Frugal Tip: How to Clean Your Microwave Without Chemicals

Cleaning food splatters from the sides, bottom and top of your microwave doesn't have to be a tiring job requiring your elbow grease. There's a simple and healthier way to clean your microwave without using harsh chemicals and having to scrub away at caked on food particles. With just some water, lemon juice and heat, the food particles will easily wipe clean. Here's how you do it:

Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (I prefer fresh lemon juice) and 2 cups of water in a microwave safe bowl (I use my large Pyrex measuring cup). Microwave on HIGH for one to two minutes. Once microwave stops, use a cloth and the slightly cooled mixture to wipe down the inside of your microwave. The steam created by the water in the bowl will make the particles easier to wipe away.

This is a natural and SAFE way to clean your microwave, plus the lemons leave a nice fresh scent. Remember, if you use chemicals to clean the interior of your microwave, any residues left inside can come in contact with the foods that you heat or reheat.

Click here for more handy tips using lemons around your house

20 Ways to Save Money on Everyday Expenses

Saving money and cutting expenses has become a necessity for many Canadians and their families. There are literally thousands of ways that we can save money by making simple changes to the habits that we've developed.

Today we're looking at 20 various ways to pinch those pennies:

Household Expenses   

Grocery Shopping 

Use coupons for the products that you already purchase whenever possible.

Utilize price matching guarantees to save the cost of fuel by driving to multiple grocery stores.

You can save hundreds of dollars each each by comparing price per units on shelf labels. This is great information to store in your price book.

Cleaning Products   

Use sponges rather than paper towel for clean ups and spills. If they become smelly, give your sponges a bath in baking soda and water to refresh them.

Use newspaper rather than paper towels to clean your windows and mirrors. Plus it's the best at a streak-free clean.

Make your own cleaning products rather than purchasing heavily marketed products.


Banking   
Chequing Accounts  

Choose no fee or low fee chequing accounts. Some great examples are PC Financial (with rewards points for groceries) and BMO Club Sobeys (also with rewards for groceries)

Opt for direct deposit whenever possible for employment income, government returns, etc. This will give you immediate access to your money without spending the fuel and time to drive or take pulic transportation to your bank every week.

Inquire about fee discounts for child accounts, student accounts and senior accounts.

Savings Accounts  

Although the interest rates are pretty low these days, it's still best to try to get the most return on your investment dollars. Choose higher interest savings accounts like ING Direct or ALLY.

Credit Cards  

Lower the total interest you pay by paying off your balance every month.

Choose credit cards which have rewards so you get more for using their card services. Remember to pay your balance each month to get the full value of the rewards you've earned.

Do not pay annual fees to have a credit card in your wallet. There's plenty of credit card options that are free of annual fees.

Tax Time 

Complete your taxes as soon as your slips arrive. The sooner you file, the sooner you receive your refunds and can invest it to start earning a return.

If you owe money at the end of the year for taxes, it's best to pay your outstanding debt as quickly as possible to avoid accrued interest charges.


Transportation   
Fueling Your Vehicle   

Avoid the weekend prices by refraining from filling up on Fridays as well as the day before long weekends and holidays.

You can save up to $100 a year on your gas bill by keeping your engine tuned and your tires properly inflated. Check your vehicles manual or wall of tire for proper inflation details.

Reduce the amount of money you spend on fuel by following these fuel conservation tips.

Insurance 

If you don't drive very often, your car insurance may be less. Check with your insurance company to see if they offer a discount for individuals who drive fewer than the specified number of kilometers each year.

Take advantage of affiliate discounts such as College Alumni, employer, club, etc when applying for or renewing your insurance. Ask your insurance company if they have association discounts.


Car Rentals  

Rental car companies offer various insurance and waiver options. Check with your won auto insurer in advance to avoid duplicating any coverage that you may already have.


We continually discuss and review the various ways to save money. For more ideas on how to cut expenses and put more into your pocket, click here. We love to hear the ways our readers save their biggest dollars too! Please leave us a comment below.

