I don’t have a dishwasher, but I can’t wait to get one, even though I live in a country where water bills are included in my local tax.

for my dishwasher and my washing machine I mix up my own detergent: equal parts borax and washing soda. I use two tablespoons for the dishwasher, and 1/8 of a tiny little scoop for the washing machine. I used to use more in the washing machine (an energy-efficient front loader) out of sheer habit until the machine almost broke down one day. I cleaned the dispenser and drain pump and vowed to stick to the scientifically-deemed correct amount instead of my doubtful and illogical additions. This detergent costs pennies to make, takes about five minutes to make, and in the case of the dishwasher, lasts for months.

Also, I read a tip for mascara removal, and would like to add my two cents: I use jojoba oil on a cotton ball to moisturize my face and to remove eye makeup. Easy and cheap. The 12 ounce bottle I purchased over a year ago is still about half-full.

Read the comments @ Treehugger.

1. Wet my toothbrush and then turn off the water. Brush the teeth, then turn on the water to rinse. (Previously I had let the water run while I brushed. The sound or running was comforting, but wasteful.)

2. Be sure the dishes are moist, and the sponge is soaped. I hand wash, but only turn on the water to rinse. (Previously I had let the water run while I washed. The sound or running was comforting, but wasteful.) (I hand wash. Between my wife and I, there are few dishes, and if we waited to fill the dishwasher before we run it, we’d be eating out of the pot for many meals. I run the dishwasher once a year to make sure it still works.)

3. We do not buy plastic kitchen container liners. We bought a smaller size kitchen garbage can, and when we bring home the groceries they’re in plastic garbage bags. We use those bags as plastic kitchen container liners. (Now with the move to reduce/eliminate plastic bags, we’re starting to rethink our strategy.)

You should know that most of the studies compare washers to “on-the-fly” handwashing, rather than soak-n-rinse washing.

Before there was running water, people washed dishes by hand with much less water – and it’s easy to do in the modern kitchen. Especially if you have a double sink.

One sink (or a plastic tub) is filled with soapy water. Dishes are placed in the water as they’re used.

At the end of the day, a full sink/tub of dishes is washed over the soapy sink. Due to soaking, most of the food residue has already dissolved, or comes off easily.

The second sink is filled with fresh water for the rinse. After dishes are done, pots and other bulky items can go in the soapy water (or you can use a larger tub – a busboy’s tub is ideal, and fits on most countertops).

This uses FAR LESS water than even the most efficient dishwasher. And far less hot water. Notice that the tap is not running during soak-n-rinse. This drastically reduces water consumption.

If you’re squeamish about re-using rinse water – most of the dishwashers filter and re-use their rinse water, too.

Because the dirty dishes are soaking in soap, there are no odors.

You do realize that water softener water is actually salt water? Salt is what makes the water “soft”. It is very unhealthy to drink on a regular basis.

One thing I save a ton of money on is not wearing makeup. I stopped wearing it in high school because I kept getting stys from my eye makeup. I haven’t worn it in about 8 years (except a little bit when I’m at an event where there will be professional pictures taken). I wear a moisturizer with sunscreen and chapstick every day and that’s it. Not only do I save money by not buying makeup, but I also don’t have to buy special make-up removing cleansers. I also can get ready very quickly in the mornings and travel very light. I know that some women can’t part with their make-up, but you should really give it a try.

RE: having children. Personally I think having children is one of the best ways to save money. When my husband and I married I had one child already. We would go to movies, out to eat, buy name brand clothes, wasted more money than we made. As our family grew we saw we couldn’t do this or that. Now we only go out to the movies maybe once a year, maybe. We buy our clothes used usually. We have had the same vehicle for almost 8 years. Our whole family does not fit into it but that is another blessing in disguise. Having more children has made me learn to stretch the budget as tight as I can. But that is just the monetary side of it. The joy that our children have brought us is beyond money and savings. We don’t do sports, we home school, limit toys and treats so our children don’t drain us financially as some children might. They give us more power, more love and make us want to make the world a better place for their future. I have learned more from being the mother of my children than I ever could have from working a outside job or my college education.

Now I am not saying for everyone to run out and have children. That is between you and your spouse. I just think that sometimes people only see the money sign when speaking of children and I just wanted to share my perspective.

By the way I have a husband, 6 children, a dog and a bird and we live off of $50,000 a year on average. We still have student loans and credit cards that we are trying to pay of (still) but we make it and have a joyful life to boot! As my husband said the other day, having children (and pets) when you are going through tough times sometimes puts you at a advantage. The simple joys in life are worth far more than we ever imagined.

This method would allow you to take advantage of specials and deal. It would also save you the extra trips to the supermarket and keep you away from the temptation of buying non-essentials as you meander to the far back of your local food store.

@FrugalEngineer : Check the phosphate level of your dishwasher soap. That is what also leads to etching of the glassware. We have used only a couple of brands because they are under a certain phosphate level. Can’t remember what the exact number is right now. Sorry.

GBB

Many people can cut way back to a very small amount. If you are using soft water, you only need about a tablespoon or two for an entire load. Any more than that will leave soap residue on your clothes that will not fully rinse out, especially with the fancy new “high efficency” models.

