New Year's Resolution: Save money!

By Manda

You guys? I'm not one for New Years Resolutions. Like at all. So far I have two ... the first of which is to NOT get pregnant in 2012. Ha! The second? To cut corners on things I buy often so I can do more fun stuff (like get my nails done! Or! Buy more food! Fun!).

So far? I've made my own laundry detergent. THUMBS UP! It totally works you guys! And I'm an evil Tide kind of lady. So excited about this one!

And lately I've been using these reusable cloth baggies to pack my daughter's lunch for preschool. There are several things I love about them! First? They are nylon-lined so what whatever you pack in them doesn't soak through. Second? They are easy to get open. We use them at home a lot too and my three year old can open and close them by herself, also a huge plus for her preschool teachers I'm sure. Third? Washable! Just toss them in the washer and dryer and you're done (I invert mine so the inside gets clean). I used to buy CRATES of zippered sandwich baggies at Costco but since I bought six of these baggies? No more. Green AND saves money! YES! (The store for the site I linked above isn't working, but just type in reusable sandwich bags on Etsy and you'll get a million options. Like this. And this. I recommend buying 4 smaller snack bags and two large sandwich-size bags! Also check out Lauren's post on Lunchskins.)

(image via PaninoWrap.com)

I'm also trying to cut down on stuff like paper towels by using old prefolded cloth diapers instead (I got them when I had my babies and NEVER used them for burp cloths like I intended). They work great for dusting and cleaning windows. Instead of buying several different cleaning solutions for glass and dusting and electronics, I try to buy multipurpose spray cleaning solution, which also saves space. I really like Method and Pledge brand (both available at Target).

Also, when I need a quick gift, I make a recycled t-shirt scarf. People LOVE them, they're easy to make and FREE if you have an old t-shirt lying around. I made one of these for each teacher and the secretary at Syd's preschool for the holidays (five total) and they went CRAZY they loved them so much! I even make myself one on occasion when I'm jonesing for a new accessory but my budget doesn't allow for a spendy purchase.

So this is my question: How do you save money? SPILL THE BEANS! I intend to hoard my pennies like a crazy lady this year and I need all the help I can get. How do you cut corners and save tons of money?

Comments

[Sarah Lena]

So after Jen got me hooked on making laundry detergent, I made my own fabric softener last week. It's pretty awesome too.

We're splurging on an extra freezer, because I can always stock up on frozen meals/veggies when there's a great sale AND I cook enough to freeze meals for later.

[HereWeGoAJen]

One of the ways I save money is when something runs out, I wait before I replace it. For example, I ran out of window cleaner to clean the mirrors. The next time I had to clean them, I tried just water and it worked just fine. I haven't bought any since. This way allowed me to figure out what we really needed and therefore missed when it ran out.

[buy buspar]

This is really the great way you discuss this kind of topic. Good job.