Money Saving Tip #211: Sliced American Cheese

My kids love grilled cheese sandwiches (and so does my husband). American cheese slices are found on almost all my weekly grocery lists. My grocery store sells American cheese slices two different ways. It comes in a package where each slice is individually wrapped. This is the most traditional way to buy American cheese slices.

The other way my grocery store sells this cheese is without the individual wrapping. To buy it in this package can save you a little bit of money. Plus, it is annoying to have to unwrap each slice everytime. Once I open the package, I place the opened package in a ziplock baggy. The bag keeps it fresh.

Money Saving Tip #210: Skip Shaving Cream

Some people swear by shaving cream for all their shaving needs. Women use it on their legs, and men use it on their faces. Have you ever run out of shaving cream? What did you do? I bet you simply used soap. Chances are, there was no difference. Save the money and use traditional soap instead.

Money Saving Tip #209: Avoid Certain Items in your Dishwasher

Most everyone in this country has a dishwasher in their homes.  For our family, the dishwasher is one of the most used appliances we use, besides our refrigerator.

There are certain things that should not be placed in the dishwasher for a couple of different reasons.  Don't put large pots and pans in the dishwasher.  They take up valuable space in the dishwasher that can be better utilized by putting in 10 dirty dinner plates instead. 

Don't put cast iron skillets in the dishwasher.  These should always be handwashed.

Wood chopping blocks should be handwashed.  The dishwasher will likely split the wood. 

Avoid putting copper pots/pans in the dishwasher. 

Some of us have nice reusable, aluminum water bottles.  The earlier versions of these bottles were not meant to be placed in the dishwasher.  Check the bottom of the bottle.  If it is not dishwasher safe, the colors can chip off and contaminate the other clean items in the dishwasher.  Hand wash these items using a bottle brush.  You can find a bottle brush in the baby section of your grocery or warehouse store.

Some portable coffee mugs are not dishwasher-safe either.  Check the bottom of the cup. 

Money Saving Tip #208: Disposable Make-up Sponges

Some ladies use make-up sponges to apply foundation to their faces each morning.  They usually cost about $2.00 for a 30-pack.  They are disposable and meant to be trashed after each use.  Save the money, and don't use them.  Use your fingers to apply your make-up. 

If you insist in the seamless look by using the make-up sponges, consider washing them and reusing them.  This is what I do.  I place my used ones in a lingerie bag and wash them with my laundry.  They come out looking brand new! 

Money Saving Tip #207: Homemade Fruit Cups and Snack Servings

This was an original bonus tip from one of my prior postings (#4):  Avoid buying fruit cups and individually packaged food items. For my homemade fruit cups for my daughter's lunch, I pack her sliced-up fruit, grapes, mandarin oranges from the produce section, a large can, or frozen fruit (like blueberries) that can defrost by lunchtime. I buy animal crackers and pretzels in bulk and put them into re-usable 4oz. containers.

Everyday, my daughter gets all natural applesauce in her lunch.  I don't buy the individual servings.  I buy the biggest jar I can find, then sort out portions into 4-oz. containers. 

Money Saving Tip #206: Don't Wash Clean Dishes

I know what you are thinking.  The title says not to wash clean dishes.  Who does that?  Well, you might be surprised.  There are some people in this country who feel the need to wash any dish, any cup, any plate, etc. everytime it is used.  Unless the iem is dirty, you don't need to wash it.  Free up valuable space in your dishwasher for dishes that are actually dirty. 

For example:  If you bake a cake from a premade box like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker, you will have to add some liquid ingredient.  That ingredient may be milk or water.  If you take out a measuring cup to measure out that milk or water, don't automatically throw it into the dishwasher.  If it was used to measure water, you can just put it back into your pantry without even washing or rinsing.  It never even got dirty.  If you used it to pour milk, give it a quick rinse with cold water and put it back in your pantry.  You don't need to put those measuring cups in the dishwasher. 

The next time you go to put a dish in your dishwasher, look at it and see if it is actually dirty or not. 

