I planted my own tomato and herb plants so it will mean less I have to buy.

I buy seeds and seedlings to grow my own food. Yesterday I picked up two bush zucchini seedlings for $1.50. Those two plants will easily yield me $25 worth of produce over the course of the summer. In fact, it will be more than I can use up some weeks, so I'll have some to freeze and some to give away. Same story with herbs, tomatoes, eggplant, corn, etc. The more expensive seed stock, such as potatoes and garlic, can be replanted from each harvest, so it could be a one-time investment. And then there are the perennials: asparagus, fruit/nut trees, berries, grapes, etc. If you have a little piece of earth and a moderate amount of skill with plants, this is one of the best returns on investment I know of.

I recently bought a nice blouse and pair of pants from a store I don't usually shop at. I figure if I invest in some better quality clothing, it will last longer and save me some money in the long run.

I bought a pre-paid oil change card that is good for 10 oil changes; I received a 20% discount by pre-paying. Each change includes filter, fluid top off, and tire pressure check. Better to pay the money now for maintenance than for very costly repairs in the future.

I love good tea, and I was feeling the pinch, so rather than buying a bunch of tea bags, I went for the bulk, loose tea version of the kind I really like. I can use less, and over the length of the time that I'll be drinking the tea, I'll save.

I also found my favorite smoothie brand and now I can make my own smoothies at home for less than I would pay to get it made for me.

Some people want to still enjoy a nice cup of coffee, where as I want to still occasionally have a relaxing drink after a hard day. I'm not a fan of beer so I used to get hard cider or hard lemonade which typically run about $1.50 per bottle. So instead I bought a martini shaker, couple flavors, and basic vodka. It's easier to control how much I want (typically siding on less than a 'normal' serving) and the ingredients cost less per drink.

A subscription to a movie service like netflix or blockbuster can often save costly trips to the theater. Especially with being able to view some netflix movies instantly on the computer, we have decide to stay in and watch our choice of movie rather than the theater. One month of netflix is about half the price of a trip to the movies.

I bought a tomato plant despite my black thumb (after talking with the farmer at length on how not to kill it). I also make a washable pad to cover my sweeper-mop, to keep from having to buy refills.

My biggest tip is to remind people to shop at dollar stores and discount retailers, like Ross Shop for Less. You can get the same goods at better prices at these places!

1. Get netflix - watch movies at home instead of going out to the movie theatre

2. Buy groceries instead of eating out

3. I like the condom one =)

4. This isn't spending money but you can borrow a friend's video game console/games if they are not playing with it as much so that 1) you don't go out and buy it yourself (for video game buffs) or that 2) you don't feel like you have to go out as much to have fun

5. Buy your own alcohol and invite friends over to have drinks at home (instead of going to a bar)

I bumped up my Netflix account one movie per month, and bought some new yarn, which keeps me at home doing more crafts. These crafts mean I'll be doing less last minute birthday and holiday shopping as I build my stash!

I was reading an article one day on this site about a bread maker. My teenage daughter bought it for me this Christmas and I absolutely LOVE it! It has already paid for itself. Have you seen the price of wheat bread lately? Even at the cheapest stores, it is almost $2 per LOAF.

Now, me and my daughter routinely have hot bread for breakfast in the morning and hot bread for dinner. She especially likes the wheat bread.

My machine has a delay timer which really helps this single mom a lot.

It is my favorite new applicance. It makes the most excellent bread even though I had no knack for making it the truly, old fashioned way.

The best thing to "buy" right now is a savings account. Putting aside money in an emergency fund if you haven't already or adding to that fund keeps you feeling secure knowing that, if something comes up like dental work or car repairs or if you lose your job, you have some money set aside. That's the best feeling in the world and priceless!

Your question inspired my post for today - http://crunchysews.blogspot.com/2009/05/value-of-cloth-napkins.html

I buy one "gourmet" ingredient each week when I go shopping, and try a new meal with it. It feels like eating out and it's fun to learn to cook with something new!

* I buy meat on reduced section at the market.
* Then I advance-prep for meals, saving me time, money, trips to the store and avoiding impulse buys.
* I also invest in fruit.
* And buy a newspaper on Sundays, which pays for itself many times over.

:)

Suzanne

Invest in frugal entertainment. Things like board games, books, etc.

