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Reader Tips - All

If you’re looking for lots of great tips to help you in your frugal journey, you’ve come to the right place! Our list of reader tips has been growing since we started in 2004, and there’s something for everybody. Browse from oldest to newest by type of tip.

Click a reader tip title below to view the full details.

Artistic Wrapping Paper

Saw your tips on the Today Show for gift wrap. I have a similar idea.

When my boys were young (now 19 and 16) they loved to paint pictures so I bought them the paper from office supply stores that comes in easel pads and when they were done with the pictures we used it for wrapping paper. They loved telling everyone that they had made the paper.

Tip type: Crafts / Decor, Kids
Bottom Line on Price Tracking

Every time you put away your groceries, put the price you paid on the bottom of the product. That way you will always know the price you paid and I try to always beat that price. It's keeps me focused and I never forget prices.

Tip type: Groceries, Shopping
Instant "Apple Pie"

Cheap snack for kids! Take sandwich bread and top with applesauce and cinnamon. Make a sandwich and butter both sides. Cook like a grilled cheese sandwich. Sprinkle with sugar and you have an instant apple pie. The kids love it!

Tip type: Cooking, Groceries, Kids
Veggies in the Bag

At the end of dinner time if you have a spoonful of left over corn, beans, peas etc add them to a freezer bag. When you have enough make some vegetable soup.

Tip type: Cooking, Groceries, Shopping
Swap Your Media

PaperbackSwap.com is a great way to get rid of books you no longer want or
DVDS etc. You can list books, etc. on their website. You wrap and pay for
shipping of your book or DVD to a person who requests it, you receive a
credit for each one that you ship which in turn you can request a book or DVD
you want. You also get credit for referrals.

Tip type: Shopping
Start Saving on Groceries

Being smarter with your grocery dollars is one of the fastest ways to fire-up your family's financial recovery. Here are four ways to begin saving on groceries starting today.

Tip type: Groceries, Kitchen Ideas, Shopping
Cable and Commercial Savings

Tip type: Entertainment
Power Budgeting

As a single guy, saving to go to grad school, I’ve seen the value of sticking to a well defined budget. With careful planning I’ve been able to save between 30 to 40 percent of my income while still enjoying my lifestyle. Yes, I’ve eliminated a few “luxuries” but haven’t really noticed a decline in my enjoyment.

Tip type: Education, Kids
Nights and Days at the Museums

Buy a membership to a museum or aquarium. The total cost depends on how many you want to put on the membership. But, you'll save money after several uses. It also gives you places to take visitors when you have company. There discounts even at their gift shops. But one of the best things is that some memberships are honored at related museums in other states.

Tip type: Education, Entertainment, Kids, Vacations
Vacationing with Kids

You spoke recently on In The Marketplace With Janet Parchall, about ways to
save money on food while traveling. Here's what I do when we travel with our
six little children.

Tip type: Vacations
Tons of coupons - All for You!

Have you ever heard of the magazine, "ALL YOU"?

Tip type: Groceries, Shopping
Cutting the Cost with Cats

I buy cat food at Dollar General for $0.25 per can (chicken, tuna, and salmon flavors) and my cats like it just fine. I serve it to them on "paper plates," but not the cheap absorbent paper ones. Instead, I pay a little more and get the plasticized nonabsorbent ones. I take these inside, wash them off, and reuse them. I buy 50 plates for $2.39 at Dollar General. Plus I save meat packages and other flat store packaging to use for as cat plates. The plates cost $0.0478 each, but with at least three uses per plate, I get the average cost per plate down to around $0.016 per use.

Tip type: Pets
Playing Cards in the Kitchen

I write down my entrees, sides, desserts, etc. on a separate 3 x 5 card. When it comes time to plan a meal based on what I have in my pantry and/or what's on sale, I can take an entree card, choose a side card, and choose a dessert card, too. That way I can mix and match my selections without having the same things over and over again. Then I put those meals on my menu planner (in my computer) and print it out. I put that on the refrigerator so that my husband can see what I've got planned.

Tip type: Cooking, Groceries, Kitchen Ideas
Buy Small / Save Big

Instead of buying in bulk, I use coupons on the smallest package available which lets me purchase the the item for the greatest discount.

Another option is to wait for the larger package to go on sale and use a
coupon to get it for even less.

In our area a store doubles coupons to equal $1 or less, which makes some
name brands cost only a few cents when they are on sale and I use the coupon.

Tip type: Shopping
More Free Stuff

Here's how I save money and time during the holidays

Why wait til Thanksgiving to see the ads—checkout the black friday lists on line. I really like BradsDeals.com. When you sign up they send the stores list as soon as available and you can also save your own customized list sorted by store and items which you can print at any time. They make it so much less confusing!

Tip type: Gifts, Shopping