Clothing and personal care expenses are necessary expenses but there are ways to save money.

Clothing

* Buy only because you need clothing and buy only those items that will fit into your present wardrobe. If you are choosing between two outfits, buy the one that goes best with what you already have.

* Buy good, usable clothing from thrift shops, garage sales, warehouse outlets, discount centers, and yard sales. Check any purchases first for stains or worn spots.

* Make purchases during sales time: clearance, end-of-month, or end-of-season.

* Buy versatile clothes that will expand your wardrobe, i.e., a sweater you can wear with two pairs of slacks you already have.

* Instead of buying new clothes, buy accessories that give a new look to the clothes already in your closet.

* Buy multi-season clothes such as an all-weather coat with a zip-in lining.

* Remodel or recycle an outfit you already own.

* Use cloth diapers and launder them yourself.

* If you know how to sew, consider saving by sewing your own clothes, but estimate costs carefully. You may be able to buy certain items on sale for less than you would spend on fabric and supplies.

* Share or trade sewing skills with family members or others in your community.

* Swap outgrown children’s and/or maternity clothes with neighbors or friends. Consider doing the same with shoes, ice skates, sports equipment, baby accessories, activity or school uniforms, etc.

Clothing Care

* Always consider care costs before purchase by checking the care label. Washing by machine costs less than dry cleaning.

* Keep clothes clean and in good repair. Remove stains promptly.

* Store clothes properly to protect from sun, moths, mildew, stretching, etc.

* Protect shoes and other leather items from water and salt stains.

* Buy minimum-care clothing: washable, dark colors. Dark clothes usually show wear less than light colors — especially coats, slacks, etc.

* Use self-dry-cleaning services and dry-clean your own clothes. Make sure all stains are removed before dry-cleaning. Self-dry-cleaning kits don’t usually work well on oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, etc.

* Share a dry-cleaning load with a friend if you don’t have enough for a full load.

Personal Care

* Use a mixture of baking soda and salt for brushing teeth.

* Buy personal care items from discount stores or wherever you find a personal care product on sale.

* Buy necessary items such as shampoo and toothpaste at reduced prices when stores offer “specials.” Stock up on specials but no more than you can reasonably use within the life of the product.

* Compare generic, store, and national prices — you may be paying for advertising.

* Give haircuts and permanents at home. Adopt a hair style you can manage yourself and which doesn’t need expensive care products and/or upkeep.

* Try inexpensive cosmetics. Similar ingredients are used in like cosmetic products. The difference in price is often due to promotion and advertising costs.

* Watch for coupons and rebates for personal care products.

Do you have a dent and bent store near you? I recently discovered one in my area and have since become a regular customer. It’s owned by a really nice family that just bought it from the previous owner and they’re working hard to update and clean it up. Just like shopping at a flea market or garage sale, when I shop at dent and bent stores, I take my time and look over each product carefully before I purchase it.

Today I spent $20.98 and this is what I bought.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the products. Scroll past this part to shop for best selling books that will show you how to save money on your food bill.

1) Boxed or bagged items
Two boxes of Muellers ziti: 50 cents each
Two 6 pack boxes of Act 2 microwave popcorn: $2 each but it was buy one, get one free, so $1 each
A 10 pack box of Disney Princess Fruit Snacks: $1
A box of Hersheys Mini Cookies: $1
Two 10 pack boxes of Capri Sun Fruit Drinks: $1.50 each
One 10 pack box of Carpri Sun 100% Fruit Juice: $1.50
One 8 pack box of Back To Nature cheddar crackers: $1
4 packages of Earth’s Best Organic cookies: 25 cents each

My tips for buying boxed or bagged items:
When the item is loose and not packaged seperately inside the box or bag (like pasta is) I don’t buy them if they were opened and taped closed and I’ll only buy boxes that have slight creases in them. When the food item is packaged seperately inside the box and not loose (like everything else on the list), I’ll allow for more damage to the outer box and will buy a box that was opened and resealed.

2) Canned items
One can of Chicken of the Sea Whole Baby Clams: $1
One can of Armour Vienna Sausages: 50 cents
Five cans of Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna Fish in water: 75 cents each

My tips for buying canned items:
I only buy cans that have very small or no dents at all. Out of the five cans of tuna, only one had a very small dent.

Here’s some information I found online about buying dented cans.

Department of Agriculture (was on a page for canned fruit but would pertain to all cans) When buying canned fruit, avoid cans that show signs of bulging or swelling at the ends, or of leakage. Small dents in a can usually will not harm the contents unless the dents have pierced the metal or loosened the can seam. Badly dented cans, however, should always be avoided.

Purdue University Extension
Bulging cans — Spoiled! Throw away!
Dented cans — Do not buy cans with dents on the side seam of the can or on the rim seams at the top or bottom of the can. Check carefully for leakage, especially around the seam. Throw leaky cans away.
Rusty cans — Check for leakage. The rust may have penetrated the can.

With some common sense, shopping in a dent and bent store can save money. I try to go by there once a week because they constantly get more things in and rotate their stock.

By the way…my dog Mini seems to think everytime the camera comes out she has to be in the picture so here she is. LOL

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