Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Lemonade Kool-Aid as Cleaner!

Usaully we purchase Kool Aid Lemonade to quench our thirst, but as crazy as it sounds is it's a GREAT cleaner.  I live in southern Colorado and our water is "hard", meaning we have lots of minerals in our water.  It's not uncommon to see a iron stain in a sink or tub where water has dripped.  Instead of purchase expensive cleaners to clean iron (or lime) deposits use a pack of lemonade from Kool-Aid!  It's known to work great in dishwashers too.  Just pour the packet into the detergent cup and run your dishwasher cycle.

This post is part of Thrifty Tips Tuesday

THRIFTY TIP TUESDAY: Learn to do D.I.Y. and Save Money!!!

I really enjoy numbers, maybe that's why I work in bookkeeping ha!!!   I understand numbers and how they work, but if you ask me to spell something, I will have to Google it!!! 

I did a little figuring on how much we really can save by DOING-IT-YOURSELF aka DIY!  You can do the math yourself by taking the dollar amount and divide it by the ounces.  For example if a gallon (128 ounces) of milk cost $3.00 each.  Take $3.00 divided by 128 = $0.02 per ounce.  Here's a couple I did for you, but look around on what you are purchasing pre-cut (meats, veggies, fruits, etc.).  You will be amazed!!!  

Here's some fun numbers for you:

Apples on sale are $0.99/lb.

Apples pre-sliced are $2.99 per bag / pound (only $0.99 if you DIY)

3x's the amount if you took 2 minutes and did it yourself.  That's like getting paid $60 per hour to cut apples... time is money!!!

Potatoes on sale are $1.99 per 5 lbs (and this goes even lower)

Potatoes frozen 36 oz bag $1.99 each (only $0.90 if you DIY)

Potatoes fresh pre-cut 16 oz $2.79 each (only $0.40 if you DIY)

16 oz = 1 lb
128 oz = 1 gallon

Food waste accounts for 10 to 40% of families’ overall grocery spending!

This post is part of Thrifty Tip Tuesday!

Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Save Over $50 on Hamburger a year!

Save over $50 a year by just using 1/4 lb. less hamburger in your meals!  Most dinner recipes call for 1 lb. hamburger.  Even a lot of box meals, such as Hamburger Helper tells us to add 1 lb. hamburger.  By just using 1/4 lb. less in your meals you will save AT LEAST $50 a year.

Here's how, lets say the average price is $2.00/lb., if you're stockpile shopper this might sound a bit high, but you purchase your meat your local super center, this price is actually low.  So let's just use the average price of $2.00/lb.  If, you cook with hamburger two times a week and use 1 lb. each night, you are using a 104 lbs. each year.  Let's cut that down by only using 3/4 lb. per meal, now you're only using 78 lbs. per year!!!  Your meals don't taste one bit different and you will have $50 to spend on something else!

Scenario

2 lbs of hamburger per week:  $4.00

104 lbs per year: $208.00

compared to...

1.5  lbs of hamburger per week:  $3.00

78 lbs per year:  $156.00

Total Saved:  $52.00 per year

This post is part of Thrifty Tip Tuesday

THRIFTY TIP TUESDAY: SAVE $$$ BY USING A COUPON CLIPPING SERVICE

Sometimes purchasing multiple copies of the Sunday paper can get expensive, if you don't have weekly subscription(s) to your local newspaper.  It's kinda like buying the whole cow, when all you need is a little milk.  Once your stockpile is full you mostly shop for items 75%-FREE with the exception of dairy, produce and meat.  So a lot of us "super couponers" resort to coupon clipping service for HOT coupons.  When I say "HOT" I mean a coupon that will allow us to get an item 75%-FREE.

If, you're at a place where you're stockpile is overflowing.  I would recommend trying a coupon clipping service, my favorite is Lori has 3 Kids!  Her prices are amazing.  For example earlier today I ordered 20- Mission Tortilla $0.75/1 coupons for $1.00 and 20 Barilla $0.55/1 coupons for $1.00.  Both of these coupons on other coupon clipping sites were about $0.10 each (DOUBLE) her prices.  She always ships fast and very personal!

This post is part of I am a Money Magnet - Thrifty Tip Tuesday

ThriftyTip Tuesday: Reduce your grocery budget without coupons

Plant a garden this year with more expensive fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, berries, and other exotic produce to help with your budget.  The best time to start planning is now, spring is just around the corner and that's when you will need to plant it. 

Tip:  Get the kids involved they will love to see the rewards of their labor!

This post is part of Thrifty Tip Tuesday from I am a Money Magnet