Money Saving Tips

crazy4strays

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There's nothing wrong with reusing sanitary products, provided they are the reusable type. Reusing disposable ones would be unsanitary though.
 

micknsnicks2mom

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there can be a big difference between being cheap, and being frugal. i consider myself to work towards living a frugal lifestyle. sometimes, many times, i'll buy the higher priced item -- especially if it's of better quality, will last/hold up longer. for me, a big part of being frugal is about making well thought out choices.
 

Willowy

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I've never heard of such a thing.
Reusable feminine products? Yeah, I use cloth pads (TMI probably, sorry :anon:). There are also silicone cups that you wear like a tampon. I'm not that brave yet. But anyway, I use cloth pads because the disposables cause irritation (more TMI :tongue2:), not to save money. Not sure it's cheaper because they're expensive initially and I need to buy enzyme cleaner.
 
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crazy4strays

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I use reusable menstrual products because they work better for me. Saving money is a convenient side effect though.

I can honestly say that if I was a millionaire, I still would keep on using the reusable option.
 
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Primula

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Reusable feminine products? Yeah, I use cloth pads (TMI probably, sorry :anon:). There are also silicone cups that you wear like a tampon. I'm not that brave yet. But anyway, I use cloth pads because the disposables cause irritation (more TMI :tongue2:), not to save money. Not sure it's cheaper because they're expensive initially and I need to buy enzyme cleaner.
So you wash the pads after use? Isn't that going back to the bad old days when women used rags & then washed them? (Like many women in the world still have to do.)
 

crazy4strays

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Yes, they're washed after use.

It's no big deal whatsoever.  To me, they're a huge upgrade from using disposables. I disliked all the disposable options and found them uncomfortable and that's why I researched and found the reusable options. 
 

Willowy

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Yeah I resisted for a long time because I thought it would be gross. But nope. I put them directly in a soaking bin (kept under the sink) filled with water and a capful of enzyme cleaner. After I have enough to wash, I dump the entire thing in the washer and run a short load to spin all the yuck out. Then run them in a regular load. Easy and non-disgusting.
 

arouetta

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 We compost everything we possibly can. I do use k-cups in my Keurig; you will pry my Keurig out of my cold, dead hands. I take each and every k-cup apart, put the grounds in my compost bowl in the fridge, and single-stream recycle the k-cup itself. (Single-streaming recycling is amazing; you can recycle so much more stuff! Between single-stream recycling and composting, we can keep our trash pick-up down to a dull roar, even with the used cat litter.)
I use a reusable K-cup and regular coffee/loose leaf tea.
 

muffy

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I haven't had a period in over 16 years. I have no idea what a menstrual cup is or what reusable pads are. When I had a period  all I ever used was the disposable pads. 
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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I use a reusable K-cup and regular coffee/loose leaf tea.
'
Thank you for this comment. I tried using one of those and I thought it gave the coffee a metallic taste. But apparently you have found a good one.

One thought that I haven't seen mentioned here is trying to combine using coupons when the product is actually on sale. Another thing worth a mention is price matching. Some stores will reduce their price to a competitors price if you bring their ad. That would be a worthwhile thing if it saved you gas in driving to the competitors store.

Can we please move along this discussion to get the thread back on topic. :nod:
 

Kat0121

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 I also use Ebates. They are starting to include in store purchases as well. I have gotten about $120 back from them since I started using them. They send it directly to my Paypal and I deposit the money in my bank account. 


I get a lot of stuff through my Amazon subscribe and save. I love this program. I have about 30 items on my list and once a month, I go through it and skip the items I don't need and leave the items that I do on it. I get cat food, cat treats, the dog's glucosamine treats, coffee. toilet paper, paper towels, vitamins, toiletries, etc this way. As long as I have 5 or more items in my order, I save 15% on all of them. Less than 5 is 5%. Some items also have coupons on them. I just got a 3 pack of Gillette razors for $1.25 after a coupon and the 15% discount. Using S&S gets me good deals on stuff I already use and need and it keeps me out of WM. Win win for me. ETA- you also get free shipping on S&S items. You do NOT need to be a Prime member to use this program but a lot of items are Prime eligible if you are one.

I use Petco's repeat delivery as well. The kids like the Soulistic Good Karma and Nature's Recipe shredded chicken and chicken pate. I get free shipping and a lower price by using RD and I don't have to go to the store. 
 
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betsygee

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I use Petco's repeat delivery as well. The kids like the Soulistic Good Karma and Nature's Recipe shredded chicken and chicken pate. I get free shipping and a lower price by using RD and I don't have to go to the store. 
I should check out the RD as well. I'm always going to Petco for Soulistic.  Thanks for the tip.  
 

Kat0121

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I should check out the RD as well. I'm always going to Petco for Soulistic.  Thanks for the tip.  

ALWAYS free shipping

 


Enter promo code rdfreeship  
on your first order.

Keep an eye out on the website because they often offer PALS rewards when you sign up for your first RD. If I remember correctly, they gave me $30 in PALS rewards for my first RD order. They do not do this all the time though. 
 

arouetta

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I recently started grocery shopping at Target.  The prices start out very low.  I'm getting milk for a dollar less per gallon than any grocery store around here is offering.  Same with ground beef, it's at least a dollar cheaper per pound, and it's fresher than the lower priced grocery stores.  And they stack really generously, you can stack Cartwheel, a Target coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on every item.  Sometimes the discount on a name brand item through Cartwheel actually brings the price lower than the Target brand plus Cartwheel and then I can use a manufacturer's coupon on top of that.  And they offer a discount if you bring your own bags and the Red Card discount.  And for those people (like me) who don't qualify for a credit card, the Red Card has a debit version that works like an electronic check.

There have been shopping trips where the end total, after I stack all discounts, is $60 lower than the starting total.

The only drawback I have found is the grocery section is small, and some things they just don't have.  For example, I love the ease of McCormick spice packages, and they only carry about 4 or 5 different ones, not the 25 or so you can get in a dedicated grocery store.  The fresh produce section is also limited, don't bother to look for kiwi, and the varieties of potatoes and apples and onions are limited to a couple each.
 

Primula

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Yeah I resisted for a long time because I thought it would be gross. But nope. I put them directly in a soaking bin (kept under the sink) filled with water and a capful of enzyme cleaner. After I have enough to wash, I dump the entire thing in the washer and run a short load to spin all the yuck out. Then run them in a regular load. Easy and non-disgusting.
Not trying to offend you, but sounds gross to me. Imagine someone finding them under your sink. I don't think I would ever have used them, but I respect your choice. So how do these things stay in place?
 
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