What are some of the things you do to be frugal?

@icyorchid (2564)
United States
March 18, 2008 2:46pm CST
These are some of the things I do to be frugal. I look for sales at the store. I visit 3 different stores to help save money. First store is Save A Lot, I buy all condiments at $1, tuna $.59 a can , spaghetti $.89, spaghetti o's $.69 a can, foam plates, $.89, zip lock baggies $.99, I also buy can vegetables, I don't need to buy Delmonte, I get the same veggies with no name brand attached to it and they are $.39 and $.49 a can. I purchse eggs at $1.99 a dozen, etc. Winn Dixie I go to mostly for the meat sale of buy one get one free and I go to Walmart for the stuff I know is cheaper there. Coupons, I do use some coupons, but I have yet to get coupons for everything we use. I would love to go purchase $300 in food and only spend $150 I know someone who did that and I still don't know how! There are other things I do, but my arm is getting tired of typing, so I will list them another day.
7 people like this
24 responses
@mishastar (734)
• United States
22 Mar 08
I purchase a lot of can foods, they last longer. I buy big bags of food that I can cook and store to eat later in the week.
3 people like this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
22 Mar 08
I have so many cans it isn't funny. lol I have can beans, and soups and lots of veggies. I can't cook too far ahead, we have a small freezer, so that is out. Thanks for replying
2 people like this
@missbdoll (1165)
• Australia
22 Mar 08
I stock up when things are on special.I try to do supermmarket shopping at the right time to get meat when it"s reduced and what I'm not going to use right away I freeze.
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
19 Mar 08
We buy the store brands or the no name brands. Now in spaghetti sauce, the one with the red hot peppers will not be as hot, but when you open the cans they are the same kind used by a well known brand. We will go to a store where the brands are cheaper, we use those florescent bulbs (the twisty ones) we get the lettersized paper in bulk. We also get our ink cartridges refilled on one of our printers. The other one is one of those piddly small ones that it is not worth it. We use the back of envelopes for writing shopping lists. We go for the buy one get one free, but on the stuff we use, not on something we would never use.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
19 Mar 08
I'm in the UK- try www.moneysavingexpert.com for advice on finances and how to save-they have an "Old style" money saving section with posts on using vinegar for cleaning,and such.. There are websites that will compare the prices between the leading supermarkets so you can get the best deals,and they'll offer home delivery,saving you the drive and time to get there.. I'd buy the "Store Own Brand" products too.I've a Tesco Clubcard for points which can be used on deals with other companies...
@jtr115 (722)
• United States
19 Mar 08
I have a discount card for Safeway. I originally got it to get the 3-cent discount at the store's gas pumps, but I also use it to save money on food. I haven't tried Save-A-Lot yet. There's one in my hometown, but it's a bit out of the way. A Costco store opened here a few weeks ago, and there are plans to open one or two more. To lower my gas bill, I set the thermostat a couple degrees lower during the day, and programmed it for 55-degrees during the hours I'm at work. Prior to moving into my new place, I compared the costs of bundled phone/Internet/cable TV services. I found that Qwest is $20-30 cheaper than Comcast, offers better picture quality with its digital TV service (I had used Comcast at my former residence), and gave me more channels. Also, until I can afford more furniture, my laundry hamper doubles as a nightstand and one of my storage trunks doubles as a coffee table.
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
18 Mar 08
I'm real good at squeezing a nickel and have witnesses that will attest to that! We finally have an Aldi's here and I shop there first, then fill in at WalMart with what Aldi's doesn't have. I find Aldi's to have superior produce at a very cheap price, and the canned goods are great too. Cat food, corn chips, chex mix, and mini wheat cereal are all name brand items with Aldi's label on them, at a greatly reduced price. Can't beat that! I know there are others, but those are what I can think of off the top of my head that I buy frequently. I don't use paper towels; my husband still does, but he's getting better. I don't use paper plates/cups. I use vinegar to clean up most anything, and use it as an air freshener too. Cheap, and no nasty chemicals. I use re-chargeable batteries for my digital camera (HUGE savings over the cost of film/developing and regular batteries). I know I'm forgetting a lot, but I think that's enough for now!
2 people like this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
If you don't use paper towels, what do you use? I can't do without the paper plates, we use them all the time for sandwiches and microwave to save on doing dishes. lol I go to dollar tree for cleaning products. Digital Camera is what we use also with rechargeable batteries
1 person likes this
• Regina, Saskatchewan
18 Mar 08
I can spit nickels, does that help? LOL
1 person likes this
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
30 Mar 08
Tell me what you use paper towels for and I'll tell you what I do instead!
@Polly1 (12645)
• United States
28 Mar 08
I do the majority of my food shopping at Sav a lot, I save my bags and take them with me. I do buy some of my meat at Sav a lot, they have a meat cutter on duty and have fresh ground meats daily. We also have a meat market that I go too for fresh meats.
