Inspired By The Economy

A couple of years ago, we decided to do an experiment on being poor. ;) It's been interesting to say the least! I have had to come up with some serious ways to save money. I know this sounds dumb, but I had never even been to Goodwill to buy something. (Really good stuff, by the way. Especially the one in Tigard.) I needed to change my thinking on things. God needed to change my thinking on things. I was getting waaaay to into worldly things. Don't get me wrong, I like nice things, but they were too important to me.

I am interested, that the economy wants to join in our experiment! Yikes! I don't think any of us are immune from what is going on financially. I am watching Oprah right now, I know...eek! She has a great show on today on living frugally, having debt...oops, and living within our means. It's really hard, I know. We went through the whole Dave Ramsey class, know what we need to do, but still we mess up. I am definitely not perfect. But, I have some small tips that I thought I'd share with you all.

- As much as I wanted to save $, I did not want to shop at some of the "bargain" grocery stores. I spend a little extra time and clip coupons from the free Food Day that comes on Tuesdays. Every once in awhile there is a $10 off coupon in there from Safeway, and you can use all coupons at Albertsons. You can even use the doublers for your manufacturer coupons.

- Make your own cleaning products. I make my own counter cleaner and antibacterial wipes. I bought reusable microfiber floor cloths that I can wash in the washing machine. Here are the recipes for the cleaners:

All-Purpose Cleaner

2T vinegar

1 t Borax

Hot water

a few drops of a mild dish detergent

10 drops of essential oil (scent, like citrus along w/ tea tree, a natural antibacterial)

In a 16 spray bottle put vinegar, borax and hot water. Swish around until borax has dissolved. Add the drops of dish detergent and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Add the essential oils (I like citrus or lavender.)

Homemade Window Cleaner

This one can be made right in your spray bottle.

½ t mild dish detergent

3T vinegar

2 cups water

Put all these ingredients into a spray bottle. Shake this up some and use it just like the commercial variety.

I also did some research after a comment by Mary Lou. I was intrigued at the thought of making my own laundry detergent. I have a high efficiency washer, so I have to use low-sudsing soaps. I found this great website that you can buy some of the raw ingredients. Also, you can buy your essential oils at Whole Foods. Or, I buy some of my stuff online at Essential Wholesale when they are having a sale.

Instructions for Antibactieral Wipes

Things You’ll Need:

• Roll of paper towels
• Water
• Container half the size of a paper towel
• Tight lid
• White Vinegar
  
• Tea tree oil
• Small bowl

• Step 1:
  Roll out half of the paper towels, tear apart and then stack them in the container. If you are using regular-sized paper towels, cut them in half with a non-serrated knife.
• Step 2:
  Mix ¼ cup water, ½ cup vinegar and approximately 10 drops of tea tree oil in a bowl. Tea Tree oil is a natural antibacterial agent which will disinfect the area you are cleaning without using harsh chemicals.
• Step 3:
  Pour half of the mixture onto the paper towels in the container. Move the paper towels around and allow them to soak up the liquid.
• Step 4:
  If there is enough room in the container, break apart the other half of the paper towel roll, add the towels to the container and pour the other half of the mixture over the new paper towels.
• Step 5:
  Place a tight fitting lid on the container and store the towels until you need them.

-I started cutting both my boys' hair. I can give lessons...if any of you are scared to try. I practiced, and am pretty good at it! My hubby lets me "pay" myself for each of their haircuts to save for my own professional cut and color.

- Plan! I make all of my meal plans a week ahead, according to what is on sale. I sit in front of the ads, and plan my shopping. I make sure that we eat proportionately so that the hubby can have leftovers for lunch.

- This is hard for me to do. Do the envelope system. Even if you are wealthy. It helps to keep you accountable with where your money goes. We are all just one step away from losing it all, so don't be lulled into a false sense of security.

-Get your clothes second hand. I do most of my shopping at Buffalo Exchange. You don't have to sacrifice fashion there. They have in style things, and if you have nice things to exchange, you get credit! I also know of a clothing exchange coming up. Girlfriends get together and trade their duds. If you don't know of one, do your own! Just make sure to invite some people your size! ;) I took the kids to Goodwill before school this year. They wear uniforms, so we went and found khaki pants, polo shirts, even regular clothes that were in perfect shape! I also consign their clothes at our local kids consignment store.

-Want something? Go to Craigslist. I really wanted a new Ipod before I ran Hood To Coast, and so I went on Craigslist and found one for $35!

Ok, so that's it on my ideas. Hope it is helpful to some. If you have some ideas, please share in the comments! I hope we can all survive this economic crisis.