Penny Pinching

These days most people are concerned about money, and you'll see lots of hints about how to save pennies. My grandfather used to tell me about his Scottish grandmother who taught her family, "Waste not, want not," and "Many muckles make a mickle." Gramp said that last phrase was Scottish dialect for "Many littles make a big."

We're probably all aware of hints like those to save electricity by turning lights and electrical devices off when not needed, water lawns late in the day to save water, use fabric towels instead of paper ones, re-use things instead of throwing them away, buy and store quantities of things we often use at a discount, and shop with coupons, but here are a few more 'littles' I haven't seen elsewhere.

Unless clothes are extremely dirty, using slightly less laundry detergent than the bottle or package suggests usually works fine. The same applies to dishwasher detergent, fabric softeners, toothpaste, etc.

When buying applesauce avoid the oddly shaped bottles that make it nearly impossible to get it all out.

Packages of tissues usually have several folded together at the top of the box and, if someone is in a hurry to catch a sneeze or wipe a runny nose it's easier to grab and use them all at once. Separating them when the box is opened can avoid wasting those.

Save computer paper by using the backs of previously printed things to make copies of things that don't need to look good.

These hints, and others like them, mean we can buy a few less of each item in a year. The saving from each one is small, but they do add up over time. Many 'littles' really do make a 'big.'

Penny Pinching

Lots of families are trying to be more frugal these days, and one way to save a lot of money is to stop eating out and buying fast foods. Cooking from scratch can be time consuming, but here's a way to make it work. Cook enough for several different big dinners at one time. Then divide each dish into several sections, each big enough for a family meal, and freeze the ones you don't intend to serve right away. Cooking enough for a week or so all at once and then heating some up each night won't require much more total time than going to restaurants or waiting for pizza deliveries, and rotating the dishes will keep them from becoming monotonous.

It might seem boring to stay home, but a picnic doesn't cost much and provides a change of scene. And reading a book out loud to the whole family, or playing board games together can be an inexpensive substitute for going to a movie and offers a change from watching TV or playing video games.