This got me thinking...
What would my "don't buy" lists consist? I came up with some items and then I asked you guys. You had some really great ideas, which really inspired me. I've included the top ideas from our compiled list.
Paper Towels - I stopped buying paper towels a few years ago. I found that not only was it better for the environment, but I could knock quite a bit off my monthly budget. We use rags for cleaning up. These are great because when you've finished cleaning, you can just toss them in the wash. One wash cycle and they're like new. I keep a reusable grocery bag near my washer. I toss used rags in there. When the bag's full, I do a load :)
All-Purpose Cleaner - this is my favorite thing to make homemade. It cost very little and is safe for the whole family. Just mix vinegar, water, and some essential oils together and you're good to go. Check out this tutorial to make some today.
Greeting Cards - if you know me in real life, then you know I am NOT a huge fan of greeting cards...especially with birthday gifts. Yes, sometimes it is nice to get a card in the mail and I love my grandma's annual holiday cards, but I think greeting cards are expensive. $3 or more for something that will just get thrown in the trash? No thank you. Going homemade on cards is a great way to save. You get to still give the sentiment of a greeting card, without spending a bunch of money. I also think homemade cards are so much more personal. I love to create 4x6 prints via picmonkey and print at Costco. You can print for under 50 cents a piece. Much better than $3+ right?
Pre-Made Cookie Dough - I've found that making cookie dough at home is not only cheaper, but you get more bang for your buck. Chocolate chip cookie dough is my favorite. You can double batch it and either freeze the dough or freeze the baked cookies. This helps to have some yummy treats always stocked in the freezer. I also find that when I stock myself with yummy items, I'm less likely to toss treats into my cart when I'm grocery shopping. This keep impulse buying to a minimum.
Freezer Meals - we all love having a few saving graces in our freezer. Having a few quick casseroles or lasagnas is great when you don't feel like making dinner or you need to bring a meal to a friend. I have found that doubling recipes when I make them allows me to stock the freezer without needing a full freezer cooking day. Also, making your own freezer meals means you know exactly what's going into your food.
Garbage bags - Jen and Ashley shared this idea and I thought it was brilliant! They save by reusing plastic grocery bags. Jen says "I don't buy garbage bags. We use the sacks from the grocery store for most of our garbage and our recycling goes into our garbage can without a bag around it. When the grocery bag is filled, it goes outside into the big garbage can and (hopefully) keeps our kitchen from stinking up ;)". Ashley said "I reserve all my stuff that gets stinky in the fridge till the night before garbage night, that way we only have to take out the garbage once a week and reduce the number of bags we use." Brilliant ladies!!
Baby Wipes and Diapers - Going the cloth route is a great way to save. Dayna said "Cloth diapers & cloth wipes (cut up squares of old tshirts). Wipe solution is water with a drop of lavender or tea tree oil. Saves so much $!"
Music CDs - I love listening to music and I use to spend a lot of $$$ on either CD's or singles via Amazon. I could easily spend $20+ on music in one shot, then I learned about Spotify (thank you Tanya). Hubby and I pay $10 a month and we get unlimited access to music. It's been a great alternative to how I got my music before.
Cable - you know I'm a BIG supporter of Netflix and hulu. We haven't had cable in over 8 years. We spend less then $20 a month and we have a huge library of shows for the whole family.
Land Line- we joined the strictly cell phone club a long time ago. We realized that we didn't have a need for a landline anymore. All of our friends and family have cell phones and we have unlimited minutes and text, so it makes sense. Save yourself some money and kick the land line.
I was so blown away with all the ideas you guys shared this past week. Thank you for always being so inspiring!!
Alright lovelies, I am working on a post titled "10 things I don't buy" and I need your help. What are the items you don...
Posted by Blissful and Domestic on Friday, November 6, 2015
Do you have an item you don't buy that didn't make the list? Share it in the comments below :)
XO Danielle
I wish I could get my husband on the reusable paper towels train.
ReplyDeleteLove it!! I know you've been doing a lot of freezer meal prep lately. I just bought a crock pot and have never used one. If you have any go to recipes that you freeze ahead for crock pot recipes, would you share them sometime in a post or on facebook? I've found some I want to try from websites but would love recommended ones too!!
ReplyDeleteAshley, have you tried Salsa Chicken? I throw 3 jars of Salsa, 4 chicken breast ( sliced to make 2 breasts so a total of 8) 1 cup of water. Dump everything into the crock and cook low 6-8 hrs. I make Jasmine Rice, place the Chicken/Salsa on top followed by a little cheese if you like. You can adjust the heat by the Salsa you choose. So good and so easy.