If you eat yogurt, getting a yogurt maker can save you a lot. In my area, yogurt rarely costs less than 50 cents per 6 oz container. A gallon of yogurt at that rate would cost over $10. I bought a gallon of milk today for $2.67 which will make the equivalent of 21 6 oz containers. I have a West Bend brand 1-quart yogurt maker and although they don't make that kind any more I was able to get a second one for $1 at a tag sale so I can start another quart "yogging" when I'm getting to the end of the current quart.

If you're partial to Greek yogurt, which is much more expensive, the savings are even greater.

We've done quite a number of things to improve the energy efficiency of our home (we lovingly refer to as 2Dolphins Resort & Spa) to reduce cooling costs here in hot, hot West Texas.

Like Meg said, one of the best things we spent money on was our programmable thermostat. This allows us to almost entirely shut off the cooling during the hottest period of the day and then bring the house back to a comfy temp right before we typically arrive home.

A couple of years ago, we had started replacing all of our old aluminum windows with new, double-paned, high-efficiency vinyl-clad versions. With each set we did, there was an appreciable decrease in the amount of cooling needed and in the time it takes for our air conditioner to cool down the house. We finally finished off the last few windows just a few months ago and the difference is significant.

We also covered our large, south-facing backyard patio (a.k.a. The Veranda) and since that's the side of the house where the living areas that we use the most are located, that has made a huge difference in how cool & comfortable the house is - even without A/C. Very often, we can just open windows to draw a breeze through the house and only actively cool the house during the hottest few afternoon hours.

One of the things I'd like to do next is to add some insulation blankets in the attic space. The cellulose insulation up there is fairly thick, but I think there's still room for improvement.

What I have been doing is spending $10.00 every month at the dollar store.

One month I bought $10.00 of instandt hand-sanitizer and antibacterial soap.

Another time I bought 10 tubes of colgate and crest toohpaste

another purchase was coffee filters, small screw driver set, baggies, scotch tape, dog shampoo, etc.

We live in hurricane central and this part of preps and also it is inexpensive. With about $50.00 spent my linen closet is well stocked with supplies.

One of the largest publishing genres is romance novels. They sell even better in a recession (just google Harlequin). However you can get books in many ways without spending more money on them! My frugal tip is to join Paperback Swap. Get rid of the books you own and don't like/want to keep and order books you want to read. For five more ways to save money on books check out my blog post: 6 Ways to Get Books for Free

I buy furniture secondhand and refinish them instead of buying brand new items. Also, I never buy anything full-price, things ALWAYS go on sale. Growing up, I always bought gifts for my brothers and sisters from yard sales, and cleaned them up so they were like new.

Use vinegar in a fabric softener ball instead of $5-$6 a carton name brand fabric softener. It works as well, is only $1.50 a gallon and can be used for windows and pickles too!

Buy some of the new CFL bulbs. They are a little more pricey initially, but will save you money on your electric bill in the long run. Keep your eyes open. My grocery store had these on sale 5/$1 last week!

Our thermostat is dreadful - there's no real way to tell what the temperature is in here with it. I used to use the thermometer on our fish tank, except we were down to just one panda corey so I found him a new home through Freecycle. I want to find out how warm it is inside, and compare it to outside, to know when to open the windows and when to close them, using the wind to keep us comfortable instead of air conditioners.

I got one nice water bottle, but my son uses it for camp all the time! For Mother's Day, I'm getting three more nice bottles, so I can just fill up with water and not have to pick up coffee on the way to get groceries, or bring a pop, or be *too* tempted to buy a nice Iced Cap. :)

My old ones are shot, so I got the best ones I could find. Not just for regular exercise, but for "gleaning" the neighborhood on toss-away nights. Oh, the treasures I've found...

I'm trying my hardest to eat from home. And trying to do it healthier too.

I was lucky enough to find a clean popcorn (air) popper for $1.50 at a thrift store that works great! I spent another $2 on a bag of popcorn kernels and some squeezable butter. I haven't bought a bag of chips since!

I also splurged on a waffle maker for $8 at Walgreens this week while I was waiting on a prescription to be filled. I already had the pancake/waffle mix at home, so I didn't have to buy anything else. My waffles were soooo much better than any frozen waffle and as good as any that I've eaten when out and about! I've experimented with mixing some flavored muffin mix with the waffle mix and have been very pleased with the flavors! They're so yummy, we don't use as much syrup.

