Frugal Tips Archive

Tweet

Being frugal isn’t always easy when you have pets. I should know! I have seven indoor cats and a dog. In addition, I also feed two of the outside neighborhood cats. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily spend a small fortune on pet food, treats, and litter.

When I decided to start using coupons and save money, that decision wasn’t just for the human inhabitants of my house. Pets were included as well. This presented some problems because I didn’t want to lower the quality of their food or deprive them of their special treats. Although I haven’t had to resort to buying cheaper/less quality food, there were other ways in which I was able to cut back on my pet expenses.

1. Cat treats: With seven cats who expect (okay, demand!) their treats every morning, buying treats got very expensive. Although I was sometimes able to get treats very cheaply or free with coupons, it didn’t happen as often as I needed them. Plus, those small packages don’t go very far, and at more than $1 each it wasn’t a frugal thing to do. As an experiment, I bought a large bag (with coupons, of course) of a Purina Cat Chow to see if my furry friends would find this acceptable as “treats”. To my surprise and delight, they liked it even better than the Pounce! Although I would never feed my cats Purina Cat Chow as their steady diet, I find it is fabulous as treats. It’s sort of like kitty junk food. And at about $1 per pound, it’s extremely frugal.

2. Cat litter: My friend, Becky, who owns Hidden Treasures Adoption Center for Cats, recommends the use of a litter like World’s Best Cat Litter. This is a natural and biodegradable cat litter made from corn that can be actually flushed down the toilet or composted. In addition, it is much healthier for your cat than the clay type litter because it is less dusty; and it clumps, so scooping is easy. However, she freely admits World’s Best Cat Litter is outrageously expensive. Thankfully, Becky has a great substitute for this type of litter. Believe it or not, game bird or chicken feed in the crumbles form is exactly the same as World’s Best Cat Litter. You can find huge 50 lb bags of this at Tractor Supply or feed store for about $14. Because this product is much lighter than your average clay scooping litter, the bag is HUGE and lasts for much longer. I have six litter boxes for my seven cats, and one of these bags lasts a little more than a month.

3. Dog Treats: My dog isn’t as fussy as the cats when it comes to treats. In fact, she’ll eat almost anything. I have found she especially likes raw carrots, though. I got this trick from my vet when she told me one of my dogs was getting a little porky around the middle. Buying a huge bag of carrots is much more cost effective than buying dog treats, even with coupons. Plus, carrots are much healthier. I still buy regular dog treats on occasion, but I’ve found the bulk package of raw carrots is just fine.

4. Pet Medications: This is one of the most expensive parts of pet ownership. Heart worm and flea medications alone can be incredibly expensive. The only way to make these things somewhat affordable is going through an online pet medication company and buying in bulk to save on shipping. You get an even better deal by shopping through Shop At Home because you get cash back on your purchase.  Currently, Shop At Home is offering 16% Cash Back on a purchase at 1-800 Pet Meds.

5. Adopting a New Pet: If you are looking to add a new member to your household, I strongly urge you to go through the Humane Society or an adoption center like Hidden Treasures . First, there are so many dogs and cats in need of new homes that there really isn’t a good reason to buy a pet from a breeder. Second, adopting through a place like Hidden Treasures is actually very frugal.

Believe it or not, getting a “free” kitten isn’t really free. You have to take it to the vet for shots and to be spayed/neutered. When all is said and done, you’ll spend at least $300 and a bunch of time running back and forth to vet appointments. Conversely, a donation of $120 is expected when you adopt a kitten through Hidden Treasures and the kitten you get is fully vetted. Plus, you aren’t the one who had to run back and forth to the vet! Cats are less expensive to adopt, but again, they are fully vetted and healthy. Furthermore, if anything should go wrong in the future, Hidden Treasures will ALWAYS help with the problem or take the cat/kitten back without question.

I would love to hear from you if you have any tips or tricks of your own for saving money on pet expenses.  Please leave a comment or email me at gina@ginaskokopelli.com.

Tweet

The following is a guest post from The Thieving Bear.  Please “like” The Thieving Bear’s Facebook page and help Brett reach 1,000 likes!

