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1.
If you are having trouble getting grease stains from clothing, get a
hand cleaner called "GOOP".
Rub it into the stains, let sit for 30 minutes, and wash as usual. You may
be amazed. |
| 2. If you are buying a new
washer, consider a front loader.
They are more expensive to buy, but
will save you money in the long run. First, there are fewer moving
parts, so they are easy to maintain. (You rarely see agitator washers in
Laundromats!). Next, they use 1/3
the water of a full top load agitation washer. Water is becoming more
expensive. Also, they are easier on
your clothes, while actually
getting them cleaner than your agitator.
That beating agitator wears
on the clothing. Finally, the front loaders spin so fast on the final rinse
that the clothes are halfway dry before they hit the dryer. Great utility
savings. |
| 3. It is not necessary
to wash clothes in hot water to get them clean. With
today's enzyme detergents the
ideal wash temperature is 70 degrees.
If you have a washer with automatic temperature control you can probably set
that. If not use only warm water, not hot. |
| 4.Be sure to
clean your dryer filter after
every load. This will enable your clothing to dry quicker and save you money
on your utilities. |
| 5. If you don't have one
of those fancy new dryers with automatic temperature controls,
lower your drying
temperature. It may take a
little longer to dry the clothing, but it will be easier on the clothes. |
| 6.If you are venting your dryer with
one of those old plastic
tubes, get rid of it today. Use the flexible aluminum type.
60,000 home fires per year
are started because those plastic tubes have overheated.
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| 7.
Bleach is acidic, and detergent is alkaline. If you put them
into your washer at the same time they fight each other. Bleach should
be inserted during the last 2 minutes of the wash cycle. That's all
the time it needs to do it's work. Some washers insert it at the
correct time, but just because there is a slot to pour bleach into
does not mean that it is held until the final 2 minutes. Only the
upper end units have this ability, so it may be necessary to do it
manually for maximum effectiveness. |
| 8. We have heard a concern about all that
lint going into septic tanks.
Do not fear. Synthetic fabrics do not give off lint. Natural
fabrics do, but they are biodegradable. |
|
9. Afflicted with
"ring around the collar"?
Don't spend your money on expensive detergents, but rather
reach for one you probably
have in the bathroom: shampoo! Even the cheapest baby shampoo
will remove ROTC; after all, shampoos are designed to break down
body/skin oil (which is the main component of ROTC). Smear a bit
along the collar and rub it in, then launder. Presto! no more ring!
Rivahcat, Virginia
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10. Advice for your children
about the grandchildren. Back to school means back to the
mall to buy new clothes for your kids. If brand names are what
you're after and the price just doesn't fit your budget, you may
want to think about consignment stores. Before you think used
clothes, It's a new trend
called trading down.
You bring in your kid's gently used clothes, furniture and equipment
and receive cash or store credit that never expires. The items are
then resold for 50 to 80 percent less than the original price.
You might look at
consignment shops for yourself as well. The idea is the
same---saving money and getting quality!
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11. Frugal living has touched my
life...by allowing me to focus on what's important in my life. I
don't focus on designer
clothing or brand name shoes.
I shop more at the thrift
store for clothing, I buy my shoes new but only if they are
marked down. It's rare I buy very expensive shoes because I can't
justify paying 50 dollars for shoes. I buy little boys sneakers
because they are cheaper than woman's and also they fit better for my
wide foot. S.C. Miami |
|
12. Genuine bargains can be found at the
regular Goodwill stores. Brand names, many nearly new, fill a real
need for thousands on limited budgets.
But have you heard about the
Goodwill OUTLETS? These are even greater bargains than the
regular Goodwill. Clothing is
sold by the pound. To locate a Goodwill Retail Store near you,
go to
http://locator.goodwill.org/. We are unable to find a central
Outlet locator, but know the Outlets exist in Washington, Oregon,
Indiana, and Wisconsin. Your regular Goodwill store should know if
there is an Outlet near you. |
|
13. You probably already have a
miracle
substance in your home that gets out almost any stain in clothing. |
 14.
This is something I never thought I would do-- hand wash my clothes.
But when we moved into an apartment without a washer and dryer, costs
quickly were adding up to do our laundry at the apt. machines. At a
$1.45 per wash and then another 1.45 per dryer load and doing anywhere
from 3-5 loads a week, we were spending from $9-15 a week on laundry,
which turned into the lovely amount of $36-60 a month! In order to
save money, we found this amazing little hand washing machine. It
costs $43 at
http://www.laundry-alternative.com/ and is great! You put in your
water, your detergent, then your clothes, turn the crank for 2 min. to
wash, drain the water, then rinse, and voila! clean clothes! Here are
the advantages as listed on the website: -Washes
a 5-lb. load super clean in just a couple of minutes. -Has a patented
pressure system that forces detergent into the fabric at high speed
for a fast, efficient, economic and very easy wash -Is ideal for
campers, single persons and even for the housewife with small frequent
loads like hand washables and diapers. -Is ideal for
delicates
such as woolens, silks, knitted dresses and cashmere garments. -Uses
90% less water and detergent than conventional washing machines. -Uses
far less water than even hand washing. |
|
15. When mathematics professor Annalisa
Crannell needs new clothes, she doesn't head for the mall or outlet
stores or even discount stores.
Crannell is an
aficionado of Goodwill
Industries shops. And she'll pass by the racks with $7 blue
jeans and head for the bins where the jeans sell for $1. She's also
happy to take friends' castoffs.
"Am I the biggest tightwad on the
planet?" asked Crannell, a resident of Lancaster, Pa. "No. But I'm
more frugal than most of the people I know."
A lot of people could learn from
Crannell, who teaches at Franklin & Marshall College, and others who
have adopted thrifty habits that they feel are both ecologically sound
and help them cope with the rapidly rising costs of food, fuel and
other necessities.
April 13, 2008,
VenturaCountyStar.com
(CA) |
16.
 Search
for all thrift shops in your area. Enter your zip code or city and
state. You will find Goodwill, Salvation Army, and more.
http://thethriftshopper.com/
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17.
Make your own laundry detergent
Let’s say I decide to try out being frugal by doing something that’s
quite fun (at least for me):
making a big bucket of homemade laundry detergent. Each load done
with the homemade detergent described in that recipe versus the cost
of Tide with Bleach Alternative
saves me
seventeen and a half cents. We do a load of laundry each day,
so that adds up to
$5.25 a month in savings. |
|
18. We all need to renew or replace
clothing but the best way to buy quality clothing at low prices is to
buy out of season
. It is certainly better to buy better quality clothing that
will last longer out of season than lesser quality garment in season
for the same price. |
|
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