I've frozen some, but haven't had a chance to "toast" them like we do with frozen waffles from the store.

One easy change I've made is to purchase an aluminum water bottle, and a stainless insulated mug.

I'm saving a tonne on bottled water, and doing something beneficial for the environment as well.

Instead of stopping off at Starbucks, (time is money too), I've been bringing my own coffee/tea.

I even keep a couple bags of tea in my purse. Often, it's easy enough to find hot water despensers out and about, or folks who are glad to fill them for you, (just be discreet, unless you want to get some strange looks).

And, if you absolutely have to get your afternoon cafe-mocha, you'll at least save five or ten cents off the cost.

My biggest tip is to buy a large box of rice (like one from Sam's or Costco) you'll always have rice to go with your meals...it's super easy and fast and goes with most any main dish...anything to help you eat in, instead of going out, which is usually quite pricey.

the best things i have bought to save money are the things i can find on sale when i have a coupon that can be doubled or used in conjunction with other coupons at the grocery store to stock up and save. the past couple of weeks one of the grocery stores around here has been having a buy $30 of x products get a $10 coupon for your next purchase deal. after the first trip, i used several coupons plus that extra $10 off coupon to buy 4 packages of whole bean coffee for less than $12. That means we're set for coffee for several months and there's no temptation to go buy something foofy and $4+ each at the coffee shop.

With my first child, I invested in high-quality cloth diapers (Fuzzi Bunz brand). They are still going strong now that my second child is almost 2. Even if you use disposables for outings or daycare, home use of cloth diapers saves a lot, especially if you use them for more than one child and if you have an efficient laundry machine.

I also love my bread machine, which I got for less than $50 including shipping (Sunbeam). In addition to whole wheat loaves, I use the dough setting to make pizza dough, and I also make Challah dough to braid and bake in the conventional oven. I have an inefficient old electric oven, so baking the bread in the machine saves electricity as well as time and effort. And fresh, warm bread displaces many unhealthy, expensive snacks like crackers and chips.

I also pop popcorn in place of chips, but I just pop it in a saucepan :-)

I save quite a bit on the staples I purchase such as food, TP, gas etc.

Where to start? I utilize my Discover card to save 5% at the gas pump and on any automotive purchases. On top of the 5% saved with the Discover card, I'm also a steady customer at Fry's grocery stores so I get 10 cents off a gallon on every purchase. My purchases at Fry's almost always consist of the store brand. To boot, I make most of my food from scratch such as pancakes, beans etc. I save a *ton* of money on ways that keep compounding on each other.

If I feel the urge to *dine out* I can get take away from Fry's also which is just as good but a whole heck of a lot cheaper or I might get something a bit fancier from one of their aisles. Considering I don't make much money to begin with I have to be creative and think outside the box. All in all, I'm doing quite well and saving a lot of money while spending it at the same time without sacrificing too much. I'm living quite comfortably.

I buy Walmart Visa cards and put a certain amount of money on them to cover my monthly grocery shopping expenditures. If I place $100 on the card, for example, it costs about $5 more than if I shopped with $100 cash. However ...

I don't feel safe carrying cash, and I always buy things I don't need when I bring my debit card to the store. The pre-loaded card gives me the safety of not carrying cash but with all the limitations. So I don't spend as much!

And when I need common items like milk, bread, etc. that I use and need before returning to the grocery store again, I try to pick up these items at smaller stores like Walgreens or even gas stations. They might cost slightly more, but I'm never tempted to spend extra money.

I have bought home improvement items such as CFL bulbs and weather stripping which should not only save me on A/C costs this summer (incandescent bulbs generate a lot of heat!) but are also part of the investment I'm making in the future world my grandchildren and their grandchildren will live in.

1) High Quality Whole Wheat Flour (KAF) for baking bread, making breakfast scones, pancakes, waffles, crackers, pizza shells for the freezer. Healthy, cheap and delicious.
2) Plain white cloth napkins that can be bleached and re-used over and over - look great, work better than paper ever did. Got from the clearance bin at Bed, Bath and Beyond: 4 napkins/$1
3) BJ club memebership - we buy bulk meat (chicken thighs and whole pork loins) that I portion and freeze. I also buy canned Progresso soup and fresh fruit for work lunches much cheaper than supermarket prices. (Lunch is a can of soup, a piece of fruit and a slice of homemade bread - healthy, delish and <$3 a lunch.) At BJ's we also are buying a compster so we don't have to buy any fertilizer for our garden this year.
4)Renting a wood chipper to take care of all the branches blown down over the winter and will use the chipped wood instead of buying mulch.

