Find yourself broke and need to save money but don't know how? Well here is a list of things you really can stop buying and yes you will survive without them.
1. Aluminum Foil/clear plastic wrap-Hey remember those things called lids? Yes those! Start using them, they were made for a reason. Don't have a lid? Put a plate over your bowl. Not only will you be saving $ but you will also help out the environment.
2. Ziplock bags-Use your dishes to hold food. Invest in reusable bags or just buy old Tupperware from thrift stores. I have not bought Ziplock bags in a year now and I don't miss them at all. They are horrible things that fill out landfills and take forever to break down if not at all. Save money and the environment.
3. Air Fresheners-Really, do you need these? How about picking some herbs from your yard and putting them in a bundle behind a fan. The fan will spread the fragrant oils escaping from the leaves when you touch them. Stop buying those plug in's, powders, and air sprays. They pollute our air, landfills and waste our money.
4. Spice Packets-these are a big waste of money. Buy spices in bulk, and put together your own. This will save you some cash each year.
http://www.recipezaar.com/ type in what spice packet you need (example:Taco seasoning) and there are lots of recipes that have been reviewed for you to try out.
5. Dryer Sheets/softeners-Yes they smell good but you don't need them. Just wash and dry as usual. After about 2-3 times washed (not in a row) and no more static. The static is actually caused by the softeners you put in the clothes.
6. Cut frozen veggies-Yes you can even save money this way. Buy seasonal fruit or veggies for super cheap, take home and cut into pieces, lay flat on cookie sheet, put in freezer for 2 hours, take out and put into freezer safe container. Your done. See how easy that was? And you have extra cash in your pocket. Your welcome! Want instructions? Here you go
7. Brand new anything-Well some things you need to buy new (undergarments) but almost everything can be bought used. From furniture, shoe's, clothes, kitchen gadgets, etc. Go to your local thrift stores or hit up some garage sales. You will save a bundle this way.
8. Cards-Now days cards can cost up to $5 each. That's just plain nuts! How about making a card? All that pretty paper you have saved, put them to use. I love a handmade card from anyone because it shows they took the time to do something for you. Let your kids go nuts making them, it keeps them busy for at least 30 minutes.
9. Cleaners-Make your own. There are hundreds of recipe's out there on the net. Have some vinegar? Add about 2 cupfuls of vinegar to a spray bottle of water. Use this to clean. And no, there is no vinegar smell like you would think. Below are a few ways to get you along.
10. Liquid Laundry Soap-Yes you can make your own and its super easy. Try it out for yourself by following my directions.
11. Your dryer-Really? Are you kidding me? Nope! With a $2 investment you can save yourself up to $20 a month just by doing this easy project.
12. Broth-From chicken to veggie broth, its super easy to make. Don't throw away those bones from your dinner or veggie bottoms and cut offs, take them and follow my instructions.
13. Premade anything-No more frozen food meals, precooked anything or ready to eat anything. From now on make it yourself. This will save you a bundle. Buy from the bulk section and save even more. Make it ahead and freeze it in small freezer safe containers. Just take it out and bring it with you to work or where ever. It will be thawed by lunch time.
14. Fresh Flowers-Start picking flowers where ever you find them. Go to the park and see wild flowers, just pick those. Ask a neighbor if you could pick some of theirs. Yes fresh flowers are pretty but are expensive and die within a few days.
15. Coloring books-These are anywhere from $1-$5 each. When you have more than 1 child, this really Ad's up. Try looking on the web. There are thousands of pages you can just print out yourself.
16. Copy Paper-I do buy once in a while but try to come up with creative ways to get around this. One way I have found is to reuse any paper we receive. My children bring home papers each day and if there is nothing on the back of the paper, its goes back to the copy machine. Just yesterday I printed out a coupon for The Pumpkin Patch and the clerk said "Neat!" because my daughters homework was on the other side. lol. If its standard paper size and blank, you can print on it.
17. Movies-Yes its only $1 each movie to rent but that ad's up quick. Try borrowing from a friend or family member. Maybe a good movie on TV? Try the Internet.
http://www.hulu.com/ has lots of movies for free. Also keep a eye out for free
Redbox movie codes. They usually come out on Mondays.
18. Junk Food-Just don't buy it. Its not healthy, cost too much and you just don't need it. Try making your own sweet or salt treat. Refer to #4 , recipezaar has lots of recipe's.
19. Fast food-Again just don't buy it. Ive heard so many horror stories of what people found in their food or have been sick from it. No thanks!