Quell The Smell Using Products In Your Home

There is nothing worse than bad smells in your home. What do you do when they attack? Do you buy expensive fragrance sprays and cleaners that just masks smells, or you get right down and fight the bad smell scent moving through your home?

Let's look at the ways to beat the bad scents:

Stinky shoes: Sprinkle salt inside the shoes to cover the insoles. Let it sit overnight, then shake out the salt. The salt absorbs the odours in the soles.

Fresh Bathroom: Put baking soda or crumbled charcoal in an open container and replace weekly.

Smelly Dog: Sprinkle baking soda on the dog's coat and work it into the fur with your hands. Brush out the baking soda.

Stinky Trash Can: Put crumpled newspaper at the bottom under the bag. You can also put crumbled charcoal in your tightly closed empty trash can overnight. Alternately you can use 1 cup of baking soda in the bottom of the pail.

Fish in the Air: To clear the air of fish smells you can either soak fish in milk prior to cooking it or you can hang a wet towel in the kitchen to absorb the smell.

Cheesy Feet: Soak feet daily in 2 cups of brewed black tea combined with 2 cups of water.

Smoke Smells: Scatter orange and lemon peels around or better yet put them in glass candy dishes to be more ornamental.

Musty Smelling Closet: Fill an old sock with a few tablespoons of fresh unused ground coffee and hang in your closet.

Pet Accident Odours: Are best dealt with using white vinegar. 

Toilet Odours: Pour approx 1 cup of white vinegar into the bowl and let stand for a few minutes.  Scrub the toilet and flush.

Food Odours in Your Wood Chopping Block: Scrub it down with lemon juice and baking soda.  Rinse and then season it with mineral oil.

Improving Air Quality: If you don't have a HRV system in your house, you should crack a window for fresh air, improved air quality and to exchange stale bad smelling air from your home.
 
Okay, maybe the fragrance sprays, candles, etc are not so expensive with coupons. However, while sprays, candles, oils, incense may smell nice they all do the same thing; they cover up the smell and leave you with toxic chemicals which you can end up breathing in and absorbing through your skin. No thank you, I choose to breathe easy!

We love to hear from our readers. What do you do to keep your home fresh smelling without the added chemicals?

15 Fuel Conserving Tips to Help Save Money With Soaring Fuel Prices

With fuel prices on the rise, it's wise to implement simple money saving tips to help conserve fuel when driving and to offset the soaring gas prices, such as these:

1. Keep tires properly inflated, having tires 2 PSI below optimal pressure increases fuel consumption by one percent.

2. Keep your car regularly maintained. Inspect and change car filters as clogged air and oil filters waste gas.

3. Avoid overloading your trunk and pack lightly on trips.

4. Avoid high speeds driving 20 km over 100 km a hour consumes 15% more fuel.

5. Plan all your trips for the week or day to avoid wasting unnecessary fuel by back tracking.

6. Consider car pooling to work with other co-workers.

7. Avoid idling your car for a long time long. Idling burns more fuel than restarting your car.

8. When driving on the highway keep windows closed too avoid drag. Open windows can increase fuel consumption by 10 percent. This is when air conditioning becomes most economical.

9. Do not accelerate or brake hard.

10. Use your air conditioning sparingly.

11. Use cruise control if available on flat roads but on hills it is much more economical to supply more power as the car requires, letting the momentum of the car do the work as much as possible. It takes some practice but it's easier on the fuel tank overall.

12. Avoid bumper riders, especially on long trips where fuel consumption is high as it is. If you have someone tailing you too close, they're probably using your fuel and coasting in your wind tunnel. Slow down, put your hazards on and let them pass. Don't let them burn up all your fuel.

13. In the wintertime, clear ALL of the snow off your car, not just off your windows. The extra weight of the snow adds to the cost of fuel consumption.

14. Don't add drag by carrying a load on your roof. It can significantly reduce your fuel mileage.

15. Walk where you can or ride a bike to destinations close by without using your car.

Rewards Programs For Fueling

1. If you shop at Refuel stations (part of No Frills grocery stores) save your receipts and then present them when you shop at No Frills to save a little off your grocery bill for each receipt presented.

