Readers' Tips

A Good Tip on Eating Out

My boyfriend and I eat out a lot. We found that most often a single serving meal is more that either of us can comfortably eat so instead of taking doggy bags home for the next meal or to get thrown away, we usually ask the waitress for an extra plate and split a meal. It works great and it also helps us maintain our weight, calories and budget. We very often will order and extra salad as we like salads and sometimes we will order a salad bar with a meal. He eats the meal and I have the salad bar. Most restaurants don't mind this arrangement as a matter of fact many restraunts will split the meal for us in the kitchen. Splitting meals is a real budget saver for us and it makes eating out much less expensive and even more healthy. There has only been once when we were charged $1.00 for an extra plate. We have been doing this for years and actually have enjoyed eating out more than when we bought our own meals and ate to much.
Julie, SLC, UT

Moderate Cost for Fine Art

I have always admired Bev Doolittle's art of hidden objects inside of her paintings of Indians, horses, civil war soldiers and bears, but I could never afford her art work at $500. to $10,000 per piece. My husband gave me her book for Christmas which he found at Costco for $30.00 and knew I would love. Many of the pictures of her actual paintings were 11" X 20", 12" X 24" and the largest was 20" X 24"! I thought if I were to carefull remove these fine copies by using a razor blade and cutting the binding of the book, I would destroy the book, but gain at least 12 framable art pieces. I did just that, and took the pieces to a local arts and crafts store where they mat and frame your pieces for free if you buy the frames from them. I splurged and double matted 12 pieces in oak frames with obscure glass and spent far less ($380) than I would have on one of her least expensive pieces. They are smaller than the originals, which I love because I was able to hang all of them on one 20 ft. wall in a lovely arrangement. Had I been wealthy enough to buy the real thing, I could have only hung 3 or 4 pieces. Now people walk into my house and say "Oh, you have Bev Doolittle prints, I love her work!" As they stand and admire the pieces, looking for hidden faces, horses, eagle heads, etc. not even noticing that they are not "originals", I am proud of my frugal artwork and know I will enjoy them for many years to come. If you love a certain artists work, say Lyman or Hanks, buy their book and frame the "prints" inside. If you can only afford to frame one at a time, eventually you can have a wall of "Fine Art" too.
Diane W

Headlice Solution

I have a great remedy for a very unpleasant childhood occurance....Headlice. Here is a little back ground on how (and why) I came to find this information. I have battled headlice all summer long, the bill has added up to almost $100, but the kids were still getting reinfected, even after doing everything recommended. (with 4 kids a single treatment of Nix is $40) and the worst part was that it didn't seem to work. Well I found a couple natural remedies that cost pennies in comparison to the regular treatments- and they are nontoxic.

The first is hand sanitizer. It seems silly, but it really killed the lice. I just pumped it into my hand and spread it onto their hair. I put a shower cap on their head and left it on for about 20 minutes. Then I rinsed it out and washed their hair with regular shampoo, then I took a vinegar/water solution (half and half) and sprayed it on their hair. This loosened the nits and they combed right out. The total cost was THREE BUCKS for 2 8oz bottles!! The lice are gone and I didn't have to poison my children or my wallet to do it!

The next is vaseline. Yes I know it is gross, but it does wash out with dish detergent (I would mix it in with the shampoo). I have not tried this remedy, but I have read that even doctors recommend it for difficult cases. You just coat their hair with it, put on a shower cap and leave it on over night.
Tandy

You Can Do It

2 weeks ago as I was reading one of your articals on keeping a budget I was finally inspired to try one myself. This has really been an eye opener as far as how we were throwing away our money. We kept bills even for gum we bought. But in the short 2 weeks I have allready seen our mistakes such as going too often to the grocery store and not planning a weekly menu. I have also now decided not to go shopping with the children because you end up spending more on candy to make them happy than food. This week I am planning a menu, and it makes my days so much easier because I don't open the food closet and wonder what I am going to make for the kids today and also cuts down on food bill. I guess your ideas really do work! I a so excited and all extra money goes in the bank. It was so easy to do, and makes it easier for you to see where you can cut your budget. If it worked for me I am sure it can work wonders for everyone who is serious about saving money.
Mary in Montreal Canada

Book Gifts

I come from a family of book fanatics, but often times the books in Barnes & Noble, Borders or even Amazon.com are too expensive for my budget. I can't wait to hit the library for current magazines and watch for the book club ads. I'm convinced the theory behind the book clubs is that you and I are absentminded and will forget to fill out the card. This way, they get you to buy books you might not buy otherwise. But if you're conscientious, it's a great way to get books inexpensively. Since most have a minimum purchase beyond the free offer, I've found it easiest to buy a book as quickly as possible and then cancel. It saves the aggrevation in sending back those annoying cards. The most recent club I joined was for good quality interior design books and design books and worked like this.