The same holds true for dishwashers. On soft water, use only a tablespoon of detergent, no more. Excess detergent may etch glassware.

Makeup, clothing, food, contact lenses (I wear my glasses more often), types of gifts, haircuts, eating out, how frequently I wash clothes, towels and sheets have been reconsidered this year as I have been finding ways to live within our means.

Gift giving is on my mind. I have been asking people more about what they like and need. It’s changing.

Re the laundry tips: I used to need those but being a city dweller now I send all my laundry out. Thing is, 10 years ago I started using a local laundry run by a family. The owner and father made pick-ups and deliveries and we became friendly. Over the years, he’s had to raise his wash and fold prices but has continued to charge us our original 1998 price/pound because we’ve been such loyal customers. Although he used to be more expensive than the laundromat, now he is about $2/load cheaper AND I get my wash picked up, folded and brought back. (oh, yeah, still 1998 dry cleaning prices, too.)

Re the discussion between JD and Angelo (around ##149-150) and Conrad’s wanted emphasis on larger or “real” cost savings items, although I understand what he is saying, and realize it pertains to a large group of people…personally, it cannot help me now.

I do not own, nor plan to own a house. I do not own, nor plan to own a car (in the near future). I do not have nor plan to have (and getting to the age that I am not likely to have), nor do I want to have, kids.

What does help me are the discussions about small leaks in the system which could be draining resources from other parts of the budget. I need to pick up pennies on the sidewalk even when they’re tails. I really appreciate the info on cat food (no kids, just cats–yeah I’m going for the stereotype) from LaBellaDonna, Mr. E and Frantic Woman (and JD for bringing it up) and am gonna try the Wellness brand and am going to look at protein based–because that will help a significant part of my budget and I did not know these things.

As JD keeps emphasizing: have enough round robin discussions along the full spectrum of personal finance and the mantra of THINK ABOUT what you spend, whatever that may be on, and make decisions as wisely as possible rather than blindly or following the herd. I think he’s doing an excellent job of opening discussion for the needs of more people even if not exactly pleasing all of them.

Cheers!

I’ve been experimenting with making my own dishwasher detergent to avoid the nasty chemicals many of my children are sensitive to. We no longer use laundry detergent all all, having begun an experiment with magnets.

Instead of adding water to juice, we add juice to water. We don’t drink juice for nutrition, we eat whole fruits and veggies instead. But after a whole day of plain tap water, a little flavor is welcome, so I’ll make a big pitcher of ice water and add just enough juice to flavor the water. Cheaper, healthier and a little flavor boost.

I have been shopping on Etsy for gifts and there are amazing things there for a song!

I have a set amount of disposable income (I don’t make a lot of money, it’s $70-80/week) for a two week period (I use the envelope system) and even though I have the money, I don’t feel the need to spend it all. More often than not, money I do not spend goes into my savings account.

I have all these crazy internal rules that work for me. I don’t accumulate stuff, I replace stuff. I borrow rather than buy. If I have to buy, I try for used before new. I buy a beer at the store not a bar. I entertain friends at home rather than at a restaurant. It’s more fun and we can be loud and curse and nobody will kick us out. I watch my weight so I don’t have to buy new clothes all the time. If an item wears out or breaks I try to find another use for it.

It’s easy for me. Living like this pushes me to be creative which is something I enjoy but it’s not for everyone. Now I know if you have kids, they are constantly asking for food, shelter and clothing so it’s harder. But once people begin to shift their thinking from accumulating to replacing or repurposing, the savings begin.

For me it’s all about perspective. Sure we still live in a life filled with stress and unrest but for the most part we have it pretty good. I could go on with a rant about the excesses of our lives but instead I’m gonna let Shorpy tell you. http://www.shorpy.com/node/1. I see the body of a child, but the face of a broken down man.

“a bitter cup of flavored water that you fill with milk and sugar then choke down because you need a caffeine fix”.

Wrong on every level. The coffee is not bitter, I don’t choke it down, and I don’t use milk or sugar. Maybe I should have made clear in my post that there is NO difference in quality.

Perhaps you might try it before passing such harsh judgment.

We save by using:
Programmable thermostats – we are finally using them, and have done well at 7-12 degrees lower so far! Can’t wait to compare the gas bill to the same time last year!
Reusable bento-style lunch boxes for the kids and diluted juice. Prepackaged snacks/juice are so expensive and the packages are never recyclable.
We only dine out once or twice a week. We spend a bit more on our water bill now that we eat at home (we handwash our pots and pans – about $10 every 2 months – but dishwash everything else). But save $100s in the end. My husband works from home, so I’m the only one driving on a daily basis to get the kids to and from preschool.
I’m working on the switch to ‘scratch’ recipes – our daughter has some food allergies, so we have extra incentive here.
We always wash in cold – except for underwear (in hot).
We buy the majority of our kids’ clothing secondhand (adult options aren’t great around here).

I like the idea of the bin with a measuring spoon for powdered detergent. I have my fave that gets everything – everything – clean, but will try to see if less works just as well. I was also excited to see the recipe for foam soap.

Will be back to read more – bookmarking you now.