Frugal Living Tips and Tricks

 The Question: My situation is a bit unique because I'm 36 and don't have a credit history. I've always lived with family and paid cash for my vehicles.  Last spring I was supposed to buy a trailer and land from a friend's family but it fell through during the title search. I was going to use my life's savings and own it outright.  Now I'm trying to figure out where to go from here. My parents always rented but decent, affordable, pet-friendly rentals are few and far between around here. I'd rather own my home if at all possible. I need to figure out what to aim for.  Do I need to accept that a credit score is a necessary evil? I have money saved up for a down payment, my income is $2000 a month, and I don't have debt other than medical.   Any advice would be appreciated!! What did people say? ⇒ Elizabeth: Yep. Get you a card. Use it to earn the rewards (money) for things you are already buying!! Just pay it IN FULL every month ! It's not an evil un...

 The Question: I have a friend who is paying off her house this week! She has been unwell (cancer) but continues to work FT. She has now used up her PTO and was previously denied disability. What gifts would you give as a celebration for one less financial burden? What did people say? ⇒ Shelby: I saw this thing about grief groceries on Facebook. Maybe something kind of like that. Easy meals with no thought she has to put in, some snacks and staples. Things she doesn't have to think about or prep. ⇒ Jennifer: Gift cards. Fill fridge/freezer with groceries. Make some meals for her freezer. Spend time with her. ⇒ Serena: I have a friend in a similar situation. I've been walking her dog, bringing her food and giving her rides to chemo on occasion. I don’t have a lot to offer, but the small tokens seem to mean a lot .  ⇒ Judy: I'd give get cash so she can use it for what she wants/needs. I am sure it would be nice for her to have some "spending" money just for her w...

 SomeOne say: Today I shopped at a thrift store that had a cash only self check out area. I noticed that I could just dump change into it before cash. My bag had a lot of change in the bottom, I was able to dump over 4$ of change before cash. So awesome. I also noticed that 5 below had something similar. Any other places you guys know about. Nice way to get rid of change. What did people say? ⇒ Grace: Some Walmarts have it too. ⇒ Stephanie: Take change and dump it at the bank. It adds up at the end of the year. ⇒ Jennifer: Thanks for posting this. My husband has a jar full of coins and was going to take it to CoinStar. I told him he can only do that over my dead body. ⇒ Nicole: That's great! I was out of town, in a public library getting copies made and I was super excited to use my change! ⇒ Lisa: I go to a discounter that has an upcharge for credit cards, so I have a little change purse I take with me - obviously I wouldn't be obnoxious about it, but I do use change whe...

 The Question: I wondered why my amount was so much! Luckily I caught it but take care when shopping and check your cart before and after purchase to make sure there is not a glitch. What did people say? ⇒ Emma: So those lemons are from Mt. Olympus right 😂. ⇒ Ashley: I knew inflation was crazy, but I didn’t realize lemons were so high demand 😂 ⇒ Haylee: We were at self check out last night. every single item was double scanning. We were getting so frustrated my husband just had to use the wand scanner. ⇒ Ambyr: Psh your lemons are only $23?! I’m totally kidding, glad you caught this! ⇒ Heidi: This happens even in store check out lines. ALWAYS watch as your items are being rung up and double check your receipts. Walmart is getting really bad about doing things like this lately. ⇒ AnnaMaria: You also have to watch where, a single item is priced for say $10 each but a 2 package is $47. But if you just get two single items, it's still $10 each. ⇒ Nicole: That’s a great catch! ...

 The Question: I live in Florida and have crazy high power bills, especially in the summer. I have done everything to cut them down already but we are considering getting an attic fan installed. Has anyone had success in lowering your power bill in the summer by installing one? What did people say? ⇒ Marilyn: Getting a new larger more energy efficient HVAC system lowered our bill. We live in Florida. Have 3500 sq ft under heat and air and an all electric home. Electric bill is $177 per month. We keep the thermostat at 75 for air conditioning and 70 for heating. Better windows also help. ⇒ Lauren: The best thing we ever did to lower power bills when I lived in Florida was to get better insulation installed in the attic. we got some kind of foam-type stuff that was blown in and stuck to the underside of the roof. It looked repulsive, but worked Wonders for the power bills! ⇒ Annie: Attic fans, soffit vents and ridge vents all allow hot air to escape, and that will help your a/c to...

