Tip #7: Eating Tofu

Michael & I love all kinds of meat- steak, ground beef, chicken, turkey, fish, crab, shrimp....you name it, we love it. However, we're trying to cut down on our meat consumption to save some cash. Tofu is a great alternative. Trust me, we were extremely skeptical until I started doing some research online and learned from my mom how to cook it!



I always buy the extra firm tofu because it's easy to cut up. The other night I cut the tofu into little squares, and fried it up in a little olive oil. I sprinkled a little salt and pepper on it and Michael and I snacked on it like it was popcorn. If I can get Michael to eat tofu, then I think anyone can eat it!

I also recently added some to fried rice and it was awesome! It's extremely healthy, cheap, and a great substitute. For all those thinking, "Poor Michael!", don't feel too sorry for him....we still eat meat, but are just trying other alternatives once in a while.



Sometimes you have to branch out and get out of your comfort zone to save money, but it is worth it!

Tip #6: Listen to Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey is on the air every day from 12pm - 3pm EST. Find him on your local station, or tune in online! He is encouraging and motivational and will leave you passionate to fight for your monetary goals.

Tip #5: Buy in Bulk (but not always)

This is pretty simple- Buy in bulk, but not always! Most of the time, if you buy in bulk, it's cheaper. However, don't be lazy and make assumptions! Walmart and most stores makes this really easy as they post the "price per ounces" for you. Compare prices, and then buy the cheaper per ounce item.

Don't buy in bulk when:

1. It costs more (rarely happens, but still check)

2. You won't be able to finish the item before it spoils. Since it's just Michael and me, I am somewhat limited to what I buy. If something is going to go bad, and you'll end up throwing it away, obviously don't buy it! I wanted sour cream at Sam's Club last time I went but it was like a gallon of sour cream. Yuck. No thanks!

I buy a lot of things in bulk, then when I get home I wrap them in smaller packages and freeze them.

For example, I buy sausage in bulk. When I get home from the store I wrap 2 links together and freeze them. With chicken breasts, I freeze each breast individually because they are really big and we usually just make one. If you try and freeze the whole thing, it's really difficult to try and break off one chicken breast, or 2 sausage links.

Another thing I buy in bulk is cheese. I'm starting to grate it first, then freeze it in baggies. Or, I make some baggies with sliced cheese. Cheese is great to freeze, but it is more crumbly after it defrosts so it's easier to grate, cut, or do whatever with it while it's fresh and then freeze it.

I used to avoid buying a lot of things in bulk because I hated spending more up front. The goal is not to buy the cheapest item, but the cheapest item per ounce. Don't be intimidated by paying more, it will last longer and save you money long term!

Tip #4: Bunny Ears

No, not this:



But this:



Say goodbye to Cable!!! Michael & I were fortunate enough to have free cable our first few months of marriage. We really didn't watch TV that much, but we loved watching the news and Michael loved having ESPN. When we moved to our next place instead of buying cable, we went to Target and bought a TV antenna ($15). We were shocked with all the channels we got- pretty much every big network and all of the local networks (no ESPN- sorry Michael!). Sure, sometimes we had to adjust it, but it was totally worth it.

Now that we're in Indy, we still have our antenna and it still works great! I'm not sure when we'll ever upgrade to something better. Yes, it'll be great some day to record TV, not have to adjust the antenna, have more channels, etc. BUT we are "living like no one else now, so we can live like no one else later!"

Keep your eyes on the prize :)

Tip #3: Homemade Laundry Detergent

If you follow my other blog, you've already seen this. However, I'm completely obsessed with this tip that I have to post it here as well! I was tired of spending money on laundry detergent, and I really like the idea of making homemade items (when it saves money), so making my own laundry detergent was a no brainer after I read all the reviews. For the sake of getting to the point, I'm not going to break down the cost for you. There a plenty of other blogs that you can find that will do that (trust me this is cheaper!). I would avoid making  the liquid detergent that you'll find out on the web because it seems pretty messy to make and the only liquid you add is water. Just let the washing machine add the water for you :)

Here's what it takes:

1. 1 box of Borax (laundry aisle)

2. 1 box of Super Washing Soda (laundry aisle)

3. 3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap (laundry aisle)

4. 1 box of Oxy Clean

5. 2 boxes Baking Soda (baking aisle)

*I wish I remembered the correct sizes of the boxes in ounces, but hopefully the picture below helps (and there aren't too many size options).

You need a pretty big container for it since it makes a ton! Michael and I looked forever for the perfect container and he stumbled across this filing cabinet thingy and it works perfectly! The lid is secure and works great! For a laundry scoop we found those little condiment containers at Walmart for 88 cents, but later found out that the Oxy Clean has a little scoop in it which we now use.

You can either use a cheese grater to shred up the 3 bars of soup, or you can put it in the food processor. I actually went with the food processor, but next time will probably use the cheese grater as I think it was too rough for the food processor.

Then, dump all the "ingredients" together and mix well. Here's a picture before we started mixing:

It took me a while to post this blog because I wanted to make sure the soap worked well and clothes were actually getting clean and it's great! I only use between 1 and 2 Tablespoons of this stuff so I won't have to make more of this in probably a year! I spent more up front for this stuff, but long term it's much cheaper and from what I've read, it works better.

Horray for clean clothes, saving money, and fun experiments :)