Daily Preparedness

Here it is–your guide to magically transforming every dollar you into green elastic! Yes, green elastic that stretches and stretches due to your infinite powers of frugality. As those dollars stretch you will find that your creativity, self confidence and bank account grow. Check back often as ideas will be updated often. The newest tips will be published at the top of each category. I might even put the new ones in italics for the first week or two.

So, what are you waiting for? Read on and if YOU possess a money stretching, elastic producing tip, email them to us!

CHILDREN (Raising them economically & teaching them to be frugal)

• Breastfeed your babies. The savings are HUGE and the health benefits for you and your baby well documented.
• If you cannot breastfeed, use generic baby formula. FDA requirements mandate the standards for baby formula, so it should all be created equal. Utilize coupons and sign up for manufacturer’s coupons.
  
• Consider using cloth diapers. Not only are they economical, they are more ‘eco-friendly’ and the cloth diapers can be used later for a variety of uses. Babies with sensitive skin will usually fair better with cloth diapers. Save the disposables for trips out of the house.
• If you must use disposable, shop for the best prices, use generics & utilize coupons!
  
• Make your own baby wipes. There are plenty of free instructions on the web.
• Make your own baby food. Simply smash or process in the food processor fruits and veggies. Baby cereal is merely rolled oats processed into smaller pieces–you can do the same thing in your blender for a fraction of the cost.
• Baby juice? It is merely regular juice that has more water added to it.
• Decorate the nursery in ’shabby chic’ with colorful, but mismatched furniture and equipment.
• Clothe them from yard sales, thrift stores & consignment shops. Of course, carefully launder your finds before putting them on baby. Cleaning is a good idea for all baby items–new or used.
• Instead of purchasing a changing table, purchase a pad that converts a dresser top to a changing table.
  
• If you are registering for baby gifts, concentrate on what you REALLY need for the baby! Don’t hesitate to return items you receive if they are duplicates, unnecessary or simply over-priced fluff.
  
• Teach your children to eat a variety of foods. Picky eaters, in the majority of cases, are created by parents.
• Utilize your local parks for outdoor play and your parks and recreation department for a variety of low-cost or free activities.
  
• Teach your children to work and find joy in a job well done.
• Trade clothes with friends and family members! This goes for equipment, toys, etc.
• Don’t fall prey to excellent marketing schemes. Your baby doesn’t ‘need’ Baby Einstein–just borrow a CD of classical music from the library.
  
• Utilize the library for children’s activities, books, music, DVD’s.
• Limit toy purchases–again don’t fall victim to the advertising agency. Think before you purchase items–does this really teach my child something? What values is this toy imparting to my child? Will they REALLY play with it? The smallest of children often find greater entertainment value in simple household objects such as a metal bowl, a wooden spoon and some canning rings, than in another plastic creation.
• Teach your children to take care of their belonging. They will develop life-long abilities and habits that will serve them well later on.
• Teach your children to pick up after themselves.
• Always check freecycle for equipment you may need.
  
• The one exception to ‘free’ or ‘used’ may be a car seat. Unless you know the complete origin of the car seat, I would always suggest purchasing new. Engineering continues to improve and a car seat that is not cared for properly or has been in an accident may not protect your child!
• Many insurance companies, hospitals and government agencies offer free or greatly reduced car seats for new parents. Look into these programs early in your pregnancy and watch for clearance sales. Car seats are sometimes ‘redesigned’ just for looks and you might find a great deal.
• Your child doesn’t really need a designer dresser or baby wardrobe. Inexpensive plastic drawers fit easily into the bottom of a closet and the smaller drawers help divide baby’s little clothes. Fabric boxes designed to hang from a closet rod are also great for storing baby’s clothes. Utilize over the door shoe bags for the same purpose. It is much easier to grab a pair of socks from a clear vinyl compartment than it is to dig through a drawer.
• Crib sheets are super easy to make and there are free instructions online. You can make a crib sheet from an older ‘adult sized’ sheet or from fabric purchased on sale.
  
• Bath time does not have to be bankrupt time. Unless there is a medical necessity, babies can be washed with plain water and a very mild soap. They rarely need (nor should have) scented lotions, baby oils, etc. Check with your pediatrician and other Moms for less expensive options. You may also be able to buy tears-free baby shampoo from a beauty supply house in bulk and then water it down for baby wash.
• Nearly every Mom is given at least one free diaper bag. You might also consider picking up one of the very roomy purses available now while they are on the clearance rack.
• COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS,….for everything from baby wipes to diapers to toys to clothes. Use them and ask friends to save them for you!
• Government and company freebies. Everything from activity books to learning guides to posters and DVDs can be found for free from a wide variety of government and company websites. Just search for ‘free activity guide” or ‘free learning guide’ or ‘children’s activity’ to see what is out there.
  
• You may qualify for programs such as WIC. Check it out in order to save on food bills.
  
• Teach your children to entertain themselves with simple items. The concept of parents entertaining their children or providing commercial entertainment for them is a very new concept that is not serving the children well.
• Teach your children the joy of giving of themselves. Volunteer work is not only inexpensive, it is character building.
• Encourage your children to learn provident living skills such as cooking, home repair, clothing maintenance, sewing, etc.
• Develop an attitude of adventure in your children. Teach them to ‘roll with the tide’ of life, to find joy in simple things and to acclimate themselves to a variety of circumstances, people and cultures. By doing so, your children will be more adaptable as adults, better able to be happy in a greater number of circumstances and not require high-maintenance in order to be happy.
• Purchase seasonal items in gender neutral colors. Winter coats, snow boots, snow pants, roller skates, hats, mittens, backpacks, lunch bags and sleds are just a few examples. Little Johnny can use Big Sister’s roller skates more easily if they aren’t ‘Barbie skates’.
• Try to avoid the ‘tie in’ merchandise with your child. Begin when they are very little purchasing items that are not covered with cartoon characters, TV personalities or the latest kiddie movie.
• Teach your children to be wise shoppers and encourage them to be bargain hunters.
• Teach your children the value of money. Consider granting them an allowance which would be a small (very small) share of your discretionary income. Pay it frequently when they are small, such as weekly. Make it clear what the allowance is for and how to care for their money properly. If your child continually wants an item that is a dollar, make their allowance a dollar, but require that they save 10% and tithe 10%. They will now have to wait at least a week to purchase that dollar item.
• Teach your children to work for what they want. If you can afford it, consider ‘hiring’ them for small jobs when they want extra money. Set forth the terms of the job and payment clearly before they begin.
• Utilize community centers and other less-expensive resources for preschool (if you child really needs it). swimming and lessons.
• Join co-ops for babysitting, play dates, etc.
  