The Question: We are a family of in significant debt (38K). For the past two months, I have been going through my house trying to sell items on eBay and FB. In addition, I collect/sell random free items I find.  The problem is, even though they are decent quality items, nothing is selling. I have sold about four things and made $12.  Granted, that’s $12 more than I had, but my house is starting to look like a hoarder’s house. We have a two bedroom condo for four people, and it is becoming very cluttered. Both my son and I struggle with ADHD, depression and anxiety and it’s causing a lot of stress. I’m tempted to just pack everything up and give it away because I’m so stressed out, but I feel very guilty. I’m trying very hard to get us out of debt without claiming bankruptcy. The clutter has gotten to the point where I can’t even think clearly daily to get simple tasks done. If I added the total price of everything, it would be under $300.  Because it’s a condo, I’m not al...

 The Question: My son and his partner have put their condo up for sale but haven't recieved offers yet. Several viewers have offered feedback that the smell of cat urine is a concern. They have cleaned and used some solution that supposedly removes the smell but obviously not enough. Does anyone have some frugal suggestions as to how to remove this smell? TIA What did people say? ⇒ Missy: If there's a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area, have them look for new flooring. And before they lay anything down, use Kilz. ⇒ Helen: Have they used a black light to identify where the urine is? Such as whether it’s been sprayed on walls or floors? Identify the areas first. ⇒ Susan: They may only be able to sell to another cat owner. I would not buy a house etc that a cat had lived in. It was actually on my list with my realtor not to show me houses from cat owners. Not to be negative, but just it is. ⇒ Del: Set out bowls with a teaspoon of vinegar in the middle of each room overn...

 The Question: Okay my friends, I need some help. I've had a pretty rough year employment wise. I am working now, but making a LOT less than I've made in about 10 years. My Wi-Fi is off, I didn't have cable, I don't have a car payment. I have 3 credit cards I owe on. Here's the tricky part. Even though my income level qualifies me for assistance, I can't get approved because I have too many assets. I own my little mobile home outright, but I also own a house in another town that I rent out. However, I don't make any profit on it.  The tenant is a dear friend, who pays just enough to cover the mortgage(which includes all the taxes and insurance). He does all the maintenance, and would like to buy it. My mortgage company screwed up on all the paperwork, and after getting everything back in order, insists that I wait 6 months before he can assume the loan, or finance a new loan to buy it. I can't raise the rent, because honestly, he can't afford to pay ...

 The Question: My son moved to Nebraska earlier this year. So, this will be his first winter there. Is there anyone in Nebraska that could tell me if they lose power very often in the winter? My son is on military disability and his budget is very tight. His birthday is next month, and I'm considering getting him a portable propane heater that is safe to use indoors. I'm watching prices and looking for a sale. But I don't want to waste money if its not something that will he useful. Would you think this would be a frugal option for a heat source? Do you have any suggestions for other things he'd need in a power outage that won't break my budget? What did people say? ⇒ Rita: That will depend a lot on where in NE he is located. I’m just over the border from NE, lived here 25 years, and can’t remember losing power for more than 2-3 hrs ever. And even then, it has only been a handful of times in all those years during the winter. But I can remember a few during warmer ...

 The Question: Husband and I assumed we would retire at 67 (which is our full retirement age). We assumed we had to wait that long so we could afford to retire.  However, after using a retirement software, it showed us we can retire a lot earlier. This is mainly due to the fact that we have been saving through 34 years of marriage and have no debt. We have no mortgage and our only expense is our daughter's college tuition that we are cash flowing (from funds saved for this purpose).  She is also working and contributing. While doing some research about retirement, I learned that you need a clear and specific plan. How will you afford medical coverage if you retire before age 65? What can be done to alleviate taxes - should I do Roth conversions and if so, how much and when? What about RMD's. As of now they are required at age 73 (and may change to 75). How will these required distributions affect my income and taxes? When is the best time to turn on SS?  When is the ...