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
28 Mar 08
WOW a meat cutter at sav a lot????? We don't have one they just have meat and that is by far NOT cheap! lol
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
18 Mar 08
Like you I go to a few different stores to help on saving money. I don't use Sav-A-Lot but I do use Dollar General Market. It's like a Dollar General Super Store. I get some great savings on food there but like any place you do have to watch because some things are cheaper there but some things are cheaper elsewhere. I also shop the Dollar Tree store, where everything is a dollar. I get a lot of my cleaning products there. The last store I shop is the Super Wal-Mart. Overall it is the best on prices around here. Winn Dixie is too expensive as is Publix and Sweet Bay. When I have the money for it I do try to shop at Sam's Club because somethings are so much cheaper when buying in bulk. I use coupons when i can but only if they will actually save me money. If the generic is still cheaper I go with it. I have also found that with some things it's better to put out a few extra pennies because it saves me in the long run. Like Laundry soap for example. We buy Gain, others might be cheaper but the Gain works better and lasts longer. I do the same with some other products as well. You have to look at the long view at times to see which really saves you the money.
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
I agree Winn Dixie is expensive, when I go there, it is strickly for their sale on meat. Buy 1 get 1 or 2 free is a good sale and I try my best to have money to get that. Laundry soap is $8.49 for liquid and that is so expensive! I try to have enough so I don't have to buy when it is expensive. lol I love it when it is $3.99 I stock up.
2 people like this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
30 Mar 08
I know what you mean. When I find a good buy I will stock up. So long as it won't go bad my thought is I can store it and use it as needed and not worry then later on. We got a great deal on coffee filters recently. We now have enough to last us a year but we won't have to worry about running out any time soon either. We use powder soap too. The liquid is just too expensive. We recently got a good deal on the Gain fabric softener which is a liquid but it ended up being cheaper then the sheets once we worked it all out. That is sometimes the trick, having to do the math to figure out "Well is this a good deal or not?"
@sherrir101 (3670)
• Malinta, Ohio
29 Mar 08
Besides shopping at Aldi's and Walmart, I use a program called Angel Food Ministries. I pay $30 and get a whole bunch of food and meat and pay an extra $20 for a extra box of meat. It is once a month. You order on a certain day once a month and pick it up two weeks later. Here is the website: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ Take a look around and see if it is avaiable in your area.
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
It isn't available where I live. It is too long of a drive for us and with gas prices, it really wouldn't be worth it. Thanks for the link though I know it will help others.
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
18 Mar 08
I try to do alot of my shopping all at one store but I also go to the Dollar Store and Family Dollar to get name brand things for alot cheaper prices. I have shopped at Save A Lot also but there are some things there, I just will not buy.
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
Yep I know I don't buy everything from there, but I do get away with $40 for 2 weeks of food. So that in itself is a good deal.
2 people like this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Yeah. We have been shopping there alot lately for alot of side items. They have a good selection and the prices are much lower than the higher chains. We got some pretty good deals this time and our food lasts us quite a while too. We cannot afford the high priced stores but we do buy most of our meat from a different store because that is one thing that has to be quality before I will eat it.
@kimbers867 (2539)
• United States
19 Mar 08
We are trying more generic items. Everyone likes Quaker Oats oatmeal but that is getting so expensive, the generic is actually creamier according to my husband. I will shop Aldi's for some things (milk, eggs, etc.) My grocery stores health and beauty items are priced compariably to Walmart so I do pick up things there. Then I will go to Walmart once a week for all the other things that I need.
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
In my opinion, the vegetables and cereals are the same as the named brand items. I love grits and I use to buy quaker, I will only buy it if it is on sale, other than that, I buy the generic brand. I see nothing wrong with it. Leaves money in my pocket instead of giving it to the grocery store.
1 person likes this
@skinnychick (6905)
• United States
29 Mar 08
I have gotten 300 dollars worth of food for 150.00 Basically I went to a grocery store called Aldi. We have them in Illinois but I think they are all over the place. They are so cheap and that is how I did that. I don't shop anywhere else except the dollar store and the butcher shop when I splurge on finer cuts of meat though not often. Maybe you have one in your area or semi close it's worth checking out.
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
29 Mar 08
No Aldi's we have sav a lot. I do shop at dollar tree though.
1 person likes this
• United States
30 Mar 08
I think we may have Sav a lot here. Is it a dicounted grocery store or a warehouse store? How are the prices? Thanks so much, I have always been curious about them.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
19 Mar 08
living in the third world country is not easy. in these time of economic crisis the poor becomes poorer. i usually skip my snack time. instead i eat heavy during lunch time. i usually turn down the invites of my friends to go out during weekend. i always try to squeeze my budget. but still nothing can do in strugling financial stability.