• Young children don’t really need a large number of group activities and ‘lessons’. Let them be children and have free time for creative play.
• Encourage creativity and creative problem solving instead of more ‘classes’ and ‘groups’. A few art supplies at home can be much cheaper and often more freeing for a child than another art class.
  
• Watch yard sales for clothing and equipment in good condition.
• If your extended family exchanges birthday and Christmas gifts, use those gift-giving occasions to acquire needed equipment, especially for very young children. Let family members know what your child might need or want. Most grandparents appreciate this sort of input.
• If your extended family is open to it, suggest they limit gift giving and instead deposit those dollars into a savings account for your child’s education.
• Teach your children to shop at home before running to the store. This applies to clothing, school supplies, gifts, and food.
• Take snacks with you wherever you go with your children!
• Do all you can to keep your children healthy. Avoid junk food, sugary substances and promote the eating of fresh vegetables and fruit.

STAYING CLEAN

• Make your own laundry soap–see the recipes page for a simple powdered laundry soap which costs a fraction of commercially prepared formulas and YOU control what goes into it.
• Purchase hand soaps and dish soaps in large refill sizes and then refill the dispenser. See the recipe page for directions to make your own foaming hand soap.
  
• Store brands usually clean just as well as name brands!
• Make your own basic household cleaners. Most are simply made from vinegar or bleach or ammonia. Do follow recipes and never mix bleach and ammonia!
• Save on paper towels by using cloth. OR if you use a paper towel to dry your hands or wipe up some water, get double use out of it. Let it dry out for a second use OR look around for a spot on the floor. Drop the wet paper towel on the offending floor spot and use your foot to wipe it up with the paper towel.
• Purchase shampoos and conditioners in bulk from a beauty supply store. Refill the smaller bottles.
• If you have small bits of bar soap left over, place them in a net, drawstring bag (you can usually get them at the dollar store). The net bag is a great mild exfoliater and utilizes those small bits of soap.
  
• A net bag will also extend the life of your bar soap.
• When you travel, bring home the little ‘freebies’ from the hotel room. The kids will love them, they work well in 72 hour kits and you can put the bars of soap into those net bags!
• Use washcloths for small hand towels, especially in bathrooms that get a lot of traffic. You can change the washcloths quickly and more frequently.
• Use washcloths for napkins at the dinner table. Did you know that napkin rings were originally used to designate which napkins belonged to who? The napkins were used for more than one meal and no one used a napkin used by someone else. You might try this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Always wear an apron when cooking. The apron will protect your clothes from spills and you can wipe your hands on it, too!
• Your cleaning time will be cut if you immediately fill cooking pans with hot water when you finish using them. Let them soak while you enjoy dinner.
• If you use spray cleaners, be sure to let them work for you. Leave on the surface for a few minutes or according to the manufacturer’s directions.
• Use dress shields when wearing dry clean only garments. If you protect your clothing from perspiration, you can extend the time between trips to the cleaners AND extend the life of your clothes.
• Instead of dryer sheets, fill a spray bottle with 1/4 of fabric softener and 3/4 water. Shake gently. Spray a washcloth or other small piece of fiber with the solution and add to your dryer. There are also ‘dryer balls’ available that work in a similar fashion. Some people keep a container of watered down fabric softener and washcloths on top of their dryer. They wring out the washcloth and add one to each dryer load.
• If you wear predominately natural fibers, you may find that you do not need dryer sheets at all. It is usually polyester and other man-made fibers that create static in the dryer.
• Towels dried without fabric softener are more absorbent.
• Air dry your clothes if you need to cut your electric bill!
• If your washer has an extended spin cycle—USE IT! The extra spinning uses much less energy than extra time in the dryer. If you don’t have an automatic extended spin cycle option, simply turn the washer to ’spin only’ after each load of towels or other hard to dry items.
• Clean out your dryer’s lint trap EVERY TIME YOU USE IT!
• If you dryer takes longer and longer to dry, the lint trap and exhaust portals within the machine or between the machine and the outside are most likely clogged. Clean these out! Trapped dryer lint is a leading cause of home fires. Check your dryer manual for details. You may also be able to simply remove the exhaust hose, check it and clean it out quite easily.
• Replace washing machine hoses at the first sign of wear.
  
• Vacuum your floors often. It will keep them cleaner, they will last longer and you’ll have to mop less often.
• Make your own refills for ’swifter’ type mops from old mattress pads, towels, washcloths or other absorbent material. Many washcloths and small hand towels fit perfectly on a swifter. Spray the washcloth with water or a mixture of vinegar and water, then damp mop your floor!
• Clean clothes before storing them for the season. Avoid perfumed soaps or fabric softeners as these can attract critters that like to feast on fibers. Dirty clothes also attract fiber eaters.
• Mop up spills when they occur. You are less likely to have the mess transported elsewhere and less likely to have a permanent stain.
• Invest in a good quality, highly absorbent door mat. You can often find them on clearance racks. Teach everyone to wipe their feet before coming in the house! If you choose to have folks remove their shoes, provide a place for the shoes to be put.
  

