Archives for Around the House category
Although window coverings are expensive we are generally willing to spend money on them as they fulfill so may purposes in a room, adding warmth and privacy as well as decoration. Rooms simply look unfinished without them. If money is tight you will be wondering how to add effective window treatments without breaking the bank but you can definitely achieve a lot without a huge budget. Here are some ways to save money:-
1. Make Your Own Curtains
You can save a lot of money if you can sew simple straight lines with a sewing machine. If you are inexperienced start with short sill length curtains such as those for kitchen windows and progress to full length curtains for your living room. Choose a light washable cotton fabric for your kitchen curtains and add a heading tape of your choice. If you work neatly and measure accurately you will have no problems at all. Later you can progress to using lining and making fancier items such as window valances and tie backs.
2. Choose Cheaper Fabric
Fabrics vary enormously in price but you can make very effective curtains with simple cream calico or cotton. You can create more effective window treatments by being generous with cheap fabric than you can by creating curtains from expensive fabric where you can not afford enough to create a full effect. You will find that plain fabrics are often cheaper than patterned ones. If you think they are too plain you can always add interest with trimming.
3. Buy Ready-Made Curtains
If you have standard windows you will usually find ready-made curtains work out cheaper than having curtains custom made. Your choice will be more limited but you will usually find something to suit if you check out curtain sites online.
4. Go Simple
It can be enough in a contemporary home to put up simple cream or gray window blinds which you can buy very cheaply. You do not have to get carried away creating elaborate window treatments when “less is more” is often more effective.
5. Add Layers
If you would like elaborate window treatments (and they suit your home) but you can not afford them purchase items over time. For example you could start with a simple blind and then later add dress curtains and then later still a window valance or wooden cornice.
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budget,
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Written by Carol, one of our readers:
We’d all like to save money each month, but how to go about it is another story. Start by making a budget; that scary, imposing, restrictive plan that keeps you in line. Only it doesn’t have to be that way, a budget is really only putting down on paper your priorities and recognizing you absolutely cannot spend more than you make in any given time period. It also, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t have to come together in one sitting, start the first month with just writing down general categories and amounts. Over time you can refine and fill it out more completely. It took us three months to get a good handle on our budget, each month getting more and more detailed, even today we are constantly adjusting the numbers.
Once you know where you money is going it is now time to start trimming the fat. If you look at your monthly expenses, looking to saving $500 it will seem overwhelming and impossible. But what if instead you looked at shaving a few dollars off each item? As we began looking at our budget we decided to go through and renegotiate each item we could. After knocking out the cable and downgrade our cellphone plan – saving $65, reviewing our car insurance and changing our coverage – $25 less and changing our restaurant habits to only twice a week. This all totaled approximately $125 a month in savings. Besides the mortgage payment, food and general merchandise are our biggest expenditures.
Even with the constant coupon clipping and avoiding the pricier groceries stores we couldn’t make the budget numbers and the real world numbers agree. That’s where web surfing finally began to payoff. There are plenty of websites out there that can multiply you efforts. The blogs that track specific stores rewards programs, letting you know what items are free or worth the most rewards points/bucks, will give you an edge. Lots of promotional programs let you trade your name and email address for free samples and /or coupons.
Also look to farmer’s markets and co-ops, we spend $17 every two weeks for $50 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables. Little by little we have shaved almost $200 off our monthly grocery bill.
Due to the fact that we didn’t start our marriage with the financial acumen that we now possess there is a tidy sum sitting on credit card balances. This can be a dangerous lever, waiting to dump us over the edge at a moments notice. We headed it off by finding a low APR, zero interest on balance transfer offer and moved everything we could onto that card. Then we proceeded to cut up our physical cards except for one emergency card and have begun applying the snow ball methodology. The snow ball theory has you paying off the lowest balance card while making minimum monthly payments on the others, as you pay off a card you roll what you had been paying on it into you payment on the next one. With this consolidation we erased about $50 a month in additional interest fees.
Lastly, we began looking at efficiency around the house and in our travel habits. By lowering the thermostat by 3 degrees and running only full loads in the dryer, we cut $15 off the electric bill. Using public transportation and walking for quick trips to the nearby store translated into more than half a tank of gas saved every two weeks; which at today’s price means $50 a month left in our pockets. Together we have identified our spending priorities, changed our spending habits and challenged ourselves to find fun and rewarding ways to save a little bit in each category on our budget. This has tallied up to savings of almost $400 a month, which comes in handy when saving for the next rain day.
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budget,
coupon clipping,
debit and credit,
free samples,
grocery bill,
Money Saving Tips,
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Save Money With Coupons,
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Posted by Leila D:
There are tons of ways to save money on monthly expenses but most of these ways consist of cutting back on day to day luxuries that we don’t really need. I’m always trying to find good ways of saving money and I always end up finding something new to “get rid” of in my life. But this can sometimes be a good thing. Let me talk about a few ways.