Have you ever wanted to make a bottle of fabric softener last as long as 6 months?  I have been testing this idea for a few weeks and have to say that it works.  I have always made my own fabric softener (I used store bought for $2.99 for the scent this time,) so I thought that this may or may not work.  It works!  Each dryer sheet lasts about 4 – 5 loads of laundry, can you imagine that?!  Here’s what you’ll need:

1/2 a cup or so of fabric softener – any will do
an old towel or rag – I used a towel
scissors
a bowl
a hanger or use the uncut part of the towel to dry

Start by cutting 2 – 3 inch strips from you towel or rag.

Next you can either fold the strip in thirds or in half to make smaller strips.  Since I was using an old towel I had to fold it in thirds.  You ultimately want to end up with 4 – 6 five inch long ”dryer sheets.”

Don’t worry, they don’t have to be perfect

Next, you’ll want to pour your liquid softener over the strips.  Be sure to cover them all and let them soak for a bit.  Stirring them helps a lot.

Once they’re saturated simply put them up on a hanger or use the uncut part of the towel or rag to dry them.  Be sure to dry completely before using.  *Note* if you use a hanger to dry them, be sure to use a catch pan of some sort.  Fabric softener on floors is very slippery!  Once dry, just toss in the dryer and use 4 – 5 times before adding more softener!  AWESOMENESS!  Welcome to my frugal world

P.S.  Don’t worry about using these on darker laundry.  The dryer does a great job catching the lint.

Tweet

I’ve been teaching couponing classes across the Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York for almost three years.  One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “How do I cut my grocery costs when I’m spending a large portion of my weekly budget on fresh fruits and veggies?”  The answer is not to cut out eating healthy stuff, but to approach the situation from a completely different angle.

The best advice I can give is to purchase a share in a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture.  CSAs link local farms with people and essentially cut out the middle man, which reduces the cost of the fruits and vegetables.  Most CSAs cost between $400 -$600 dollars per season.  My local farm, Easy Pickin’s, costs $525 per share and runs for 20 weeks, which translates into just $26.25 per week.   In addition to the low cost, the produce you are getting is so much fresher because it hasn’t been transported across the country on a truck for weeks before it gets to your grocery store.  When you participate in a CSA, you are buying a share of what your local farm produces.  Therefore, you get a whatever your chosen farm is picking that week.  Usually, this is a huge box of freshly picked fruits and vegetables barely 48-72  hours off the vine. For example, Easy Pickin’s offered blueberries, plums, turnips, apples, potatoes, basil, Spanish onion, and carrots this time last year, while earlier in the season they offered greens, radish, and other early spring veggies.

The point is you have to learn to eat with the seasons, which is another tidbit I often give my couponing class participants.  If you want strawberries in February, just know you’ll pay a very high price; and they won’t be anywhere near as good as the ones you get in June.  Furthermore, you also need to use your freezer.  Often, the box of CSA produce you get is much more than your family can eat in a week.  Discipline and creativity are needed to use the produce before it goes bad.  So freeze the fruit; blanch the veggies; or make soups, stews and other dishes that can be frozen for consumption during the winter months.

I realize CSAs aren’t for everyone, but if you and your family are spending a fortune at the grocery store every week on fresh fruits and vegetables, you may want to consider trying it out.

To learn more about Connecticut Community Supported Agriculture, visit CTNofa.org.

Tweet

I’ve been asked many times to create a list of products and the prices you should pay.  Here is that list.  Please note this list is my personal opinion and what I choose to wait for before I will buy a product. Obviously, if I am able to get the product for less, then I tend to stock up on that item.  In addition, this list my change as prices change and coupons become more difficult to get for a particular item.

If you have a particular item that you would like “priced” and it is not listed here, please leave me a comment and I will do my best.

Meats/Seafood

• Boneless chicken breast – $1.99 lb
• Bacon $2.50
• Turkey Bacon – $1.50
• Country spare ribs $1.99 lb
• Italian sausage $2.99 lb
• Salmon $6.99 lb

Produce

• Limes/lemons $.20 each
• Grapes $.99 lb
• Green or yellow squash $.99 lb
• Eggplant $.99 lb
• Greens – collard, kale, etc – $.99 lb
• Mango – $1.00
• Tomatoes on the vine – depends on the season.  $1.50 Summer, $2.50 Winter

Dairy/Deli

• Sour cream – $.99
• Milk – Under $3.00
• Butter – $2.00
• Shredded cheese – $1.50
• Bar cheese – $1.50
• Yogurt $.50 per cup
• Coffee creamer – $1.00
• Deli cheese – $4.99 lb  (You can buy extra.  Cheese freezes well.)
• Deli meats – $4.99 lb (You can buy extra.  Deli meats freeze well.)

