Thrifty Tips from Marjorie Harris
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General
1. Organize your home and office. If you know what you have, you’re less likely to accidentally buy it again!
2. Make a budget. Stick to it.
3. Consolidate debts. Your bank can help you with this, take advantage of that — they are supposed to be money experts, after all.
4. Buy well and buy once.
Fashion
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for the best price. Never any harm in asking.
6. Comparison shop — take the time to do some research into the best deals.
7. Ask for discount on display items and floor models.
8. Use coupons and check out grocery flyers for the best deals.
9. Buy secondhand clothing, especially for children, who grow out of it so quickly.
10. Buy clothes off–season.
11. Avoid buying overly trendy clothes that only serve on occasion.
12. Read up on the care and keeping of clothes and shoes. Find a good tailor and shoe repair shop.
13. Organize a clothing swap.
14. Sell unwanted clothes to vintage or consignment stores.
15. Sell baby and children’s items on sites like Craigslist.
Food
16. Have a meal plan for the week so that you buy what you need and use it all up, keeping food waste to a minimum.
17. Frugal foodies cook from scratch; much cheaper (and tastier) than prepared food.
18. Limit meat to only two or three meals a week. Good for your budget, health, and the planet.
19. Save bones from meats to make stocks. Same goes for veggie peelings or scraps.
20. Seek out recipes for leftovers. For example, cooked vegetables are great in frittata.
21. Unfinished wine can be closed and stored in the fridge. Take the red out of the fridge while you’re making dinner and it’s ready to be served when dinner is ready. White can go from fridge to table.
Home
23. Put lights on dimmer switches and use compact fluorescents to save electricity.
24. Replace big, old hot water heaters with new, on-demand heaters. They heat water as you need it and use much less energy.
25. Employ all of the old water/energy saving tips you’ve heard forever: do laundry or run the dishwasher only when you have full loads, switch to low-flow shower heads.
26. Turn off the A/C when you’re not going to be at home.
27. Garage sales and secondhand stores often have great furniture and housewares finds. Try finding some off the beaten track to limit competition for good stuff.
28. Baking soda, vinegar, and borax are great, cheap, green cleaners.
Garden
29. Create a gardening budget each year and observe it.
30. Don’t overplant; it causes crowding and kills plants.
31. Make and use compost tea for fertilizer.
32. Try growing plants from seed. It takes time but saves money.
33. Share/swap vegetable harvests with neighbours.
34. Pick up containers for gardens at yard sales.
Travel
36. Do lots of research before you travel — sites like Expedia and Hotwire and travel newsletters will help.
37. Consider doing a housing swap for free accommodation.
38. Budget out your travel spending money by days of vacation, so you don’t run out.