This article is about how often we actually need to wash our clothes. While I’m not saying I necessarily agree with all of their time frames it does support what my family has believed for a long time- Unless clothes are visibly soiled there is no need to wash them after every single wear. This will make your clothes last longer, it’s eco-friendly, and it will save on your water and electric bill (not to mention time and energy.)
These are easy and smart ideas everyone should try. Click above for the link.
I have a very well stocked pantry, thanks to couponing. Today I cleaned mine out because it had become disorganized and I was forgetting what I had which leads to buying things that I have already stocked up on. I now have three jars of peanut butter that I kept thinking I was out of. The above picture shows what I was throwing away because it had expired. Most of these items I had gotten for free/almost free couponing so this is probably less than $5 worth of food but I try never to waste. I am determined to try harder to use up what I have in the future, before I end up throwing it and money away. This is better for my wallet and the environment.
About a week and a half ago, I started a new job. I put myself through college, without any debt, by working as a waitress.I made very good money and I don’t take it for granted that I was lucky to have such a good paying job in such a bad economy, but after waiting tables for 5 years and too many visions of throwing drinks in the faces of rude customers I figured it was time to get a new job. After a particularly bad day, I decided that I wanted to be out of the restaurant industry in two months and exactly one month later I started working for my new company. It’s my first full time, post college job. It’s also the first time I have a somewhat set schedule, benefits, and a steady paycheck. I’m still working on switching over from the restaurant sleep schedule of up until 3 am to sleep until 12 pm. Now I get up at 6:30 am for an hour drive to work, a nine hour work day, and an hour drive back home. I am extremely fortunate that I LOVE my new job.
This blog focuses on saving money without compromising lifestyle and changing jobs can have a big impact on personal finances. I am no financial expert but here are some of my experiences. Initially changing jobs/careers can be bad for your finances. I planned ahead financially for the wait for my first paycheck but going from a job where I took home cash every day to waiting for a paycheck every two weeks in new to me. Initially there were expenses such as new clothes, shoes, and other professional accessories. At Goodwill I got four pairs of shoes for the price of one pair at Payless. I also found a pair of perfectly fitting Forever 21 dress pants for under $2. I am also now spending A LOT more money on gas to get to work. The first week at my new job was so crazy that I decided to eat out for lunches. I spent *gasp* probably around $60 for one week of work lunches. I knew that this was not an amount of money that I am comfortable spending on a weekly basis so the first day I had off I bought *gasp* $50 in groceries. With coupons I usually spend about $20 a week on all household groceries and products, but I didn’t have the time. There is definitely a huge price to be paid for convenience. Now that I am somewhat able to sleep on a schedule that allows me to get up at 6:30am and function for a whole day without massive amounts of coffee (which I have now also bought in bulk) I made a huge salad for lunches and a huge stew for dinners. I am one of those people that doesn’t mind eating the same things for a week straight as long as I don’t have to cook daily. I’ve tried and so far cooking is not my thing, especially now that I have even less time.
I have recently been reading many frugal financial advice books and I agree with the theory that the less money you spend, the less time you can spend working. I am hoping to work more now so that I can work less later, but, I am surprised to say, that so far I really enjoy getting up and going to work. Knowing what I get paid and being able to afford more means that my goal for this coming year will be to continue to live below my means. I have read about people who make over a hundred thousand dollars a year and still consider themselves broke. This is because people consistently live at or above their income level. In other words- they spend what they make. I want to live debt free and have a healthy savings account. I want to be able to pay cash for a new-to-me car when my current car (that I bought with cash for $2,000 off eBay 5 years ago) dies. Now that my income doesn’t fluctuate so drastically I will probably attempt to create a budget to follow. This is not to say that I’m not going to treat myself on occasion. Today, I really wanted a manicure/pedicure and having just been paid I can definitely afford it. However, the idea of spending over $60 and sitting in a salon for over an hour didn’t appeal to me, so I did the manicure/pedicure myself from the comfort of my own apartment with the supplies I already had. I guess this goes back to the same point I keep reading over and over again in frugal advice books- it doesn’t have to cost money to treat yourself. I am also proud that I didn’t run out to spend my first paycheck in less time than it took me to earn it (not that I ever thought I would).