GROCERIES

• LEARN TO COOK ! ! ! Seriously, people, it isn’t brain surgery but it will cut out the diseases of “fast foodosis” and “budgetary diarrhea”. The long term financial and health benefits could probably fund your child’s college education.
• If at all possible, shop alone. You’ll spend less and have a little bit of quiet time. But, don’t shop for entertainment’s sake.
• Never shop hungry. If you can’t avoid it, eat some store samples or get a roll from the bakery to munch on while shopping.
• Buy a crockpot. You don’t need one with a zillion different bells and whistles–just one that cooks the food slow while you are gone. Now, learn to use it and use it often!
• A freezer is a worthwhile investment and every family should have one. Not only can you purchase items on sale for later use, you can fill it with your own homemade fast food!
• Cook double or triple, then freeze the rest. Most casseroles, spaghetti sauces, ground beef dishes and baked goods freeze well. You’ll make one big mess and have multiple meals from that one mess!
• Eat less meat. This is not only good for your wallet, but good for your body.
• Plan your leftovers. NO food should be thrown away. Teach your family to eat up those leftovers for lunches, snacks or even an entire dinner. Check your frig often and utilize items before they go bad. If you have a selection of leftovers, plan a ‘cafeteria’ night to heat up everything and let the family choose their own entree.
• Freeze what you won’t eat right away. A single portion of lasagna? Great! Wrap it tightly and store in the freezer. You now have an instant ‘fast food’ dinner.
• Freeze vegetable bits. When you have a bag full, you have the makings of a great pot of soup stock.
• Learn to cook soup. Your crockpot will be your friend and soup can suck every ounce of nutrition from your food dollar. You can roast potato peels, carrot peels, onion skins, chunks of left over veggies of nearly any kind (remember you are hoarding them in your freezer), a chicken carcass in your oven. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and roast for a couple of hours. When everything is all nice a browned, cover it with water, some salt, pepper and a few green herbs. When that liquid is browned, dump it all in the crockpot over night or all day. Strain out the chunks and you have amazing stock. Use it with some beans, recognizable pieces of veggies, some rice and you have soup! Add spices to provide zest or zing and freeze the excess for fast meals. If you prefer, just freeze the stock to use as the liquid for cooking rice or pasta. You just turned trash into treasure!!
• Freeze those last few grapes, strawberries, etc. and make fruit smoothies out of them.
• Always shop from a list–always! Even if you are stopping off for milk and eggs, write those items down before you go into the store.
• Prepare a ‘master grocery list’ and post it where everyone can see it. The list is easy to prepare from your grocery store’s map. List items you routinely buy by their aisle location. Everyone circles items they know you are out of. When you go to the store, put your list on a clipboard with the coupons and it will sit up nicely in the cart.
• Limit your shopping trips. Smart shoppers only go to the store once or twice a month–with a list!
• Collect coupons for items you routinely purchase. Clip them to your master list and put a small ‘c’ by the item that you will use the coupon for. When you are at the store, you can quickly make sure the coupon item is a good deal.
• Buy generics as much as possible. Many store brands are as good or better than the ‘name brand’. Many are identical as they are made in the same factory.
• Figure out which grocery store in your area is cheaper. You can do your own price comparison by preparing a ‘price notebook’ comparing prices on your normal shopping trip, or you can utilize a local comparison shopping guide. In the Washington, D.C. metro area, ‘Washington Checkbook’ does a yearly survey to determine the least expensive grocery store. It often isn’t who you think it will be! The winner the last several years? Wegman’s (you just have to avoid that luxury deli area). Toward the bottom of the list? Shopper’s Food Warehouse.
• Don’t buy in bulk items you won’t use up. That 20lb bag of french fries is a waste if you don’t eat them up or don’t like them.
• Comparison shop! Many items in ‘warehouse clubs’ are not actually cheaper than buying on sale or even at full price in other stores.
• Subscribe to email notifications of store flyers. You can easily take advantage of ‘loss leaders’ on a weekly basis. Use these to plan your meals.
• Stock up on items you use frequently when they are deeply discounted. Store in an organized manner so that you know what you have.
• Use the ‘two deep’ inventory control on basic items. For instance, you don’t want to run out of laundry soap. Restock your supply when you have one left, not when you open the last one. This will prevent you from those last minute ‘just running to the store’ adventures that always lead to a bigger bill.
• Understand the psychology of grocery stores. They are laid out to encourage you to spend money! Remember to look up and to look down when comparison shopping. The most expensive choice will probably be at eye level.
• Don’t start buying your children treats everytime they go to the store. This builds an expectation and their tastes expand as they get older. Teach them that grocery shopping is a task, not a process for a reward.
• Plan your menus! Know what you have on hand to cook and have a plan.
• Plan for unexpected events. Have foods that are easy and fast to prepare by everyone old enough to safely manage a stove. Some wise home managers even package up the simple ingredients for these meals and have them in a bag for those days when dinner isn’t an after thought.
• Take your food with you! When you are going out to do errands, going on a day adventure or to work–pack some food with you!
• Drink more water and make it from the tap. Juice, sodas & specialty drinks all run up the grocery bill.
• Eat simply. You really don’t need to cook like the chefs on TV with a zillion different sauces and ingredients. Remember, those TV chefs are often paid sizable fees for product placement–just so you’ll think you HAVE to have that special imported Wasabi sauce.
• Standard spices purchased in bulk are almost always a good deal. If you don’t use them quickly, simply store the big container in your freezer.
• Check online for items you use a lot of! You can purchase many items at wholesale and many online food distributors offer periodic sales.
• If you think you need a new kitchen gadget, see if you can borrow one from a friend before buying. Ask yourself how much you will really use that fondue pot. Check freecycle for someone giving one away.