I have started using coupons more wisely since January and it has helped me lower my grocery bill(for a family of 5) from $150 per week to $80. My ultimate goal is to get it down to $50 or less. As one of the earlier posts stated, you need to be organized to be really successful. I bought a crafters bag (about the sice of a luch bag) and inserted 2 check files. The bag has a zippered pouch in the lid (for pens and scissors) and a pocket on the front (for coupons I use at the store Im at) and back (for the envelope or ad Im going to use). I take my 'savings' bag everytime I go to any store. I take advantage of online coupon sites and have started a stockpile of many non perishable food and health and cleaning supplies. Many items I have bought either VERY cheap or free! And they are name brands most of the times. You can combine store coupon and mfr coupons to get the best savings. And of course I take adavantage of several of the great deals I receive in my Wise Bread emails!

Just when I realized that things were getting tight last fall, I also found out that I was pregnant with our second child. Since I had a stockpile of disposable diapers and wipes from a good sale a few months prior, I started putting my son's monthly diaper budget toward high quality cloth diapers instead. My son fully transitioned into cloth within a few months, and I discovered that cloth diapering really was quite easy with all of the new high-performance fabrics and designs that are available. Now I have a full stock of cloth diapers ready to reuse for my new "recession baby", and no worries about tossing $60 a month into the landfill.

I bought some microfiber cleaning cloths and have gradually stopped buying many cleaners. They work better on windows with just plain water than anything I've ever used. No paper towels needed and we haven't purchased window cleaners in years.
We use them dry to dust everything and you can go from your mirror to your counter, etc. without switching cleaners/cloths.
They can be washed in your washer and re-used over and over on any surface.We have a furniture store so the savings really add up, but even for home use they will save you some real money.

This year, like many people we have invested in more plants and seeds to grow more veggies. We get compost from our city compost pile for free. We also have a small compost pile at the edge of the woods for our green waste which yeilds some compost every year. Also, I usually buy perenials each year and as they multiply, we split them and sell extra's at the local farmers market. We hope to have a few extra veggies/plants/flowers to sell at our local farmers market.

We also bought an inexpensive graphics program (after the free trial period) so the kids can make their own designs for T-shirts. You can upload your image to cafepress and order shirts, calenders, etc. Then you can opt to offer your image to others and you will recieve a small commission for each item they sell with your design. It's not much, but may add up to a free thing for yourself or kids. There's no cost to you if they don't sell any. Tip: make a design for their video camera - it pays $10- commission each time your design sells :)

Thanks everyone, for all your great tips, I know I will be using many of them right away.

If you buy quality pots and pans you'll cook at home more often. When we had cheap pans everything stick and cooked unevenly and it wasn't fun at all to cook dinner at home. Now we cook almost every meal. You'll save money by avoiding restaurants in the long run.

Shelling out some money for blackout curtains helps us keep our A/C bill down (a huge part of our monthly budget here in Dallas!).

~Q

Here are my three "splurges" that save money in the long run.

A REEL MOWER
This lawn mower operates not by gasoline or electricity. This low noise mower is fueled by muscle power. You push the mower to engage several sharpened blades that rotate quickly in a circular pattern. After the initial cost of the mower, anywhere from $89 -$250, the only maintenance is sharpening the blades once in awhile. Highly recommended for small city lots. And you get the added benefit of exercise so you don't have to go to the gym as often.

For those of you with acreage, consider a buying a goat. Goats keep the grass low, provide a much sought after milk and if you have the angora version, the fibers of the coat can be spun into textiles.

POWER FLUSH TOILET
Buy a 1.0, 1.28, or 1.6 gallon toilet. Save on your water bill and save water for the planet. Cost is around $500 for most toilets. Contact your local plumbing distributor for purchase information.

LED LIGHTS
A little pricier than incandescent or CFL's, but these babies last for 10 years on average. Technology has improved and prices are gradually becoming more affordable. LED's have the advantage of staying cool to the touch and lasting longer in frigid temperatures found in the northern hemisphere.

could you share some rice cooker recipes.

