Christmas Money Saving Ideas

One year, my office decided to exchange toys at our Christmas party. We drew names and purchased toys that reminded us of that person; we had a lot of fun seeing how other people perceived each other! Then we donated the toys to a charity.
J.G.

My favorite money-saving tip is to have a humidifier installed on your furnace or have the one already on there serviced. This allowed me to dial down my thermostat to 68 degrees and it still feels very warm in here. In the long run, the $150 purchase will save me a fortune.
Jill

Have you ever been shocked at the replacement cost of a car part? Me, too. When the power control for my car's air conditioning went out, the dealer quoted almost $700 for its replacement. Through an independent repair shop, the part was located on a low mileage vehicle in a North Dakota salvage yard. Cost? Just $125 for the part and $25 to install it!

Last week, I priced a new taillight housing for $377! One phone call to a local salvage yard and the housing was mine for $225.

As a woman, I felt awkward when I first ventured into the salvage world, but saving over $700 so far has made me far more comfortable.
Patricia H.

I have three boys, and as they were growing up, it was often hard to tell whose clothes belonged to whom. That was doubly hard when it was time to hand clothes down to a smaller brother, especially as my middle child had big growth spurts and was often the tallest.

So, I started to mark the tallest child's clothes with one black dot. The second tallest got two black dots and the youngest child got three black dots. This way, when laundry was done, it was easy to remember which child the garment belonged to. Even better, when it was time to hand down the clothes to the next child, I just added another dot. It was so easy and worked great!
Pat B.
Mother of three and grandmother to 1.5!

Between the dog, cat and preschooler, our laundry seems to always have stains on it. Oftentimes, I don't know about the stains until after the clothes are dried and they are set. A few months ago, I started using Borax along with my detergent in the washer. Since then, I haven't had any surprise stains on our clothes. I've even started cutting back on the amount of detergent that I use. I now use about 1/2 to 2/3 the recommended amount, along with some Borax. The Borax is very cheap and does wonders!
Janna B.

When serving snacks to my preschool children (I have 7, as I run an in-home daycare), I serve them in v-shaped paper coffee filters. They are perfect for goldfish, popcorn, etc. The children think that they are a lot of fun. They have their own little paper bowl with sides so that the snack stays put! I buy these for about 96 cents for 300!
Teresa D.

We always try to keep the focus off of the gifts at Christmas time. However, no matter how little we give it seems that the children have more than they need by the end of the day. One of their favorite things that they have been talking about already is our "Christmas Campout" where the whole family sleeps in the living room around the lit Christmas tree. We watch videos and eat some of the special Christmas treats we have made. It is a special time together.
Denise H.

I use rubber bands to open jars, bottled water, and just about anything with a lid. When caps or lids are too hard to open, wrap a rubber band around the top and twist. This has great torque. Also if you have a hard time opening caps due to arthritis, this works like magic. It's easy to grip and turn. You won't believe how you can open things that seemed once impossible. No more banging them on the counter or hitting the edges with utensils.
Susan C.

I hardly use my clothes dryer in the summer, and in the winter when I do laundry and have to use the dryer, I put a heat diverter on my dryer exhaust and put a clothes rack just over the diverter. That way I'm reusing heat from the dryer and putting moisture back in the air by the heat on the damp clothes.
Margaret P. in Evansville, IN

When I have baked something in the oven, the casserole dish can almost require a chisel to get the baked-on residue off and get the dish clean. I have found by putting an inch of water in the bottom, covering the dish with my wet dishcloth and heating it in the microwave oven for about two minutes, the steam loosens the "crud" and it is so easy to wash after the water cools. This surely saves a lot of time and effort.

Something similar works with my slow cooker when it is empty. I put some water in the bottom, put the lid on and turn up the heat. After a time, it is much easier to clean.
S.

An easy way to keep science experiments from growing in your fridge is to go through everything and check expiration dates the night before garbage day. This way, leftovers are never more than a week old. I got tired of hearing, "How old is this?" This also makes you much more aware of what is actually getting eaten and what is getting thrown out on a regular basis!
Kate H.

In the evening, pour about two cups of water in a glass pie pan and then add two tablespoons of cooking oil on top of it. Place this pie pan on the floor. I usually set it under my kitchen table. Take a crookneck lamp and shine the light right on the pan. Make sure all the other lights in the house are off. You will be amazed that fleas from all over the house will come to the pan and drown. If you are really infested with fleas, you may need to do this about three nights in a row.
Rita F. in Helen, GA

Holiday shopping for the elderly can be made simpler if you give gift cards. Most aging folks don't need any more knick knacks, bubble bath, neckties, etc. How about a gift card to a grocery store, a favorite retailer or drug store so they can buy just what they want, when they need it? Do they need help with utility bills? You can pay or defray the cost so they can live more comfortably. Think about changing their old phone out for one with a larger, brighter dialing pad. Do they need help getting in and out of the bathtub? There are plenty of "grab bars" you can purchase and install. Check out many of the online retailers that make life easier for the elderly. If you don't have the money, volunteer to do yard or house work. This is always appreciated and your visit will be an added bonus.
Stephanie R.

Everyone has heard about saving veggies and meat, freezing them and then using them to make a soup. I am not good at making homemade soup. Instead, I cook up some rice and make a stir-fry with them instead.
Lynn

When you are putting items aside for a future garage sale, tag them with the price. This makes it easier to organize the sale if you don't have to stop and price.
Nancy S.

I used an online mortgage prepayment calculator (I like Crown Financial Ministries, but there are many more) to see how the life of my mortgage would change if I paid twenty, thirty, forty or fifty dollars more each and every month. It amazed me! By paying just an extra fifty dollars a month, I was able to shorten the length of my loan by five years and ten months and save more than $18,000 in interest!

I was able to squeeze the fifty extra dollars out of my budget by taking my lunch to work and making other frugal choices. I would much prefer to pay off my mortgage early than eat a fast food lunch twice a week.

Now I look forward to getting my mortgage bill in the mail. I keep a running total of the progress of my mortgage on a spreadsheet. It's great to see that balance dropping steadily. It gives me a feeling of being in control of life (instead of the other way around).
Mary