by Vikki Anderson
Like everyone else, I too like to find ways of saving money. These are some of the easy ways I save money and wanted to share these tricks with you. I hope you find them useful.
Do you always seem to be replacing Glass Plus or Windex? Why not refill these spray bottles with car windshield wiper fluid? It’s cheaper and cleans so much better. Remember, it’s made for outdoor dirt and is very strong, but is usually around $1.90 a gallon.
For hand lotion or face moisturizers in a tube, if nothing is coming out, cut the tube in half with a scissor and you will find that there is enough product left for at least two or three more applications. I sometimes do this with toothpaste as well.
Do you still use Comet or some scouring powder? You can peel back only half of the sticky label covering the holes on the top of the can so that you are not pouring out more than you need to wash the sink or pots.
I canceled Netflix and now use my local library who is networked with many libraries in the county. Ask at your local library if you can join their DVD lending library. When you find a title, you type it into the website and they will notify you when it arrives at your library for pickup. This is a free library service. The titles may not always be up to date, but I have seen many movies I would have missed otherwise.
If shampoo or conditioner is getting near the bottom of the bottle, add a few capfuls of water. It really does not dilute the product that much and is usable. I have never had a problem with the product’s strength.
White Out gets clumpy. When it does, just add a few drops of water and shake the bottle and you are ready to resume correcting mistakes!
The same is true for nail polish. As it gets thick, just add a few drops of acetone or nail polish remover, shake the bottle and you are on your way to finishing up that color you adored.
If you bring a bottle of water to work or anywhere for that matter, after finishing the bottle, fill it up with water from the water cooler at work or your own filtered water at home. You can use the same bottle a few times a day and save on recycling and the cost of water. I did this when I was at the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas this summer when a 16 oz. bottle of water was $4.00. There were many water stations within the convention hall and everyone else had the same idea I did – we filled up our water several times during the day to save money.
Swap books, DVDs or CDs with friends and relatives so you don’t have to purchase them. In this way, you can always purchase the ones you truly like and be thankful that you you didn’t buy one you didn’t like at all.
Have a garage sale to get rid of things you no longer need, want or like and with that money buy something you have been saving up for or wished you had.
Donate unwanted items to a local charity and get a tax sales receipt for your income taxes. Every little bit helps, doesn’t it?
Sign up for all the store rewards cards. I particularly like my Staples card since I usually get back from $10-15 per month that can be used for purchases. I frequently buy paper for my printer at Staples and it is much more affordable with the discounts. Plus, you get unsolicited money to spend at various times during the year.
Check to see if you are in a rewards program with your credit card. I just found out one of my cards had a rewards program and when I checked into it, I realized I could order a $50 Visa card which I will use as my son-in-law’s birthday present in November and it didn’t cost me anything extra.
Of couse, check Craigslist or Ebay for items that you can get below cost. I bought a year old kitchen table for $100 and many times items are negotiable. I had seen this table for $627 in the store, but could not afford it. And it was in a town five minutes from my home. Very easy transaction and I love having something I wanted for months — my daughter got my oak dining room table and I had a little bistro table in a huge kitchen which made me feel as if I was in a cafe and I was the last table left!
These are just a few of my savings ideas that I thought I would share with you and if you have any YOU would like to share, please forward them to me.
I will also continue to add to this list as time allows.
Happy Savings!
www.Fengshuimoon.com and www.vikkianderson.com