• When you are in the store, put one of the hand carry baskets in your big cart. When you are tempted by an item that is not on your list, place it in that basket. Look at it as you shop and ask, do I really need that? Can I afford that? What am I going to have to give up to buy that? If in doubt, hand it back to a cashier and tell them you’ve changed your mind.
• Find out when meat is mark downed at your favorite store. Figure out their system and watch for those bargains.
• Extend the life of fresh meat and those ‘club’ packages by pre-cooking meat. You can brown up 5lb of hamburger in a minimal amount of time and divide into dinner portion bags for the freezer.
• Always consider the portion cost of any food you purchase.
• QUIT buying prepared foods! They cost a lot more money, have more preservatives and ‘mystery’ ingredients.
• Look for discontinued items at the grocery store. Huge discounts can often apply and most will also accept coupons so you can double your savings. This also applies to lightly damaged goods.
• DEVELOP SELF-DISCIPLINE!! Do not be suckered into the psychology of the store. Learn to say NO to yourself!!
• Store your food carefully so that it does not go to waste.
• Understand the difference between ‘best by’ and ‘use by’ dates. On many items, the date means little and if stored carefully (especially canned goods), the shelf life is limitless. Even soured milk can be used for baking in any recipe that calls for buttermilk. Of course, you really don’t want to eat anything that has stuff growing on it (except some hard cheeses when you can cut the green stuff off and eat away).
• Couponing can save you significant money, especially if you are well organized, self-discipline and combine those coupons with sales promotions.
• Speaking of coupons, always look on boxes for ‘instant use’ coupons. I recently purchased name brand cereal for less than 50 cents a box due to a sale and ‘instant use’ coupons on the boxes.
• Cut out the junk. Chips, cookies, snack cakes and like nonsense run up your food bill and your waistline. Instead, pop some popcorn at home, eat a carrot or learn to bake simple treats (freeze the extra for later).
• If you like a product, write to the manufacturer. They will often reward you with freebies.
• Check out sites online that guide you to the best coupons and a few pair those coupons with weekly sale items.
• Watch the cashier. The percentage of coding errors in grocery stores can border on the criminal in some stores. Most stores offer incentives (such as a free item) if you are charged the wrong amount.
• CUT OUT EATING OUT AND CARRY OUT! ! !
• Don’t hesitate to return items that are bad.
• Set a goal for yourself and then applaud your accomplishments! My favorite is to save so much money that the cashier has to call over a manager to over ride the cash register–that’s when you know you’ve done well!!
• If roasts are cheaper than ground beef, ask the butcher to grind up the roast for you.
• If a store is out of an item you want, make certain you get a rain check. I do this on purpose sometimes when meat is a loss leader. That way, I can purchase more in 30 or 60 days. I also don’t have to process as much at one time.
• If you are going to purchase a large quantity of one item, ask if there is an additional discount.
• Be open to looking for groceries in other stores. Many stores such as Target, T.J. Maxx, department stores and Ross carry holiday food gift sets. After the holiday, the price on these seasonal items will be slashed dramatically.
• Look for holiday-themed packaged items to go on sale after the holiday. It may just be a cake mix, but it will be 75% off after Easter because the sprinkles are shaped like rabbits. Will your 3 year old really care if there are rabbits in his cupcake in May? He’ll probably love it!
• Learn to google for ingredients. For instance, you have a recipe that calls for Green Eyed Sauce (I made that up, so don’t google it), but it costs $4.95 for a 3 ounce bottle. Google for the recipe and you might find that the sauce is just as easy to make at home–for a dime.
• Grow a garden. If you don’t want to grow a big garden, which can be expensive, time consuming, etc, etc, grow an herb garden and use those herbs to provide variety to your meals.
• Learn to safely preserve food. Can, dehydrate and freeze your way to healthier meals and lower bills. The best resource of all is free at: http://uga.edu/nchfp/
• If you are good about paying off your credit cards, you might getter a higher cashback reward using your card at the grocery store.
• Sign up for the grocery store ‘club’. If you are antsy about giving them your name, address, etc–just give them a fake one. This won’t work so well if you want to write checks at the store.
• Skip most foods packaged with cartoon characters or especially for children. Most of these iems are merely ‘downsized’ in packaging and ‘upsized’ in price & often sugar! Instead, buy regular juice, water it down and put it in a sippy cup. Buy some cheese in a chunk, cube it and give junior a few. Be creative and cut some in rectangles, some in squares, some in triangles–he’ll learn his shapes and you’ll save money.
• Make your own baby food. Unless there is a medical reason prohibiting it, you can grind up green beans for a fraction of the cost of purchasing those cute little containers of food. Baby oatmeal is simply oatmeal that has been put through a blender to break up the grain more. As soon as baby can eat finger foods, skip those ‘junior meals’ that look like dog food. Just cut up some pasta, cheese, and whatever you are having for junior. He’ll like it better.
• Breastfeed your baby–it is cheaper than formula and better for baby (unless your doctor says differently for some specific reason)
• Know which products really matter when buying ‘organic’. For instance, all chicken and pork in the U.S. is not allowed to have added hormones or antibiotics and yet some shoppers pay extra because the marketing folks added this information to the label.
• Don’t buy non-organic foods at the organic food store. As always, compare prices as most major grocery stores carry a good supply of organic items at a cheaper price than the specialty store.
• Shop farmer’s markets towards the end of the day. Farmers will often discount items, especially if you are buying a quantity, rather than haul them back and risk spoilage.
• Check for local suppliers of fruits and vegetables.
• Always, always compare the price per pound/ounce/etc. between items. Packaging can be deceptive!
• Use your basic commodity food storage items everyday. If you shopped smartly for them, you will continually save money.
• Avoid buying nonfood items at the grocery store. Always check discount stores to price items you purchase routinely from the health and beauty section. The discounter is often cheaper than the grocery store! This is also true of vitamins and over-the-counter medications.
• Teach your children to eat a variety of foods.