20. Swiffer style refills-You can use a terry cloth for dusting or make your own refill out of fabric. Just use any old sheet or t shirt and cut it to size. Dip in your soap of choice with water, wring it out and then attach like usual. This will save you a bundle. I had the swiffer vacuum that had a filter you needed to replace. Instead I cleaned it after each use, then about once a month I would soak it in hot water and gently scrubbed it clean. Ive yet to replace it. Get creative!
21. Bottled water-Such a waste of money. They have done studies that showed that your own faucet water was cleaner that those bottled waters. Unless you have really hard water and the taste is just bad, drink your own water.
22. Cable or satellite-We stopped ours 6 months ago and its saved us $300 already. I like that money in my pocket! We found we were watching so much TV because we were paying for it. Now we rarely watch TV and if we do its usually public broadcasting. Now days there is more than 5 channels. We have about 20 channels to choose from including a kids toon channel.
23. Soda-its just not a needed thing. Too much sugar and not at all healthy. Once you kick this habit, you will feel much better.
24. Want items-I want something salty...or I am craving something sweet. These "I wants" add up and are not needed. From now on only buy what you need.
25. Driving-If its within a mile or two from you, just walk. You will save a bundle on gas this way. Plus you get lots of exercise. It also gives you family time.
26.Paper towels or napkins. if one family of four switched to fabric ones at each meal for one year, this green step would prevent 4,380 paper napkins from ending up in our trash.
27. Disposable plates and cutlery-Just use what you have and wash them when your done. If you have to buy them, check Whole Foods in their eco friendly selections. Prices are the same but way better for your environment.
28. Mouthwash-To make your money stretch, use Hydrogen Peroxide instead. This has been a little secret that most people have never heard of. Just use like your usual mouthwash and it will freshen your breathe and whiten your teeth. Plus its only $1.
29. Books-How about that good old library? Yeah that place. They are free books! Did you also know that you can check out movies, magazines, and much much more? Try it out!
30. Internet-What? Did you just say what I think you said? I know...what is wrong with me? Have I gone nuts? Well Ive been nuts but that's beside the point. lol. Yes you can live with out Internet. Libraries have public computers for you to use, just call your local library and get the details. I have a friend who cut Internet to save money and its been about 6 months now. And she is still alive! You can still pay bills, check emails and do research. Its not the most convenient thing but they save $10-$20 a month by doing this.
31. Hair Salon's-Lets think about this.....$50-$100 to get your hair dyed or $3-$12 to do your own? I choose to do my own hair and I only pay $3 every 2 months. I've been doing this since highschool and know what colors look good on me and which ones don't. I am amazed how much people pay now days to get their hair done. Maybe you can barter with a friend who does hair. Babysit for them and they do your hair...Or maybe give them a deal at your work for some services at the salon.
32. Pay to play places-Those places you pay a small fee to let your kids play on their play equipment can get spendy. Sure its only $5 a kid, but that add's up very quick. How about email your friends and meet up at a favorite park. Kids will love playing on any play structure as long as their friends are there. I have 4 daughters and thats $20 a pop just for my kids to play for a hour or two. Its just not worth it to me. I just dont have that kinda money for them to play. Luckily my girls have been invited to birthday parties at these places so they do get to go there. I also have a friend who sometimes invites me and was able to get my girls in for free. We appreciate everytime this happens.
33. Cupcake papers-Sounds silly but these things add up too. They cost $1-$2 per package and just get thrown away. You can use butter or any oil to slather the inside of your pan, add the batter and then just pop them out once they are cooled. Plus they look oh so rustric! Save a tree too!
34. Colored sprinkles-You can make your own by using some food dye. Just get a small bowl, add some sugar, and then add a drop of food dye at a time. Just mix well with a fork and add enough dye to get the desired color. This alone will save you $2.
35. Microwave Popcorn-Not only is this stuff very unhealthy, but it gets expensive. You can make your own popcorn by using a large pot, oil, and popcorn kernals. Or you can do what I did. I found a old school vintage air popper at a garage sale for $1.50. This was a very good investment for me. No oils to pop it, and we can add what ever seasoning we want. Plus it smells the house up with wonderful popcorn smell.
