My top idea, is not to leave the house...ha ha ha

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www.myspace.com/sassy143


Alex & the spider monkey

Ditto On The Packing Snacks. I Always Keep Drinks And Snacks In The Car.

I Also Put Lamps On Timers So That I Never Forget To Turn Them Off And If The Lamp Is On We Dont Have To Turn On The Lights.

With christmas coming up many retailers will be having friends and family events...ask if you can be on their list. These events are great for when you want to save money on gifts. Always ask for a manager because they are the ones in charge of these events. If they have them there is usually incentives and bonuses so they will invite anyone who asks. I have seen stores offer discounts up to 45% for the short events and usually includes all items in the store. If store only has a few invites and you want to take friends ask if as long as you ring up together if you can all shop.

Best discounts at retailers are often last week of fiscal month because they are trying to make month.

Thanks for this tip! I didn't get any cheap cloth napkins (I got some 4 packs from target), but me and hubby have been enjoying using real napkins at every meal. Plus, they don't always get dirty, so we can use them more than once before washing. I got mine colored to also save me from the torture of trying to get out stains. And they take up NO room in the laundry so I just toss them in with the towels every week.

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Mom to Kaylee (10/2006)
Waiting on our second bundle of joy to arrive January 2009!

I use cloth napkins quite a bit -- I like the way they look and feel.

I know I shouldn't buy them at all, but I do. So anyway, when I use my swiffer floor sweep thingy I use one side and then put it back on the wrong side out and use it again. I amazed at how much it still picks up.

I wouldnt feel terrible about the swiffer, sometimes you are so busy saving money that there are a couple of things that I THINK you can let go on! The swiffer things were always the best for our wood floor in our old house....EVERYTHING else I tried seemed to leave the most horrible streaks, even most home made solutions! PLUS, I found myself needing to clean the floors less often with the swiffer pads. I stopped purchasing the dry ones though because I found that a papertowel put on the swiffer device works ALMOST as well (good enough). Oh, and trust me, the dollar store brand swiffer wet wipes are poopy.

I agree. Swiffers are worth the cost. I always have coupons for them at BJs, so I save a little on them. I tried the dollar store ones too and was not impressed. Def. go for the real thing.

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Mom to Kaylee (10/2006)
Waiting on our second bundle of joy to arrive January 2009!

I agree...Swiffers are the best and the cloths are almost always on sale somewhere...and I always have coupons for them.

My best tip for saving money is not to leave the house. Everytime I leave the house I end up spending money on something. Some other tips:

Instead of using dryer sheets put fabric softener on a washer cloth and put it in with your laundry. Or instead of using the dryer line dry clothes. If you are limited on space just hang your clothes on a hanger to dry and hang from the shower rod.

I love getting things for cheap or free. I love thrift or second hand stores. I've recentlyjoined my local freecycle groups, where you get post things you no longer want or get things that you are looking for free. I've also started looking at e-bay and craigslist for things that I can get for cheap. You can also use these website to sell stuff and make some extra money.

Coupons. I got a deal on our local Sunday only subscription to the newspaper for only $1.00 per week if I use only one coupon I've paid for my subscription. I also check out the online coupon sites, such as SmartSource & Coupon Surfer. I don't really care for Cool Savings or Eversave I just get too much spam with them. I use search engines to search for other coupon sites or I visit manufacture sites and sign up and the sometimes send coupons of free samples. The Betty Crocker website has a lot of coupons too.

I also go to restaurant websites and sign up to get emails for coupons and discounts and I've joined all kinds of birthday clubs to get free items for my birthday which are usually good for two weeks of your birthday.

I go to the library to read the magazines instead of subscribing. I also check to see if they have the books I want to read before buying them. You can also rent movies or music from your local library. They also have activities for the kids to do that are free.

I will always try store brand products once. A lot of time these products end up tasting better than the name brand.

I've started buying those energy efficient light bulbs. They are more expensive initially but they save a lot on electricity.

I try to plan all my errands on the same day so I don't waste as much gas. I use the cruise control whenever possible and try not to speed. I also try to check the internet to find the cheapest gas closest to my destinations before filling up.

For diapers I found that 1800diapers is a good place to purchase diapers, they are reasonably priced, free shipping, and you dont have to leave the house to get them. They also have a referral program. Everytime you buy diapers you can enter a referral code and each person get a credit. My referral code is AMST1947. Plus the acceptance manufacture coupons.

Also for baby I dont use a diaper genie or similar product. I purchased a garbage can that I liked that I would use after the baby out grows diapers. The one I bought has a step thing to open it. The inside has a plastic container which can be washed. And I just by the cheap air fresheners to stick to the inside of the lid. I also use the cheap scented garbage bags. And I've never had a problem with odors.

I've also found some good books at the library that have some good saving tips. The one I'm reading right now is The Tightwad Gazette. It has some good ideas and then some ideas that are way out there, but I'm finding it an interesting read.