Frugal Living | Saved By Grace

9 Things You Need in Your Cleaning Arsenal

October 18, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Many people think you need to have a ton of different cleaners and many styles of brushes to clean your whole home, top to bottom. This is simply not true. In fact, you really only need 10 things in your stash of cleaning materials minus the obvious mop and broom.And, you don’t need chemical cleaners, either. You can get your home sparkling clean by just using natural things you probably have in your kitchen.

Here is a top 9 list of things I keep in my cleaning arsenal:

1. Vinegar. I think vinegar is a miracle. It can be used on nearly every surface, is safe to have around kids and pets and cleans just about every room in your home. Vinegar can be used in so many ways.

2. Baking soda.This less than a dollar a box powder is an amazing gentle abrasive for many surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom. Make a paste out of it and scrub your grout. Sprinkle it in your kitchen sink and go to town on it.

3. Melamime foam (Magic Erasers). The name says it all. These little white gems are really a miracle in cleaning. You can even use them in your car.

4. Rags: You don’t need to buy them, either. I use old towels cut into rags, old socks that long ago lost their match and even old t-shirts cut up. If you own a Swiffer style floor mop, a washrag works great as a reusable towel for them as it fits perfectly.

5. And old gift card. This seems like a very silly thing to have in your cleaning arsenal, but they are great for removing stickers, gunk and grime that you are having a hard time getting off mirrors and other surfaces. Plus, they won’t scratch.

6. An old toothbrush. While it might sound a bit “neat freak” to have one of these, bear with me. I am not on my hands and knees scrubbing my kitchen or bathroom floor for hours. However, they are great for getting in tight spots and around moldings.

7. Old socks. Another strange one, but amazing for dusting. Slip one over your hand and dust delicate items. Run your hand over the back of the TV. You won’t go back to a duster. I promise.

8. Fancy Gloves. This one may not be necessary, but for me, it is. I love a little eccentric flair in just about anything I do. I have owned zebra design cuff gloves and even ones with pink feathers attached. It adds a bit of fun to my routine and who doesn’t like that?

9. Lemons. Lemons are amazing at degreasing, so if you find yourself with a little extra time and a greasy kitchen, use a lemon to get it in shape.

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Homekeeping, Homelife Tagged With: Cleaning, Frugal living, Green Living, Homemaking

10 Ways to Save on Medications

October 16, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

If you want to have a fully stocked medicine cabinet and not have to pay full price when a need arises, you must buy beforehand. This can get costly and if you throw prescription medications into the mix, the price of staying well can really add up.

In this post, I want to share 10 ways to save on medications from OTC (Over The Counter) to vitamins to Scripts.

1. Coupons. This is one of the best ways to save when buying OTC medications, vitamins and even scripts. You can find OTC and Vitamin coupons in all sorts of places from printed coupons online to Sunday inserts. You can also find them as peelies on the actual product as I often do. For scripts. Ask your doctor for them or even contact the manufacturer themselves. Look in magazines as well.

2. Ask for samples. Pharmaceutical companies hire representatives to go to doctor’s offices to tell them about their newest drugs available. They often give samples to the doctors they see and the doctor is allowed to hand them out to patients he or she prescribes that drug to. All you need to do is ask.

3. Ask for generics. Most pharmacies will substitute generics, but some will only do it if you or your doctor asks. You can’t get generics for every drug, as new ones do not have that option yet, but you can ask for older drugs and ask to be put on a similar medication that has a generic. There are even some pharmacies that have special programs and offer a 30 day supply of these generic meds for under $5.

4. Buy vitamins in bulk offline. Just make sure you trust the source as many vitamins are poorly made and therefore poorly absorbed in your system.

5. Ask for a higher dose. As long as the pill can be split evenly, you can get a higher dose of a medication and simply split it in two. For instance, let’s say your doctor wants you to tale 50 mg of a certain pill every day. Ask for 100 mg pills and make on pill last two days or doses. Often times, a medication will cost the same per pill no matter what the dosage.

6. Ask the manufacturer about assistance programs they offer. Many of the big pharmaceutical companies offer programs for low income folks to get life saving medication free or at a reduced cost. Just a quick phone call can get you on the way to joining these programs.

7. Know what your drug coverage covers. If your doctor prescribes something that is not covered, ask for a similar medication to substitutes. Also, some companies will cover a limited number of vitamins and even OTC medications.

8. Do your homework and shop around. Prescription medication can vary greatly in cost from one pharmacy to the next. The same goes for vitamins and OTC drugs. Look for sales in drug store flyers and stock up when there is a good sale.