DeleteThank you Patti! I've written this down =)
DeleteWe also don't have cable or land line. We don't even subscribe to Hulu. We bought an $80 antenna about 4 years ago and get plenty of channels on that (many Canadian shows!).
ReplyDeleteWe also don't buy coffee out, like Starbucks. I make mine at home and put it in a travel mug.
Also, if we go out to eat, which is a rare treat, we don't buy drinks with our meal. Water only for all of us. Beverages are expensive and for the 4 of us it would add at least $10 to our bill.
Hope that helps.
I'm totally with you on the homemade birthday cards! I also buy blank cards with cute decorations to turn into birthday/thank you/congrats cards for the occasions when completely homemade might not work; you can get these in 10-packs for just a few dollars, so they're a great in-between option. I also don't like to spend money on snacks or drinks when we go out. I always have nuts/granola bars/homemade PBJs and my hydroflask of water in my purse just in case. We never order drinks at restaurants!
ReplyDeleteI did cloth diapers and wipes when I was a stay-at-home mom, but now that I'm working again, it's hard to justify the extra washing and line drying (electricity is super expensive where I'm at, so running the dryer isn't an option), especially when you can snag diapers for under 10 cents each on sale.
We DO have a landline because we have small children, and we feel that they need an easy way to contact 911, if necessary. We don't allow them on our cell phones and they don't know the passwords, so the extra $10/month is worth the peace of mind right now.
100% agree on bringing your own drinks and snacks. I had family in town this week and I packed a cooler for the car on the way to the zoo, about a 45 minutes drive. My mom and sister thought it was a bit much. I put water bottles, a few sodas, ice packs, then a bag of pretzels on top. Water bottles were 2 dollars each at the zoo! We all had drinks and pretzels in the car on the way home.
DeleteSide note, I've read before that old phones will still call 911 even if they are not on a plan or are no longer in service. I've never verified this information with the phone company though. But it may be an easy way to have emergency all service without having a land line.
We don't have cable or land line! ha! We don't even have HULU or Netflix. With PRIME offering so many shows and cartoons there is no need
ReplyDeleteAnna // Happy Medley
We haven't had cable for few years now. Too expensive cable, cells and landline. Chose cells. We do have tons of dvd & video for 6/ yos to watch. I can't watch too much Primetime cuz it eats up our computer time. We don' buy PT. Waste of $. I wish he would go the make your own cleaner route. I'd like to try the make meals in a bag. And shop for veggies all at once. Expensive to shop in northern AK. Lots good shares. Thank you everyone.
DeleteWe have not cable for a few years. Cable, cells , landline too expensive. Chose cells & internet. Have tons dvd & video for 6/8 yo to watch. We don't buy PT. I'd like to try the meals in a bag & buying veggies all at once. Lots of great ideas here. Gonna try get the hubs to make home made cleaners. We make our own laundry soap. cheaper & no chemicals. I'd like to try make own bath/handsoap. We live northwestern AK. Expensive. Fresh greenbeans$3.99 lb. Gala, Fuji, GS apples $2.99 lb, Lg Hoss Avocado 2/$5. Thanks for sharing everyone.
DeleteThe only problems I have with this list are cable and a landline. A landline is useful when you are home, there's an ER and you need to dial 911. Cell phones don't have your home address data stored in 911. Also, cable, what about the local news and weather, or local programming?
ReplyDeleteYou can get a lot of programming for free with an antenna, including local stations. But that doesn't work in all areas. We live in a valley, and the signal is non-existent. As a result, we still pay for cable so we can catch the local news, live sports, PBS, and the indulgent cable shows that we like to DVR. Oh well. I agree with you about the landline, though. Keeping it is a safety issue for us (and our two little ones).
DeleteWe live in a valley and can't get over-the-airways TV or cell phone service. :( We pay AT&T almost as much a month as we do our mortgage company! Yikes!
DeleteWe don't ever buy paper towels either, we use cloth. I make all my home cleaners as well.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I NEVER buy is bottled water. I filter our tap water and refill our bottles.
http://cherylsfrugalcorner.blogspot.com
I recently joined your lovely blog.
ReplyDeleteI do use paper towels, that's a kind of guilty pleasure.
On the other hand I used washable diapers for my kids.
What I don't buy (anymore) is clothes hangers. Shops give them for free. And I rarely buy flowers, as much as I love flowers.
Best wishes
Anita
Love this post!
ReplyDeleteI try to get all my books from the library. Saves with spaces issues too!
Also, no gym membership for me! I workout from home with free online programs (fitnessblender is my favorite!)
Also, Danielle, do you have any tips for cutting costs with your hair??
ReplyDelete