ENTERTAINMENT AND TRAVEL

• Get every benefit from your ‘benefits’. Check with your HR department for a listing of discounts they may have for employees at vacation destinations, movies, local attractions, health clubs, etc.
• Ask for discounts at lodging, airlines, restaurants. Know which ones in your area offer discounts for your demographic.
• Sign up for loyalty programs every where you go.
• Analyze how you spend your entertainment dollars and the benefit you receive from it. Are you really utilizing that NetFlix account? Can you afford it? How much are you spending at Blockbuster?
• LIBRARY, LIBRARY, LIBRARY, LIBRARY .. We should all have a yearly Andrew Carnegie Day in celebration of our local libraries. In nearly every town, the public library is a resource just waiting for you to take advantage of it. It is probably one of the few government run ‘benefits’ that is happy when you the tax payer fully utilize it, so do it! Libraries are full of not only books, but magazines, movies, music, lectures, resource librarians just anxious to help junior, summer programs, winter programs, day time programs, anytime programs, free books, a/c in the summer, videogames, art displays, cheap books to buy, maps, phone books, newspapers, comfortable chairs and often free internet access. Before you buy anything in any of those categories, check your public library!
• Free concerts. Nearly every community has free concerts open to the public. Watch the calendar section of your newspaper for dates and times.
• Don’t order the drinks at restaurants. Alcohol is always marked up (often as much as 600%) as well as most soft drinks and those cute ’specialty drinks’. Instead, order water and your body will thank you.
• Avoid the multi-course trap when you are eating out. Do you really need the calories and cost of an appetizer? Share one or share a dessert.
• Complain nicely when your food or the service isn’t right at a restaurant. Ask to speak to a manager and tell them the problem. They will make the situation right and/or give you the meal for free. Also remember to compliment a job well done.
• Eat appetizers as an entree. Many are big enough for a meal.
• Eat a small snack before going out–you won’t be tempted to binge on appetizers.
• Eat out as a rare treat, not as an every day/week occurrence.
• When you do eat out, look for buy one/get one free coupons in papers, online and in booklets.
• Eat out where they offer a discount for your demographic.
• Eat out at lunch time when portions and prices are often lower.
• Watch for deeply discounted or even free movie days. Many chains offer free summer movies for children (but you can go with them) or deeply discounted matinees for seniors–again they don’t check your age at the door.
• Take your own snacks to the movies.
• Wait to see a movie until it comes out on DVD (even better if it is at your library for free).
• Carefully shop for airline, hotel and car rental rates. There are wide variants in all and your time shopping online and on the phone can be invaluable!
• When checking in at your airline gate, ask if the flight is oversold. If it is, they will put your name on a list and possibly offer you a ‘bump’ incentive to take a later flight in exchange for cash or future travel credit. While you wait, ask for meal vouchers. If it involves an overnight stay, the airline will pay for your hotel. It can be quite lucrative and a bit of an adventure. At times, the alternative travel arrangements beat your original itinerary.
• Join every frequent customer reward program offered by any airline you travel with and any hotel you stay in. This can add up for business travel and you can use the reward points for vacation travel.
• Consider a ’staycation’ where you stay in your own home for your vacation, but play tourist in your own town. Take a short class at a community college, visit museums, go to the movies, visit with friends, have a party, spend time with your favorite hobby–just relax and save the extra cash.
• Look for vacation rentals outside of the usual hotel listings. There are multiple online resources for reputable rentals. Also consider summer stays in college dorms, nontraditional housing such as monasteries, military facilities, (for active duty and retired military personnel and their families), friends, family or time shares that are rented out.
• Go camping.
• Invite friends over for a potluck instead of going out.
• If you are going out with a group, ask the waiter for a check that reflects just your bill. You won’t get roped into the ‘let’s just split the bill’ scam when the guy next to you has ordered the most expensive things on the menu and four glasses of wine.
• Freebies! You can get into Disney parks for free on your birthday. It is just one of the examples of ‘freebies’ that exist out there if you look for them. Many museums have free days. Deep discounts also appear on amusement park tickets in late winter/very early spring.
• Cancel memberships you aren’t really using and/or can’t afford. Do you really go to the gym? Does your office have a free gym? What about just running around the block for free?
• Check with consolidators for everything from cruises to group beach house rentals.
• Sign up for notification of last minute deals on cruises, hotels, airlines and rental cars. Most send out emails when there is a last minute deal. The best I ever saw was a 7-day cruise on a top-ranked ship for $150 and that was for an ocean view cabin. Southwest airline offers a similar daily deal notification, while other airlines offer weekly e-deals.
• Travel in the off-season. Take the kids out of school and go on a vacation!
• Plan a day trip to areas near you. Check out your library for day guides and hit the road with a packed lunch.
• Be certain that you read the fine print on any vacation ‘deal’. Watch out for hidden fees, etc.
• Pack light and save on checking baggage.
• Search the internet by googling (for instance) ‘Amtrak deals coupons’. We found a buy one/get one free train trip doing this. Amtrak even has weekly deals that are cheaper than driving!
• Whenever possible, stay in hotels that offer a free breakfast. Several chains also offer late afternoon ’snacks’ that are really dinners.
• Ask about upgrades when you check into a hotel.
• Having a kitchen at your vacation destination can be a huge money and time saver. Eat in for breakfast and dinner or pack your lunch.
• Carry snacks and drinks for car trips.
• Consider investing in a small hot pot if you travel frequently-you can warm up soup easily for a light lunch or dinner.
• Check out local grocery stores for a change from restaurant fare. Especially with a family, you can often save by purchasing a whole lasagna or sub sandwiches along with some fruit from the produce section.
• Play at home! Play games, talk to each other, read a book, watch movies–just enjoy being at home.
• You don’t need (nor should you) spend a lot of money to entertain children. Let them learn the joys of self-expression at home with simple art supplies. Involve them in cooking. Take them to a free public park. Let them play in the sprinkler. Help them learn a new skill. Play a game. Let them run around outside chasing a $1 store ball. Have them put on plays. Teach them to tend a garden, or even just one herb pot. Let them ride a bike. Or make a collage from recycled paper goods. How about a band from homemade instruments? Avoid the pit of ‘let’s go to Robby Rodent Playland and spend a zillion dollars on garbage while you get over stimulated.’ Children for generations have learned valuable skills at home with their family and their friends. Stop the madness now!
• Keep family celebrations simple and fun. Laugh more than you spend for high priced decorations.
• National Parks are a treasure trove of adventure, programs, lodging opportunities and activity centers.
• Likewise, local parks offer a variety of activities, programs, preschools and other wonderful things.
• See if your local theater or opera has greatly reduced or free admission to dress rehearsals. We attended professional opera for years at $5 a ticket. Homeschoolers often know about these deals.
• Artwalks. Many areas have monthly ‘artwalks’ where local artists display their wares for sale or just for exhibition. It can be an open air art gallery and a good first exposure to art for your children.
• Teach your children to behave appropriately in public. You will be more likely to take them out for a wider variety of low-cost entertainment options and they will be more welcome. You might even find that they enjoy the activity more when they know their behavior is appropriate.
• Educational programs. Look in your newspaper for free educational programs open to the public. We have attended presentations by Holocaust survivors, actors, dancers, inventors, scientists and more. Again, homeschoolers often are tapped into this network.
• Join a guild or enthusiast group. If you have a hobby, look for low-cost or free community based guilds or enthusiast groups that share your hobby. You’ll make friends and learn a great deal!
• Volunteer. You’ll meet new friends, maybe learn a new skill and give back in a great way. Teach your children early the joy of giving by having them participate in appropriate ways.
• Community festivals. Many communities have festivals, celebrations, tree lighting ceremonies, parades and fairs. Look for ones that have free admission. Historical reenactments can be entertaining and educational.
• If your extended family is always nagging you to bring Junior home for Christmas, suggest the family pitch in to help defray the cost of your travel. Others often forget that YOU have to pay to get Junior to them. Perhaps you can all cut back on gifts in order to spend time together.
• Compare the cost of driving vs. other means of transportation.
• Have an adventure on public transportation. See the city from the subway system or bus system. It can be an inexpensive alternative to tour buses in metropolitan areas.
• The internet offers a wide variety of free information, activities, downloadable goodies and offers for other free things, such as the butterfly activity guide available at http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/education/. Educator guides make great activity work books for car trips, snow days, flu days and other ‘quiet time’. Again, homeschoolers often know how to get a hold of these goodies.
• The feds. Yes, your federal government offers a wide variety of free or no cost activities for you and your’s. In addition to the park service, check out the many federal agencies offering free educational and entertainment opportunities. Children’s coloring pages, eduational plans and a variety of good stuff is out there if you look for it.
• Tour the fire station. Take the fire fighters a treat and check out their cool equipment.
• Party like there is no tomorrow…just do it at home! (See children’s parties below for ideas on how to party hardy on a budget)
• Slickdeals.net offers forums for the listing of great deals on a wide variety of activities, products and services. Just a few of the offers listed included Thursday free breakfast at Chik-fil-a, free bug educational materials, free diapers, free admission to the Henry Ford Museum and the list goes on & on.
• Invite friends to go somewhere with you if you can get a group discount on tickets. These discounts can be sizable and worth the hassle of coordinating the whole thing.
• Volunteer to usher or be a ticket taker for your local theater or concert hall. Many of the public venues need volunteers and your duties will usually not keep you from enjoying the performance.
• Procrastination sometimes pays. Many large venues offer deeply discounted tickets on tickets unsold the day of the performance. For instance, the Kennedy Center offers $25 tickets that go on sale for some performances at 6pm the day of the performance. They also offer free performances in their lobby about the same time, so if you miss the cheapy tickets, you still get a show.
• Trade-off childcare duties with a like-minded couple. Or think creatively and trade services. Maybe your niece would babysit your children if you help her edit her term paper or perfect her blog.
• Take advantage of colleges near you for low cost or free concerts, performances, programs, etc.
• Rent movies at the ‘Red Box’ for $1 a night instead of $5+ at Blockbuster. Just be sure to drop it back off the next day.
• Roast marshmallows and hot dogs in your own back yard.
• Invite someone you know over to share their hobby or other life’s passion.

