Begin your changes slowly, investigating the possibilities and trying your new mixes with an experimenting-spirit.  As you become more versed in using homemade cleaning solutions, you will very likely save time, avoid common toxins and spend less money.

When researching this topic, the other tips I found most often repeated:

*Purchase new spray bottles and other sealable containers for your homemade cleaning mixes. 

*Label the cleaning solutions clearly, and keep a notebook (or file) of your successful recipes so that you can duplicate them easily later. 

*Maintain the same baby-proofing precautions with your homemade cleaning solutions as you would with commercial products.

*Essential oils and other ingredients may become as costly as commercial concoctions. Work with your friends to purchase them in bulk together or at least share when possible.

Baking soda, as you may have heard, is not just for baking.   As a kid, my mom always had us dip our toothbrushes in baking soda, now they have made Arm n Hammer baking soda toothpaste.  I guess Mom had the right idea!  Many products, following the trend of frugal and more natural cleaning, are boasting that they contain baking soda.  Baking soda is very affordable and can cut many costs of maintaining your home.  Make-Stuff. Com has a list of “Sixty Uses For Baking Soda”:

http://www.make-stuff.com/cooking/baking_soda.html

Vinegar is another more affordable product to use for your homemaking needs.  It’s not just for pickles, anymore!  As you’re gathering in fall apples, did you know vinegar will help deter the fruit flies?  Mixed with other common ingredients such as olive oil and lemon juice, you can freshen up your home.  Here is a list of “Vinegar Tips”:

http://www.vinegartips.com/scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=7

Salt, I read is another wonder-product which can do more than season – it can clean, freshen and solve several kitchen conundrums.  Now, take it “with a grain of salt” (Trial and error is the spirit), but here are “Sixty Uses for Table Salt”, by BellyBytes.com (check out their long list of healthy recipes too!):

http://www.bellybytes.com/articles/salt.shtml

Housework won’t kill you, but then again, why take the chance!
–Phyllis Diller

 Rules and Tips for the Money-Saving Weekend Sport:

You see the signs and if you know the game, you follow them. This is a sport like any other. It requires speed, knowledge, determination and – cash?? 

Termed “Garage Sale-ing”, as it is known to seasoned competitors, it adequately defines this game of buying and selling. Like any other sport, those who are successful veterans arrive prepared each week and usually walk away as winners. You can see them around 2pm on Saturday, a little spring in their step and grinning as they head home with their scores of great deals.

How do they do it week after week – and just what are the rules of this (usually) non-contact sport? Let’s take a look at what the great sale-rs know.

One: Fuel Up: You’ve heard that “Early to bed, early to rise…” saying.  With garage sale-ing, it’s a must. The night before is crucial for vehicle and physical preparation. Making sure that all of your gauges are on “F” for full will insure you an edge over the competition at the first sales. For proper pre-game fueling, fill the car, set out breakfast, pack snacks, a lunch if desired and get to bed early.

Two: In God We Trust: This means carry cash and coin. Exact change speeds up the payment process and enables you to better present your final offer. How can you offer only $5 for a $7 item when you’ve just flashed them a ten or twenty? Cash is good; checks are time-consuming and increasingly unaccepted.

Three: Mind Your Manners: Garage sale-ing is as much of a social affair as it is a sport. Remember those out there are often people you will see again, long past the possible score of a great deal. Good manners and sportsmanship go along way toward netting you not only new treasures, but new friends as well. Be respectful of others’ belongings. Listen politely to them about their prized possessions (and how much they can’t bear to part with them…”.

Make an offer that is reasonable, leaving room for their inevitable rebuttal. If you are a ready, cash-carrying competitor, you’ll win the deals. Fighting over plates or digging through someone else’s stash of finds won’t earn you any points with your fellow sale-rs (neighbors).

Four: Love Thy Neighbors: Those would include the neighbors of those who are holding the sale. Patient courtesy is required with long, narrow driveways. Be mindful of whose lawn you may be parking on. Respect the property of others! Even if it means walking the extra steps up the driveway, instead of across the driveway, do go the extra mile.