 The Question: My husband had a free consultation for solar panels. I was NOT for this idea. I was like whatever, I’ll let him listen to what they have to say, then I’ll talk him out of it. The other day he tells me he booked an installation date. I said absolutely not, you’re going to call and cancel. He goes to call and cancel and there’s a fee for canceling. $1300. So now we’re purchasing solar panels for a house we plan to hopefully sell in the next year or two. I can’t even explain how broke we are right now. What did people say? ⇒ Dana: Just as a word of caution, I am a realtor (in Texas) and solar panels can make selling your house a pain! I have sold them with solar panels so not impossible. But buyers have to add that lease term and qualify on top of qualifying for the mortgage. Sometimes that can be a deal breaker. Some don’t want an extra monthly payment. Also, it does put holes in your roof. If you need to fix the damaged roof, the solar panels have to come off, be sto...

 The Question: We’ve already had it when I made it and once for leftovers. I know I could freeze it but I’d rather figure a way to use it up now. What did people say? ⇒ Abby: Mix in some rice, put it in a casserole dish with some cornbread mix on top and bake that sucker! ⇒ Jess: Add in dried pasta to cook and soak up the liquid. ⇒ Jenni: If it’s a cheese based taco soup you could use it for nachos (poured over) or cheese dip with chips snack for the weekend. ⇒ Teresa: Taco soup pie I do the same with leftover roast with vegetables.

 The Question: Heart worm medicine can get pretty expensive. I have 2 chihuahuas. One is 3.5lbs and the other is 2lbs. Well one chewable is made for dogs under 25lbs. Can I get one and split it in half since my pups are so tiny? Or bad idea? Too embarrassed to ask my vet. What did people say? ⇒ Lauren: They should have told you how much they could take! ⇒ Cari: Don’t be embarrassed to ask Vet. It’s a great question. ⇒ Kim: Please don't mess with meds, especially with dogs. I know someone who didn't take it seriously and their elderly dog had both heartworms and hookworms. It's not worth it. ⇒ Ashley: As a vet, each of those meds is not equally mixed. If you split in half 1 dog could get all while the other dog gets none. ⇒ Jenny: I had two 50# dogs and the vet let me know they could split a 100# tablet. It did save money. ⇒ Fran: I've had 3 dogs, never used any chemicals on or in them. No flea and tick collars or drops. No heartworm pills. All mutts, never caused a...

What did people say? ⇒ Annie: I’m a jelly maker myself. So fun and makes great teacher gifts! And I give the skins and pulp to my boss for her chickens. ⇒ Robin: Making jam is a gateway to canning. You're likely to escalate to pickles and tomatoes.  ⇒ Judy: Frozen grapes are also wonderful on sore throats, in addition to keeping wine cold without diluting it. ⇒ Carla: I just picked over 40 lbs of my champion blue-ribbons grapes (fair). my friend makes jelly & cordial w/ it. ⇒ Un Kno: Soo easy 1 pound fruit 1/2 cup sugar. Med heat while mashing fruit til it’s dark. Test by placing small amount on a glass plate from freezer. Drag spoon thur tester if it comes back together after 2 min on sitting on counter not ready. Like takes 20 minutes max.

