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Post Info TOPIC: The "How I'm Saving Money This Year" Thread


2011 Super Bowl Champions!

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The "How I'm Saving Money This Year" Thread


We've talked a lot about how to cut corners at the grocery store, and we've talked about saving money on electricity and such.

I was thinking about other ways to cut corners.  Some of them are so obvious.

I'm probably not the norm in this area, but I had been using one of those print postage at home programs for years.

Last week I went to the post office and bought stamps again.  I got two books of regular first-class stamps and twenty 17 cent stamps for any additional ounces I might mail.

That allowed me to cancel the program service I used which charged $9.95 a month.  $119.40 a year saved.  That's HUGE.

In hindsight now I just feel like a sucker for spending that the last couple years.  It's amazing how in a good economy you're willing to just rhow money away. 

Anyone else cut back in an area you'd like to share?

I've also gone to turning off two of my three computers when I'm asleep, and eventually will keep them off when I'm at work too. 

As long as I've had computers I've left them on 24/7.  no.gif

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Better Than Cheddar

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I have no way of knowing how much $ this saves me, but each summer I hang my clothes out to dry over the line in the backyard. It saves some life for my dryer, dryer sheets, & not to mention the quality of my clothes. Also, it cuts down on the electric a bit, & allows me to get outside more. My motto has become: if you don't want to see my underwear, don't look in my backyard!

If this isn't an option, one can always hang towels or things to dry over the shower curtain rod or buy one of those drying racks.

But it is nice to have a dryer when you really need it.

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2011 Super Bowl Champions!

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That's a good idea Cheese. I've got some area out back where I could hang a line.

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Grand Poobah

    



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The Feds sent me $600. I'll try and save that.weirdface.gif

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Cuff 'Em N' Stuff 'Em

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I haven't been driving nearly as much, to save money.

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Ghost In The Machine

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I cancelled Directv this morning in an effort to save a little money.  It was costing me $70 a month and we only watched a few stations anyway.  I'm going to miss my old movies at night and Ghosthunters on Wed. nights, but I figure we're not going to be home too much over the next couple of months anyway so why pay for something we won't be using that much. 

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The Chosen Woo

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It's gonna seem silly but I have not been buying as much bath stuff. I love bath, lotion, shower gels, etc. I vowed to use what I have first! When I packed up to move I saw just how much stuff I had! I also like to switch shampoo because of the build up but I've been pretty much trying to use that up too before buying new. It's not much but it's something.

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Better Than Cheddar

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Woo Hoo wrote:

It's gonna seem silly but I have not been buying as much bath stuff. I love bath, lotion, shower gels, etc. I vowed to use what I have first! When I packed up to move I saw just how much stuff I had! I also like to switch shampoo because of the build up but I've been pretty much trying to use that up too before buying new. It's not much but it's something.






I hear you, Woo. I travel a lot for work, so I accumulate a lot of little hotel shampoos. For the longest time, I didn't use them becuase I thought I'd need them for travel someday. But I never used them so I'm now like you,using up all my little samples- I have TONS of them- until I but more.

That, and I take public transportation to work. Rarely have to fill up the tank, thank God.

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The Chosen Woo

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I lost some of my samples in the move. It was quite a mess when I opened that box bleh

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Cat Scratch Diva

    



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I have been buying less bathroom stuff too...I had so much crap when we moved last year that I only buy what I am totally out of to avoid getting that bad again.

Postage....I pay all my bills online and rarely use the mail. If I need to send something...I use www.usps.com.

I cant seem to do the clothes line thing...I hate stiff underwear.

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Permanent State of Confusion

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allycat wrote:

I cant seem to do the clothes line thing...I hate stiff underwear.



A little fabric softner will do the trick, unless you are allergic to it of course. Growing up the towels dried on the clothesline were always tough because of no fabric softner. You are not supposed to use fabric softner on your towels. no.gif



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Cat Scratch Diva

    



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they still get that crisp feeling and it drives me nuts. I'm picky when it comes to my undies anyway....When I still lived at home...mom tried that for a while...I ended up taking them off one day it about drove me insane.

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Grand Poobah

    



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popcorn.gif

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Better Than Cheddar

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allycat wrote:

they still get that crisp feeling and it drives me nuts. I'm picky when it comes to my undies anyway....When I still lived at home...mom tried that for a while...I ended up taking them off one day it about drove me insane.






I read that a 1/4 cup baking soda in the laundry eliminates that "stiff" feeling when line drying anything...you can use more for more softness.....

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Cheeselvr wrote:
I read that a 1/4 cup baking soda in the laundry eliminates that "stiff" feeling when line drying anything...you can use more for more softness.....

I did not know that. Have you tired it? Does it work well? That would definitely be a cheaper alternative to fabric softner.



