Dollar Stretcher Tips
Dollar Stretcher Tips courtesy
of TheDollarStretcher.com.
Email your time or money saving tip to Tips@stretcher.com.
More Efficient Bill-Paying
I have found that I send certain things in the mail just about
every month. Some have return envelopes, and some don't. For
the ones that don't, I keep one on hand already addressed to
use the next month. This makes it quicker for me to do bill
paying as I always have one on hand and I don't have to hunt
addresses. I just copy a new one each time that I use the old
one.
Also, I found that it is handy to have a trash
can and recycling bin at the desk. I can toss stuff in the right
place without getting up, and at the end of the week, the trash
is ready to go out and so is the recycling.
Nancy G.
You'll Save If...
My best suggestion for saving money is to stay home! Anytime
you leave home, it costs money!
Lorrie G.
Jackson, OH
The Vinegar Antidote
My family swims at the Wellness Center all year. Chlorine can
cause the spandex and elastic in swimsuits to disintegrate very
rapidly even after they have been laundered. I was given the
tip of rinsing the swimsuits in 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon of
water prior to laundering. The vinegar neutralizes the chlorine.
We have light blonde hair that is easily damaged
by chlorine. The same vinegar rinse does wonders for that as
well. It doesn't leave a scent behind either.
Terri L.
Ant-Free
Years ago, a friend told me to put cucumber peels in a small
open dish under my sink to repel small ants. It worked and I
use this tip every summer. Remember to replace the peels often,
so that they don't spoil.
Kathy W.
Shredding Savings
Don't buy shredded cheese! It costs $2.39 for eight ounces and
it is only $2.89 per pound in the deli! I've seen this tip over
and over, but (kind of like a small child!) I have to see it
for myself.
Kelly in Michigan
Cheap Used Transportation
Recently, I was in a position to replace my aging car or pay
exorbitant mechanic fees to have it repaired. I came up with
almost $5,000. I surfed the Internet for days researching. I
knew I wanted a mini-van and saw that the re-sale value on mini-vans
was very high.
I checked out some local small car dealerships
and became discouraged. I thought that I would need to broaden
my search. However, my husband made a very wise suggestion.
He encouraged me to go to the lots of large new car dealers.
He thought that they may have trade-ins that they want to get
rid of and may be willing part with them at a fair price.
I began calling around, telling the dealerships
what I was looking for and how much I was willing to pay. Sure
enough, within the day, two dealerships called me back with
exactly what I wanted. I ended up getting a reliable mini-van
in excellent condition with less than 90,000 miles for just
$4800 cash. The blue book value was $9800!
Also, our local library was able to provide
me with the gas mileage information for the vehicles I was considering
so that I could compare that cost. Also, my insurance agency
was happy to give me quotes for the cars I was considering.
I'm still very pleased with myself for finding such a great
buy!
Dawn
Rationing
If you are able to find cookbooks from the War Years, or even
the Great Depression, they contain excellent ways to stretch
your grocery budget. The cookbook that I have from 1945 lists
ways to stretch meat and sugar rations. It helps me save money
every time I use it.
Elizabeth J.
Local 'Visitors'
When I've traveled to other cities for vacations, the hotel
lobbies are always packed full of brochures for that city's
attractions. Most have coupons for dollars off the entrance
fee or other savings.
I live in a large metropolitan area. When looking
for coupons for local attractions, I decided to check out the
hotel lobbies. So I stopped at a large chain hotel, ran inside
the lobby, and helped myself to brochures on all the attractions
I wanted to visit during the summer with my kids. We saved quite
a bit of money with these brochures that are provided for "visitors
to the city."
Deb C.
Dollar Store Dates
We have a lake home that we visit as often as we can, but sometimes,
months go by before we get there. Last time we were there, I
visited the local dollar store and bought some Frosted Flakes.
When I got home, I found that I had an unopened box from the
previous season in the cabinet.
My daughter thought the new box of Frosted
Flakes tasted a bit stale. When we compared the expiration dates,
we realized that the cereal that had been sitting in our cabinet
for over a year expired later than the one we had just purchased
at the dollar store. It had expired two years before. The boxes
were both name brand cereal.
