well with hearty, tangy flavors. For a quick lunch, pour a can of
  unreconstituted cream soup of any kind over a couple of cups of rice.
• An inexpensive way to keep flies away from your porch: hang closed Ziploc
  bags filled with clear, plain water from the eaves. Don't know why it works, but it does.
• If you use a grass catcher when you mow, save the grass clippings to use as
  mulch around flowers and vegetables. You won't have to water as often, the
  clippings enrich the ground, you don't have to find a place to get rid of them, and you're getting free mulch.
• When you wash curtains, take them out of the dryer while they're still damp
  and hang them immediately. For most curtain material, any wrinkles will
  straighten out with their own weight. Saves dryer time and ironing.
• A lot of sunburn remedies and skin lotions have aloe gel in them, and it does
  work to soothe and help heal minor burns and skin irritations. However, the
  older the gel, the less effective, and those lotions are expensive, too! It's
  cheaper and much more effective to have an aloe plant on your windowsill. The
  plant will live for years, and when you need it, you can just break off a piece and squeeze the gel out, or use the cut 'leaf' as a poultice. The plant
  recovers quickly and grows easily.
• Store your razor in a small bowl or cup in which you've added an inch or so
  of vegetable oil. Just rinse in hot water for a few seconds before you use it.
  It will stay sharp much longer.
• You won't have to make crumbs for toppings and fillings if you save the bread
  crumbs from the bottom of the bread bag. Empty the bag onto a clean counter,
  and put the crumbs into a freezer container. It won't take long to have enough
  to top a casserole or use in a meat loaf or dressing. Cracker crumbs take
  longer to accumulate this way, but why throw them out?
• Don't throw away a plastic coated table cloth. Although it may not be good
  enough for your table, you can still use it for picnics, or drop cloths when
  painting. Or cut it up and make placemats from it, or bowl toppers. Just sew a
  length of elastic around a circle cut from it and you have a reusable cover for bowls or plates.
• Rather than buying cheesecloth to tie spices in when cooking stews or other
  dishes, use a teaball. Even if you have to buy one, you'll save the cost many
  times over, since it should last you a lifetime.
• Instead of trying to find ways to keep latex paint from forming a scum due to
  too much air in the container, put leftover paint in a jar or other container
  that's the right size to just hold it without allowing a large mass of air.
• When coating chicken to fry or bake, an old trick is to put the pieces in a
  paper sack along with the coating mix and shake. However, a vigorous shaking
  can rip the bottom out of today's wimpy paper sacks. Use an empty (washed or
  not) chip bag instead. They're much sturdier, and when you're through, roll it
  tightly closed and tape or tie and freeze the remainder for the next batch of
  chicken.
• Use plastic net produce bags to hang tub toys in when bath time is over. The
  toys drip dry and are in one place for next time. Use them for the wading or
  swimming pool, too - and not just for kids. Keep sunscreen, combs and other
  needed things at hand in one. Lace a length of string or yarn a couple of inches from the top to use as a drawstring.
• I keep what was once a jelly jar in a basket on the back of my range. I poked
  a hole on each side of the lid with a nail so I can drizzle just a little oil
  when I need to. I have a free, drip free oil can AND use less oil besides!
• Use a rag mop to wash those tall windows with. You don't need fancy swabs and
  poles if you wash the mophead (or use clean, real rags in a 'rag' mop) You
  can scrub with it, then rinse with clear water. You can even dry with it, if you change the rags, or have an extra one filled with dry rags. Use plenty, so
  you don't scratch the window with the mop sides.
• Don't throw away celery leaves, but put them to dry on a plate, then keep
  them in a small jar to flavor chicken or potato soup, meatloaves or casseroles.  Put them in a small container of salt and in a week or so, you'll have celery salt for a very frugal price.
• Need a 'sprinkler' for your lawn? A brick (the kind with holes in it) and one
  of those little three dollar sprayer attachments for your hose make a great
  one. Put the sprayer on the hose, and put it through the hole in the brick. Set the brick wherever you want the lawn watered, being sure the nozzle of the
  sprayer is braced against the edge of the brick hole. Anything heavy enough to
  stay in place with a hole for the hose can be substituted for the brick.
• It's no secret that you can save by washing and reusing plastic bags, but
  they don't always dry well. Rinse in hot water and put them over a soda or syrup bottle and leave until they're dry. (Make sure they're dry before putting them away.)
• Herbal teas are all the rage it seems, but they're not very frugal. Instead of throwing out the teabag after every cup, save them until you have two or three. Steeped for a few more minutes than the directions say, they will make one extra cup of tea.
• Got leftover jogging pants in the back of your closet, from when they were 'stylish'? Take the bottom elastic out, spray it with vinegar and iron, then turn under and sew small hem. Iron a crease down the center of the leg and you
  have plain knit pants! Tip: It's easy to take up the sides for a smoother fit,if you like.
• Save those return envelopes from your junk mail to store seed saved from the
  garden. Just write on the envelope what kind of seed, when it was stored and
  any other details you want to remember, then put in the seed and seal.
• To clean the lint out of the back of your hair dryer: Take a cotton swab and dip it in alcohol, and apply to lint. The lint comes right off !
• For Cinnamon tea lovers try a couple of cinnamon sticks in boiling water for about 5 minutes then steep for about 2 hrs, then enjoy the fragrant sweet cinnamon tea for pennies per cup!
• Use leftover mashed potatoes to make potato cakes - simply add an egg or two and enough flour to make a dough you can form patties from. Fry over medium heat, and serve with butter. This stretches a half cup or so to feed four people very frugally.
• Don't throw away old pantyhose, instead, cut them into 1 inch rings. Use with your polish remover to remove fingernail polish. 1-2 pieces will remove polish from all ten fingers.
• Don't pay more per pound for a roasting chicken than you would for a fryer. They're all chickens and a roasting hen is just a big fryer! My advice: If you don't believe that, ask a butcher.
• Save the wax left from scented candles and put it in a jar or can in a warm place and it will continue to scent the air. Better than air fresheners! My
  advice: Be very careful with wax around open flames or high temperatures, as it is flammable.
• Toss in an old clean nylon stocking (remove top from old panty hose and tie end in a knot so there will not be too much to tangle). I leave one in my dryer all the time changing to darker shade with dark clothes. I have not needed a lint remover helper in many years!
• To polish black cast iron, black painted steel or chrome or nickel trim, especially on woodstoves, crumple a sheet of newspaper and dry scrub. Hint: This works on the 'chrome' on today's automobiles, too.
• If you knit or crochet or anything else using yarn, keep a look out for handmade sweaters or afghans and other things at garage sales and second hand stores. Unravel the yarn, wind it into a long loop (like storing a garden hose), tie it together in three or four places, and dip it in warm or cool water, depending on the type of yarn. Hang it to dry, and voila! A new hank of yarn. You can get some expensive yarn for very little this way.
• Use a powdered drink like Kool Aid to dye clothing. It works just like powdered dye; use hot water and stir until the color is as deep as you want it, remembering that it will be a lighter color when it dries. Use a salt rinse (1/4 cup salt) to help set the color.
• Iron at a lower temperature setting and save electricity by putting a sheet of aluminum foil over your ironing board pad and under the cover, shiny side up.
• Don't throw out an old coat or jacket, even when it's ragged. Use the good parts to make potholders or pads for hot pots (just hem), or cut insoles for shoes or boots.
• If you need a small bit of cloth to repair a skirt or pants, use the matching cloth from inside the pocket or hem. It's an exact match, and you can replace this with almost anything and it won't show.