2. Also if you like to shop at Canadian Tire fuel stations, then make sure you utilize the BONUS coupon on the flyer to get extra Canadian Tire Money! Lots of times you can earn up to 10X the CTC money. Plus once you save up $25 in CTC money, bring it to the store and purchase a gift card with it and then use it to purchase your fuel.

3. Use your Aeroplan card at Esso stations to get bonus points with each fill up. Plus you can get Esso Extra points too!

4. Some credit cards like Canadian Tire and Petro Canada offer 10 cents off per litre or other discounts.

5. Costco members save 10 cents per litre at Costco gas stations.

6. Pioneer has a Pioneer Bucks Card to get reward "bucks," save it up and you can use it towards gas purchases.

(Thanks to the members of Freebies Deals And Rewards)

Frugal Tip: Reviving Dried Out Dry Erase Markers

How to Revive Dried Out Dry Erase Markers ~ Your whiteboard markers may still have more life in them!!

Tip #1

Dip the tip of the marker into in a little rubbing alcohol. If color is drawn down into the alcohol, there's life in your marker, and you can write with it more, now that you have treated it. If this does not work, then the marker is probably out of lasting power.

Tip #2

Just use a pair of pliers to remove the tip and turn it around. You are good for another round of use. You can even turn the tip back around later and the old dried out tip may be good once again.

Tip #3

Use plain old gravity to bring the ink to the tip bu turning the marker onto it's lid in a cup or something similar. After a couple of days you can check if the ink has flowed down to the tip.

Tip #4

Tie a string around the marker and swing it around to encourage the ink to flow down to the tip.


A good way to think when living a frugal lifestyle is there's more life or use out of the things that seem to be empty or finished! Explore how you can get more!

Control Your Phantom Power Usage

A big way to save on your hydro consumption is to watch your phantom power consumption. What is phantom power? The drawing of power off your grid by electronic components that are not in use but yet still plugged in. There are many culprits which draw phantom power, including but not limited to:

• Digital photo frames
• Televisions
• Set-top boxes for your digital tv
• DVD players and recorders
• Computer speakers
• Printers (especially laser)
• Stereos and Home Theatre Components
• Video game consoles

One way to combat phantom power is to unplug electronics that are not in use. Another way is to put these items on a power bar and simply flick the switch when you are done. It's advisable to check the operating manuals on your equipment regarding unplugging or turning off to see if it affects your setup. The biggest downfall for me is resetting time displays when turning equipment off and on to use but other than that the savings add up over time! 

Some households have reported a savings of 10% when they reduced their phantom power consumption. Can you do better on your hydro bill? We want to know what you do about phantom power!

Tit For Tat: Bartering For Goods And Services

Bartering was once the main form of currency and now it's not utilized nearly as frequently as it once was. However as we see downturns in the economy, people tend to look back to more frugal ways of living. Bartering is a great way to trade products and services with one another while leaving the pocketbook unscathed.

Think outside of the box! What can you offer in return for what you need or want? Do you have a skill or specialty you can provide in exchange for goods and/or services?

Examples of bartering:

~ Bartering starts in our childhood years; you'll see it in the lunchroom as two kids exchange sandwiches or snacks from their lunchboxes
~ Wheat farmers cannot live on bread alone, but could trade surplus to local cattle farmers for meat
~ Let's get more relevant to saving money...coupon trading is one of the most popular forms of bartering these days

Bartering is only limited to your imagination, skills, your offerings and the ability to find another person who needs what you can offer plus have something that you want in return.

IMPORTANT!! If you decide to swap services like babysitting and pet walking, make sure that you have agreed upon an upfront monetary value for your service so your swapping will be fair and equal. Swapping services is often harder than swapping real goods because you really need to know what the going price is for the service you're offering.

We love to hear from our readers, tell us if you've ever bartered before. What was your bartering arrangement?

