The Shopping Adventures of Cheapo McFrugalpants » Thrifty Tip Tuesday http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:06:20 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Free-lanthropy http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com/2010/06/thrifty-tip-tuesday-free-lanthropy.html http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com/2010/06/thrifty-tip-tuesday-free-lanthropy.html#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:20:00 +0000 Cheapo McFrugalpants http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com/2010/06/thrifty-tip-tuesday-free-lanthropy.html Continue reading →]]>
What comes around, goes around.

Give and you shall receive.

Treat other people as we wish to be treated ourselves.

Whatever explanation you choose, everything points back to “giving.”

You may be asking, “Whaatt? THAT is today’s Thrifty Tip? How does giving make you thrifty?”

I don’t know. It just does. Maybe I’m just lucky?

It. Never. Fails. Every single time I give items away, it comes back to me in one form or another! I gave toothpaste away, I received two free that week. I donate a bag of food to the pantry, someone brings us dinner. I gave non perishables and cereal to a youth food drive; that same week, my friend brought me cereal and a freezer full of frozen pancakes that her son won’t eat anymore.

It’s SO obvious…and amazing…how it all seems to work.

Just last Friday, my husband came home with a pork shoulder, a few pounds of pork chops, neck bones and beef short ribs! A woman in his office was clearing her freezer of meat she had raised and butchered. How generous was that?!? And talk about thrifty? Guess who doesn’t have to spend grocery money on meat today?

*raises hand*

By living a rather frugal lifestyle, I have several goals in mind. My main goal is to help myself [and others] save money on everyday items and activities in order to give back to their families and charities without affecting their budget.

I call this “Free-lanthropy.”

So many people out there feel like they can’t “afford” to give…but if you get items for free or very little cost…you can’t afford NOT to give!

Sift through your stockpiles and pull out your extra food – won’t you help someone today? Don’t be surprised when it comes right back to YOU!

***Added: Could there be more perfect timing? When I came into work this morning, guess what was waiting for me? An entire container of freshly caught & cleaned Blue Gill! Guess what’s for dinner tonight?***

]]> http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com/2010/06/thrifty-tip-tuesday-free-lanthropy.html/feed 3 Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Cleaners At Hand http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com/2010/03/thrifty-tip-tuesday-cleaners-at-hand.html http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com/2010/03/thrifty-tip-tuesday-cleaners-at-hand.html#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:42:00 +0000 Cheapo McFrugalpants http://www.cheapomcfrugalpants.com/2010/03/thrifty-tip-tuesday-cleaners-at-hand.html Continue reading →]]> I’ll admit it.

I am one of those people that is always in search of better ways to save or use time. Honestly, I rarely ever even watch TV because it just seems like such a waste of life hours. Multi-tasking is my middle name. Seriously. It’s Cheapo Multi-tasking McFrugalpants. How would you like to learn how to write THAT in Kindergarten?

Anyway…about 5 and a half years ago we bought our house. It’s not a small house. Matter of fact, it’s the first house in my adult life that has multi-level floors…counting the basement, there are four to be exact. Did I mention it’s 100 years old this year? Except for a laundry chute from the second floor to the basement, nothing in this old house is of convenience. Nothing.

Very soon after moving in, I realized how tiring it is constantly going up and down the stairs for this and that and this. We had to come up with efficient ways to lessen our trips through the stairwell. For example, we keep a small toolbox on each level filled just with the basics: screwdrivers, pliers and measuring tape. Trust me when I say it’s a time saver. You know how frustrating it is to need a screwdriver, go down and up the [22] stairs to get one, only to find out you needed a Phillips instead?

Something else I found to be very time efficient – keep a set of cleaners wherever you use them most. See this picture above? Yes, it’s four bottles of window cleaner. One belongs in the upstairs bathroom, one in the downstairs bathroom, one in the kitchen and one on the glassed front porch. You wouldn’t believe how much easier this makes cleaning (keep a roll of paper towels with each one as well.) Think about it for a second…if I was upstairs and noticed that the mirror needed cleaned, I am more likely to clean it right away if I don’t have to travel half way around the world just to get the cleaner. Am I right?

And why do I label them? If I didn’t, all four bottles would eventually end up under the kitchen sink, defeating the entire purpose. This way, when someone uses a bottle, they know exactly where to put it when they are finished. Therefore, it’s there when you need it for the next time.

Yes, cleaners can get expensive. But, there are ALWAYS coupons available for cleaning supplies. If you don’t do coupons, pick up a few bottles at a dollar store somewhere. Spending those extra few dollars to have multiple items is SO worth the time and energy you will save with your everyday household duties.
(this rule also applies to bathroom cleaner and air freshener)

More Thrifty Tip Tuesday over at I Am a Money Magnet

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