Money Saving Tip #205: Beverage Refrigerator

Everyone knows that refrigerators consume a lot of energy to operate. Most people have their primary refrigerator in their kitchens for food and beverage storage. Some people have another refrigerator dedicated to keeping their beverages cold on a constant basis. This extra refrigerator is probably completely unnecessary. Unless you are the Dugger family from 19 Kids and Counting, your family cannot possibly consume 50 gallons of any beverage on a daily basis.

Since I don't drink sodas, I have given my husband half of the bottom shelf of our refrigerator for storage of his Cokes and Mountain Dews. Empty out the extra refrigerator and use only one. Sell it and earn a few extra bucks!

Money Saving Tip #204: Insulate Your Attic Yourself

Let's face it, you can never have too much attic insulation.  The standard amount of insulation put into attics when a home is built is fair at best.  My husband and I wanted to add some loose fill insulation in our attic, but we didn't want to spend thousands of dollars to have someone do it.  We decided to do it ourselves. 

I spent about a week on the internet researching how-to videos getting all my ducks in a row.  Then, we visited the local home improvement store to price our project.  While there, we inquired about renting the tool to blow the loose fill.  We learned that if we bought a certain number of bags of loose fill, the tool rental was free for an entire day. 

We set aside a full day to do the project.  The first thing I did was go up into my attic and fix any sheets of insulation that had fallen.  Then I re-stapled any styrofoam cornice pieces that needed to be refastened.  Next, we used bubble wrap to keep the vertical pieces from falling again in the future.  We stapled the bubble wrap in place against the 2x4s.  Next, I stood in the attic with the AttiCat hose while my husband loaded the machine on our front porch.  In the end, we managed to obtain at least R48 everywhere in the attic with some places of R60.  The last thing we did was buy an insulated dome cover for the attic door.  The entire project cost us about $400 and about 4 hours of our time.  It was well worth it. 

Our home keeps it's heat much better.  Our heater does not turn on as much because the heat stays in the house longer. 

If your home is in need for insulation, consider doing it yourself and saving several hundred or thousands of dollars.

Money Saving Tip #203: Pay in Person to Avoid Fees

Some organizations offer the option to pay on-line for ease ability.  But, some of those places charge an extra "on-line fee" to make the transaction. 

Though my daughter brings her lunch to school on a daily basis, I do allow her to buy her lunch as a special treat on certain days.  Her school utilizes a website to collect lunch money, but they also take checks made directly to the school to fund her lunch account also.  If I fund her account using the website, I will be charged an extra $1.95 per transaction.  To avoid these extra unnecessary costs, I opt to write a check directly to the school. 

To pay the registration fees on my vehicle every year, I have the option of paying on-line or in person.  If I pay on-line, there are extra fees to utilize the web, usually $3.00.  However, if I pay in person, there are no extra fees.  I am lucky that I live in a county where the lines are very manageable.  Some of our locations even have a drive-thru feature. 

In the end, you should weigh the pros and cons of paying on-line.  If you will spend more money in gas to pay a bill or fee in person, it may be better to pay on-line with a small fee.  But, if you need to pay a bill or fee at a location located within the normal route you take, consider making the quick stop to avoid the fees. 

Money Saving Tip #202: Disposable vs. Refill Razors

Most men and women in the U.S. use razors on a daily basis.  Men use them to shave their faces in the morning, while women use them to shave their legs.  Shaving can be quite combersome, so razor companies have marketed fancy-looking razors over the past several years.  Some have up to 5 razor bladed claiming to give the comsumer perfectly smooth skin. 

There are several different types of razors on the market.  The most common are electric razors and disposable razors.  This post will be about the disposable variety. 

Like cars and ink pens, there is a heirarchy of razors for the consumer to select from.  The latest of the high-end razors feature a non-disposable handle with a disposable head.  These products are terribly expensive, and they trap you into their brand of product.  For example, you cannot buy a Gillette handle and Target brand refills.  Some of these razor products even have gel pads eliminating the need for shaving cream or soap. 

As a person who has tried several different types of disposable razors, including the high-end types, I can say that I save a lot of money by using the standard no-frills store brand razor that is sold in a bulk package of 10-20.  If you buy the refill cartridge packages, you will be spending about $20 for 4 refills.  I can buy close to 60 razors for the same price as those 4 refills. 

Skip the urge to buy the fancy razors located at eye level at your grocery store, and look down to the packages of razors in the bins on the bottom shelf.