Money Saving Tip #185: Don't Use Laundry Detergent in the Dishwasher

I recently subscribed to the HGTV Magazine, and I love it.  There are many good tips for the money-saving do-it-yourselfers. 

In the magazine, there is a "How bad is it..." section.  One of the tips involved using laundry detergent in your dishwasher when you are in a pinch.  Never use laundry soap in the dishwasher.  Doing so could damage your machine and possibly void out your warranty.  Your dishes are far dirtier than your clothes, so using laundry soap probably won't have any washing effect anyway. 

I have a homemade dishwasher detergent recipe within my blog.  Scan though my postings to get the recipe.   

Money Saving Tip #184: Christmas Trees - Real or Fake?

There are huge supporters of real Christmas trees.  And, there are people who are big fans of fake Christmas trees.  The people who swear by real Christmas trees say that you just cannot get that "Christmas Tree Smell" without the real thing.  And, I would agree with that, but this is a money saving blog. 

A real Christmas tree can cost anywhere from $40-$150 depending on where you buy it and the type.  A fake Christmas tree can cost the same amount, but you can use the fake tree year after year after year.  Growing up, my mother always bought the real Christmas trees every year.  We had to drag the tree home, find the right stand, center the tree in the stand, water it everyday, clean up all those needles all over the carpet, and then hang the string of lights on the tree.  A fake tree comes with it's own stand, and most are already pre-lit.  Just stack the pieces together and plug it in. 

A word of advice:  Don't throw away the box that your fake tree comes in.  You will need it to store the tree in for years to come. 

Money Saving Tip #183: Homemade Drain Cleaner

The next time your sink drain gets clogged, dry this homemade recipe first.  Drain-O or those other products designed to unclog your sink are super expensive.  They can cost just below $10 for a bottle.  This recipe includes ingredients that can already be found in your home.  If it doesn't work, then you can rush out and spend the money on the industrial products, but this one is worth a try!

Ingredients:
8 cups of boiling water
1 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of baking soda

Directions:
Pour the baking soda down the drain first.  Then pour the vinegar down the drain.  Wait 5 minutes.  Then, pour the boiling water down the drain.

Money Saving Tip #182: Dryer Setting

When it is time to use your dryer to dry clothes, don't use the "timed dry" feature.  In most cases, you will be running your dryer longer than it needs.  Use the "sensor" or "automatic" feature to dry your clothes.  This feature measures the amount of moisture in the dryer to determine if the dryer can be shut off or it a little more time is needed.

Money Saving Tip #181: Homemade Cough Syrup

After avoiding contact with my kids and husband for the past 3 weeks, I am now starting to feel the effects of their colds and persistent cough.  Any over-the-counter or prescription medication can be quite costly.  Rather than rushing out the door to spend $10 on cough medication, I went to the internet instead.  I googled "homemade cough syrup" and found lots of results.

Many recipes call for honey, lemon juice, and whiskey.  Since I don't drink alcohol, I continued my search.  I found a recipe that calls for ingredients that I already have in my pantry.  Then, I read the reviews.  To my surprise, most of the people who reviewed this recipe said that it cured them of their cough and colds.

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp water (optional - though most people omitted this because they didn't want to water down the honey coating)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.  Take 3 tbsp. 

You can pre-make this recipe and keep it with you in case you have any cough attacks. 

The majority of the reviewers said that the recipe tastes horrible, but that it works!

Money Saving Tip #180: Make Your Own Curtains and Pillows

Curtains and decor pillows can be a lot of money.  Depending on the fabric of a curtain you want and your window's size, you could spend more than $100 for curtains for just one window.  If you can sew a straight line, you can make your own curtains.  I made curtains for my baby's room to help keep it dark.  I bought fabric at the hobby store when it was 40% off.  Then, I pulled out my sewing machine that I bought for less than $100 10 years ago.  I made my own curtains for his room for about $30. 

