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Packing Lunches

Undoubtedly, one of the most cost effective things we do is pack lunches.  It boggles  my mind to see how many people will send their kids to school with $2.00 so they can eat things such as hot dogs or hot baloney.  Besides the savings, I know what my children are eating and that it's healthier than anything the school gives them.   A typical lunch for our children would be a deli- ham (see our  Grocery Savings   section), red or green leaf lettuce and cheese with light mayo on a whole grain bread, a low-fat yogurt, applesauce or fruit and homemade cookies.   Of course, sometimes it's peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat, or soup in a thermos, but it's always healthy and always much less expensive  than school lunches.  With four children, I'd be paying over $40 a week on lunches, most of which wouldn't get my stamp of approval as the healthiest.

Here are some of the things that make it most cost effective:

1. A one-time purchase at the beginning of the school year of a  lunch box or bag, food jar, and inexpensive Glad or Rubbermaid plastic containers.  We use the sandwich size and the 4 oz size for fruit and small cookies.  This saves us from purchasing bags or wrap over and over again.
2. Purchase lunch meat at less than $1.50 per pound. (see Grocery Savings )
3. Purchase canned fruit for those 4 oz. containers rather than purchasing the pricier pre-packaged fruit. 
4. Remember that store brands are a great value over name brands. We purchase store brands for everything we can for school lunches, from the  bread, light salad dressing. peanut butter, breads, yogurt , and more.  Anything they make a store brand for, we buy it.
5. Give kids a few options and allow them to make their own lunch.  I've learned that kids will eat what they've made themselves better than what others pack for them resulting in less waste.

Forget Pricey Shower Gels

Shower gels are expensive and needless.  Using an inexpensive shampoo such as  Suave Naturals for both hair and as a body wash is a cost effective alternative.  It cleans,  has a great fragrance, and helps keep the clutter to a minimum in the bathroom.  Now, I'm no scientist but below are the ingredients in what a Suave Naturals Refreshing Body Wash, Ocean Breeze Scent;

Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance, Glycerin, Algae Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Polyquaternium 10, PEG 5 Cocamide, Propylene Glycol, Ammonium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Etidronic Acid, Blue 1 (CI 42090), Red 33 (CI 17200)

and now for the same fragrance in the Suave Naturals shampoo:

Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride, Cocamide MEA, Fragrance (Parfum), PEG 5 Cocamide, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Sorbitol, Algae Extract (Algae), Blue 1 (CI 42090), Green 3 (CI 42053)

Check out the first three ingredients... and remember that Ammonium Laureth Sulfate is the cosmetic detergent that exerts emulsifying action, thereby removing oil and soil from the hair and skin.  The fourth ingredient in the gel is just a foaming agent. Good enough for me, another penny saved is one earned.

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What's at the Paper Recycle Bin?

This is something I happened across quite by accident, but take advantage.  Do you take your papers to a recycling center yourself?  If so, and you happen to have indoor open paper drop off bins like we do, take a look in the bins when you're dropping your papers off.   You may be surprised to see magazines that are current and in excellent condition!  If you're like me and you like magazines but don't really indulge in buying them very often, this is a nice freebie.

Another thing to think about is bringing your papers into the recycle center on Mondays.  Many of the paper route drivers drop their extra Sunday papers off on Sunday nights, leaving lots of coupon circulars there for the taking.