Neighbors also include our honorable mail carriers. Please do not park in front of mailboxes. After the sale is over, whomever you are buying from will appreciate a peaceful rest from their undisturbed neighbors.

Five: Map Your Course: I have to hand it to my Dad here. He’s a seasoned sale-r (sailor) through both the high seas and the garage sale-ing game. Dad knows how to map a route and he’s got his map book in the car. (Great maps are found in your local phone directories or by contacting your chamber of commerce).

Dad numbers the sales by time and location (or sometimes by items listed in the ad he’s particularly interested in). Charting a course before you set off saves you time and prepares you mentally for the game ahead. When you know where you’re going, you can get there faster.

Six: Networking, Networking, Networking: Though this “hobby” may be seen as a sport to some, it really is about people helping people. Get to know the folks and let them know what you are looking for. While you are seeking the deals, seek information about what the other sales are like today or about an unknown address. Networking pays here- you may even find your next job, home or best friend while garage sale-ing.

Seven: Know your goals, Seek your Goals (or “Look Quick, Grab Fast!)”: There are sale-rs out there who are very quick on the draw! Some write lists, some take orders and others are seeking specific things (bookworms, antique collectors, handymen, ebay-ers, ect).

Do your homework. When you see something you like, grab it fast! Items move very fast and so should you! By knowing what you’re looking for, you know whether a sale is for you – or whether you should cruise on down to the next one.

Garage sale-ing, whether for sport or for keeping the cost of living within a reasonable budget, is great fun—and adventure. Once you’ve been out there, seeking the treasures and finding great deals, it can become addictive. Garage sale-ing fits in well with the rising popularity of living simple and recycling. Many local organizations also, hold great sales, as fundraising events.

My hometown is home to the best garage sales seen in our region—and your community, as well. Our neighbors hold the best sales—and the best stuff. 

The sale-ing folks believe that perhaps nothing new comes onto our island, we just move it from house to house, from year to year. This can be illustrated by the reappearance of my highchair, coming back into my family just in time for my son’s use – 15 years after my parents sold it at their garage sale.

There are many other stories like ours. Many happy reunions of old things once owned, super deals made and neighbors met when someone else’s discards become someone else’s treasure.

Tips and Links for Buying Second-Hand:

Be advised of Product Recalls and research products you may be looking to buy used: http://www.recalls.gov/ (six federal agencies)

Consumer Product Safety Commission:

http://www.cpsc.gov/

To Find a List of Thrift and Second Hand Stores Near You (and tons of other frugal shopping blogs, links and information) http://www.thethriftshopper.com/

Garage Sale Listings around the country and Garage-Saler Tips:

http://www.garagesaleshopper.com/

 http://gsalr.com/

 Estate Sales (Tag Sales, Auctions and Estate Sales around the Country.  Companies who conduct Estate Sales as well-has a “notify me of local sales” option):

http://www.estatesales.net/

We must have the tools, (and use them), so that we are effective, efficient consumers.  Instead of impulse buying and buying in “blind faith”, it is important to have a working knowledge of our options and rights.  Taking the time to seek out the best product, and then find it at the best price is one way to use our resources wisely. 

Consumers have tools at the ready, available to help them in nearly every situation – it just takes knowing where to look.  Being aware of these tools before you need them (that is, before disaster strikes), is arming yourself (and those close to you), with priceless information. 

Connect yourself to what I consider to be the “Go-To Yellow Pages” of buying, selling and being a wiser consumer.  The Consumer Action Handbook (http://www.consumeraction.gov/) is available on-line or you can order a print version.   If you have a consumer question, a need in your life for signing contracts, filing a complaint or recovering from identity theft (and more subjects), you must have a copy of this FREE and valuable resource. 

It is enlightening reading.  I find that in listening to others, I am the one who is able to point them in the right direction – and often time save them a lot of time and money, because I know of the Consumer Action Handbook.

What sort of information is found in the Consumer Action Handbook? 