If you find a pretty fabric at the hobby store, consider making a couch pillow or seat pillow out of it.  Getting the couch or seat re-upholstered can be quite costly, but you can add a punch of color by adding a pillow instead.  Use the pillows you already have and sew a pillow cover to slip over them. 

You can find hundreds of videos on www.youtube.com on how to do these do-it-yourself projects. 

Money Saving Tip #179: Call the Doctor First

The next time you or your kids get sick, don't rush to the doctor with your cold or flu symptoms.  Call the doctor's office first.  Ask to speak with the Physician's Assistant or Registered Nurse instead.  Many times, they can give you advice and suggestions over the phone.  They can tell you if a doctor's visit is in order or if you should just stay home and rest.  The best part is that this service is free! 

If a medication needs to be prescribed, you will most likely have to go into the doctor's office.

Money Saving Tip #178: Free Baby/Toddler Toy - Keys

Babies and toddlers love keys.  The sound of your keys makes them crazy.  However, babies and toddlers really don't care for those bright colored, plastic ones you buy at the toy store.  They want your keys!  The next time you are at the hardware store or any store that makes keys (Wal-mart), ask them for their "reject" keys.  These are keys that didn't work and were brought back to the store.  These keys cannot be reused, and these stores will usually throw them away.  If the cashier wonders why you need them, tell him or her.  Trust me, the employee will beg you to take all of them. 

Gather up about 8-10 keys and put them on an unused key ring, and give them to your baby or toddler.  Make sure to wash them first.  They will love them!  They will especially love the ones with the graphics on them.

Money Saving Tip #177: Food Storage

Instead of storing leftovers and extra food in ziplock-style bags, use reusable storage containers instead (with lid).  Everytime you throw something in the garbage can, you are throwing money away. 

You can use storage containers for items besides food too.  I use them to store my kids toys too.  The next time you grab for a ziplock bag, ask yourself if that item can be store in a storage container instead. 

Money Saving Tip #176: Collect Shower/Bath Water

Most of us shower on a daily basis.  And, we all love a warm shower.  Most everyone will start the shower water a few minutes before we even get in.  Rather than let all that good water go down the drain, collect it in 5 gallon buckets and use it to water your plants. 

For those of you who like to take baths, collect your "dirty" water after you bathe and use that to water your outdoor plants.  If you have a prized rose garden, I probably wouldn't use the soapy water.  But, if you have some shrubs, bushes, or young trees, this water will be just fine for them. 

Money Saving Tip #175: Raise Your Refrigerator Temperature

Help conserve some energy by raising the temperature in your refrigerator.  Instead of 35 degrees (F), adjust the setting to 37-38 degrees (F).  If your refrigerator doesn't have a thermometer, buy one at the hardware store for a couple dollars.  You know your refrigerator setting is too low when the stuff toward the back of the unit starts to freeze. 

Raise the temperature of your freezer from -3 degrees (F) to 0 degrees (F). 

Money Saving Tip #174: When to Water your Lawn or Plants

We all like to have a beautiful, green and vibrant yard full of green grass and beautiful flowers.  However, if you are watering your garden during the heat of the day, most of that water is being evalorated and is not doing your garden any good.  Instead of watering in the middle of the day, water your lawn and plants when it's dark.  You can water just before you go to bed (once the heat of the day has cooled down).  You can set your sprinklers to go off in the middle of the night.  Or, you can water them in the early morning before you go to work (when it's still dark outside). 

Money Saving Tip #173: Produce Cleaning Spray

Don't waste your money buying a special spray to clean your produce before you eat it.  You can get the fruit or vegetable just as clean buy using a good rub with running water.  If you are truly fearful of eating produce without the special spray, you should see if buying organic produce is a cheaper alternative.  Organic produce may be cheaper when the item is in season rather than the industrial spray (which is 99% water anyway).

Money Saving Tip #172: Plastic Bottles vs. Aluminum Cans

We all know that soda is not good for you.  I certainly advocate for reducing or eliminating soda from your diet.  However, if you cannot shake the habit, buy your soda in aluminum cans rather than plastic bottles.  The aluminum cans are cheaper.  Plus, the aluminum is more recyclable than the plastic. 