9. Don’t try to save a buck by shopping for prescription medications online. While you may save cash, they may be unregulated and even illegal drugs sold through these places and it is never a good deal if something could make you very ill.

10. Generics are a good idea with OTC medications as well. You can often get them at dollar stores and big box stores. The savings are crazy good on these and you don’t have to worry they will not work as well because they are generic. By law, they are required to contain the same levels of active ingredients as name brand counterparts. Just make sure to see how many dosages are in a package to be sure you are getting a good buy.

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Health Tagged With: Frugal living, health, medications

Get Cash for the Holiday Season

October 14, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

This is about the time of year when you might start thinking about coming up with money for gifts for the holiday season. The sooner you start planning for it, the better off you will be come time to do your holiday shopping. Here is a list of ways to help you come up with cash for the gifts you are hoping to buy your loved ones:

1. Take on a small seasonal job. Even if you just pick up a few hours a week, you will have a couple hundred dollars in no time.

2. Sell your used Cd’s, books or textbooks. These items are just what other people may be looking for.

3. Start saving all change you get from now until shopping day. In just a month, I was able to save over $60, once and I didn’t even feel it in my pocketbook.

4. Offer to house-sit. Many people will be taking off for the holidays and may need a pet-sitter or a house-sitter. You can make some cash doing this in time if you offer your services.

5. Do pre or post holiday cleanup. With everyone being so busy over the holidays, everyone could use a helping hand with holiday clean-up. Offer to dust, vacuum, clean bathrooms and mop or any other services that may be of use.

6. Don’t forget to coupon! If you save some money on an item you would normally pay full price for, put what you saved away for the shopping trip.

7. Cut down on driving and save money from not needing gas. Instead, car-pool or take public transportation. There is always a good walk if you don’t live too far from work as well.

8. Find a craft to make and sell. You can do this online or at the many craft shows at this time of year.

Filed Under: Frugal Living Tagged With: Frugal living, gifts

Make Tonight a Family Game Night

October 10, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

When I was a kid, I loved to play board games and I was excited to be able to bring that tradition to my own daughter. She and I love to spend at least one weekend a month playing board games. With electronics taking our lives so much, it is great to be able to “unplug” and do this special family time together.

According to this info-graphic, we are not the only ones who try to do a family game night as often as we can:

familygamenight.net

How can you do a family game night? Check out these tips:

*Buy games on sale this Christmas season. Make them “gifts” to the family.

*Use a snow day at school or a rainy day as a chance to get together and do your game time.

*Schedule your game night and make a commitment to stick to the time.

*Feel free to customize your games and make rules that you allow as a family. This will make the time special and unique.

For more tips and ways you can create a family game night, check out the Family Game Night blog.

Filed Under: Frugal Living

Target BOGO sale

October 2, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

I normally don’t post too many coupon deals on my blog because although I appreciate thrifty living and couponing, this isn’t a coupon blog, so I try to keep it a bit separate, but I have to tell you about the latest deal I got so you have time to get it yourself!

Target has a coupon with their mobile coupon alerts right now that is too good to pass up. It is NOT a glitch and I could barely believe it myself! Through 10/4, Target has a BOGO deal on their jewelry department. (BOGO is buy one, get one free in case you aren’t hip to coupon lingo). This means you can buy ANY jewelry, item (including watches, sunglasses and all jewelry) and get one free. Normally, these coupons have a limit on the free item such as “of equal or lesser value” than the item you are purchasing.

However, with this coupon, it is ANY item at ANY price that you buy and get a FREE item up to $58.99. This means, you can buy a clearance item for a couple dollars and get a free item worth up to $58.99!

Now, you know you are thinking what I was thinking-No way! That has to be a mistake.

It isn’t. I would never tell you, my valued readers, about a deal that was not true and tested by myself personally. I bought a $5.99 pair of earrings/necklace and got a $39.99 Timex Watch for FREE. The only thing I paid for was the Earrings/necklace + tax. My total was only $6.51.

No kidding!

How do you get in on this amazing deal?

Simply text OFFERS to 827438 and follow the instructions. You will need to register for Target mobile coupons, but let me tell you, it is so worth it. I got my coupon in about 2 minutes and rushed to the store before it closed.

The deal is only good through 10/4/2013, so HURRY!

Filed Under: Frugal Living

Growing your own Onions in Your Kitchen

October 2, 2023 By Christine 14 Comments

Did you know you can re-grow some of your produce you buy at the store no matter what season it is? No need to waste money buying produce you can reproduce several times is there?

