Like so many other people, we are on a very tight budget. We hunt down sales for items we need, and combine errands into one trip to maximize the gas we use.
Every little bit helps. Clipping coupons. Yard sales and resale shops. End of season discounts. Buying in bulk.
One of our favorite ways to aquire something we may need is Freecycle. Freecycle is such a great concept. If you need something, you list it on the site as a "wanted" item. If you have something you want to save from the landfill, but are no longer using, you list the item as an "offered" item. And it is FREE! It is recycling at its best. We access three different Freecycle sites, one which we started specifically for our county. Just go to http://www.freecycle.org/ to find a group in your area. 
Another great find was the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Check out this link and see if you have one in your area: http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx
We have found many a needed item for deep discounts--brand new screen doors for $6; an above stove microwave/hood for $20; 2 60inch cabinets that we put back-to-back to make an island in our kitchen, $10 each. You never know what you will find here!
We already have a link on our blog to http://www.paperbackswap.com/ They also swap DVD's and CD's. Another similar site is http://www.titletrader.com/ We discovered this site shortly after we started using paperbackswap, and hubby likes this one more. The concept is, you advertise your books, movies, or CDs on the site. If someone wants it, you send it to them at your expense. You receive points for each item you ship. You then use your points to request an item you want, and they ship it to you at their expense. It ends up being a whole lot cheaper than buying the items new, and it is recycling at its best: use it, enjoy it, then pass it on!
I am a nut for online freebies. There are tons and tons of freebie sites out there, just Google "freebies" and have at it. We have got some great stuff online for free. What's nice is you can always send for samples of stuff you want to try first before actually spending money on it. We have found new cereals we like, new detergents, new shampoos, etc, etc, etc. At one point, the poor mailman was delivering several mailcarrier boxes full of samples. The cool thing is, we stockpile and then share when someone is in need. We don't have little kids, but we get free samples of diaper, formula, baby food, baby wipes, diaper rash ointment--you name it. Then if we have a friend in need, we are able to help out with a box of goodies.
Yup, we are a frugal family. You an call us cheap if you want--we won't be insulted. And hey, if anyone out there has some other great free/low cost ideas, let us know! Anyway we can pinch a penny.....
~D
3 comments:
I use cloth diapers for my kids. And we use cotton rags instead of paper towels around the house. Also, we "recycle" our kitchen scraps by feeding them to the chickens (which make meat for us and manure for the garden).
And we use wood for heat, instead of electricity or oil.
I love love LOVE freecycle!! What a perfect way of neighbor helping neighbor? I hear craigslist is pretty good for that too, but craigslist scares me.
We love, love, LOVE freecycle, too! We have been able to help out lots of people with stuff we just didn't have use for, and we have also found used items that we desparately needed (walker for ES, water trough for animals, etc).
It really is a GREAT program, because all of that stuff would probably end up in a landfill somewhere.
On a side note, I guess I better go check out Craigslist. I hear about it all the time, but never have taken the time to check it out.....
~D
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