Readers' Tips
I lived in a small apartment for years, and the best advice I
can give is to re-think how much "stuff" you really need.
While I was packing for our move into our first house, I could
not believe the junk I came across that I never used and had
forgotten I had. Go through everything in your closets and ask
yourself if you really need each item. Do the same for your
kids or have them do it if they're old enough. After the
initial cleaning, look through the areas once a month for
items that have found their way in there. You'll be surprised!
Make a rule that for every new item brought into the home, one
old item must be pitched or donated. Try not to save too much
stuff for when you "have more room" or because you might have
use for it "somewhere down the road" (my two pitfalls!).
Realize that keeping up with the Joneses while living in a
small space is futile and adopt a simpler lifestyle. After
awhile, you'll notice yourself spending less because you're
buying less things that you don't need in the first place!
Jacki
more suggestions on savings for apartment dwellers
When my husband and I travel, we always save money on our
hotel and car rentals. I make our reservations months in
advance and secure a price with the hotel and the car rental
facility. One month prior to our vacation, I call the hotel
and car rental company and ask if they are running any
specials or have any discounts they can offer. Each time I
have received a better rate on both. In the end, we usually
save around $150-$200 per trip by calling a month prior to our
vacation. I found that if you have a reservation with the
hotel or car rental company, they are more willing to offer
discounts.
S.P. in Illinois
Our little poodle, Mo, is 15 years old, and due to aging, he
has a problem with wetting his bed at night. Instead of buying
the expensive doggie diapers in the pet store, I went to our
local big-box store and purchased a large package (40) of
their brand of baby diapers for $4.99. After cutting a small
hole in the diapers for his little tail to stick out, I put
the diaper on him. They fit perfectly, do the job, and our
little Mo doesn't mind wearing them at all. These diapers
serve the purpose just as well as those high-priced doggie
diapers in the pet store at a fraction of the cost!
Brenda from Virginia
I have had several occasions involving rechargeable items
being "left behind" and having to retrieve them at expense of
time, gas and/or money. For example, I left a cell phone at
home on a charger and had to run home to get it, or even
worse, I've left a DS, IPOD, or phone plugged in at a hotel
and had to hope they'd send it to me. I have a little trick
now. I place the item being recharged into its final
destination. So the item being recharged is actually in the
purse, suitcase, or bag and then plugged into the wall. When
you grab the larger (and more visible) bag, you just unplug
the charger from the wall and head out with the item (and
charger!) safely inside.
D.
In today's economy, it is very common to downsize to afford rent/mortgage, but the less square footage we have, the less space to store stuff. I refuse to pay for a storage unit. Not only is it expensive but also it's inconvenient. My girls (ages 11 and 7) have so much stuff (and a little closet that they have to share). I could only fit four jackets and the closet was full.
No doubt I needed more space just for the basics. So, I took out the bed frame from both twin beds. I bought 12 tote boxes (18 gallons each) and filled them up with toys, books, out-of- season clothes, etc. I put them in two rows with three boxes on each row and put the mattress on top of the boxes, so I used six boxes per bed.
My girls love their new room! Their beds are tall, and if they
need something, they just flip up the mattress, open the box,
and get whatever they need. It's right at their fingertips,
without driving or going outside in the garage, shed, etc.
These boxes are very tough. So far, they haven't broken or
suffered any damage. By using the boxes as box springs, I
gained a lot of storage and it was cheap (each box was about
$3.90). Plus, it was a one-time purchase. Once they outgrow
their toys, they can always use the boxes for something else,
such as bedding, etc. And if we have to move, most of their
room is already packed.
AL from NV
I want to suggest a snack that my kids love. They enjoy fruit
of all kinds but sometimes I serve them mixed fruit. Instead
of a bowl, I pour it into an ice cream cone. They love to
spoon out the fruit and then munch on the cone afterwards.
D.F.
If possible, plan your return trip on a Sunday. We did this recently and the plane was overbooked and asked for volunteers to stay over. They were looking for two, but I told them that we were a family of five and we'd do it but they'd have to take all five. They paid for two hotel nights and gave us each two round trip tickets to use within the year. We decided to rent a car, which added to the cost, but we could have hung out in the hotel pool.
Also, if you keep a clean set of clothes in your carry-on bag,
that will save you from running out and spending extra on
clean essentials. You can also choose to check your car seats
and stroller at the gate to ensure these items are with you at
all times. If you are held back (or have baggage problems),
you will still have what you need.
S.