Three books for $4.95
Option one book 1/2 price $10.95
One book at full price $24.95
Total spent $40.90 / five books = $8 per book

With the holidays coming up, I took care of several gifts this way, with some left over for moi! I even have one club which sends me the "free" offer again and again about every three months after I cancel.
Cynthia

'Dry' Meat Mixes

A long time ago our family really liked Oven-Fry mix for chicken. Finally, I looked at the ingredients and the three main ingredients were flour, paprika and salt. Now when I want to oven-fry chicken, I just put flour on a plate, sprinkle on some paprika and salt and mix it a little and roll the chicken in it. It's delicious and a whole lot cheaper.
Becky

Marinade Mixes

Pre-packaged marinade mixes are mostly salt, sugar, preservatives and a few (very few) herbs and spices. Buy the spices in bulk--a couple of tablespoons each until you know what you like. Grow your own herbs and sneer at plastic packages and dollar-an-ounce prices. Decide which tastes you like by mixing a tiny bit of the herb or spice with cream cheese or yogurt cheese and try it on a cracker. Once you know the combinations, you can use them as dry rubs for baking or broiling, as flavoring for rice, lentils, beans or veggies, or add them to liquid for marinades. The liquid in marinades is usually something acid, like wine, citrus, tomato or yogurt, some oil, plus the seasonings.

Teriyaki has soy sauce, citrus juice, sugar, garlic and ginger in it. Taco flavoring has chili powder, garlic, onion, cumin, salt and pepper. Curry has garlic, onion, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, turmeric, and ginger. Pesto has olive oil, basil, pine nuts, garlic, and maybe parmesan cheese.

Marinades don't have to be made ahead of time. Why bother? Lemon juice, butter, garlic and breadcrumbs turn shrimp into scampi. Onions carmelized in a little orange juice with salt, pepper and olive oil can top chicken breasts for baking. Purchased or homemade salsa tops fish. Delicate chicken and fish only need 20-30 minutes of marinating. Tough cuts of beef need longer in the acid to become tender. Consult a couple of cookbooks for the concept involved, then adjust for your own tastes. It's easy!
Syn F.

editor's note: more recipes and websites for meat mixes at "Dry Seasoning Mixes for Meats".

Reducing Hospital Bills

You certainly can negotiate hospital bills! After a terrible snowmobile accident, my son accrued about $40,000 in bills and we had no insurance. Here is what worked for us:

1. Ask if they will accept Medicaid rate. You certainly may qualify. Medicaid rates are sometimes 40% less. I don't mean that you apply for Medicaid, for someone surely pays for that. Just ask.
   
   
2. Ask if they will give you a discount for paying cash.
   
   
3. Larger hospitals will have you fill out a financial assessment form to verify what your income is and will adjust the bill accordingly. It feels like a loan application but is a small price to pay to help lower the monthly bill. One facility wanted us to pay about $600 monthly, expecting us to take out a loan to do it. We filled out the form and now pay $50 monthly.
   
   
4. Ask for an itemized bill and check over the items one by one. Sometimes there are double charges and/or mistakes. If you don't understand the items listed, consult a medical friend and/or the purchasing dept. at the facility, i.e. what is xyz that costs $50.
   
   
5. Ask to speak personally with the accounts receivable manager/accounting office. Don't waste time with the non- decision making office personnel.

We have saved thousands of dollars using all of the above suggestions. My husband is better at it than I am! Don't sign any payment agreements prior to negotiating. Best of luck and sorry about your loss.
JCH in Idaho

State Money for Hospital Bills

Most states have a Charities Fund to pay unexpected medical expenses. It is intended for those who fall between the cracks --too much money for Medicaid, but unable to pay bills uncovered by insurance. Tell the hospital business office to submit your bill to the State Charities Fund. If they say they have never heard of it, or no such fund exists, call your state representative and make him/her earn their salary. The representative can find out for you.
Eileen

editor's note: more suggestions for "Reducing Hospital Bills".

Easy, Personalized Gift

A great way to save and share memories! Find a picture that has meaning for the person the gift is intended. Buy a tee shirt or sweat shirt, white is best, where you can find them on sale. I buy them at the end of the seasons at 50 - 75% off. Have the picture transferred to photo transfer paper at any store that has a photo quality printer, or at home if you are lucky enough to have one. Then all you do is iron it on! People make a fortune selling these at the malls and it is the simplest craft I have ever done. I use fabric paints that squeeze directly out of the bottles for borders with unusual buttons, lace, trim, or anything that has laid around the house too long. A box of the transfer paper costs about $20 but will do 25 shirts. You can do this on pillows, aprons, or baby clothes.
Jan

Low Cost Apartment Decorating

Suggestion for decorating in an apartment: Cut contact paper with scallops and apply to your walls. It comes in many designs and colors and peels off before you move. Great for tile rooms, too.
Melissa F

Finding the Right Second-Hand Stores

Just a note on shopping at Salvation Army or Goodwill stores. Go to the more affluent neighborhoods to find one. Lower- and middle-income areas don't give away things that are as nice as the upper-income areas. Where we live is a small, rural community. Everything at our local Goodwill is pretty well used up and worn out. Yet I had a friend go visit her mother in a large city and shopped at a church thrift store. Her mother gets 50% off things because she works there and they were also having a 50% off sale so they got everything at 75% off. Among the buys was a beautiful pair of imported shoes, real leather soles even. She got them for a dollar. The original price tag was still on the shoes so they were not only brand new but they were originally $64 shoes! You can't find buys like that in small town. Shopping for bargains is worth the time but only where you are pretty sure you can save some money. Time is valuable too so don't spend it if there's a better way.
T in CA

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