BANKING

• Don’t leave money in any institutions that is not insured by the federal government. All banks and credit unions in the United States can be insured up to the legal limit. Do be aware that there is a limit of the total amount one individual can have insured in each institution. There are some ways around the limit, but for most of us, the insurance is good up to $250,000 per institution (not branch of same institution).
• Only bank at institutions that do NOT charge you maintenance fees! You shouldn’t be paying for a checking account and you should have one that pays at least a little bit of interest.
• Keep your long-term savings in an institution that isn’t terrifically easy for you to access. You’ll be less likely to draw on it for everyday expenses.
• Watch your checking account balance carefully. Overdraft fees, overdraft ‘protection’ (which is just a clever way to say ‘high interest loan’) and other fees associated with messing up on your balance will eat you alive.
• Look for a bank that offers a cash-back award with their no-fee credit card.
• Have a good credit rating so that you aren’t paying a yearly fee for a credit card. Your credit card issues institutes a yearly fee?  Call them up and tell them you are going to switch. If they won’t waive the fee for you, switch credit card companies.
• Use your debit card very carefully. Most do not offer the same protections as a credit card with regards to fraud. Also, if more than one person is using a debit card from your account (as in you and your spouse), it is easy to lose track of your balance.
• Review your statements very carefully and immediately report any questionable fees.
• Don’t order new checks from your bank. There are plenty of other sources for free or less expensive checks. Ideally, your bank offers them for free as part of your account.
• Use electronic bill payment instead of writing checks and paying postage.
• Don’t keep too much money in your checking account unless it pays you interest similar to a savings account.
• Have your money in more than one bank/credit union. This will allow you to access funds from more than one location should an emergency, disaster or other difficulty arise. After hurricane Katrina, those with all of their funds in locally run banks could not access their money.
• When researching new account options, don’t forget to ask about special packages for seniors, military, employees of companies associated with the bank, direct deposits, etc.
• Credit unions often offer better interest rates on not only savings account, but on loans & processing fees.
• When applying for a mortgage or other loan (which we all know we avoid going into debt except as absolutely and realistically as possible, right?), make certain you carefully read all of the fine print.
• When applying for a loan as in #14, ask up front for a complete run down on ALL fees associated with that loan. Don’t give out your personal information until the loan officer can give you the complete disclosure of all fees associated with the loan, not only from the lender but from civil agencies such as taxes, title fees, insurance, etc.
• Don’t believe what loan officers tell you that you can afford. As everyone should know by now, mortgages and other loans have been issued well above the heads of those taking out the loan! Before signing on that dotted line, wait, think, ponder, pray and ask someone much older and wiser what they think.
• Don’t be pushed or bullied into a loan. Any reputable lender should allow you a cooling off period. Get the paperwork, all of the facts & figures, then walk out for at least a couple of hours (24 is better) to ponder if this is a wise move for YOU! (and your future)
• Double check your transactions every time!
• Use ATMs with due caution. Go to another one if you notice anyone hanging around, it is too dark, you are alone or in an unsafe area.
• Protect your bank account numbers and other information. Shred old statements–you don’t really need to keep old ones for more than a month. If you use electronic banking, you might opt for no paper statement.
• Shred every credit card offer you receive.
• Use only free ATMs. Plan your cash needs in advance to avoid paying fees!

PARTIES (ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN)