I tried to grow green onions after hearing about it on Pinterest.

I was amazed! I don’t have much of a green thumb, although I get better all the time, and even I could grow these babies!

There are two methods to growing them. One, is placing them in soil in a little pot on your kitchen window. All you do is just stick your finger in the soil and place the white root part in the dirt. Water and allow to grow.

The second method, the one I used, is to place the white root part in a glass with some water-about 2 inches-and grow. This method works great if you don’t have space for a pot and very little lighting. I placed my glass of onions near indirect lighting and they grew about an inch and a half every day. I was seriously stunned and amazed!

Now, you may be thinking, “But green onions are less than a dollar, what is the point, really?” The point for me was to save money. While a dollar is not much these days, why waste one? With this method, you can grow your onions 3-4 times before needing to throw them out and get new roots. I bought these green onions for 55 cents. If I grow them 5 more times, I am spending a little over a dime each time. Plus, green onions are one thing on my shopping list I seem to always forget.

In less than a week, you will have a whole new set to use in your recipes and if you won’t use them this fast, you can cut them off, chop them up and freeze them for use in omelets and other recipes as these kinds of onions freeze well.

Just look at the growth after a week:

Try it yourself and let me know how it goes!

Filed Under: Crafts & DIY, Food, Frugal Living, Green Living Tagged With: DIY, food, Frugal living, Green Living, Homemaking, Recipes

6 Ways To Save On Dental Costs

September 15, 2023 By Christine 5 Comments

Dental bills are one of the most expensive regular treatments needed by everyone. Many people skip dental care because the expense is so high. You don’t have to skip dental care if you know how to save on these important and much needed procedures.

1. See if you can participate in free dental trials. These are offered at many teaching clinics and dental colleges. You not only get free dental care, but often you get paid for your time in agreeing to do the trial. To find out where these are, just Google “Dental Trials ______(your city or state)____”. Also search the NIDCR website at www.nidcr.nih.gov

2. Look for low-income dental clinics in your area. You can usually find these by looking in the phone book or just doing a simple online search. If you are truly stumped, call a dentist in your area and ask them if they can refer you to a low-income area. Often times, you can get 25%-50% off dental care and only be required to put a small down payment at your first appointment. You don’t have to be super broke to take advantage of these clinics either. Many of them offer discounts even if you make 3 times the poverty level.

3. See if there is a dental school in your area. Many of them offer deep discounts on cleanings and routine visits. They are often open to the general public as well as any income level.

4. Take care of your teeth. While this is a no-brainer, taking good care of your teeth will save you hundreds of dollars down the road as well as a large amount of pain and work lost. Make it a priority to get your teeth professionally cleaned every 6 months. It is not only important to your overall dental health, but it will also save you from expensive dental procedures such as root canals, extractions and fillings.

5. Always get a second opinion on an expensive dental procedure your dentist is recommending. Dental work is often subjective and there may be a less expensive option available to you.

6. Get a written treatment plan and ask your dentist to tell you which procedures you can put off and which ones could end up being very costly if you let them go. This way, you can get imperative procedures out of the way and avoid costly future ones, while allowing yourself to take care of things as they fit in the budget.

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Health Tagged With: Frugal living, health

Saving On Electronic Media

September 8, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Media and electronics are a big part of today’s world. TV, cell phones, computers and such are how we stay in touch, pay bills and do our jobs.

Saving on these expenses can really soften the blow on your budget.

In this post, I will share some simple ways you can save on electronic bills without feeling deprived of your entertainment and communication.

For cell phone services, shop around. There are so many companies out there now and they all want your business. Because of this, you are at a great advantage as a consumer. Always shop around and compare prices. Think about how many minutes you reasonably use and don’t get talked into plans that don’t fit that.

Get a pre-paid cell phone. Avoid fees associated with early contract termination by using a cell phone that has a pre-paid option. Many plans are cheaper than the ones you would get in a provider’s store.

If you have teens or a child with a cell phone, accept that they love to text and buy a plan that gives them unlimited texts. If you go over, you could be paying 10-20 or even 50 cents per text, so play it safe on your wallet and just go for an unlimited plan.

Consider if you actually need a landline. You could save hundreds a year by just getting rid of it.

Use services such as Skype for long calling. It’s a free service for US calls and works great for long distance relatives to stay in touch.

