[Yomumma]

Love your sig Dorothea (I have the sign next to my jug)

[Velvetta]

Yeah 3 of them are over 12, so prefer to serve themselves totally and they still have eyes bigger than their stomachs.

We grow vegies and have chooks too.The bartering is a good idea, but I use freecycle a lot and facebook online garage sale

[charlottesmum04]

ahh dorothea thats about the age of my kids now too. I just cottoned on and switched to small bowls..... usually they cant be a**ed enough to go get a 2nd bowl.

I love freecycle and facebook pages are a godsend. I just bought $250 of brand new clothes for $80 for my daughter. Alot cheaper than most op-shops are nowadays. I also garage sale. My first unit was furnished with $200, a wagon with trailer and a sat garage sale outing.


oh and i only do my op shops on the last monday of the month cause its when one of the cheapest op shops in town has half price on everything in store..

[3littlegents]

None of these ideas are truly stingy, just smart.
I am truly stingy, my step dad brings home the half rolls of toilet paper from his work for us. We haven't bought toilet paper in months, same for washing up liquid. It gets thrown out and we are beyond broke atm...
I don't let my kids go to b'day parties because we can't afford presents for other kids.
At Xmas Santa bought my boys second hand bikes

At this stage in our life we are truly stingy and it is heartbreaking.

[ChickenortheEgg?]

Oh I have stingy habits:

1- I add a bit hot water into the last bit of dishwashing liquid bottle to get the last bits out.

2-I use newspapers to clean my mirrors & windows.

[~Delilah~]

Most of the "stingy" habits here aren't stingy. I would draw the line at leftover cereal but whatever floats your boat.

I turn everything off at the powerpoint when not in use bar the microwave and my bedside clock. The kids use the microwave clock at night if they wake and in the morning to get ready for school.

I rarely have lights on at night. Apart from me hating bright lights, I don't see the need to have the house lit up when the kids are in bed and I'm the only one up.

I don't own a dryer because it costs a lot to use. I do have 3 oil heaters but now that the children are older, they can dress in warm pj and snuggle under their doona. When they were bubs, I used the heater. That said, it rarely gets below zero here so its not that cold.

1- I add a bit hot water into the last bit of dishwashing liquid bottle to get the last bits out.

I don't consider that stingy. I do that with the last of the sauce bottles too.

I look for ways to make things at home rather than spend big dollars at the supermarkets. We recently discovered Uncle Toby's flavoured porridge. It is delicious and very filling. I've yet to find a flavour we don't like. But its expensive at $6 a box when I can get a kg of quick oats for $2. The box also disappears within two days. Have written that down, its not that expensive. I guess it feels that way when I buy $18 worth of porridge and its gone before the week is out.

This post has been edited by ~Delilah~: 25/04/2012, 07:08 PM

[trishalishous]

wow, I feel like less of a freak now!
I:

carry a water bottle rather than buy (I also will fill a 600ml coke bottle up from the cola in the fridge, if I know Im going somewhere and will want a cola)

Cloth everything.

Im always turning off lights, and try not to run heating if its bearable. We dont use our dryer unless its vital (no dry nappies)

When running the tap hot/cold I catch the water and use it on our plants.

I use toilet paper rather than tissues to blow my nose (unless I have a cold)

I only like weak tea, so reuse teabags

We only have one car, and live out of town, so have to plan our trips wisely, which saves fuel.

Buy all my books online, as its about half price, just have to wait.

Use the library to read the paper/magazines rather than buy my own.

Small portions of leftovers are frozen for a childs lunch serve if DD is being babysat by my (noncooking) sister

we mix our own powdered milk (60c/l) as we only drink it in cuppas, and it always went off

reduced meat/cold goods (tuesday arvo at our local Woolies is the best time to go)

I regift a lot, as I dont use pretty bath sets (I have sensitive skin) and dont really eat chocolate.

I always walked for 30 mins (or rode my bike from home) rather than pay for parking (needed the exercise anyway)

Hunted up all the free/cheap kids activities in town, and schedule our days around those. (play in the park(free), rhyme time (free and twice a week) toddler gym ($6 including morning tea) playgroup ($120 for the year) are all awesome, and we joined the local leisure centre for $100 a month (family membership) rather than pay $10-$15 entry for a few swims each week, plus gym and aqua classes are included, yay!)

oh and Ive been pregnant or breastfeeding for nearly 3 years now, and only had 7 periods in that time, so no need to buy pads etc. I plan to continue this for another few years

[She's Crafty]

This thread is fantastic!



We are now a one income family. I have a 4 month old son and it is our decision for me to be at home until we are finished our family and the youngest is at school. This is a massive change for our 2 income, no kids, dining out and holidaying lifestyle. Many of the ideas mentioned were done in my household growing up. Four kids one income. Op shopped, watered down juice, NO softdrink. We didn't have a VCR until I was in high school or a computer until I was at uni. I have probably wasted money in my working life but I felt it would be the only chance to be so carefree and I don't regret it.



I will use my dad's trick of buying chocolate milk and then mixing it half/half with regular milk. THat was a school holiday treat. (when I had real chocolate milk I was on a sugar high!)


We shop out of season for our son. Got all his winter clothes for this year on special at Target and Big W while pregnant last year and bought summer stuff for this coming summer post Christmas sales. huge savings. We'll reuse all these for any future children whether they are girls or boys. Use combo cloth and disposable (admiration for full time cloth users) will breast feed as long as possible. Shop online for most things (including groceries and then get fruit and veg at the farmers market) and always ask friends if they want anything so postage can be split between us. Avoid going to shopping centres as much as possible as something always seems to end up getting bought........ Have always thought cards and wrapping paper were an enormous waste of money. Prefer to give a book with an inscription. If you have a book exchange near you that is also an excellent money saver. ( I am useless with returning books on time and can't be converted to e-reading). Have always planned meals the week in advance before shopping so only necessary ingredients are bought and nothing gets thrown out.


They do flood your inbox, but I reckon it's worth signing up for Cudo, Jump on it, Ozsale and BuyInvite etc for the odd luxury item at a discount price. My best friend and I decided that we would eat lunch out once a month but only at a discounted price (either through Cudo or The Entertainment book). Other than those special occasions I don't buy lunch, always take it or am at home to eat. Definitely take my water bottle from home and hate if I forget it and end up buying one. I am catching up with some friends soon and we are doing high tea in the park for a picnic brunch each bringing an item.



Would love to join a gym or exercise class to lose those extra kilos but do workout videos at home or go for walks.

I agree that a lot of the posts aren't stingy, just smart. I wish more brands would lose fancy packaging that ends up in the bin and lower their prices.


I also cannot wait to try the homemade ricotta!