*A step-by-step process for filing a consumer complaint

*Identity theft prevention and recovery

*Contact information to major corporations, including retail and manufacturer

*Buying a car, home or looking to invest? – You can find tips and references here

*Your local consumer protection agency and Better Business Bureau

*Military Specific Better Business Bureaus (for military-related consumer news) and Military Support Agencies

*Teaching outlines for Teachers and other Consumer Mentors

*Subject information for Internet, Travel, Television, Health Care, Insurance and More

*Tips for shopping from home, junk mail and telemarketers – be aware of your rights.

 How Can Consumeraction.gov be of help to me?

*It acts as a guide when you meet a consumer crisis.  It begins with “be calm”, and continues as it provides a sample letter for you to use as you resolve your circumstances.

*If you want to learn the signifigance of your credit score and how to improve it, or you want to know how to correct negative information on your credit report.  (Links to all major credit-related organization and governing agencies.)

*When you have issue to report a fraud, product defect or safety hazard, or want to be informed of current product recalls and safety guidelines.

Tools You Can Use in These Financial Times:

*“How to Make Ends Meet”, tools and links to forms which can help you calculate your circumstances and forms to apply for assistance: http://www.aarp.org/money/personal/real_relief_aarp/

*Ten Things You Must Keep in a Fireproof Safe:

http://www.legalzoom.com/legal-articles/10-Things-You-Must-Keep.html?WT.mc_id=EM_NEWS_JAN09BEST_NPFINAL&WT.mc_ev=EmailOpen&spMailingID=2332991&spUserID=NDE3MjE0MjY4OAS2&spJobID=64470653&spReportId=NjQ0NzA2NTMS1

*Ten Ways to Protect Yourself against Scams and Fraud:

http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/ten_ways_to_protect.pdf

Once you have become familiar with these tools,  pass it on.

 Frugal Quote for Thought:

“Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.”

-Author Unknown

Contribute to an IRA for yourself and your spouse. You have until April 15, 2010 to make IRA contributions for 2009. (From cnn.com: check out CNN.com or MSN.com for their money-related articles)

Consider your withholdings allowances and withholding status:  Though many of us look forward to a tax refund every year, ask yourself if what you’re getting back could be paid to you throughout the year, instead of loaning it to Uncle Sam at 0% interest—wouldn’t that be better? Evaluate your W-4 and see if any changes can be made.

Get Organized: Make it a resolution! Designate one area in your home and one set of files to organize all of your financial/home data. Start collecting those pieces of information that you’ll need at tax time. Being organized can save you lots of time and money when you know what you have and can find it fast! This includes receipts for big purchases, warranties/instructions, credit card statements, etc.

Want More Money Information? Check out these sites:

Money Instructor:

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/

This site has information for parents, teachers, homeschoolers and individuals who want to teach kids money matters—and learn for themselves as well! Read more about personal finance and other helpful money saving/investing/credit ideas.

Yahoo Finance:

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes 

Several finance articles on money and personal finance can be found here. Lots of information on new tax laws and how to prepare for filing taxes.

Best Consumer and Finance Freebie:  Order your free copy of the “Consumer Action Handbook”!  It’s the yellow pages/encyclopedia of everything you need to know to protect yourself, make wise spending decisions and more!:

http://www.consumeraction.gov/

Restaurant.com – Dining Gift Certificates, at a fraction of the cost.  Find your city on Restaurant.com and discover a new favorite dining escape.  Purchase and print your gift certificate, from home, and then go out and enjoy.  Frequent coupon codes, offered via their email updates net you a $25 gift certificate for as little as $2!

Visit the website of your local Radio/TV Stations/Newspapers  Look for “ Half-Price” Gift Certificate Deals or coupons for dining, attractions and more!

Want to Create A Custom Date Night or Day-Out Adventure? 

Start with a little research.  Internet, local libraries, and chambers of commerce are great sources of where to go and what to do in your area.  In the Seattle area (and in many other cities), there are the “Best Places to Kiss” books, and similar which direct you to the best for your time and money.   Ask around, look around and then plan something uniquely memorable.

Need More Sizzlin’ Inspiration? 

