Having a large family means that there is a constant struggle to meet the demands of a healthy diet on a limited budget. Our food budget is one of the biggest ticket items we have every month. So, one way that I am trying to offset the cost is by decreasing budget items in other areas. One of those areas is paper goods. I used to use paper towels, or paper napkins for mealtime. But, the cost with a large family seemed wasteful, so I began collecting cloth napkins instead. I find them on clearance sales, in thrift stores, Goodwill, etc. They are mismatched, but for everyday use, that doesn't matter. If the napkin is not soiled much after a meal, we just fold them up and put it in the napkin basket that I keep near the dining room table. And when they are dirty, they go in a load of towels and are washed up for the next use. Another area that I am saving is with ziplock bags. I use them a lot for storing things such as leftover cheese that has been opened. Now, when I finish with them, I wash them out, shake them dry and hang them on a little rack in my laundry room until all the water is evaporated for use again. Of course, if they tear, I get another one. But, this has saved us as well. It is amazing how many ziplock bags one can go through in a short amount of time. These may not be huge savings alone, but when you begin to add up all the frugal ways to save, they do make quite a difference over time...and really, they do not require that much extra time and effort to do. How about you? What type of frugal tips do you use in your home? I would love to hear about them. Happy saving!
2 comments:
Thanks so much for your great ideas about frugality. In addition to what you said about the cloth napkins, there is another way that we have tried to cut back on our paper towel use. We have gone to using cloths for all of our house cleaning. I clean our bathrooms, mirrors and glass, and do all of our dusting with washable, lint-free cloths rather than the paper towels we used to use.
Another thing that my husband taught us, was not to turn the water on full blast as we take showers. We set the water so that it comes out less than 1/2 of the force that it is able to run. This has helped in 2 ways. First, it just saves the use of water which cuts our bill. Also, this has extended how long our hot water lasts so that we don't run out of hot water as quickly. We were constantly having trouble getting everyone bathed without someone suffering through a cold shower. This has brought and end to that problem!
We have done the same thing with rags for everyday use...and I have been using old newspaper to clean all glass...which I will probably be putting on another Frugal Friday tip! I love the idea about the shower though! We also have problems with the water going cold before we all can bathe. We will be giving this one a try! God bless!
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