The Digerati Life experiments with a cash only budget. That’s a lot of envelopes! But what about the credit card perks she is missing?
The Simple Dollar shares 12 simple household substitutions that save money. I use a lot of these and am hoping to make my own laundry detergent soon.
Tightwad Tod praises food that gives you gas. If you shop at Price Chopper’s, Shaw’s, Kroger, Giant Eagle, or Vons you need to read this.
Wise Bread rounds up some hot deals today, including 70percent off at Banana Republic, 50 percent off Keen shoes, and a 10-piece household tool set at Sears.
September 14th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
The 12 Household substitutions is a winner! Thanks for sharing.
September 14th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Detergent:
I live in an area that has grocery stores which carry products for the hispanic community. I’ve looked up some of their detergent products and found out that while they are made in Mexico, they are the Mexican brand for a much more expensive US (famous) brand name.
They’re packed in a large plastic (quite strong) bag rather than a box which adds to the savings. The bag will have the same information on number of loads worth of detergent it contains so you can calculate the cost per load just as with the major brands.
I wait until one of the brands ( is on sale to buy a bag and I’ve been paying less than one half the cost of any regular brand, and sometimes only one third.
Air Freshener:
Vinegar in a dish will counteract some odors (fried fish, smoke, etc) and once evaporated, you don’t smell it either.
Save petals from flowers or leaves (if they’re fragrant) and put a small amount on the floor and make that the first thing you vacuum…it will continue to scent the room as you vacuum. Lemon and orange peels will add a nice, natural citrus scent, etc.
Cleaning:
I remember using the newspaper and water or vinegar for glass but that was before they changed the ink to a soy based one. I don’t know how well the new newsprint works now.
And as Julia can testify, how many of us have stopped getting the daily newspaper so we would have the paper on hand for cleaning?