36. No bone meat-yes its easier to cook when you can just flop the meat in the pan but did you know you pay way less for meat on the bone? You can find chicken for as low as 99 cents per pound when its a whole chicken? And its even less when you find it in the markdown section. Just take home, pull out the not so pretty stuff on the inside (already cut out heart, kidney etc) and give them to the dog or cat. Then put in the oven for 1 hour at 400 degree's. Once done you will be able to take all the meat off super easy plus it will be soft and melt in your mouth yummy. You can just freeze what you cannot use and use it for another meal. All meats are this way. So try it out and save yourself some money.
37. Boxed oatmeal-These really do add up. My kids use 2 packets per breakfast, that's 8 packets each morning, and that's adding up. So I buy oats in the bulk section for 50 cents per pound. It takes about 2 cups to make breakfast for my kids and that only cost me about 10 cents. They just add brown sugar, or fresh fruit, or some homemade jelly. Super easy and cheap.
38. Broth-Instead make your own. Vegetable broth can be made with just the ends you cut off to put in the compost. Meat broth can be made from any animal bones left over from a meal. Just put the bones or veggies in a pot, add water till it covers the bones or veggies, and boil for about 20 minutes. Drain bones or veggies out, and use reduced broth for any meal. Yummy! Broth from the store is $1 a can and you need 2 cans to do anything. Make your own for free!
39. Drinks-Really need to save money? Stop buying milk, juice, soda, or just about anything. Just drink water. Not only is this good for you but its super cheap when your drink tap water. Maybe add some mint from the garden, or even some lemon balm leaves.
40. Medicine's-Well not everything of course. But the simple ones like cough syrup can be avoided. What we do in our home is this. Adults 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 tsp honey two times a day. Kids 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 tsp honey 2 times a day. ACV (apple cider vinegar) is a antibacterial for your body and honey keeps the throat coated and prevents the cough. This saves us a bundle and my kids dislike the taste of any cough syrup. If you can buy organic unfiltered unpasteurized apple cider vinegar but store brand will do in a pinch.
Also for congestion use a bowl full of warm water and a drop of lavender oil and eucalyptus oil. Simply get a wash rag and dip it into water then wring out the water. Place this warm rag on your chest when you go to bed or when you lay down. If you have trouble with a stuffy nose, put warm rag over your nose and take a couple of breathes. This will prevent dry cracking noses and help clear them up.
I started not buying these things to save money but soon realized I truly didn't need these things and have not bought any of them ever sense. You will feel good about helping the environment and happy to have that money back in your pocket where it should be.
Star Fine Olive Oil Survey
Why choose local? Its a great question. Well to me its worth the effort to buy local. Not only are you getting fresh produce, but your supporting your local farmers and keeping them employed. Its literally a win win situation. When I was living in St Helen's Oregon, The Pumpkin Patch was my choice for local fresh produce. They were 15 minutes away from my home, and always have the best fresh tasting produce. I moved a few months ago to Portland Oregon but I still migrate back there each week. Yes its a 30 minute drive but its still worth it. My children just love going there and physically picking their food. If you have never been there, just take a day to come visit. Its family friendly and you save a bundle of money. Be sure to bring your camera. Thousands of places to take pictures.
Free coffee today only at your Oregon Starbucks. Starbucks is celebrating its 20th year in Oregon and wants to thank us! Come in any Oregon Starbucks and get a free coffee! Yahoo!!!!
As you are reading this, im heading down the road for my "kid free" night away with my husband. Its our 10th wedding anniversary and were going to get away for one night of relaxation. But I found you some goodies to keep you occupied!
Chopstick Art by Bryan Parks. 
These are my crazy carrots. Instead of weeding out the carrots and only letting the good ones grow, I let them all grow. I like my crazy looking carrots the way they are. More interesting for my kids when they eat them. The only problem I have with them is when I'm digging them out. Its no fun, hard work, and frankly hurts my back. But look at them, they are so yummy! Carrots are a parents best friend. They are sweet so kids love them, and very healthy. 
Free Little Squirt
Today I spent a little time in the garden and look what I found. A HUGE zucchini which I must have missed a few times. Oops! This I will shred into 2 cup size containers and put in the freezer for later use in muffins. 
Find yourself broke and need to save money but don't know how? Well here is a list of things you really can stop buying and yes you will survive without them. 
Free Burts Bee's Natural Acne Solution Product
Free Nutland Sample
I stumbled upon this amazing site with so many great idea's for keeping your children busy without media involved. Its called "Unplug your kids" and their motto is "Living a TV free life....with a few crafts and books thrown in." I spent an hour just browsing through the site in amazment. That is how I found this cute easy to do project. Check out her site and get lost in it too.
