Going Cashless

Long ago, I received some very good advice about money from a local
frugal businessman. He and I were discussing living on $5,000 a year and
his first piece of advice was to carry no currency, no checks, and no
credit cards at all. I thought about it and realized that I had a cell
phone, a vehicle and the nearest help for a true emergency was minutes
away. What did I have to lose? I have been doing this for several years
now, and it has cut down on my impulse spending tremendously! On payday,
I fill my tank, buy groceries (with a single check I put in my purse
for that purpose) and pay the one bill I have each week. I also keep
enough cash at home to pay my daughter’s allowance and lunch money for the
week.
Brenda T. in Frederick, MD

Look-a-Like Luggage

We recently returned from a trip. Retrieving our luggage is always
hectic, especially when most of the suitcases are the standard black color.
I have done a lot of painting with acrylic paint on fabric so I
decided to paint pretty flowers on my black suitcases. I used chalk for the
original sketching and then acrylic paints to make big, bold flowers on
all sides of the suitcase. They really stand out and are easily
recognized when they tumble down the airline chute. I sprayed them with a
fixative acrylic spray to protect the paint. I am very pleased with the
results.
Mary Esther

Graduation Celebration

When my nephew graduated from high school (20 years ago), I had hardly
any money at all and didn’t know what to do for a gift for him. I wrote
out 12 checks for $10 with each dated a different month. Actually, I
gave him $120 for graduation. He was thrilled with it, and it was easier
for me to give.
Joann S.

Easy to Reach

I have small children that are constantly throwing or dropping items
behind dressers or under the bed where I cannot reach them. My solution
was to attach pantyhose with a rubberband around the vacuum hose. Turn
on the vacuum and the items can be pulled out without being sucked into
the machine. This has saved my back on many occasions.
C.

Summer Cookouts

Cover a cotton ball or swab with a light coating of petroleum jelly
(Vaseline) and use as a fire starter in your open fire or fire range. This
is much cheaper than traditional fire starters. And they hold their
flame for about five minutes, which is plenty of time to add that dry
wood.
Ang

Savings Stashed

When I use coupons or a store rewards card, there is usually a total of
what was saved on that shopping trip. I’ve started taking that amount
and keeping a list of what was saved for the entire month. At the end
of the month, I put the money “saved” by using coupons or the rewards
card into a savings account. The amount varies from month to month, but
it’s built up a nice emergency account.
Heidi P. O. in Pittsburgh, PA

International Cuisine Saves Cash

A good way to save money is to learn to cook ethnic foods. Thai,
Mexican and Indian, in particular, are cheap to make and so tasty with the
spices that you really benefit, especially with vegetarian options. I’m
not a vegetarian, but those dishes, along with ones with a little meat
like a stir-fry, will save you money on your grocery bill.
Allrecipes.com has a lot of good ideas, or you can get a (used) cookbook from
Amazon.
Erica C. in Chicago, IL

Traveler’s Alert

If you are like me and do not fly much, you sometimes are not sure what
you can take and not take on the plane. I had knitting needles with me
on one trip and they were allowed, but then on another trip, they were
denied and my boarded bag had already gone to the bottom of the plane.
Now, I carry a big self-addressed envelope with me so I can mail the
items back to me without a financial loss.
Susan W.

Sewer’s Secret

Need a few buttons for a sewing project? Don’t buy them at the craft
store where they are expensive. Go to your local thrift store; they
generally sell clothing items for less than a dollar. Search through the
shirts for buttons you like. Cut off the buttons and use for your project.
This is much cheaper than buying them new. Also, keep the fabric from
the clothing item in your scrap bin for future projects.
Melissa J. in Independence, KS

Bedclothes Storage Solution

My linen closet is small, and I find it so hard to keep things wrinkle
free, especially pillowcases and sheets. So when my last guest left and
the linens were ready to put away again, I decided to fold them in a
manner that was the width of the bed they are used on. I then made the
bed and placed the linens at the head of the bed. The pillows then went
back on along with the coverlet. Not only is this a good place to store
them, but also they stay fresh, and it makes the pillows look real
fluffy.
Alice
Gary Foreman
The Dollar Stretcher
gary@stretcher.com