Pennysaverblog – Page 359 – Smart Finance and Money Saving Tips

Shopping

3 Things You Should Know About Buying Bulk

For the most part, buying bulk saves you money. However, consider these 3 tips before buyng bulk:

1. Don’t buy bulk if you have to use debt to purchase it. There’s no point in racking up credit card debt in order to buy bulk. Although the products may be cheaper, the amount of interest you will pay on your debt will outweigh the money you saved in the first place.

2. Compare prices. Buying bulk does not always save you money. Sometimes you actually pay more when you buy bulk. For instance, I noticed that when Kleenex goes on sale, it is often cheaper to buy individual boxes rather than the 6 packs. Toothpaste, too, seems to be cheaper when purchased individually. Don’t be deceived – buying bulk isn’t always cheaper.

3. You may subconsciously overuse the products you buy in bulk. Interestingly, research studies have shown that people who buy bulk products are more likely to overuse them. I discovered that I am guilty of that. I bought a 3 pack of shaving gel the other day and found myself using it way more liberally than if I had just bought one bottle. I also noticed that when I buy large packages of frozen fruit to make smoothies, I use a lot of fruit, but if I buy the small packages, I am more conscious about how much I am using. So, if purchasing products in bulk, it is best to be conscious and not overuse the products, otherwise the savings is lost due to overuse.

May 11, 2009

Household

Ways to Use Cornstarch Around The House

Cornstarch is popular for making gravies and sauces, but you can do a lot of other things with it as well. Using cornstarch is a great alternative to using more expensive, potentially toxic products. Check out some of the ideas below:

1. Sprinkle some cornstarch onto the knots in your shoelaces and it will make it easier for you to untangle them.

2. Get rid of grease spots on your kitchen walls by sprinkling cornstarch onto a cloth and rubbing the spot gently. It will soon disappear. You can also use cornstarch to remove grease spots from leather (shoes, sofas, etc.) by sprinkling the starch directly onto the spot and letting it sit overnight.

3. Freshen up your carpets by sprinkling cornstarch onto your carpet and letting it sit for about half an hour. Then vacuum as normal.

4. Give your dog a bath without water by rubbing cornstarch into your dog’s coat and then brushing it out.

5. Cornstarch can be used in lots of different ways to inexpensively entertain kids:

A. Mix it with water to make a paste to make glue. A great alternative to white glue and all natural!

B. Mix it with water and let your kids put their hands in it. It is a gooey mixture that is a lot of fun to play with. Put in some food coloring to add to the fun.

C. Make finger paint by boiling a quarter cup of cornstarch in two cups of water and then mixing in some food coloring.

D. Make face paint by mixing 2 parts cornstarch with one part vegetable shortening and add some food coloring. It’s nontoxic and works great for Halloween!

May 9, 2009

Money Saving Tips

Ways To Save Money on Gas

There are a lot of ways to save money on gas. Try them and you will be surprised at how much money you will save.

Maintain Your Vehicle

1. Keep your tires properly inflated and make sure they are aligned properly.

2. Change your oil regularly and upgrade your air filter.

3. Make sure that your gas cap fits securely.

Driving Behaviors

4. Driving aggressively results in burning more gas because you are more likely to brake suddenly, brake more often, and speed up too fast. Drive calmly and patiently and you will save a lot of money and your vehicle will last longer.

5. Avoid idling as much as possible. In traffic it is unavoidable, but instead of idling while waiting at a drive through, stop the car and go inside to place your order.

May 8, 2009

Money Saving Tips

Avoid Money Wasters

Although I have written blogs about some big money wasters already, I think it’s important to emphasize them so that we can avoid them. There’s no point in wasting money that we work hard for. Think about it this way, if you waste your money, you are also wasting your time. Why? Because the more money you waste, the more time you have to spend working to pay for it all! Below is a list of just some of the money wasters out there. There are many more, so watch out for them!

1. Eating out rather than bringing your own lunch to work. Bring some leftovers from last night’s supper rather than spending $5 to $7 everyday to buy lunch.

2. Buying food and then letting it rot in the fridge. It happens to all of us. But why? We need to be more aware of what we are buying and make sure that we are eating it before it goes bad.

3. Bottled water. Rather than buying hundreds of bottles and polluting our environment, why not save your money and the environment and drink filtered water brought from home? At around $1.50 a bottle, if you buy one bottle of water every day, you are wasting almost $550 per year!

May 7, 2009

Book Reviews

Great Recession Survival Tips Found in the Tightwad Gazette

I recently told a friend of ours about this blog and she recommended that I read The Tightwad Gazette. I had never heard of it before so I decided to check it out. I have to say I am impressed! The author, Amy Dacyczyn, had this fabulous idea to ask others to contribute ideas on how they save money. So, in addition to her own articles, scattered throughout the book there are miniature articles written by various people throughout Canada and the United States offering tips on everything from home decorating to cheap breakfast cereals. There are also a lot of great recipes. If you would like to learn ways to become thriftier, I would highly recommend this book. Believe me, there are ideas in this book that you have never thought of! I can’t think of a better time than now to be reading a book like this. Surviving a recession can be tough, but with a little bit of research, you can find great ways to live frugally and keep afloat during the tough times.

Here are some neat tips introduced in the book to whet your appetite:

*Make your charcoal last longer by pouring water on the coals immediately after you are finished with them. By the time you are ready to barbecue again they will be thoroughly dry and you can reuse them.

*Make your own brown sugar by taking one cup of white sugar and mixing it with two tablespoons of molasses. It works well for baking and is cheaper than buying regular brown sugar.

*Use a dab of nail polish to stop runs in bathing suits.

*Have a “casserole shower” instead of a baby shower about 3 weeks before the baby is due. All of the guests bring a casserole that the mom-to-be will then put in the freezer until her baby is born. The new mom will be grateful for all the ready-made meals.

May 6, 2009

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