I like the idea about rice and beans. what kind of spices?

Like everyone, I'm planting a [somewhat larger] garden this year--here's my twist:
* I had a little garden surrounded by chicken wire last year, but everytime I went outside, my two large dogs would be standing in my garden looking at me like "o hai, was this fence supposed to keep me out?" So my husband built me a proper fence for Valentine's Day.
* I bought my seeds from Seed Saver's Exchange, so they are heirloom seeds. Not only will my veggies (hopefully) taste better than the hybrid varieties, but I will be able to save my seeds from this year to use next year. These seeds are more expensive than Burpee's but I won't need to buy next year. Also, I was able to find some very interesting veggies that I've never seen in the seed aisle of the hardware store--ground cherries, anyone?
* I have been making jelly/jam from fruit from local farms for the last three years. My mom gave me her hot-water bath canner. This year, if my garden does well, I'm going to shell out the $100 for a good, large pressure canner. I want to be able to can tomato products safely, and I can also use the large pot to make beer in--right now I don't have a pot large enough for homebrew, and I have to split my batches into two pots, which works okay, but I'd rather do it in one pot.
* PESTO!!!! Last year, I had a bumper crop of basil (and the volunteers are up for this year) This is the greatest return on investment ever--I bought an ice cube tray <$2, and froze pesto in ice cube form. Once it's frozen, put them in a freezer bag. Repeat, and repeat, and repeat. I probably made pesto every week or so. Near the end of the week, I am usually out of ideas for lunch, so I boil some pasta in the morning, toss a couple of pestocubes in my spaghetti, and head out the door--do it yourself frozen dinner, for a fraction of the cost. Delish, and a fraction of the cost of a Lean Cuisine. I'm still eating this, about once a week. I also melt a cube and put them on pizza.
* Last tip: Last year, I made watermelon rind pickles on a whim from a roommate's watermelon. They were such a hit with my 84 year old grandfather that I'm going to try my hand at growing melons this year. The most expensive part of the pickles was mailing them to my grandpa in Georgia, but $15 to mail THE PERFECT PRESENT would be a bargain at twice the price. If you have a good ol' country boy grandfather or father, these might just remind him of his youth, which is the greatest present possible.

I bought seeds and soil to grow my own herbs and vegetables in these tough times.

We cook at home and started a garden. It's healthier and will save money after all the gardening supplies are paid for. We plan on doing the garden for years, so we invested in some infrastructure for gardening, like a big trellis for the tomatoes.

My Hubby is an exec at a local car dealership and I am a part time Nurse at a hospital. We have 5 kids aged 8-21, with the oldest having profound disabilities. We are always looking for and coming up with new ideas on saving money.
1. We purchased a warehouse club membership that allows us to combine the use of coupons, rebates and sales for the best prices on bulk grocery items,discounted clothing, food, etc.You have to know how to comparitively shop for this to be cost effective, but we have to feed our big family on the cheap! I purchased the membership through my employer at a deeply discounted rate. My membership came with 2 membership cards, and since Hubby and I shop together, we gave the other membership to my sister in law who has a warehouse club membership to another competitor. She in turn gave us her secondary membership card, so this benefits us all and gives us a bit more variety as each club has varying items and specials.
2. We scout garage & yard sales in the warmer months for great deals on often new/like new household,clothing,furniture items. I have found great new gifts at ridiculously low prices. Yes, my brother would never guess that the NIB Kodak 8.0 megapixel digital camera that I gave to him for Xmas was $15!

My husband and I bought a Pellet Stove last year and have saved HUNDREDS of dollars on heating costs. We plan on buying a smaller wood stove for another part of our home this fall to supplement. We live in Alaska, so the winters are cold, and our other heating option is OIL... a much more expensive option, as we all know!! We can get free wood locally by cutting it down ourselves, and by purchasing our pellet stove from a local dealer we get a discount on pellets purchased through them as well. It is the smartest purchase we have made in order to save money!!

I have a bread machine so I can make my own bread. I also have a garden. I shop at dollar store and Costco. I have a freezer so I can pick up things in bulk. I make my own dog food for my dogs and it is better for them and they love it. My husband is retiring Aug 1st. So I am making adjustments on everything.