Here’s what I found when I googled “Cheap Date Night”:

Redbook Magazine gives you many fun, affordable ideas:

http://www.redbookmag.com/love-sex/advice/43-date-night-ideas-2

Focus on the Family offers ideas for “Keeping the Romance Alive”:

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/daily_living/keeping_romance_alive.aspx

RomanticLyrics.com offers their Romance on a Shoestring Ideas (and if you need a love poem, romantic song suggestion, or lyrics to a love song- they’re your website.):

http://www.romantic-lyrics.com/ros.shtml

43 Things.com:

http://www.43things.com/

Be encouraged by people who have already accomplished what you’ve set as a goal for yourself, or find people to partner with in your shared goals.  You can even set up for automatic emails to be sent to you, reminding you of your goals.  There is also an iPhone app from 43 Things.com

SparkPeople.com: is the place to find free advice and assistance in meeting your diet goals.  Free diet plans, calculators, and trackers are some of the tools you’ll find.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/

MoneywiseWomen.com: Washington State based network of finance authors, speakers and mentors who provide information to inspire women to have the best financial futures possible.  Sign up as an email member and you will receive free periodic articles, full on encouragement and vital information.

Moneywise Women is holding a one-day conference in several Washington State cities this year.  For their conference in Bellingham on March 20, they are offering half-price tickets (limited supply) for those that register soon.  Visit their website for a full list of upcoming conferences.

http://moneywisewomen.net/

Free Consumer Action Handbook ( full edition available online):

Order your free copy of this annual encyclopedia of all things money.  Consumers become instantly wiser when they get their hands on this free publication — or view it in its entirety online.  Anything you want or have to do with your money — it’s here.  Be aware of scams, “who to contacts” for when circumstances go wrong, and how to prevent your becoming a victim of identity theft — and more!  The processes of filing a complaint, investing, bankruptcy, and other topics are here in a convenient, easy-to-read format.

http://www.consumeraction.gov/

Share with us online resources which encourage you!

Rebate Websites:

Ebates.com: When you begin your online purchase at Ebates.com, you will receive a percentage refunded to you.  Ebates.com offers retailer coupons and discounts via email updates and at their website.  Some discount coupon codes you find elsewhere can be combined with your Ebates.com refund.  Receive $5 just for signing up, and $15 for referring two friends (who make qualifying purchases.)  There’s a blog featured which informs you of updates and promotions.

UPromise.com:  A free program that refunds a percentage of your participating purchases into a college savings account. Receive contributions to college funds when you register your grocery rewards card and purchase participating products.  Relatives of yours who register at Upromise.com can add to your savings account with their purchases. 

Swagbucks.com: Use this free website as your search engine and you’ll be rewarded with “Swagbucks”.  Earning of “Swagbucks” can also be done by shopping, inviting your friends (when they win a “Swagbuck” for searching using the site, so do you), promoting Swagbucks.com and by trading in particular electronic devices. 

When you have accumulated a number of “Swagbucks”, you can exchange them for merchandise, gift cards, magazine subscriptions, ITunes singles/albums, PayPal cash and more.  Tip: Instead of using your “Favorites” feature of your internet browser, type the name into Swagbucks.com and you’ll accumulate “Swagbucks” much more quickly. 

Coupon Code Website:

CouponChief.com:  CouponChief.com is one of the largest and most user friendly coupon code websites.  Coupons can be easily found by a keyword search, alphabetically and by category.  Users report back to each listing, letting you know the recent validity of the discount.  Register with CouponChief.com for updates on discounts from stores you prefer to shop with.  Visit CouponChief.com and you’ll immediately see where others are saving money, as they offer a list of the most popular coupons. 

CouponChief.com’s online discounts vary by retailer, ranging in percentage discounts to offers of free shipping.  Some offers can be combined with the refund site Ebates.com.  When you find a discount coupon code, they have a “Pays-2-Share” program which will pay you 2% of purchases made through that discount code.  CouponChief.com offers a Google Group Forum where users can discuss discounts and use of the site.

Money Saving Example:  I began my shopping with Ebates.com.   I clicked on “JCPenney” and received an immediate rebate tracking ticket from Ebates.com.  (Tracking tickets are your “receipt” from Ebates, confirming for you that this purchase will result in a refund when you move to the online retailer’s site from Ebates).  Through Ebates.com, I was taken to the JCPenney website where I was able also use a 15% off my order coupon code from CouponChief.com.  I combined the offers, saving 5% on my purchase (which I’ll get back in PayPal cash), and a 15% discount on the JCPenny purchase.  What a great deal for my pair of jeans!