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The Chosen Woo

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Oh we headed to the store after our 2nd flooding incident to intially get ice cream but they had some good sales and we ended up buying meat. Buy 1 get 1 free. So we got some roast and some pork steak. They also had the deal on some chicken but we were good on chicken and short on cash.

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Permanent State of Confusion

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I went grocery shopping for the first time in about three weeks this past weekend. I needed quite a few things and some of those things you only purchase every couple of months. Plus, I got a few extra things that I will need to make food for the holiday weekend. So, it added up and I wouldn't exactly call it exactly saving money, although, almost everything I bought was on sale.

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Grand Poobah

    



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I've been invited by the parents of a friend to spend a weekend up at their cabin in door county visiting. When the price is right like that, I can't pass it up. I probably wouldn't pursue renting a cabin myself this year.

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Phat Cat EL Presidente

    



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I bought a car that gets better gas mileage!

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Permanent State of Confusion

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Yea Sparky! clap.gif

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I've switched my Netflix down to one at a time with unlimited online viewing hours a month. We seem to watch movies so little anymore, and I've been checking to see if they're online before we even think about renting one. And I can hook my computer up to the TV now (although I haven't tried it yet), so we don't have to worry about gathering around the laptop as much.

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2011 Super Bowl Champions!

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I cancelled my $16 a month netflix (savings $192 a year) and think I might resubscribe for the two movies per month for $4.99 ($60 a year) plan.

Net(flix) savings: $132


I've also discovered a HUGE way to save money, I stopped paying all of my bills. Net savings: $1350 a month!!!

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Jeremy Riggs wrote:

I've also discovered a HUGE way to save money, I stopped paying all of my bills. Net savings: $1350 a month!!!



Um, JR. Have you thought that plan through yet? Have you spoken to your accountant about it as well?



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I thought about the $4.99 plan, but that only gives enough time for one movie online. I wanted a little more than that.

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Grand Poobah

    



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here's a couple of cases where buying in bulk really paid off.

I was at the grocery store and wanted the 5 pd bag of kingsford instant light mesquite charcoal, but they were out. This normally runs $5.65. I saw the big bag (17 pd) was on sale for $4.98. why?? it works out that thats a $3.21 savings on the normal price. So I got the big bag. Its bulky, and I won't like lugging it around for a bit, but no complaints for that size at that price.

Same thing with ketchup. The BIG ketchup was on sale for 99 cents. the small ketchup was running $1.29. why??????

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Grand Poobah

    



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it turns out this charcoal is NOT the ready light variety. jeez talk about takin all the fun out of lightin the coals. what a freakin battle.

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Grand Poobah

    



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it turns out that the ketchup comes in a "drip free" bottle. and it works. I'm way impressed.smile.gif

Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Upside Down Squeeze Bottle, You Improved on Perfection!!!
Written: Jun 16 '08

Product Rating:
Pros: Wonderful ketchup, even better packaging!

Cons: None.

The Bottom Line: Heinz is the best tasting ketchup out there, and with the new packaging it is even better.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

cmuir's Full Review: Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Upside Down Squeeze Bottle, ...
Ketchup, Catchup or Catsup, no matter how you spell it, this condiment is still made from fruits or vegetables. Highly seasoned with salt, pepper and spices, then boiled into a thick liquid and strained through a sieve creating a smooth, thick sauce.

In the past I have tried making and canning my own Ketchup, but no matter what recipe I tried nothing could compare to Heinz Tomato Ketchup, so I just gave up. No wonder, the Heinz Company from Pittsburgh, Pa. has been making this wonderful tomatoey condiment since 1876, so I guess they know what they are doing.

My mom has used Heinz Tomato Ketchup ever since I can remember, although the packaging certainly has changed. I will never forget those long necked glass bottles and anticipating the thick red sauce to finally exit onto my plate. Of course shaking the bottle really didn't help, other than to spatter ketchup everywhere, except where I wanted it. The only other option was to stick a knife in the upside down bottle and try to coax some onto your plate.

Now the company has come up with an entirely new way to get the ketchup from the bottle onto the plate by using an Upside Down Squeeze Bottle.! My bottle is made of plastic holds 20-ounces and is rather "hippy" looking; rectangular in shape, it is wide at the top and bottom, with a narrow middle. Kind of like a curvy woman, this allows you to grip the bottle for easy squeezing and pouring.
This bottle also has a 2-inch white plastic flip-top cap, which will allow you to store it upside down, keeping all the delicious ketchup right next to the lid. No more fighting to get some on your plate. There is no mistaking the way this needs to be stored, since if you place this on the bottom the lettering will be upside down. It also does not take up much room in the door of my fridge.