This is what I have: If you place ½ apple or a piece of ginger root in with potatoes, they won't sprout. Onions and potatoes should not be stored together. They both give off gases that ruins flavor and rots them. Potatoes should not be stored in refrigerator. Turns their starch to sugar. One rotten potato will rot all the others, so check your potatoes periodically. Potatoes rubbed with oil baked faster than those just wrapped in foil. And those with salt rubbed on them had crispier skin. This one I didn't know...potato skins are the only vegetable skin that will retain traces of pesticides and fertilizers even after extensive washing and cooking! What did people say? ⇒ Jessie: Gonna also add if you buy the prepackaged bags, check for condensation in the bag. Condensation means there's a rotten potato or three in there, and it'll quickly turn all the other potatoes. ⇒ Jeannie: I’ve tried the Apple truck and potatoes still sprouted ⇒ Barbara: That’s why I only buy or...

 The Question: Not sure if this was already mentioned this week. But I need help with electric saving tips! Unfortunately, my apartment got bought out and I’m already going from 950 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath to $1300 for rent. and I just got an electric bill for $275 unfortunately, I have to use my apartments, electricity company they don’t allow separate parties. The electric bill is allocated per unit. I live in Texas and it’s 100 and something degrees almost every day so far. I wanted to know if keeping my AC on 75/76° does that actually help bring down your electric bill?  Or does turning it completely off work better? Does it use more electricity to buy fans and keep AC off all together? What did people say? ⇒ Terrie: When you say your bill is allocated, do you mean that you don’t have your own meter? That management receives a single bill and allocates it among all the units? If so, unless all the other units are also cutting back, any energy savings you make will probably...

 The Question: I am a couponer. I save quite a bit of money using them. Along with reward rebates and store rewards points from my credit cards and giftcards. I even have a app that contributes to my child 529 plan it’s like 1-2$ here and there for qualifying items but free for things I was buying anyway. I want to have more of a online influencer presence but my group has a hard time getting members and the ones I do have dont engage, people say they want to learn but really what they want is me to resell to them for way cheaper. A, my apartment is too small not enough room to store to resell. B, I want this skill I learned to change peoples lives as it has mine but I can’t offer up my time and knowledge for free. This I had to learn research try and think outside the box. I track my coupons and sales. I have saved upward of 3,000.00 2023 so far not including rebates and rewards. And I only track the couponing not the stuff I save on clothes and whatnot etc. How do I engage people...

 The Question: One month it was $300 which was due to a running toilet but every month it is at least $150. I’ve lived here for 2 years just me and my kids. They don’t take long showers or anything. Does anyone have any tips so that it won’t be a really high every month and be shut off? It is water and sewer and my previous place it was around $50 per month. What did people say? ⇒ Dorianne: Check your hot water heater to see if it’s leaking ⇒ Tina: Why don’t you have the water company to take actual reading of your water meter and check if there are any leaks. My friends parents couldn’t find a leak in the house but once the company came out one of their sprinkler had leak and a pipe in the street had a leak too. after they found this problem and fixed it was Gone.. ⇒ Brianne: Following. My water bill was around 70 a month 2 years ago. Now it's 200 a month. I've had people out to check and I have no leaks. Only thing I can really think to do differently is not keep the water...

 The Question: I go on nice trips, treat myself to theater tickets, etc. But I cannot bring myself to replace something as simple as washcloths. It’s embarrassing and really gross looking yet it feels indulgent to buy more. What is this about? Are other people this way? What did people say? ⇒ Jeri: I mean it still works. I wouldn't replace it either. ⇒ Courtney: That one would make a great cleaning washcloth. I'd move that one to the cleaning stack and get a new pack for bathing. ⇒ Rachel: Target has a $3 pack of em. ⇒ Barbara: "Penny wise and Pound foolish".......so you are the opposite, don't worry about it and enjoy it! Because of being careful about the small things you are able to enjoy the larger things! ⇒ Jessica: Maybe you value experiences and memories over things. That’s not a bad quality, and if that’s what brings you joy, embrace it! ⇒ Edith: Put washcloths on your Christmas list, who knows you may be gifted new washcloths. ⇒ Rebecca: The older ...