We’d love to hear about your money-saving tips and websites.  Where are you finding great discounts?

This day was no different.   Bored with cooking dinner — and having watched some television with fast food looking so easy and so good — I challenged myself to take the “better road”.   I wanted something better than burgers — and I wanted it for the cash I had in my pocket.

Kids in tow, I was on a budget for both time and money. 3:30 in the afternoon is past my shopping curfew.  My kind, with coupons and averaging unit prices, aren’t too welcome at this time of day.  Shopping today, after my better hours, I was unarmed.   

It nearly hurts me physically to pay full price for anything. This day, even with kids and without my coupon file, I would stay within budget – and eat well tonight.

Produce came first, as I wanted a salad.   I like to “up-do” a bagged salad with any fixings I can find for a reasonable price.  Right away, I see that Fresh Express Salads are BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) — and I do happen to have one coupon for them in my wallet (I carry coupons for my favorite things).

Avocados are $10/10 (an ingenious marketing tool by most grocery retailers– and so easy to match with coupons when they’re name brand products).   I grab one to top the salad. I pass by all of the other vegetables.  When my kids beg to buy apples, I compliment myself. We’ve already got apples at home (bought cheaper at a competitor store earlier in the week) — but I like to mentally record the price of produce to compare prices later.  It’s a good idea to know what items of produce sell for in the area.

Fresh Meat, up next.  (No, I’m not describing myself to the grocery manager — It’s the department I find myself in.)  I want something “good”, but I have walked into the most expensive store in my city.  No problem, I say. I walk past the “premium beef” displays, visualizing my husband’s falling lower lip, and head for the meat’s clearance department. On first glance, and between refereeing the kids, I don’t see anything of great savings.  I do see though, that family packs of pork chops are $1.99/pound.

I do love pork chops — and, they’re not chicken. Chicken is the least favorite of my Navy husband.  (He tells me frequently how on “on the ship, it’s all chicken…chicken this and chicken that…)  Pork then, so far, has been the great compromise.  I tell him, ‘It’s the other white meat’ — it’s meat, its lean and it’s better for you than red meat — so eat!”   I grab a package large enough for two meals.  Only my husband and I eat meat at our house (unless it’s breaded or on a stick, the kids choose cereal or soup.)

A quick glance back to the clearance meats; a roast catches my eye. I picture it over the potatoes and onions I already have at home, with steamed carrots and just the right amount of hubby’s “poor man gravy”.  It’s 30% off? No, wait, it’s 50% off!  My money savings-brain instantly calculates the sale price of the roast and figures out that for the original price of the roast; I’ll get nearly everything in my shopping basket.

Success!  Spending under $15, I brought home at least 4 meals for the price of a roast!  We took the challenge head-on; only one coupon, two kids and shopping after 3 PM in the afternoon.

My advice, if not plain in this narrative already, is to look for the savings and know where they can be found.  For a fast food price, following these guidelines will feed you well for a meal or more. I could have filled the basket with faster, more expensive food (or bypassed the grocery store completely and just ran through the drive through).  But, then I’d have heartburn, both fiscally and physically.

I bring my kids along to make things interesting and to entertain the older couples who think my kids are fun. While we’re entertaining the public, I hope to be teaching my kids something about making good choices and getting the most for their money. They raid the coupon feeders in the aisles (that always gets the “looks”), but they also have learned to read the labels and count for themselves how much money we’re saving.

They’re taking part in the choosing of and enjoying a variety of meals. Granted, they don’t eat roast or salad (their dinner was waiting at home), but they can tell their friends (and Grandma) that they helped me save money. That makes them feel pretty smart too.

The roast was delicious; the pork chops were enjoyed for two later meals.  I loved the thought that I was eating a $15 roast (and got all of dinner for that price) and husband loved eating a $15 roast.  Add to that, he had something to brag about at work the next morning.  I had money for the next “need” the kids came up with. I think it was ice cream.