Frozen

• Veggies 1.00
• Waffles, pancakes, French Toast $1.50
• Ice Cream $1.50

General Grocery

• Cereal – $1.00
• Pasta – $.50
• Canned veggies $.50
• Mayo – $2.50 (Sorry, I only buy Hellmann’s)
• Salad dressing – $.75
• K-cups – $.50 per cup
• Most cookies – $1.50
• Oreos – $2.50
• Fig Newtons $2.50
• Pop Tarts – $1.70
• Soda 2 liter – $1.00
• Bread – $1.00 (I usually go to a bread outlet for this.)

Household

• Paper towels – $1 per roll
• Bath tissue – $.50 per roll
• Napkins – $1.50
• Toothpaste – $0
• Dental floss -$0
• Toothbrushes – $0
• Laundry detergent – $1.00
• Deodorant – $.50
• Shampoo – $1.50
• Body wash – $1.50
• Zip top bags – $1.50
• Cleaners – $1.50
• Tampons/pads – $1.50
• Pantiliners – $1.00

Tweet

The following is reprinted with permission.

 Energy usage will most likely spike over the next few days as air-conditioning units, fans and pool pumps work overtime to help Connecticut residents beat the heat.  However, the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund is offering these tips on how to keep cool and save money as the temperature rises:

• Close drapes or shades on windows that receive direct sun. Up to 15 percent of your cooling can escape through unprotected windows on hot sunny days. At night, open windows when temperatures are cooler to cool the house down.

• A typical ENERGY STAR® ceiling fan will cost approximately $1.50 per month if used 8 hours per day while a window air conditioner can use more than 20 times that amount.

• By raising your thermostat setting on your central air system and using ceiling fans, you can maintain comfort and lower energy costs.

• Direct sunlight on a window air-conditioning unit increases its workload. When a choice is possible, locate air-conditioning units on the north or shady side of the house.

• It’s a waste of money and energy to run your room air conditioner all day long just to cool an empty house.  Instead, install an appliance timer on your window air conditioner or use a programmable thermostat on your central air conditioning system.  Then, you can activate the unit prior to your arrival.

·         Keep your HVAC equipment well-tuned with periodic maintenance by a service professional. If you find that your energy bill is taking a large hit from your outdated, inefficient HVAC system, consider upgrading to a central air conditioning system that is ENERGY STAR-qualified with proper installation.

Right now, all residential CL&P and UI customers are eligible to receive a $250 incentive on HVAC system upgrades that meet the ENERGY STAR-qualified minimum efficiency requirement of 14.5 SEER / 12 EER.  In addition, customers who participate in the Energy Efficiency Fund’s Home Energy Solutions (HES) program that upgrade existing working systems within 90 days of their HES service can receive a second $250 rebate, to receive a combined total of $500 in savings.

But, the rebates don’t stop there.  Customers who participate in HES and upgrade to the required ENERGY STAR central air system could get another $500 incentive for participating in the Quality Installation Verification (QIV) program, earning a total of $1,000 in rebates.  The QIV program includes proper sizing and airflow bringing fewer repairs, longer equipment life expectancy as well as lower energy bills with increased comfort.  Ask your HVAC contractor about manufacturer rebates that may be available.

For more information on how to keep cool while staying efficient during the upcoming hot months, please call 1-877-WISE USE, visit www.CTEnergyInfo.com or join in on the energy efficient conversation at www.facebook.com/energyefficiencyct.

About the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund

The Energy Efficiency Fund promotes efficient energy use, helps residents and businesses save on their electric and natural gas bills, advances economic development, reduces electric demand, and helps reduce air pollution.  Energy Efficiency Fund programs serve residential customers, including limited-and fixed-income customers, as well as business and municipal customers.  Connecticut’s energy efficiency programs are funded by a charge on customers’ utility bills and administered by the state’s electric and gas utilities including: Connecticut Light and Power, United Illuminating, Yankee Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas, and Southern Connecticut Gas.  Additional information on Connecticut’s energy efficiency programs can be found at www.ctenergyinfo.com or by calling 1.877.WISE.USE.