Money Saving Tip #171: Homemade Shampoo Recipe

You don't need to spend a fortune to get your hair cleaned.  Most of us rely on store-bought shampoos and conditioners for our normal shower routine.  These products insist that you use them daily for maximum benefit.  You can scan the internet and find hundreds or thousands of recipes for homemade hygiene products.  Most of the ingredients to make these products can be found in the pantry of your home.

Not having tried every homemade shampoo recipe, I cannot say anything bad about any of them.  It comes down to your own personal preference, the amount you want to spend, the availability of the ingregients, your hair type, and your needs for yourself. 

When I decided to try a homemade shampoo recipe, I searched for a recipe that had ingredients that I could find at my local grocery store.  I didn't want to have to travel to a specialty store to buy the different components. 

Here is the recipe I found (and liked) for an easy, homemade shampoo:

1 cucumber, cubed
1/2 cup distilled water
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp baking soda

Combine all ingredients into a blender.  Mix until all components are combined to make a smooth mixture.  Apply to wet hair massaging your scalp with your fingertips.  Remember, it will not lather since there is no soap or detergent in the recipe.  Apply at the beginning of your shower and rinse off at the end of your shower.  Store the mixture in the refrigerator for up to one week. 

If you use the olive oil recipe for your conditioner (Money Saving Tip #170), you will not need to do anything else to your hair on a daily basis.  My hair is super shiny and clean.  I feel no difference between the store-bought products and the cucumber recipe.  Give it a try!

Money Saving Tip #170: Homemade Conditioner Recipe

Many people know that shampoo and conditioner can be quite costly.  Some would even say that all those chemicals in the store products are even bad for you.  After a little internet searching, you might be able to find that perfect homemade shampoo and conditioner recipes. 

When you begin searching the internet, you will find hundreds (if not thousands) of recipes for homemade, do-it-yourself shampoo and conditioner.  Look at each recipe's ingredients.  Most of those ingredients can be found in your kitchen pantry.  Because there are so many different variations, it's easy to switch recipes if one doesn't work for you.  Some recipes include olive oil, some include apple cider vinegar, and some require coconut oil.  Coconut oil and olive oil are a little more expensive than apple cider vinegar.  This is all a matter of personal preference. 

The cheapest conditioner recipe I found included only 2 ingredients:  apple cider vinegar and water.  Mix together 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of water.  Appy mixture to hair beginning at the scalp, giving your head a gentle massage with your fingertips.  Then apply to the rest of your hair.  Let it rest on your hair for a few minutes and rinse very well.  I highly suggest only putting cool (or cold) water on your hair.  Trust me, cool water will make your hair super shiny.  That's it!  It will only cost you pennies to try this recipe. 

Another recipe I found only included 2-5 tablespoons of warm olive oil to your hair once a month.  Rinse thoroughly, and then wash your hair.  This strategy is a reverse process (conditioner first, then shampoo), but you only need to do the olive oil treatment once a month. 

Find one that you are willing to try and works best for your routine and budget.  Stay tuned for my homemade shampoo recipe...

Money Saving Tip #169: Visit the Goodwill

It's been a few years since I have been inside a Goodwill Store, but yesterday, I went back.  I was looking for some decor pieces for my kitchen above my cabinets.  I bypassed the clothing isles, but the prices for most pieces was $3-5 per item.  They even had winter coats.

I went to the back of the store to look for my specific purchases.  Within a few minutes, I found a great vase for my kitchen.  The price was less than I was willing pay for such an item.  I couldn't help but to look around for any other cheap, hidden treasures.  The toy section was filled.  My daughter found a Littlest Pet Shop house for $2.52.  This normally retails for more than $40.00.  Their televisions (which were on and working) were about $10.00.  They came in all shapes and sizes.  They had furniture, towels, drapes, books, movies, and housewares. 

Before you shop new, visit the Goodwill and see if you can find something slightly used.  You can save tons of money.