We love the store Dollar Tree because everything in the entire store is $1 (or sometimes less) and it’s a chain so their stores are all over. Some are better than others. The one in Sanford, FL sells everything from milk to blocks of cheese for only $1, but we have discovered that even the smaller Dollar Trees carry $1 Regularly Priced Laundry Detergent (see the above picture). It’s condensed so it’s not in a huge bottle but it’s for 21 loads. That works out to be about .4 cents for a load of laundry. I often price check the household items I buy against what I find at Dollar Tree. If I can get something there for $1 then I won’t spend more than that on the same product somewhere else. Some of the items are cheap quality but many are actually brand name.
When I was out running errands today, I was hungry and I decided to use the Free Fruit and Maple Oatmeal McDonalds coupon that came on the back of the coupon insert in this Sunday’s paper. It didn’t cost me a cent and although I have a hard time believing that anything that comes from McDonalds is actually healthy, I know it was a lot better than a burger and fries. I was surprised that it actually had a lot of fruit in it.
Borders is closing many stores because they have declared bankruptcy. Although I am sad to see one of my favorite stores close, if you have a borders near you it might be a great time to stock up on some great deals to use for gifts for coming birthdays and holidays. Click HERE to read more.
It often amazes me how much product is left in many manufacturer bottles when they are “empty.” Today I “emptied” this bottle of dish soap into a hand pump dispenser. It looked empty and I bet many people would have tossed it straight into the trash, but I hate to waste and so I turned it upside-down. In a short amount of time, enough soap for more than a week had collected in the bottom.
When I moved into my current apartment, I moved my couponer’s stash of new household products before I was actually living in the apartment. A couple of days before we officially moved, I ran out of conditioner at my old apartment and didn’t think it was worth the drive to go get a new one at my new apartment (and of course it wouldn’t make sense to buy a new one when I had a stash already). So I simply cut open the bottle (that I couldn’t squeeze anything more out of) and *surprise* I had more than enough conditioner until we moved.
Now, I always cut open bottles and tubes before I toss them or add a small amount of water and shake them up. This is beneficial for my wallet and the environment and waste is not. I am shocked that sometimes I get more than a week’s worth of different products this way. Over a year or ten this could really add up. It could also save you from having to make an emergency trip to the store because you are “out” of something.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist but it seems a little too convenient that some companies who want you to buy more of product X are completely unaware that their products seem empty when there are still 4 of the promised 12 ounces left in the container. I made up those numbers but the results are visible. My mother has been doing this for years. I have to ask myself why I wasn’t?
I am very interested in ways that people save money without sacrificing their quality of life, especially when it also saves time and energy, so I decided to list some of the ways that my family and I have saved money recently.
– I bought a huge, beautiful entertainment center that is much nicer than I had even hoped for and it was only $25 at a Habitat thrift store. The money went to a good cause and I have wanted an entertainment center like that for three years. My parents bought the same brand but a slightly less nice model new at a wholesale store for $200. Savings- $175.00
– I use a binder type planner and instead of buying new pages I bought a single hole punch for .99 cents and printed and made my own using PrintablePlanners.net. Click HERE to print your own. – Savings- $12.00
– My sister and I found two matching solid wooden bookshelves being thrown away. I needed bookshelves since my cheap pressboard bookshelf fell apart after my last move (I was still using the three remaining shelves). I priced other cheap pressboard book shelves at $25-35 dollars each but the ones I got for free were much nicer. Savings- Over $70.00
– I recently found a perfect fitting suit jacket at Goodwill for $3.99. The brand is the same as a suit jacket I bought on sale new a year ago for $45 dollars. And I got a 10% discount for showing my student ID. Savings- $45.00
– For a family birthday we went to GatorLand. They are having a sale until the end of Feb. where Florida residents get in for only $9.99 vs. the usual $22.00. Savings- $72.00
– Making huge family breakfasts- eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, and coffee, instead of going out to eat during a family weekend vacation. Savings- $100.00
– Getting 6 small bags of pet food for free in the mail just by signing up for free samples. Click HERE to see a picture. Savings- $12.00
– Getting the books that I have wanted to read recently from the library instead of buying them- Savings- $65.00
– Doing my own nails. Click HERE to learn how to do a 6 Step French Manicure– Savings- $25.00
– Couponing for groceries and other household products (just this month) Click HERE to see where I find my deals. – Savings- Hundreds!
Has anyone else noticed how expensive gift bags are? I would rather put my money towards the gift than its wrapping. So for my brother and sister’s birthday (they are twins) I decided to get creative. I used my printer to print out Happy Birthday! and attached it to bags I already had. The one on the left (you might have guessed) was a Victoria’s Secret bag I was given with a free pair of underwear and the one on the right I was given free at a UCF Fair. Both came with tissue paper already.
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