 The Question: Just a little laugh… I got a check for $2.63 from a car that was wrecked in 2016. I knew my ship would come in! What did people say? ⇒ Heather: Make sure not to spend it all in one place! 😁 ⇒ Annette: I got a check for 1 cent once for a car my son had wrecked. They paid the loan and owed me a penny. They hand delivered that check too. ⇒ Jessica: I got a check from Capital One, for $1.93. It was part of a settlement that I didn’t even know about. But I put that $1.93 in the bank!  ⇒ Michele: I was part of a class action suit and received a check for .51 cents a couple of months ago. Never cashed it. ⇒ Jeanette: Well in the words of my great grandmother it's better than a jab in the butt with a sharp stick. At least it's a little something ⇒ Cheryl: Now I feel really lucky. Yesterday I got a debit card for $7.86 from a class action law suit against our Electric company. Enjoy. ⇒ Brenda: Don’t tell family. I won $10.00 from publishing clearing house and I h...

The Question: Looking for tips. I'm single, and am good at most meals. However, I prefer lettuce, tomatoes, and other produce on things like hamburgers, tacos, ect. Y'all get the point. But I don't want to buy more than I need and waste it. I freeze produce I can, but there are exceptions. TIA What did people say? ⇒ Ron: Buy some cut up produce from a grocery store salad bar. Might cost more per pound but you won’t waste as much food. ⇒ Kimber: As my veggies are getting close to the end of their delectable, yummy stage, I dehydrate them, then grind them for my own “greens powder”. I then add a scoop or two to my smoothies. Win-win in my opinion: I’ve used the produce I had (instead of wasting it) and I had “free” green powder (which can be very expensive). ⇒ Denise: Romaine lettuce will keep for a month, seriously if you wrap it in a little paper towel then roll it all up in tinfoil and seal it so no air can get in. Store in fridge. Don’t wash it or separate until you ar...

 The Question: I never had any real issues with debt, always felt in control of it and nothing was too out of hand. But 2 years ago my child’s father took me to court and I not only had that burden, but also had to pay the mortgage on my own and all the utilities and bills (I didn’t receive any child support for a year after filing) and through that time I racked up serious credit card debt (about $40k).  I was doing “OK” but mostly paying minimum payments and more on them here and there when I could.  Then in July I got laid off of my job of 10 years. Even with unemployment and child support, I’m still around $400 short each month and that’s not buying food or necessities, or anything at all. I’ve interviewed at several places and applied to over 100 jobs so far. I feel like I’m in a rut at this point and I’m trying to figure out the best way to get out of this situation with advice that maybe others have that have gone through something similar.  TIA What did peopl...

 The Question: I work part time employed and part time self employed. The employed role pays pretty decent for the 3 days I do but it really does not bring me joy hence working on my part time self employed business as would like to eventually move away from the employed role. I’m divorcing and downsizing considerably I have made a point of not purchasing too much house and plan to live within my means. I enjoy holidays and days will my children but try to do these frugally. We sell everything we can and I cook from scratch. What else could I be doing to help me get away from the souls destroying part time job sooner. Being employed helped me get my mortgage but I'm fixed in now for 5 years so that is sorted. Any other things i might have missed? Thanks. What did people say? ⇒ Tamsin: I probably wouldn’t thank me for this suggestion but could you do your self employed business on days 6 & 7, go full time for 1 yr at the sole destroying role or get a second employed job on days...

 The Question: Came home yesterday to a 90° house for the second time this summer (we’ve had over 101° for over a month.) I was told it will cost over $2000 to fix it THIS time. I’m considering going with window units. Anyone else have experience with this dilemma? What did people say? ⇒ Katherine: Did you try resetting it by turning the breaker off/on? Ours has been doing this too lately. A quick fix is resetting it, which will help for a few weeks. Obviously not a solution though. ⇒ Rebecca: We just had to replace our entire system even though the old system was only 6 years old. We got several opinions and the one thing that really stood out to us was the fact that they all said the government has their hands deep in the HVAC world and they plan to put strict environmental regulations on HVAC stuff and the prices will go up at least 35-40% starting next year! We decided not to put another penny in the old system and to go ahead and replace before the increase. Some of our loca...

