Dollar Stretcher: Eye make-up remover savings

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Eye make-up remover savings

As you know, eye makeup remover can be a bit costly. I started going to my local dollar store and buying a tube of their under eye cream. It never irritates my eyes because it’s made for eyes. One small tube lasts for a long time, and it works perfectly too.

Ellen

DIY help

Everyone knows to search YouTube for videos on DIY projects, but what happens if you get stuck and can't find a solution on YouTube? Start searching on Google, in Facebook groups, and then on Pinterest. Usually between them, you will find an answer to your problem.

Angela

Student housing warning

If you have a student living away from home, check your homeowners’ insurance policy. Chances are that their possessions are not covered if they live in a dorm or their own apartment. You might want to check on the cost of a separate policy for them. They're not too expensive.

Steve

Spendy spouses

Do you have a spouse that overspends? If you want to get him/her to stop, you need to get him/her to think about money differently. The way I did it with my husband was to get him to think of how long he has to work to make the money he's spending. He now knows that lunch out with co-workers costs
him about 30 minutes of work. A new fishing rod is a few hours work. It's given him a new perspective on money and caused him to cut back on unnecessary spending.

Caryn

Berry harvest

I love to use berries in fruit salads, in pancakes, on waffles, etc. Therefore, the lower prices around harvest time are great! I buy extra and freeze them. After washing, I place them on a cookie sheet and set them in the freezer. Once they're frozen, I put them in zipper baggies. I can pull out a handful anytime I want a few. They're even good as a quick cool snack!

Alexia

ER bill solution

My husband needed some emergency room treatment, and the bill was outrageous. It was over $5k! Even with our insurance, our deductible was higher than the bill (so much for insurance!). We couldn't afford to pay that, so I called the hospital and explained our situation. They agreed to cut the bill to less than $1k! We'll be paying $35 a month for a long time, but it's better than owing $5k!

Kaylee

Frugal fatigue

Sometimes I hate watching every expense, so I find a way to treat myself inexpensively. I love great coffee, but I can't afford fancy coffee shops. Therefore, I buy myself a pound of one of my favorites and brew a small pot at home once a week. The pound of coffee is expensive, but it lasts for months. Enjoying a cup of my favorite coffee makes the financial sacrifices easier to take.

Dyana

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Making 'convenience' foods

I just spent under an hour of quality time cutting up fruits and vegetables for the week. I can now easily make tossed salad, fruit salad, sauteed vegetables, etc. I can also grab a healthy, low-calorie snack when I'm on the run or in need of food very quickly. Of course, you can pay big bucks to purchase some cut up produce from the grocery. This not only saves time in the long run, but it also saves on waste. When food is prepared either partially or totally in advance, you are less likely to eat out or order in!

Caryn

Cache for cash

If you do much online shopping, you've noticed that many sites know if you've been there before. Some will offer you a different price than your previous trip. The trick is knowing whether it will be higher or lower than before. One way to find out is to open up an 'incognito' tab in a second browser and compare that price to what you get from your normal browser. Then buy from the lowest price. This is especially true for more expensive items and travel expenses.

Randi

Before you scrub

Nobody likes to spend a lot of time cleaning, but sometimes being in a rush just makes more work. I found that out when I went to help my son clean a house he had moved into. The shower was a disaster! I had just wiped it down with cleaner when he called me to take a break for lunch. I just left
the shower with the cleaner clinging to the walls. When I came back, I figured I had an hour of scrubbing ahead of me. I was wrong. The cleaner wiped away with most of the dirt. I hardly had to scrub at all. From now on, I'll let my bath and kitchen cleansers work for a while before I start scrubbing.

Gayle

Alternative behaviors

I'm working on a money-saving theory, and I think it is working. Instead of thinking about all the things that I used to do and buy, I substitute other behaviors, and I'm trying to make them habitual. For instance, instead of meeting friends at a restaurant, we've agreed to meet for a potluck meal at
one of our homes. Instead of surfing online shopping sites, I surf Pinterest. You get the idea. I'm trying to make these new habits something that I do automatically instead of my old expensive habits. I figure it's
like dieting. Losing weight for a short time isn't hard. Developing a lifestyle that keeps it off is more important.

Robin

Adapt-a-tip

I hate to waste things. Often I'll find another use for something that might get thrown into the trash. I just used an old leaky metal pail as a planter for my front porch. I also like to adapt money-saving tips that don't exactly work for me. For instance, I don't have any way to cook at work, so heating up leftovers for lunch isn't an option. However, I read an article on how much I could save by cutting up my own carrots. I didn't want to spend time in the kitchen cutting carrots, but it dawned on me that
buying the prepared ones and some salad dressing would make a good healthy lunch. I've been doing that a few days each week, saving some money and even losing some weight!

Doreen

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