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Welcome to the Raggedy Cottage and Garden. As an effort to promote home style creativity and genuine old-fashioned character, I have starte...

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Frugal tips......

1. Save the "wax bags" from your cereal boxes.  Like the bags from the Cheerios box can be washed and rinsed.  Instead of buying a lot of zip-tie bags and then throwing them away, use the wax bags instead over and over again.  Sew them into special fabric for a more permanent bag as you would like.

2. Instead of buying a lot of "monthly friend" products, buy a large supply of washcloths or towels.  Like 10-15 washcloths per package.  Buy the white kind.  Wash in bleach to get the chemicals out.  When monthly time comes, take two washcloths folded together into thirds.  On one side place a water-resistant item, like a sandwich bag cut to size.  Wrap a small rubber band at each end of the washcloths. Use masking tape to wrap the rubber bands and edges as needed.  Store away in a sandwich bag until needed. - When needed, make double sided loops with masking tape to keep the washcloth-pad in place.  - When done, put soiled washcloths with water-resistant items, rubber band and tape removed, into a covered bucket or jar filled with bleach.  -Rinse and dry washcloths.  Then wash in hot water with regular or white colored clothes.

3. Use "wax bags" from tip number 1 for anything that requires long term storage, such as items for the freezer or dried items.  In stead of using expensive vacuum sealer bags, use the "wax bags" like the vacuum sealer bags.  Don't remove the bags from the sealer until it has dried or it will not seal correctly.  Other wise the "wax bags" work great!

4.To save some money on winter lighting, consider going back in time.  Buy some lanterns!  Get the wick lit and enjoy a soothing light on cool winter evenings.

5. To save some money on canning and food storage practices before winter, consider using an open fire instead of an electric stove.  If you have a wood stove, even better!   The electric bill when canning can go up 100 or more dollars per month....so saving up for a 500$ wood stove is a good idea!

6. To save food before winter by dehydration practices, create mesh bags with "toil" or similar netting fabric.  Make the bags long.  Then take zip lock bags.  Cut the end off of the zip lock bags to leave behind the zipper portion.  Sew a netted bag to the zip lock bag zipper.  Wash the bags in regular hand dish washing cycle.  When you would like to dry the food, place the food on plastic trays and dry the food in a hot car on a summer day.

7. To save money on coffee filters, make filters out of fabric that is toil-mesh.  Cut a circle that is the same size as a coffee filter.  Zig-Zag around the edges.  Wash the cloth coffee filters in regular dish washing cycle.  Use the filters as tea-bags too.  Just tie a string around a bundle in the filter.

8. Learn how to wash clothes by hand.  It will save you a ton of money per year (like 20 bucks per week....or 80 bucks per month for use at laundry mat).  Also, it costs a lot to fix broken washer machines.  Purchase of a wringer can save a lot of wringing hassle.  The little extra time it takes to wash clothes by hand actually becomes a habit in time and less need to pay a gym for exercise.

9. Cancel the cable bill.  Read more books from the local library and other sources.  This should make sense for most people.  Much of the "entertainment" found on TV can be found through other resources anyhow.  It is more entertaining to go to a local show on a stage and read books to your children any how.

10. Get a phone plan that is low in cost.  Think "trac phone" or other simple basic set-up where a person pays for their phone plan as it is needed and not by a contract.

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