I'm growing most of my own herbs for cooking. Spearmint, cilantro, oregano, basil, thyme, chives, some peppers but we eat too many to grow ALL of them.....don't have enuf sun in my garden to grow tomatoes very well! But the shade certainly helps with the energy bill for a/c. Believe me here in Houston, a/c is a must for me! I'd move up north if I didn't have it!

Oh, yes, forgot! I'm now a 'silver' haired quilter--gave up the highlighting when there was so much gray we were needing to do low-lights to fill into the gray! And everyone tells me my hair is beautiful! Since it's naturally curly, requires NO CARE, I'm a happy camper!

Sometimes...appliance stores have a 'scratch and dent' area where the appliances are discounted. I actually bought an upgraded dishwasher because it had a scratch on the side. I paid less for the upgraded one then I would have paid for the one I originally was going to purchase. Once it was installed...no one can see the scratch because it is next to the cabinet!!

It does take time to research brands...but it is worth the time to do it. Also...once you find the brand you want...use your fingers...call various places to check prices. I have found I can actually find out more information by calling instead of going to the store.
Another thought...to save money...when you purchase your appliance if you don't have a store credit card...open one...use the discount off your purchase if offered...then PAY OFF the card and close the account. I have done this several times...
AND if you are going to pay cash for the item...ask for a discount because you are paying cash for a big ticket item. Many times the sales person will give a 10% discount for cash (most often it happens in locally owned businesses...hardly happens in chain
stores). The worst that can happen when you ask...is they say no.
Perhaps they will give you free delivery and take away your old appliance instead.

I am not frugal...I live SMART!!

FW

This is a great forum. I need a new dishwasher any idea's? My DH bought a bicycle to go to local places. Dr's appointments etc. I would probably end up in the ER if I tried that. We have cut down on driving. I try to buy bulk now. We also get milk when its on sale and freeze it.

Wendy in Texas

This was a great idea for a topic My tip would be that if you need to replace any appliances or are building a new house, the more energy efficient appliances are well worth the investment. When we built 8 years ago, I chose Asko for my washer, dryer and dishwasher. They use less electricity, less water, and do a great job cleaning. Since then, I know there are several more brands on the market that might be as good or even better, including Bosch.

I got a couple of coupon sites I pull from...

http://www.wow-coupons.com/index.php

http://printable-coupons.blogspot.com/2005/10/retail-coupons.html

The first site seems to be updated on a regular basis.

I have become better at menu planning based on what is on sale.

Also...cash is KING in our house. Yes, we still have our credit cards...however...we try to use cash for not only gas...but for food.
It is amazing the money you can save by having a cash budget for food. We do pay off any credit cards each month...but it is so easy to just throw stuff in the grocery cart when using a credit card to pay.
I cancelled all of my department store cards. We have two credit cards. It is far more efficient and easier to track what we spend on two credit cards.
Also when using them....I use it as a debt card...I write what the amount is in my check book.

We have turned off our landscape lighting...and if you leave a room...turn off the light.

FW

Great topic, Eileen. Adams, you may go to the one in Newburgh, takes off ten percent of your order on Wednesdays between six and eight. So I make up my menus for the month,especially any meat I need, and I buy it all then along with any other non perishable I may need. This saves me about twenty to twenty five dollars. We also use the slow cooker and pressure cooker more which means we can use cheaper cuts. And like you, we go meatless some nights. We almost never eat out.
Gas is the biggy. We don't live in town so we consolidate trips and use my hybrid most of the time. When my husband goes to his volunteer job on Tuesdays he uses the stop and shop coupon for ten cents off per gallon at their pumps which tend to be on the cheaper side, relatively speaking.
I've rediscovered a whole bunch of kits and projects that I have organized in pouches and will be working on those instead of always buying more.
Haven't used my dryer in almost two months and I wash many loads in cold.
Last, but not least, I'm considering letting my hair just go ahead and turn gray. It's very expensive to keep coloring it and I'm not comfortable with all the chemicals. Just a beginning of some of what we do. And you know what? I'm beginning to grow more of a nest egg.

I'd like to start a category where we help each other to save some money.
It doesn't have to be anything big, but we can come together to do this.
I'll start...we're having a veggie garden this year. I'm going to freeze whatever I can for winter consumption.
I'm going to try at least one vegetarian meal each week, saving by not buying so much meat.
What's everybody else doing?
eileenkny