You will find Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Upside Down Squeeze Bottles in any grocery store. At my local Wal-Mart they are located in the same aisle with the barbecue sauces, mustards and salad dressings. Heinz is a bit more expensive than the store brand, but the taste makes the extra cost worth every penny.

When you open your bottle of Ketchup you will have to unscrew the lid revealing a "foil" cover on the bottle. You will need to remove this to access your ketchup. Under the flip-top cap there is a 1/4-inch hole, also this cap claims to have a Drip Free Valve to keep the ketchup from hardening around the opening. I still give mine a wipe with a paper towel before returning it to the fridge, just because my grandkids sometimes still end up with a bit on the lid and inside the cap.
I also always give my bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup a shake before setting it out on the table, just to make sure it is completely mixed. Just habit from the old days when the lid was on the top of the bottle and the first shot of ketchup you got was mostly red water.
The label only recommends shaking before the first use.

So what makes Heinz Tomato Ketchup better than all the rest? They use the perfect blend of tomato concentrate (made from red ripe tomatoes), distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder and natural flavorings.
Pretty much the same as homemade other than one of my recipes calls for onions and sweet red peppers. Spices for homemade include celery seed, mustard seed, allspice, cinnamon, and paprika.

When you squeeze a bit of Heinz Tomato Ketchup out on a plate you can see right way it is thicker than most other ketchups, it basically stays right where you pour it. It is bright red but a darker red than most and the taste is so much better. While you can taste tomato, you also get a hint of vinegar and some of those un-named spices. To my palate I also taste a touch of horseradish and cinnamon.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup can be used in numerous ways. Of course the basic hamburgers, hot dogs and fries, but I also mix it with just a bit of mustard and brown sugar and put it on top of my meatloaf the last 15-minutes of baking. I also use Heinz Tomato Ketchup for a base to many of my homemade "red" barbecue sauces and ****tail sauce. I have seen people use it on eggs, Mac & cheese and fried fish. My grandkids use this on every type of meat I put in front of them; they get that from their dad, I could never ruin a wonderful roast or steak by topping it with ketchup. But I suppose as long as they are eating that is a plus. I have to say one of the most disgusting ways that I have seen ketchup used is with American cheese on a Saltine. Sorry Deb, I know you were pregnant but I couldn't stand to even watch that one!

In each Tablespoon of Heinz Tomato Ketchup you will get 15 calories, there is 190mg of sodium, 4g of carbohydrates and 4g of sugars. You should be able to get 33 servings out of this bottle, if you can stick to the 1 Tablespoon, but that can be a chore!

The label also suggests refrigerating after opening, but I remember my grandparents leaving the ketchup bottle on the table all the time. There is also an expiration date on the cap, but the rippled edge makes that pretty tough to read. Un-opened Heinz Tomato Ketchup should have a very long shelf life.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup is also very popular with many restaurants. Many drive-thru type places in my area use the individual packets and some have small bottles sitting on the tables. I know the tavern that I managed, had the red plastic ketchup containers on the tables, but had a huge Heinz Tomato Ketchup packet that hung on the wall in the storage room so we could refill our bottles as needed.

While the taste of Heinz Tomato Ketchup has not changed in all these years, I do have to admit I love the new Upside Down Squeeze Bottle. It makes getting the ketchup where you want it so much simpler. Not to mention the fact that there is no waste, since you are pouring from the bottom nothing will be left in the bottle.

5 Stars Heinz! You improved on perfection!!!


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Ghost In The Machine

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Yesterday, I took my dog to a low cost neuter/spay clinic that also vaccinates cats & dogs.  I got her rabies, distemper, parvo, and bordello shots for $30.00!! biggrin The vet wanted $50 for each shot!!  They also told me they can do heart worm testing for $19 and give me a year's supply of Heartguard for $80, whereas the vet will charge me well over $250 for the very same thing.  I'm so happy I found this clinic.....I saved a pile of money yesterday!!! biggrinbiggrin

Oh, the clinic is run by retired veternarians.....they didn't want to completely stop working so a couple of them teamed up and opened the spay/neuter clinic.  This is a great option for people looking to save some money on their pets' vaccinations if they have something similar in your area!!

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Our vet has Wellness hours where you can bring your pets in to get vaccinations and that sort of thing without having an appointment. If I remember right, the cost of the vaccines are pretty reasonable too.

My vet also has a puppy or kitten plan you can buy. Basically, you pay for everything up front at a discounted rate, and your pet is set for routine visits for the rest of it's life. All office visits are free, and there's a discount for other services you might need. If you've gotten a new puppy and don't plan to move, this is the way to go. They also have adult pet plans, but for our indoor cats, they don't seem worth it. But for an adult dog, they might be.

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oh this year, I am thinking of buying bulk vegetables at the farmers market and then slicing & freeze-drying a lot of them so that they last through the winter.

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