2 people like this
• Regina, Saskatchewan
18 Mar 08
I have a cow and goat for milk. I make my own butter and cheese. I raise pigs and chickens and have a fish stock pond in my back forty. I have a huge vegetable garden that I hoe and sow and harvest. I preserve everything I can and pick my own fruit. I live by candle light and heat with a wood stove. I pump my own well water and spin my own cloth for clothing. No wait - that was my great grandmother! Aren't you glad you have coupons? LOL
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
Don't you wish we could have been around when our ancestors were living healthy and there were no junk foods. lol I think if we could stay off the junk food, we could be healthier and we could still be frugal.
1 person likes this
@Fishmomma (11378)
• United States
19 Mar 08
Spark just described my childhood. My family worked hard, but we lived a very healthy life. The only part that didn't happen was the fish pond to eat, as my family doesn't eat any fish.
• Regina, Saskatchewan
18 Mar 08
Pennsylvania ma'am. Deep in the backwoods with a great highway to town. lol
1 person likes this
@megs85 (3142)
• Australia
18 Mar 08
I have to admit that I frequently visit any frugal living related websites I can find quite regularly, and have signed up to almost all of their free emailing list newsletters which I find are packed full of tidbits. I save LOADS on cleaning products by using white vingear (bout 80cents for a 2 litre bottle which lasts months!) and bicarb and so on rather than using commercial cleaning products which cost $3 - $4 minimum for a bottle half the size if not smaller. I find thatthe natural alternatives are just as, if not more effective than the chemical cleaners, and with two babies in my household I also appreciate the non toxic alternative. The other place I have really saved money and cut back on things is by buyingin BULk the things I always use when they are dramatically reduced in price. Things like toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner etc etc. Another little frugal tip I have picked up is to water down my shampoo and conditioner, and my dishwashing liquid, and hand soap etc etc, as it is always alot more concentrated than I need. Squashing the toilet roll making it harder to getoff the toilet paper saves heaps on wasted toilet paper. I refuse to use expensive special nappy bags, I use leftover bread bags, and vegie/fruit bags instead. There are a million and one things I do, but liek you, my hand is starting to get tired so I will leave it there for now, and pop back later to add some more. Hope this helps someone, even just alittle :) Money is better off in our pockets than someone elses :)
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
I am in a yahoogroup called frugals n freebies. I am in several freebie groups and I signup for several freebies. I get laundry soap, snacks, cereal, toothpaste, bath gel, lotion, t-shirts, seasonings, drink and more just for signing up for free stuff.
1 person likes this
@lucy02 (5016)
• United States
18 Mar 08
I do some shopping at Sav A Lot too. I also pick up a lot of things at yard sales and bent and dent or salvage stores. The price of garbage bags have gone way up here too I've noticed. I am going to try to hang on to them a little longer...dump the garbage from the bathroom in with the kitchen to fill up the bag and then only change the one in the kitchen for awhile. I am staying at home a little more now since the gas is so high.
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
I don 't use garbage bags, I use the bags I get to bring my groceries home. They are good and reuseable after getting the groceries home.
1 person likes this
@mrsbrian (1949)
• United States
19 Mar 08
we also try to shop at aldies I get my cereal there and like you say a lot of caned goods. I dont buy there meat as I find it dosnt have much flavor , but than we also go to walmart or myers, kroger whom ever has the best sales for the week. We use coupons for all the things we have them for we get a lot off the internet, they have brought my food bill down by $80.00 sometimes. I also have friends who get money back but so far I have not been able to do that rither.
1 person likes this
@danzer (2723)
• Philippines
18 Mar 08
In these time of economic downfall, we need to be saving some money for the worst scenario. I appreciate people like you who's looking to save and not to spend all they have! Keep up and may you continue to prosper.
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
Thank you Danzer. I try
1 person likes this
@tinkerick (1257)
• United States
18 Mar 08
My husband always said I was nuts for shopping 3-4 different stores just to save 10 cents. Now in this town the stores are alot closer so it's even easier. But I mainly shop Walmart as that's the biggest store here. The local grocer for meat, except for what I can get at Aldi's for a better price. Walmart is for canned goods, packaged goods and pet food. Aldi's for bread, milk, eggs, produce and some frozen stuff. And the local grocer for doggie treats (they have $1 bags and Rose loves em), certain soups, meat, butter, cheese and yogurt. I've tried the Dollar store but they never have what I want. Except cleaning solution. I do clip coupons but they rarely have what we buy. We do use coupons for take out food though. Very handy there. Love Pizza Hut's Pizza Mia deal - 3 mediums for $5 each
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
30 Mar 08
I go to Wal-Mart for dog food, TV dinners, milk, yogurt, personal stuff, medicine, but I do comparison shopping there too. lol Thanks for the reply
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
27 Mar 08
Lately I have been buying store brands on things that I used o only buy name brands. For example Hidden Valley ranch dressing lo fat was selling for over four dollars and Vons ranch lo fat was two for four dollars so naturally I bought the Vons and it tasted just the same as the Hidden Valley for half less and toilet paper is the same way and raisins in Vons brand were half as much as Sun maid and i could go on and on like that.It really saved me money