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Finance: Dollar Stretcher Tips


Child's Play

Reader's Money Saving Tips

By GARY FOREMAN
Child's Play 
My four-year-old daughter loves to play outside after school. To keep her wardrobe in good condition and to cut down on clothing expenses, I came up with a way to help her change into "play" clothes.

When I'm taking care of our laundry, I fold her play clothes inside out. That way, when she's pulling clothing from her dresser drawer, she knows which items are okay to wear for play outdoors. I considered keeping them in a separate drawer, but they could easily get misplaced. My inside out plan works perfectly, and she's proud of her new independence.

Valerie in Michigan

It's hard to remember to flip and turn your mattress, but it's well known that this is the way to extend the use of this expensive part of your home. Use Daylight Savings time changes to help you remember. Spin in Spring so that the head is now at the foot of your bed. Flip in Fall to bring the underneath side to the top. Over the course of two years, your mattress will be back where it started.

Sharon F. in Coronado, CA

I have a calculated allowance that I grant myself every week that I keep in a separate wallet. I then remove all credit cards (leave them at home) and only keep my bank card for emergencies. I find that when I have a set amount of money for spending, I only look towards that wallet, and if the item I want goes over what's in there, I find it easy to keep away from the impulsive purchase.

Annette

When it's time to relocate to another home or apartment, finding an inexpensive source for moving boxes is always a challenge. I found the perfect solution with my last move, and that is the shoe store! Each day, shoe stores receive dozens of large boxes filled with nothing but smaller boxes (which in turn are filled with brand new shoes). Though I'm not ordinarily a "dumpster diver," my local store manager gave me permission to take whatever I needed from his bin outside. The boxes were clean. Best of all, they were plentiful and free!

Glenda in Chicago

Breastfeeding Pumps
Here's a quick idea on breastfeeding. You can borrow a breast pump or get one used and replace the tubing, which is where the sanitation issues lie. The pump itself is nothing more than an engine to get the pump to work. I did this with my second child and saved hundreds of dollars on buying/renting a pump.

JHM in Boston, MA
 
Outbound!
We placed a cork board on the front door so that we can see it as we are leaving the house. On this, we post a monthly calendar where we list all of our activities and are able to post notes. We also have a slot that we can put rented movies or other things that need to be returned. This has saved us a lot in gas by not having to travel back home because we forgot something. It also saves in late fees from forgetting returns and helps our family of 5 (all going in different directions) run smoother.

Theresa G.

After Hurricane Isabel flooded our home, our furniture needs were so great. We got a fantastic deal on several pieces with a local furniture store. With five children, we were concerned about them scratching the coffee and end tables with their toys. We invested less than $50 on used plastic sheeting (Lexan) from a company that considered it scrap. We cut it to the right length and placed it on the top of the tables. We used little felt 'feet' attached to the bottom of the plastic to lift it off of the tables. That allows for air flow.

The plastic does not affect appearance, is waterproof for drinks, and has protected the surface from scratches, crayons and markers. Not only is it saving the furniture, but also it saves time in cleaning. I can pick up the plastic sheeting and see exactly where it needs to be wiped off. It's been well worth the small investment to protect our tables.

Wendy A. in Hayes, VA

My favorite time tip is to put little post-it notes on the pages of my favorite recipes in my cookbook. It's great when I'm feeling uninspired or need something new to make for dinner. I just flip through the tabs where I've marked our favorite recipes and choose something we haven't eaten in a while.

Kathy
 
I've always loved having an arrangement of fresh flowers, but the cost was too much for me. Also, they would die too quickly! Now I indulge myself without guilt. I buy a small potted flower and set this on my dining room table to enjoy for about a week. Then I plant it outside. My yard looks beautiful!

Lataine from N.C.

Because we live frugally in order to homeschool our kids, we as a family understand this mission and everyone is expected to contribute. When my 12-year-old cleans the kitchen, I am able to have more time to cook from scratch instead of getting tired from doing all of the chores and ordering pizza. When my 8-year-old picks up after the dogs and cleans the yard, my husband has more time to fix the lawn mower rather than drop it off at the repair shop. Additional benefits include having two sons who can fend for themselves, aren't scared of hard work, and are always courteous guests.

Rachel in St. Louis, MO

We started our first vegetable garden after reading the book "Square Foot Gardening." We built one 4x4 bed as outlined in the book (using cedar) and used an old waterbed frame for the other. (We posted for one using freecycle.org and received several offers.) We had great results in both beds and received many compliments. No one had realized that one of the beds was literally a bed frame simply tossed onto the yard and filled with old newspaper and soil. If we can grow a great garden in our small yard, almost anyone can.

Mary in IL

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