The first for me would definitely start at home. I live in Texas so the weather gets a little crazy here. I find that weather sealing my windows and doors saves me a ton of money during the winter. Spending a mere $50 dollars in the first month to make my gas bill in the low $100′s the rest of the season is way better then spending close to $300 a month for almost four months in a row.
Next in home would definitely be energy saving bulbs and fans during the summer months. I once had an electricity bill of close to $600 bucks in a one bedroom apartment. That is all it took to wake me up and make me more aware of how much electricity I was using each month. I found that the energy saving bulbs cut it back about $8 bucks a months so they pay for themselves in the first month.
Next I bought some plug-in stand up fans for each room. I figured that the air conditioner cooled the whole house, but why would I need to cool the whole house if I’m only in one room at a time? Well I don’t! So for about $100 bucks at a place like Wal-Mart or Target you can almost cut your electric bill in half depending on the size of your house.
Now we move on to eating habits. Eating fast food everyday like the average American can lead to it becoming a habit of spending $15 to $20 bucks everyday just to eat! I pride myself on breaking that habit and spending $15-$20 bucks on food a week. That’s roughly a $120 a week difference. But not only do you save a ton of money, you can lose weight, feel better, and overall end up healthier. Plus you learn a lot of fun fruit and vegetable recipes. So just remember, the grocery store is the way to go.
Last but not least is saving money on gas. This one isn’t for everyone, but for some of us, its huge. I personally live about a half a mile from work. So of coarse, I walk or ride my bike. Some people spend close to a grand a month on gas. That to me is insane. I drive only when I have to. Which is going out of town, across town to see friends or family, or in a minor emergency. And in this case, just like with food, you lose weight and become more healthy from walking or riding a bike.
These are just a few simple ways to cut back on money each month. You can always come up with new and improved ways to save money. So feel free to use mine and come up with some new ones of your own.
Tags:
monthly expenses,
save money,
saving money,
ways of saving money,
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Here’s a few more homemade cleaners for you to try out. I haven’t tried them out yet so let us know how they are if you do! 
Window Formula
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1 Tbls. cornstarch
1 gal. water
*used balled newspaper
Wall Formula
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup washing soda
1 gal. water
Hardwood Floor Formula
1 cup Ivory Flakes
1/2 cup bleach
1 gal. warm water
Upholstery Stains (old stains)
1/2 cup powdered laundry detergent
1/4 cup vinegar
warm water
Whiten Whites / Brighten Polyesters
2 cups electric dishwashing detergent
cold water
Soak overnight; was as usual
Commercial Spot Remover
2 parts water
1 part rubbing alcohol
Put into mist spray bottle; use for clothing
Frost Prevention
Rub inside window with rubbing alcohol; wipe with newspaper.
Fabric Softener
1 cup ammonia to washing cycle along with detergent.
Clogged Drains
1 cup salt
1 cup baking soda
1 cup boiling water
*Do not use with garbage disposal
Or try
3 cups boiled vinegar into drain.
Flush with water.
OK to use with garbage disposals.
Homemade Pre-Wash
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup liquid detergent
1/3 cup ammonia
Mix well and put in empty spray bottle.
Carpet Stain Formula
1/2 cup powdered laundry detergent
1/2 cup vinegar
Urine Spot Remover for Carpets
1. Blot up urine with paper towel.
2. Apply carpet stain formula (above); blot.
3. Pour on club soda; blot.
4. Mist/spray with vinegar.
5. Layer paper towels; place a heavy object on top to pull out moisture.
Mildew Prevention
1/2 cup salt into wash cycle to cut down possible mildew.
Baby Formula Remover
1/4 cup bleach
1 cup dishwashing detergent
1 gal. water
Soak overnight; wash as usual.
Spot Remover
1. Flush with club soda
2. Mix together 2 parts water and 1 part rubbing alcohol
3. Mist/spray spot with above and wipe off.
Tags:
green living,
homemade cleaners,
make it yourself,
make your own,
Money Saving Tips,
reduce reuse recycle,
save money,
tips,
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I have a thing for snowmen. Maybe it’s because I’m a New Yorker living in Florida and I stupidly have fond memories of the snow. How quickly we forget what it was like to shovel that crap. lol
The last time I was at our local flea market (I had a table there, but found a few minutes to check around for goodies) I spotted this set of snowman dishes. It was service for eight and included a large plate, salad dish, mug and bowl. Figuring the price would be $15-$20, (reasonable but more than I wanted to spend that day) I passed them up and went back to my table. After a few minutes, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I asked my daughter to go back and ask how much they wanted for them. When she came back and said $5.00 (yes-FIVE), I almost tripped over my feet getting out from behind our table to buy them. Aren’t they great?
This post is part of Thrifty Treasures, Second Time Around, Thrift Store Thursday and Goodwill Party.
Tags:
flea markets,
frugal shopping
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