Call your cable company on a regular basis and ask about specials they may be running that you can take advantage of. They may not tell you about them otherwise.

Try a VOIP service for your landline. For one low fee per year, you can make and receive calls through your computer’s internet connection.

For downloads such as music, books and other digital media, look for free ones where you can. Radio stations often give out free downloads on their websites and there are hundreds of free books available on Amazon for free.

If you are a senior or college student, ask for discounts on service for cell phones and internet.

Filed Under: Frugal Living

Low Cost Ways To Update Your Wardrobe

September 5, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

A new season is here and that means you may need to update your wardrobe. If you are anything like me, you love to stay somewhat in style and keep with the trends but don’t have the cash to lay down on a whole new wardrobe every 3 months.

What’s a mom to do?

There are some simple, yet low cost ways, to update your style without putting a wad of cash on the sales counter.

Here are some simple ways I have found to update what you already have:

Buy a few pieces of costume jewelry to go with what you already have and stick with the new trends. Adding a bright necklace or ring can really make your clothes look new.
Modify what you already have. I don’t have a lot of skills when it comes to sewing, but if you do, add patches to jeans, distress them yourself or turn an old t-shirt into something new with a few cuts.
Use what you wore for one season and modify it for the next one. For instance, if you have a cute sundress, simply add a wrap around sweater or a pair of leggings underneath with a cute pair of boots.
Hit up thrift shops. You may just find that perfect shirt or skirt to wear with a cute piece you already own to update it.
Try adding a hat or a scarf. A simple addition of either of these can turn a boring white fitted T-shirt into a great top. Tie a scarf around your waist as a belt and give your jeans an update.
Look in your husband’s closet. Pair a man’s button down top with cute jeans and some heels and you have a new favorite outfit.
Buy a bold pair of shoes. I have a pair of animal print heels that make any outfit look new.
Get an amazing brooch and turn a boring blouse into something to talk about.

How do you update your look when the season changes?

Filed Under: Fashion, Frugal Living Tagged With: Fashion, Frugal living

10 Ways to Get A Better Price on Purchases

September 3, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Ever since I went on my journey as a more frugal living mom, I have been looking for any way to save money. I am always amazed by how easy it is to get discounts if you know how to do so. I hardly ever pay full price for most things that I don’t have to. I look back to my pre-frugal days and can’t believe I paid as much as I did for things and laugh at my excuses I made to continue to do so.

When I went frugal, I thought it meant that I would have to give up on the things I loved and live even more restricted. What is really funny about that line of thinking is, I actually live better now and appreciate more.

What are some ways you can get a better price on things you buy? Here are 15 ways I use to get a better deal. Keep in mind that these won’t work on everything, but it’s always worth a shot if you think they will.

1) Coupons-while this is an obvious money saver, many people, including myself at one point, thought this was not worth the time it takes to hunt them down. Really, I spend less than 30 minutes per week and have saved at least a thousand dollars in the last 6 months on everything from groceries to oil changes.

2) Take surveys- Many companies now are asking their customers to take service surveys to get free products or a percentage off of a purchase. I have gotten free combo meals, Free oil changes, half off tires and even free loads of laundry at the laundry mat by completing these 5-10 minute surveys. They are definitely worth the time.

3) Ask- It never hurts to ask for a discount. Especially if you are haggling with a thrift store or a yard sale. Plus many places offer discounts for students, seniors and AAA members.

4) Look for items that might get you a discount and find the person in charge. See meat that is about to expire? Ask the butcher department’s manager to discount it for you.

5) Join rewards programs- It is so common to find rewards programs at everywhere from grocery stores to restaurants. Use them. The points add up and can mean savings on gas and merchandise.

6) Buy online- Usually, stores run online exclusive sales that you can’t get in-store. Just sign up for newsletters to your favorite stores and be notified when a sale is going on.

7) Shop for next year- Buy clothes at end of season sales for a deep discount for next year. Need a new grill for next summer? Now is the time to buy it, while it is discounted.

8) Watch the register for errors- Many stores will give you the item for free if it scans incorrectly. At the very least, you will not be overcharged.

9) Buy off the “scratch and dent” rack- These items may be ugly, but are perfectly usable. I have twice now bought flour that had a small tear in the bag and was taped up in this section of the store for less than half price. I got some expensive cat litter for cheaper than the price of the cheap-o cat litter as well.

10) Know what is in season. For a great post on shopping for produce in season, check out this one.

What is your favorite way to get a good deal?

Filed Under: Frugal Living Tagged With: Frugal living, Homemaking