• It is a sad social commentary that the national market for children’s parties is beginning to rival that of the wedding industry. Psychologists are concerned about the negative impact this over-indulgence is having on our wee ones. Seven year olds feel neglected if they don’t have a limo for their guests and guests have been known to throw down ‘party bags’ that didn’t meet their expectations. For us, let us consider the negative impact on our BUDGETS!! First, let me establish that I come from a long line of party-ers, grew up in a very modest income family with four children and have raised four children. From my earliest memories, birthdays were special for the birthday celebrant, always recognized with fanfare, gifts were exchanged and sometimes friends invited over. For my own children, they had ‘friend’ parties nearly every year and their parties were often the hot ticket of the kiddie social season. The celebrations continue into adulthood. BUT, all of this celebrating did not require the overuse of plastic money, hired party consultants, a nervous breakdowns, no trips to commercial ‘crazy centers hosted by Robbie Rodent’ and yet plenty of fond memories. With all of that in mind, let me share some tips for recognizing the joy of someone’s existence and not blowing the budget producing over-stimulated little people (or big people).
• Little children need very little parties. A good rule of thumb for the number of guests is the child’s age plus one. This number does not include immediate family members.
• Emphasize non-material recognitions of the day such as a special birthday plate used only on those days. (Our’s says ‘You Are Special’ which means we can use it for a variety of celebrations. I bought it at an outlet years ago for $4).
• Growing up, the birthday child got to choose the night’s dinner menu and choose the TV show we watched.
• Make some simple but re-usable decorations such as a birthday banner.
• A theme for your party can help you tie together decorations and adapt games. I prefer themes that are not motivated by the marketing department of the latest child’s TV show. You can adapt a TV show to a generic theme, making your decorating expenses lower. For example, if you child loves Thomas the Tank Engine, have a generic train themed party. You could throw in an element or two of Thomas, but look for less expensive ways to decorate than purchasing the $49.95 all inclusive, extra delux Thomas Birthday Box.
• Utilize the dollar store for throw-away decorations. First, check around your house for items that could be used. For example, for a cowboy party use a length of rope looped along the table as the centerpiece. Add some bandanas and toy horses!
• Stock up on brightly colored disposable tablecloths when they are on sale. Let the children add stickers or other simple decorations. You can play a form of musical chairs by giving each child a sheet of stickers (that go along with the theme of the party) and play music as the children walk around the table. When the music stops, they put stickers on an area of the tablecloth closest to them until the music starts again.
• Decorate plain, inexpensive disposable cups and plates with theme-appropriate stickers or other add ons.
• To easily decorate a cake (at a fraction of the cost of a store bought one), simply bake a 9×13″ pan cake. Remove promptly from the pan, wrap loosely in plastic wrap and freeze solid. Remove when frozen (you can leave it in the freezer for months by the way) and place onto a piece of cardboard that is covered in aluminum foil. Ice while still frozen and then return to freezer. While the cake is freezing, simply trace, download or draw whatever figure you want on the cake. Color it with permanent markers (or print it out colored) and then cut out the figure. For instance if it was Thomas again, you would get a good graphic of Thomas and then cut him out so that it was just Thomas. Lightly press waxed paper to the wrong side of your graphic and trim to the same outline as Thomas.  Remove your cake from the freezer and decorate the edges with colored icing or just candy (kids like that better anyway). M&M’s, mini-M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, Smarties, Starburst & Skittles all work well. You can often find speciality shaped candies in the grocer’s bulk food aisle to add some really interesting colors & ideas! Gently place your graphic in the middle of the cake. Add candles in a bright color and you have it done for less than $4 or $5.
• Better yet, if the children are old enough bake, freeze and ice a batch of cupcakes. Lay out an assortment of sprinkles, little candies and the like. Place an iced (or let children ice them if they are old enough) cupcake in front of each child. If you place the cupcake on a paper coffee filter, the work area will stay cleaner. Let them add their own decorations. If each child decorates two, they can eat one at the party and take the other with them as a ‘gift’.
• Make a big deal of opening gifts. Have the birthday child sit in a special chair. If there are children at the party, have a chair next to the birthday child. When it is, for instance, time for Timmy to give Junior his gift, Timmy sits next to Junior while Junior opens the gift. This cuts down on chaos, helps your child recognize who gave him the gift and thank them appropriately. Don’t allow packaging to be removed from the toy during the party! Put each toy up out of reach as it is opened.
• Let the children’s activities produce their ‘goodie’ bag. Have small, simple craft items such as painting a wooden train (for that Thomas party) or decorating a conductor’s hat be one of the party activities.
• Have the children decorate simple white lunch bags to take their goodies home.
• Prizes for games can be added to the goodie bag. (Getting the picture–you are double dutying every item here)
• Look online for ideas for simple, old-fashioned children’s games. Bean bag tosses, ‘olympic’ relays, fishing games, hopscotch, crab walks are all great activities. Also check out Cub Scout guides and ‘Family Fun’ magazine at your local library. “Family Fun’ is a treasure chest of ideas, patterns, recipes and easy-to-do activities.
• Alternate physically active portions of the party with quieter portions.
• Be certain to have a gathering activity as the children arrive. This could be decorating the goodie bag or other such activity that children can join.
• Keep the menu simple and easy to accomplish. Involve the children as appropriate. One activity might be adding toppings to their own pizzas.
• If your children are in a ’social circle’ meet with the other parents and see if you can’t collectively reign in the Birthday Madness.
• Utilize your park system for parties. Many will allow you to reserve a cabana or other facility for little or no money. Use the great outdoors to your fullest potential!
• Keep your family gift giving separate from the friend party.
• Keep the children busy and the party relatively short. Have a specific beginning and end time. Have the children ready to leave when the party is over to discourage mass chaos as parents and siblings join the throng. (Unless you like crowd scenes in your house)
• Just say NO to the Mommy who wants you to include all of her children in your party. The party is for the invitee only, not their 4 siblings. We allowed this once and it was a disaster!!
• If you have a wide range in ages in your children, utilize the older ones in the party. They can be servers, pick up debris, run games and even dress up as clowns.
• Use your imagination!! Children love new things, surprises (not scary ones necessarily), laughing, building things and creating. Utilize their natural curiosity.
• Pre-scoop ice cream onto waxed paper and keep in freezer. It will be easier and less messy to serve.
• Always have at least one capable, willing, eager to help adult to assist you for any child’s party.
• Start family traditions early that are not based on expensive gifts, costly outings or ’super’ events.
• Avoid games that will embarrass or hurt anyone. If you insist on doing a pinata, do so very safely. To avoid head-on collisions when the treats fall, consider bagging up treats in sandwich bags with each child’s name on a bag. If someone finds another’s bag, they can hand it to them.
• Make the day about celebrating THEM! Fix their favorite breakfast, share their favorite treat with their class (if it is allowed), fix their favorite dinner and prepare their favorite cake.
• For all children, talk to them and see what they would like to do on their birthday!
• For any party, look around the house for things that can be used to decorate. Cake plates, colored plates, candles, silk flowers, masks, cheap jewelry, fabric, even the pockets from old blue jeans can become decorations.
• I keep a bag of balloons in the house so that we can celebrate at any time! I simply blow them up and hang them from the chandelier. Hang up the celebrate banner and we can celebrate any milestone in minutes!
• Serve dinner on the fancy dishes once in awhile and recognize someone’s accomplishment.
• Don’t go overboard buying gifts, especially when the children are young. Listen to them about what they want and try to find one really special thing.
• Shop all year at super-clearance sales, yard sales and estate sales for gift giving ideas.
• Remember, that the celebration is truly about celebrating the person–keep that in mind as you plan, invite, decorate and give a gift. Your time, attention and love are the best gifts of all.
• Some children may prefer a family outing or special activity to a gift. That is great! Encourage that sort of thinking in your children.

