I have found lots of little ways to save a dollar here and there. This series "Saving Money Around The House" is just a way to compile some of them for you to use also. Here's a few tips I've learned to save money in the kitchen.
- Make your own dishwasher detergent. I gave you a recipe HERE.
- Use vinegar as your rinse aid in the dishwasher. So much cheaper than store bought rinse aids and works just as well!
- Use a spaghetti noodle instead of a toothpick to check if your baked goods are done. I always have spaghetti in the house, and haven't bought toothpicks in years.
- Get rid of paper products. We don't use paper towels, instead, we use rags to clean up spills. Use cloth napkins instead of paper (total honesty here, right now we don't do this, but I'm keeping an eye out at thrift stores for cloth napkins so we have a stash!). You can also get rid of paper plates, although for us, we still use them for our Friday night family movie nights.
- Don't open the fridge or freezer as often. When I get groceries, we put the freezer and fridge stuff in seperate piles and then put them all away at the same time. Only opening the fridge doors once saves it from working so hard to keep cool~especially in the summer. Use the same theory when baking and cooking, just grab everything in one trip.
- Make your own window cleaner~I use vinegar and water. You can also make your own floor cleaner and cleaner for the sink.
- Work your baking and cooking times together. If I can bake two things in the oven at the same time, it saves a little money by not using the oven as much. If I can't bake them together, I'll make one thing right after the other to save pre~heating the oven twice.
- Only run the dishwasher when it is full. There are days when our dishwasher gets ran twice, but we don't run it unless it is full.
- Don't heat up the house in the summer. We try to grill often during the summer to keep our cooling costs down. Sometimes....we even have ice cream for supper!!
Blessings,
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31
Great tips!! Thanks for sharing! I have made dish detergent a few times before and was not thrilled. :(
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I try to do most of these as well. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! New GFC follower from Mommy Moments blog hop.
ReplyDeleteERin
http://travelingkidsonthego.blogspot.com/
I stopped using paper napkins as well, now I use washcloths! They are so cheap and also very absorbent. When we used paper napkins, the kids would have the whole stack gone in one meal, leaving a huge mess to clean up and a lot of waste. Now they will use the same washcloth "napkin" for more than one meal. Also very handy for those frequent spills, rather than a paper towel.
ReplyDeleteI cut up holey socks to use as rags. I think they clean up much better than cut up t-shirts! I still use paper towels for really gross stuff, or soaking up bacon or sausage grease.
I use baking soda to scrub off sticky stuff from pans, skillets, counter & stove tops. SUPER cheap!!!
http://zanderfamilyzoo.blogspot.com
Thanks a ton for sharing this! A friend actually recommended I start making my own dishwasher detergent, so I'm going to definitely have to look into that. I like the other tips you provide. My husband and I actually cut the cable in order to help save money. We realized we aren't big on television and could do without. That made a big difference in our bill! Looking for simple ways to save around the home can really add up and help you cut costs drastically. Unfortunately, not everyone is careful with spending and budgeting. Although you can sell your structured settlement payment for cash, that should be a last resort, and it can be prevented.
ReplyDelete