 The Question: Been battling an eye issue since may 2022. Bought an indemnity type of insurance in Jan, miused the national enrollment in Dec due to funerals etc. Was able to private pay for some things due to small portion of inheritance.  Am unemployed, could not sighn up for unemployment due to computer issues on the State website...their issues not mine.  Now too late...doing odd jobs for people, husband on ssi and doing uber.  Eye is much worse. Still have the indemnity insurance but it will not pay for the specialist I need. Specislist cant or wont give estimate for private pay...cannot even get an estimate on cat scan.  Going today to the cat scan place to see...do not qualify for state medicaid program...just at or above limit. My situation does not qualify as extenuating circumstances. All I get from anyone is November 1 is open enrollment.  For both state MA and all other insurance options...now getting a sinus infection on top of eye issue that 4...

 The Question: It leaks and I’ve been using it with a big bowl underneath to avoid making a mess till I can afford something new (starting a job Monday!). Is there a cheap glue out there that’s safe to use on something like this? Or should I bite the bullet and buy a new one with my first paycheck… TIA What did people say? ⇒ Kaitlynn: I had this same exact French press and it also broke on the bottom. sometimes spending a couple extra bucks for an item you know you will use well is worth it. I’m going for a stainless steel one this time around. ⇒ Gabbi: I would buy a new one. TJ Maxx has some for cheap. Or you could look into Temu. ⇒ Yolanda: I am willing to ship you my stainless steal one. Doctor took me off coffee so it is just taking up space. No cost to you it would make me happy to know it's being used. I'm in College Park, GA. ⇒ Melinda: I’d suggest joining your local Buy Nothing group-if you post ISO coffeemaker you’d be surprised how many people have spares lying ar...

 The Question: I’m looking for some fresh summer vegetarian meals. My boyfriend has bought a bag of rice the last three times he’s gone to the store and we usually only eat rice once or twice a month  What did people say? ⇒ Lauri: Uncooked rice lasts up to 10 years. Store it in a glass container. ⇒ MJ Dusseau: A bowl. I don’t know about recipes. What ever I have in the fridge. Baby kale, rice, black-eyed peas, roasted brussels sprouts, green beans, pickled beets. ⇒ Janet: Bag up the rice in 1 cup portions and store in the freezer. Stays fresh and the pantry moths die. ⇒ Suzi: Vegetable-fried rice; apricot chicken with rice; chicken vegetable rice soup; or chicken Marbella with rice ⇒ Linda: Greek rice salad - cook rice, cool it. Add Greek salad ingredients (cucumber tomatoes peppers maybe corn) plus herbs and feta cheese. Top with a Greek dressing. Those that want meat can add it separately if they like. ⇒ Chris: My son likes to have just rice with some butter, salt and ...

 The Advice: Here’s something I started doing recently. I mark all my leftovers in the fridge with the date that I made it. I just use masking tape and marker. I find that I waste less food this way because I am not guessing whether it’s too old or not and throwing out food because I am unsure. Plus. With the date visible, I know that I need to eat is sooner than later. What did people say? ⇒ Jennifer: I do something similiar. I keep a notebook on the side of my fridge. I write down the food item going in the fridge. Next to it I write the day that particular food item has to be eaten...frozen. ⇒ Jackie: I use clear Pyrex for leftovers. Sharpie right on the bowl and heat and eat in the same bowl. I get them at yard sales and you can buy replacement lids if needed. Sharpie washes off in the dishwasher. ⇒ Dana: I do same but have family members who do not. So frustrating. ⇒ Alexis: I do that too and I put it on the end of the container so I can see what it is and the date without...