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipes

I make a some of my own homemade cleaners, but I've never tried making my own laundry detergent at home. I know many people who do make it rather than buy it, and swear it's better than any commercially made soap. They would never change back to store bought laundry soaps. I gathered a couple of different recipes to share with you.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe #1

7.5 litres hot water
1 bar soap (grated)
2 cups baking soda

Directions:

• Melt the grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover it. 
• Heat on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap has melted.
• In a large pail, pour 7.5 litres of hot water and add the melted soap. Stir well.
• Next, add the baking soda, stirring well.
• Store in a sealed pail or in plastic laundry detergent jugs.
• Stir or shake soap mixture (depending on storage method) before each use.

Using the Soap: Use 1/2 cup per full load or 1 cup for heavy soiled loads

Approximate costs of supplies: $0.60 to $2.00 (plus electricity to heat the water)
- Bar Soap $0.10 to $0.50
- Baking Soda $0.50 to $1.50

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe #2

2.5 litres hot water
5 litres cold water
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/3 bar soap (grated)

Directions:

• In a large pot, heat 1.5 litres of water. Add the grated soap and stir until melted. 
• Next, add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder has dissolved and remove promptly from heat.
• In large clean pail, pour 1 litre of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Add 5 litres of cold water and stir well.

Using the Soap: Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (mixture will gel)

Approximate Cost of Supplies: $1.18 to $1.92 (plus electricity to heat the water)
- Bar Soap $0.03 to $0.17
- Borax $0.55 to $0.75
- Washing Soda $0.60 to $1.00

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent Recipe

8 cups baking soda
8 cups bar soap (grated)

12 cups borax

8 cups washing soda

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Helpful Tips:

• use bar soaps such as Ivory, Sunlight and avoid heavily perfumed soaps
• washing soda and borax can be found in the cleaning/laundry aisle
• recipes can be adjusted to suit your needs, experiment
• make larger batches in pails and then transfer to laundry bottles for storage (ask a friend or neighbour for their empty bottles) then just shake it before using
• hardware store carry 5 gallon pails for $4-6, watch for a sale or store coupon

There's many variations for homemade laundry detergent. If you have a recipe that works for you, please share with us by commenting below. We love to hear from our readers.

Couponing and saving money – Go on to pay off your debts

Guest Post By: Jason Holmes

You may not be interested even in checking out the fliers that you get from
the supermarket or in your mail box. But, from now on try to check out the
fliers as these may help you lower the costs of shopping; mainly grocery
shopping. Though it is true that this helps you save only few dollars, few
dollars in reality can add up to a large amount. So, if you are still not
into couponing, you should start off with that. Couponing along with
budgeting may help you pay off debts through consolidation.

*Benefits and tips on couponing*

The main benefit of couponing is that it helps you lower the money you are
required to spend in general. Now, when you spend less, you may be able to
start saving more. In addition, you can use this money to pay off your
debts through consolidation. So, in order to save money through couponing,
what are the things that you will be required to do? In addition to cutting
out the coupons, it is also important for you to remain organized.

   1. *Use coupons to buy national brands* – Though it is true that the
   national brands cost you more, use the coupons to get these for low costs.
   Though the generic or the store brands are cheaper, the production houses
   for these products are without the money to promote the products. So, there
   may or may not be good offers on these.

   2. *Don’t show brand loyalty* – Products at different stores can vary in
   price. So, it will be wise of you to check out different brands and stores
   to make the maximum savings. Plan to check out each store each week and
   then decide on the best offers. This helps you ultimately to save lots of
   dollars.

   3. *Remember to check the receipts* – When you buy items from a store,
   you are handed over a store generated receipt for the goods. Generally,
   people tend to throw away this receipt without a second thought. Remember
   to check out the receipts before throwing them out. This is important
   because the stores sometime print discount offers on the back of the
   receipts.

   4. *Use the Internet to find coupons* – The Internet is the best place
   for you to find numerous coupons. There are so many websites and offers,
   that you will be spoiled for choice. So, try to give yourself some time on
   researching the couponing websites to get the best of offers. Not all
   online websites provide you great offers. Again, there may also be
   websites that provide really good offers on some items while not on others.
   So, you will have to check out all of these and use the coupons as per your
   needs and requirements.

