How to Really Save Money on Lighting

First, you don't save a lot right off the bat if you buy CFS bulbs for four or five times the cost of four incandescent bulbs. Let's be real.

Secondly, unless you turn the lights on and leave them for hours, you're not going to save as much in electricity as the ads would have you believe.

Thirdly, no matter what bulb you use, it costs less to use a lower wattage and it costs even less to not use them at all. Do you really need a night light burning all night in the bathroom? Do you need a light every time you go into the kitchen, even though the refrigerator (where you're headed) has a light of its own?

Think about it.

Pennies and aluminum cans

They're both the same, you know. A lot of people won't bother to bend down to pick up either a penny or an aluminum can. I do.

Why?

A penny times ten is a dime and a dime times ten is a dollar. I'd stop to pick up a dollar any time. Wouldn't you?

Make the Basics

Are you still buying paper napkins?? Why not take some of those old clothes you set aside for rags or donating to make some cloth napkins? It won't cost a thing except a little thread and some of your time. Just cut out squares (size isn't critical) and hem them. Handkerchiefs are the exact same. Just designate which one for which use.

There. You've saved money, storage and even gone a little green.

Are Salvage Grocery Stores Extreme?

Is it extremely frugal to shop at salvage grocery stores? I got into a conversation with someone who thought so. She thought the food there was out of date, crunched cans and ripped packages. I tried to tell her that the government didn't allow food like that to be sold for human consumption.

So... do you shop at salvage grocery stores? I do. And I don't think it's extreme, but I think it's smart.

Whiten clothes for free

Here's one that might gross you out, but I'm told it works (no, I haven't tried it).

To get white clothes really white, soak them in human urine.

That may not even strike some as extreme, but it will cause a few "ewwws" out there. I can hear it.

Dibs and dabs

Do you save the salt from the pretzel bag? How about the sugar from a package of candied ginger? Cookie crumbs? Bread crumbs? Those things add up faster than you might think if you have a special place to put them. And USE them. There's no sense in keeping dibs and dabs if you don't use them.

The last package of candied ginger I used yielded enough sugar to sweeten a cup of tea. Why not? I paid for it.

Hang laundry wherever...

If you can't hang the laundry outside, hang it inside. Okay, so that's not so extreme. But if you don't have a place for it inside, put it on wire hangers and hang those from doorways, from dresser knobs, from the backs of chairs, from lamp shades... wherever a hanger will fit. Of course you don't want to weight a lamp so it turns over or cause damage to anything. Put heavier items in the doorways.

Gifts for the gardener

Got a gardener on your list? How about a stash of seeds? Maybe you have some saved from your own garden, or can get some from friends or family. Be sure to label them well.

Still walking?

If the weather isn't keeping you indoors, take a walk! Tuck a few plastic bags in your pocket first and keep a sharp eye out. You never know what you may find. I've found things like hand tools, aluminum cans, coins, socks (a pair!) and lots of other treasures.

Grow your own salad

You can grow fresh radishes and lettuce, etc, inside during these cold winter months and save on salad, if nothing else. Make sure you have good dirt, deep pots and enough light. On warm sunny days, set the pots out doors in the sun. (Don't forget to bring them in if your nights are freezing temperatures!)