[Soft*Silver]

little things add up. I learned to make open faced PBJ sammiches. I turned off lites when I wasnt in a room. I reused plastic bags until I could afford to buy the plastic sammich keeper.

Some of it is to stop compulsive buying or buying into compulsive shopping gimmicks. such as

I dont supersize my meals. That helps with the diet too. In fact, when i can, I split a meal with someone. If we are still hungry, we can order dessert! Now thats nice!

I turn down offers of home demo parties. Or if they insist I go, I leave all my money, cards and check books at home and tell them I am going to do this. Thirty One bags are such a grossly overrated group of bags. I dont want to offend anyone but really? Fifty bucks for a bag that I can get in the dollar store for $5? Tupperware is another money eater. Nice product, hefty price. And then you see them at garage sales for a quarter in about 5 years..with no lids

I buy used everything. Clothes to furniture. I consign also, to other stores. It GIVES me money. Not alot but $5 is $5.

I make a list of all the things I wish i had, when I need them. If I end up not getting them before summer, I take that list with me and give it to some friends, for garage sale hunting.

I buy after holiday sales. LOTS of Christmaswares. Cards, paper, tags, stockings, trees, bulbs, etc. I can consign some of these too!

I go to cheap movies or not at all. If its a MUST SEE, I will go to a matinee.

There is just Chrissy and I...so buying bulk foods is a waste...but we have found some items we can buy in bulk and split w friends of ours. Like dog food. Cereal. Toilet paper.

I no longer buy most magazines. If I need to read one, I go to the library. Or I ask freecyclers to give me theirs when they are done with them. A few I have to buy because of my trade or because its important to me. But most I can live without

I use freecycle..its a group on yahoo and there is one for every area. The purpose is to recycle and reuse rather than throw it in a landfill. I have gotten furniture, clothes, books, magazines, purses, planting containers, urban rubble, tents, car parts, etc

There are also Buy Sale Trade groups on FB and Hand ME Down groups on FB. I watch carefully...I can get some pretty good buys on there. Most of my Christmas presents have come off of there

I mention consigning...if you do it all year and dont collect your money from the sales, you can pick it up for a lump sum. PLEASE tell the shop owner you want to do this, because you might catch her off guard and not have the funds at hand Its a nice way to plan ahead for a holiday, a graduation, a vacation, etc