So, check the expiration dates on items that
might tolerate a long shelf life to make sure you are really
getting a bargain.
Andrea R.
Swimmer's Hair
As swimmers and blondes, my family and I are constantly battling
the effects of chlorine in our hair. Green tint and dry hair
being the worst. There is a swimmer's shampoo available, but
it is expensive.
We've discovered that if your hair is already
green, wash it with a pasty mixture of regular shampoo and baking
soda. It may take two applications, but the green really does
come out.
To prevent green and dry hair, try wetting
your hair before swimming. Then put some of your regular conditioner
in your hair. Don't rinse it out. Just swim with it. It helps
block the chlorine. Then, after swimming, rinse and wash like
regular.
I'm enjoying the best summer at the pool yet,
with soft blonde hair.
IJR
Just One Week
Always wait a week before purchasing anything over $50. Spontaneous
purchases are a bad thing. About half of the time, you will
find that you really don't need the item. Plus, it gives you
time to shop around and barter a little.
WM
Carpet Cream?
My dog recently had an accident on our new Berber carpet. I
was out of carpet cleaner and the smell was not pleasing. I
decided to use my husband's shaving cream and it worked wonders!
It took the smell out and it didn't bleach
the carpet. I went out and bought a can of Colgate Shaving Cream
from the dollar store and now can clean any carpet mess in an
instant!
Mary J.
Norwalk, CT
Homemade Italian Ice
My husband and I love going to the chain Italian ice stores
for gelatos, the ice and ice cream mixes, but at $3 per cup,
it's an expensive treat. Instead, he froze fruit juice in ice
cube trays, mashed the cubes, and put them in a cup, alternating
with layers of vanilla ice cream. They taste just as good, and
the savings are huge. A carton of ice cream is $2.50 and a bottle
of juice is $2. We've enjoyed more than a dozen "gelatos"
without running out.
We also discovered during a recent bout with
bronchitis that the frozen juice cubes alone are just as soothing
as expensive cough drops.
MR
Trial Before You Buy Big
When trying new hair care products, don't waste money purchasing
the large-size bottles when you're not familiar with a product's
performance. Instead, visit your local beauty supply store and
scan the shelves for pint-size bottles of shampoos, conditioners,
gels, mousses, sprays, etc. Most name-brand products carry smaller,
sample sizes for a dollar and under.
Also, if there's a certain product that interests
you, be sure to ask an employee if they have any samples up
for grabs. You can often get sample-size products free, especially
when there is a current promotion going on. Don't be shy in
asking!
Once you find a product you are pleased with,
you can be confident investing in the larger bottle. After all
your cost-effective experimentation, you will know which products
work well, and which ones don't. Best of all, large unused bottles
of hair care products will no longer litter your bathroom or
your pocketbook.
Trish
Brea, CA
Cookbook Clearance
I had about 30 cookbooks that I never used wasting space in
my cupboard. In most of them, I only liked two or three recipes.
One day, I went through every single cookbook, and if I saw
a recipe I liked and would realistically use, I copied it and
gave the cookbook away.
I organized all my recipes into a single binder
and inserted the recipe pages into sheet protectors to avoid
splattering my recipes while cooking. Now I know exactly where
to find the recipe I want and I know I like every single recipe
in my personalized cookbook.
Kristin in Seattle
Wedding Food
For my wedding two years ago, we found a way to spend nearly
nothing for food at the reception. My mom makes beautiful wedding
cakes, so that was no problem, but we were uneasy about spending
lots of money on little finger foods. (We are all tightwads
in my family.) So, whenever someone asked us what they could
do to help with the wedding, we told them to bring a plate of
veggies, fruit, or cookies to the reception.
We borrowed antique sliver platters from a
friend to serve the food. It gave the reception a uniform look.
We ended up with plenty of food and even an unexpected groom's
cake. It was great because we had a wide variety of tasty, homemade
treats, and we knew most everyone at the reception was bound
to find food they liked. They would at least enjoy eating whatever
they brought!
Allison in TN
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