 The Question: What can I use to clear these bumps up knot to expensive? What did people say? ⇒ Elizabeth: Caster oil – Amlactin. ⇒ Susan: After the above mentioned methods start shaving with body lotion or hair conditioner. You will need to rinse your blade more and you may need to pull down and not up when shaving as I found that what was causes the trouble. After a few weeks of shaving with lotion and downward motion my skin cleared. Wipe off excess. Its a great way to reuse lotions you do not care for and it uses them up. ⇒ Lynn: It sounds like you need to exfoliate the skin. Go on Pintrest and look up sugar scrubs, can't get much less expensive than that. Once you put a scrub together, apply it with your hand or a washcloth then rinse off with warm not hot water. Apply a moisturizer of your choice. ⇒ Angie: Make a paste with baking soda and coconut oil. Scrub then put coconut oil or baby oil on after rinsing and pat dry. It will make your skin soooo soft and bumps will go ...

The Question: I’ll start. I like my GAP card. I buy whatever I want. I shop at the store 2 to 3 times a year when things are on sale, and most of my order ends up being free. I find their stuff fits well, is comfy and durable. What did people say? ⇒ Jessica: "Earn 1 Point for Every $1 Spent" spent outside of their stores doesn't seem too great to me unless I'm missing something? I get more with all my other cards, and I don't have to spend it at the gap. ⇒ Riley: Prime Visa for 5% back on Amazon purchases and 2% back at restaurants/gas stations, Amex Blue Cash for 3% back on groceries, Apple Card for 2% back on anything I can use Apple Pay for, Capital One Quicksilver for 1.5% back on everything that doesn’t fall into any of the other categories. Helps me always maximize my earnings and then I cash out all the points when I go on vacation so I don’t usually haha to pay while on vacation. ⇒ Jessica: I like my visa signature (pncbank) because it has 4% gas, 3%res...

 The Question: I’ve never done that. It’s just me but I spent $120. I wrote down about 15 meals and I’ll get at least 2 meals out of each one. Some 3-4. I’m not realky a vegetarian but did mostly vegetarian meals. Lots of beans. I can some veggies so I got dried beans and I’ll can them tomorrow. What did people say? ⇒ Brooklyn: I like the idea of monthly shopping, but we need fruits and veggies in our diets and a lot of them just don’t last a month. Would you make a few extra trips to the produce section? ⇒ Elke: Great idea= I typically buy month supply ,except produce I have to buy weekly. I cook for 6= I make my biggest meal at noon and most of the time with leftovers for dinner. Or maybe just an add on- like a salad . Don't do a lot of sandwiches at all= too costly. Maybe once a week as a treat. But mainly cause we eat lots of veggies. These times are looking like the ones I grew up in = Post War Germany= I remember my parents drove 1 hr to go to a Supermarket = Aldi= back then...

 The Question: I’m currently off work on short term disability due to a surgery. My STD insurance is dragging their feet on paying me. Any tips/tricks or advice for dealing with bills until I get paid. Our cushion was mostly wiped out with A/C and car repairs over the summer and we haven’t been able to rebuild it. We have a mortgage, two vehicle loans, and four credit cards. I tried to take a loan from my 401K (had been our backup to our backup plan) and found out since I’m not an active employee I can’t take a loan or any form of withdrawal.  Thanks in advance! What did people say? ⇒ Ruth: Ask car payments to move one or two months of payments to end of the loan. ⇒ Joan: Try contacting your State Representative/Congressperson at their local office. Their office should be able to help cut through the runaround and get some answers. Also, contact your 401k directly to see what options might be available. Human Resources will deny, deny, deny. ⇒ Wendy: I’d first call HR and s...

 The Question: Fellow girlfriends/wives of blue collar workers, or perhaps if you’re a blue collar person yourself: My boyfriend goes through work jeans so quickly as a trucker who does heavy hauls for a construction company. My question is, has anyone tried starching their jeans and does it help them to last longer or not get as dirty? He wears through them most quickly on the knees and butt. His job does provide work jeans, but not enough for a weeks rotation.  TIA for any advice! What did people say? ⇒ Kenna: Get dickies! They’re thick work jeans. They lasted longer for my husband than Carhartt, and half the price. ⇒ Morgan: As someone who is also a blue collar worker with a partner in the same field. I wear wranglers and Ariats when I can get them. In the winter leggings under insulated carhartt coveralls My boyfriend gets Costco jeans. ⇒ Jessica: If you have a label shopper or similar store near you you might be able to find "name brand" jeans for cheaper. Assuming th...