We love to eat tortilla chips with our homemade garden salsa,
but cheap chips are often greasy and unhealthy. The low-fat
baked chips are way too expensive for us! So we get white or
yellow corn tortillas in a package of 36 for about $1.50, cut
them each into eight triangles (this can be done quickly in a
stack and with a pizza cutter) and spread them on cookie
sheets. I sprinkle them with water to make them crispy, add
seasoned salt or whatever other seasoning we have around, and
then bake them at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. These
chips are very low fat, high in fiber and taste great! Best of
all, they cost much less than the national brands of baked
chips.
P. R. in Iowa
If you are unfortunate enough to be in the position of having
to color your hair, you can save money by purchasing the dye,
developer and an applicator or two at a beauty supply store.
The developer can be purchased in large bottles, and the dyes
can be purchased separately in small bottles like the ones
that come in the kits. The application bottles have
measurements on the side, making it easy to use just what you
need (such as just half of a bottle of dye for touching up
your temples and roots). The intense post-coloring
conditioners are also available in large bottles. The cost
works out to be far less than a $5 to $9 hair coloring kit,
especially if you color or touch-up every four to six weeks.
D.D.
Recently, I read a tip in your newsletter to use a 50/50 glycerin and water mixture for very dry skin. I mixed glycerin and water in a small spray bottle and added a few drops of jojoba oil for extra moisturizing. I've been using it daily, and it works great.
The other night, when I discovered I was out of shaving gel, I
spotted the bottle and decided to try it. It was the best
shaving product ever! The razor stayed very clean, the shave
was close, and my skin was extra soft afterwards. I'll never
buy shaving gel again. You do need to shake the bottle each
time you spray to mix the jojoba back in!
Lacey
If you have a glass shower, use a squeegee on the glass every
time you finish showering. This absolutely eliminates grimy
soap scum and saves tons of time scrubbing, especially if you
have hard water that stains very easily. I used to spend
literally hours scrubbing hard water stains and soap scum off
the shower doors. Now, I simply swipe the glass after
showering and I have beautiful, clean, streak-free shower
doors. I cannot remember the last time I actually had to get
out glass and shower cleaner to scrub them!
Brittany S.
After years of buying regular dishwashing gloves and having
them split after a few days, I started thinking that basically
we're dealing with chemicals. So, why not buy the strong,
durable and long lasting chemical gloves that would be used
for stripping furniture, etc.? Our local hardware store was
going out of business, so I bought two pairs for myself. It's
been four months, and they are still working great. Why didn't
I think of this sooner?
Sophia
I purchased an inexpensive desk organizer tray (from Wal-Mart)
for the drawer in my bathroom vanity to hold hair elastics,
barrettes, nail clippers, emery boards, makeup, etc. This
makes everything easy to find and saves time and frustration.
Lorraine in NH
I take an inexpensive pump container of body lotion (after
about half is gone) and then add some baby oil, shaking it up
very well. Then after showering, while still in the tub and
before toweling off, I rub it all over myself. Then I "pat
dry" so that most of the lotion mixture stays on. It works as
well as expensive shower moisturizers and also leaves your
towels smelling great! Also, it doesn't make the bottom of
your tub slick like straight baby oil due to the much thicker
consistency of the lotion.
Melody
Sometimes on the day after Easter, stores will drastically
reduce the price of their eggs. Wal-Mart does this
occasionally.
Vera M.
After years of buying cars, I found that:
1. You should always know the dollar amount you want to spend on a specific car or truck. (Take the price of the vehicle minus the trade in price you want for your car.)
2. Always ask to deal with the Sales Manager.
3. Don't be afraid to get up and walk away if they balk at the deal that you want. Generally, you will get a phone call from them to continue the deal.
The last truck that I bought had a sticker price of $32,000,
but I paid $23,000 for it. Before I signed the papers, I had
them throw in pin-striping and a spare tire lock (another $150
saved)
Joe D.
I don't know when or why I started counting the pills in the
bottles when I pick up my prescriptions, but I'm glad that I
did. A few times they have shorted me. I know it's not much
and it's not intentional, but they always make good on them.
And some medications are very expensive.
Judy C.
What would you do with an extra $100? One lucky Dollar Stretcher "tipster" will win a $100 check each month just for sending in their favorite time or money saving idea. It could be you. Just send your suggestion to Tips@ stretcher.com. If we use your tip in any of our publications, we'll send you the next three issues of our print newsletter as a "thank you" and you'll automatically be entered into our monthly $100 drawing!
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Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips@ stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!
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