CLOTHING

• Think of the three areas of the ‘green’ movement–reduce, reuse, recycle. Apply these principles to your wardrobe!
• Reduce the closet clutter by donating or reusing/repurposing clothes that do not fit or that you no longer like
• When you purchase clothes, get those that fit you and will serve multiple purposes.
• Purchase clothing that is not high maintenance.
• Think solid colors that transition well between seasons.
• Add variety through accessories (which are often more deeply discounted than clothing).
• Learn about seasonal sales in your area. January, Memorial Day, 4th of July and October are often good clearance months as stores clear out the current season in preparation for the next.
• Layering helps extend a wardrobe between seasons.
• Sign up for frequent shopper clubs so that you get advance notice of sales and often extra discounts.
• Just because it is on sale does not make it a great buy! As I used to tell my children, “Half off of absurd is still ridiculous.”
• If you enjoy it, check yard sales and thrift stores. Do know your prices as some thrift store prices are higher than good clearances at department stores. Also be certain to check the merchandise carefully when you shop at thrift sales and yard sales. Most have strict NO RETURN policies. Having said that, some great bargains can be found, especially on children’s clothes.
• For sanitary reasons, wash all items purchased from a thrift store or yard sale before wearing or storing.
• Watch for community consignment sales, especially ones run by charities. They often have the best prices.
• Thrift shops that are run by volunteers often have lower prices than strictly commercial ones.
• Some thrift shops have ‘bag days’ when they offer a bag full of clothing that you choose for a set price. This can be a great time to stock up!
• Children’s ‘dress’ or ‘church’ clothes are often greal bargains after Easter and Christmas. Also check the thrift shops for these items.
• Learn the discounting patterns and codes for retailers that you frequent often. At one Target, I knew exactly which day of the week was ‘additional mark down day’. I would watch for items I wanted but didn’t need to get to their rock bottom price.
• Learn enough about fabric and garment construction to identify quality.
• Children (nor adults) do  not need ‘designer’ labels.
• Learn at least rudimentary sewing skills so that you can mend, sew on a button or hem.
• Learn to sew reasonably well if you wish to dress little girls or yourself in a creative style. A simple girl’s dress can be made with a knit shirt and a length of fabric.
• Before deciding that you don’t like an item of clothing, ask yourself if you can redesign it or repurpose it. Can those jeans with the ratty cuffs be cut off for capris?
• If you must dress up for work or to go out, change your clothes when you get home and teach your children to do the same thing! You will greatly extend the lifespan of your work/church/school clothes by following this simple rule.
• Clean clothing according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Make certain that you are shopping at the right stores! Not as in designer right, but as in price right. Don’t assume that the old department store your Mom shopped at still has the best prices. Often, you can find better items at the higher end store during a super clearance and get better quality! A friend and I were going to the same wedding. She purchased her dress at Sears for $79. I purchased mine at Lord and Taylor for $29. Her’s was polyester, mine was silk.
• Take care of your clothing so that it will last.
• Buy ‘trendy’ items at discounters. Target has an avid design department that actively follows fashion trends. You will pay much less for the ‘up to the minute’ style. Remember, trendy clothes are not meant to last years and years, so top quality is not an issue.
• If you have multiple children, store hand-me-downs categorized by size. Make certain they are clean before storing. Purchase items such as jeans and denim overalls in as gender-neutral as possible colors and styles. Little girls can wear OshKosh with a frilly blouse then hand it down to a little brother who wears it with a ‘manly’ T-shirt. One large and frugal family I knew sometimes got monogrammed wardrobe basics–only because they all had the same initial!
• Join, organize or find a clothing exchange in your area. This is great for Moms who want to swap baby and children’s clothes. Some work without money, simply issuing credits for what you trade.
• Wear an apron when cooking or doing other messy jobs. The full-frontal ‘butcher’s’ or ‘BBQ’ aprons are simple to make and will greatly extend your clothes lifetime.
• Purchase next year’s new coats (if they are needed) at the end of this winter. Even thrift shops close out winter wear at the end of the season. Ask when they are likely to do this.
• Always join freecycle–people give away the most amazing clothing on there.
• Do NOT shop for entertainment.
• Most people spend less when they shop alone.
• Keep receipts in case there is a problem with an item.
• Almost all clothing (even wedding gowns) go to the clearance rack eventually! Never pay full price.
• Teach your children to care for their clothes appropriately.
• Don’t store clothing that is soiled. It is an invitation to mold, mildew and things that will eat your clothes.
• If you don’t like shopping and aren’t a clothes horse, purchase good quality separates on sale and accessorize. One theater group manager I knew traveled on a monthly basis between Los Angeles and London. She always wore black clothing and accessorized it with brightly colored scarves, jewelry, hats and purses. She always looked extremely fashionable, well put together and declared she could travel with one small suitcase no matter where she went.
• If you find an article of clothing in a store missing a button, ask for a larger discount.
• Get to know the sales clerks in your favorite stores. They will often alert you to final sales.
• Don’t assume that because a store is in an outlet mall that the prices are cheaper. Not everything in a name brand outlet was offered for sale in the full retail stores.
• If others want to give you hand-me-downs, welcome them. Keep what you can use and pass on what you can’t.
• Set a clothing allowance for your older children and teens. Teach them to comparison shop and let them learn to use their resources wisely.
• For scout and school uniforms, ask friends, neighbors and freecycle for spares.
• Basic polo shirts and khaki pants for children are often deeply discounted in late September and early October, especially if they are worn as a school uniform in your area.
• Many podiatrists do not recommend purchasing used shoes for children. Their everyday shoes should be good quality new shoes, but you can still hunt out bargains.
• Purchase children’s basics for the next year at this year’s end of season super clearances. Store in organized boxes.
• After major holidays such as Christmas, look for clothing that is included in the 75 to 90% off clearance sections. Many items are not holiday-imprinted and can be worn throughout the winter. The same holds true after Easter and the 4th of July.