 The Question: I’ve tried multiple kinds. Men’s and women’s. Is there an economical version of the ones available online? it’s the tube cream version that’s for use anywhere. What did people say? ⇒ Rebecca: I use the suave stick it's like $2 a stick lasts me a long while ⇒ Crystal: I had problems with deodorant. I felt like none of them worked I always still had an odor then I started using antibacterial soap. No problems since. It fixed my stinky pits ⇒ Michele: I used to use cheap deodorant but since I found Native I’ll never go back. Small amount and it works great for me. It’s natural so of course it’s expensive like around $12 but it lasts longer for me. ⇒ Laura: Try using either an antibacterial soap or benzoyl peroxide to wash under your arms while bathing to kill the bacteria (which is what causes the smell). Then any decent deodorant/antiperspirant should work just fine. NOTE: the benzoyl peroxide will cause damage to your towels if you don't rinse ALL of it off. I...

 What did people say? ⇒ Patty: Smart TV not necessary. FireStick, Roku and others do the same. And their software is updated more often. ⇒ Wendi: Our Google smart TV stopped updating well before we needed to get rid of it, so we added a Roku anyway. I concur that you are better off getting a Roku or fire stick. ⇒ Paula: I'm all about Roku tv's. I have 5 of them. I don't really need cable. ⇒ Del: Wait for a sale and get a FireStick on Amazon. Got mine for $22. Labor Day is coming up. ⇒ Pete: Get a Roku, or fire tv, and you should be good. Lots of free stuff including “local now” app which is 200 channels I think including lots of live TV. ⇒ Susan: Don't need a new TV. Get a Roku or similar device. You download apps & channels to it to watch. It will connect to your wifi. ⇒ Patricia: We upgraded our tv so we now have a smart one, but if you’re happy with your tv, you don’t need to upgrade! You can just add a streaming box! We had the Apple TV box, but I *think*...

 The Question:   I hate to toss it, and not just because I'm cheap. Someone gave it to me when I got married, and I've had it so long, I don't want to part with it. I use it all the time. Any ideas? What did people say? ⇒ Ashley: Bar keepers friend can get some crazy stuff off, use it with a good scour pad. You can boil dryer sheets in it and it’ll get a heck of a lot of it off too! ⇒ YOUNG: I use dawn power wash and a green scrubby pad with a lot of elbow grease. First spray the dawn and let sit for about 10 minutes, take the scrubber and scrub away, rinse and repeat. Eventually after 3 or 4 rounds I can get them clean. I don’t like using the metal scrubbers like sos or steel wool etc because I find it scratches the pot. ⇒ Jen: Dryer sheets and water let the water boil it should come right off. ⇒ Meredith: Get SOS pads, my boyfriend bought some to scrub all of our pots/pans ⇒ Sarah: Happened to me recently and thought I was doomed. I didn’t have steel wool so I ball...

 The Question: Every month I say our budget for groceries is $500. Every month we go over, sometimes by hundreds. Our budget is about to get really tight with student loans kicking in. We can’t afford to go over budget anymore on these various categories, but looking at our past spending we’ve never met my soon to be goals in any month. What are your tips, tricks, and facts about budgeting well? What did people say? ⇒ Sarah: Idk if this is doable for you, but this is one option. Get $500 in cash split it up by week. Only keep 1 weeks work of cash on you. And only pay with the cash you have for the week. ⇒ Nina: I stay away from big grocery stores, use small stores like aldis or save a lot, farmers markets, or you can buy meat from a farmer to have butchered but that’s a big upfront cost but a saver in the long run. We have some egg layers not for slaughter just eggs. And I grow what food I can but this year the bugs got it first. I will have to use a cover for all plants next time...