   5. *Organize the coupons as per the dates* – Buy a coupon organizer as
   this can help you use the coupons in the right way. Maintain separate
   counters for separate stores. In addition, organize the coupons date wise.
   In this way you will never forget the date within which you will be
   required to use the coupons.

   6. *Know what your friends have* – In addition to finding the coupons of
   your own, you should also be aware of the coupons that your friends have
   been able to collect. Such situations can arise when you are in need of
   some particular coupon which you can’t find of your own. Now, if you can
   find one such coupon with any of your friends, you can exchange one of your
   coupons for the one you require. However, your friend will have to agree to
   this and he/she must be sure that he/she needs the one that you are
   exchanging.

So, these are the things that you will be required to do in order to save
money through couponing and budgeting.

Jason Holmes is a regular writer with Debt Consolidation Care and is also a
contributory writer with other financial sites. His expertise is woven
around various aspects of the debt industry and with his e-books he tries
to impart to people the different situations and simple solutions to get
out of difficult situations. Some of his works include e-books like 'Credit
Score The Quintessential Therapy for a Happy Pocket', Take Creditors and
Collection Agencies to Small Claims Court' and, My Story- From Depression
To a Smile'.

Frugal Tip: Kleenex Hand Towels (Accidental Discovery)

Frugal Tip: Reuse your Kleenex Hand Towels

I've been reusing the used Kleenex hand towels for house cleaning to get extra use out of them. But over the weekend I washed a load of laundry and I must have had a few Kleenex hand towels in one of my clothes pockets. When I opened the dryer door there were a couple of cleaned and not ripped ortorn Kleenex hand towels.

They aren't as durable and I wouldn't suggest washing any ripped ones. But there is certainly more life left after one use. Next time I'm going to try putting the used Kleenex hand towels in a lingerie bag to wash them.

Here's what a Kleenex Hand Towel that has been washed and dried in our washing machines look like:

Another tip for the Kleenex hand towels: cut them in half for the little hands in your life! Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave comments below.

Resolutions to Save Money in The New Year

With post holiday season and the start of a new year, it's time to get back on track with your personal finances while most of us are motivated to accomplish our new year's resolutions.

Here are a few simple steps to help you save money in the new year:

1. Create a realistic budget that will really work!
2. Go back to the days before ATM cards and withdrawal the amount of cash you need for your weekly or bi-weekly expenses (depending on your pay schedule) rather than using your card for each and every transaction.
3. Stop using those credit cards.
4. Make sure that you have a cushion or slush fund to cover you financially in the event of a downturn or an emergency.
5. Split up unexpected winfalls of money that come your way!
6. Avoid the budget busters.

Creating a Simple But Effective Budget

• Establish a savings goal (education, retirement, renovation, vacation, etc)
• Track your spending habits, using your sales receipts for 1 or 2 months to see how your spending compares to the amount of money coming into the household
• Review your spending habits and figure out where you can cut or trim some expenses; viewing where the money is spent can really put a perspective on wasted dollars
• Return to your budget on a regular basis to confirm that you are on track to reaching your savings goal; make adjustments when necessary

Why Cut Your ATM Card?

You don't have to literally cut your ATM card or debit card. However, unless you have free or unlimited transactions with your bank, these are fees you can avoid by using cash instead. One of the best examples of using cash in a manner that is effective, is the technique taught by the money maven Gail Vaz-Oxlade on Til Debt Do Us Part. She instructs the guests of her show to divvy up the money set forth in their budget in jars labelled for their expenses. They can literally see how much or little the jars contain after they spend from each. If jars aren't your thing, an envelope labelled with the expense name would work just as well.

Stop Using Those Credit Cards

Unless you are strictly disciplined to pay your balance off in it's entirety each and every month, I would recommend that you put away those credit cards. The interest that you accumulate on borrowed purchases will not end up being cost effective overall. If you always practice paying your credit card in full, then there is an advantage to earning loyalty reward points on your purchases.

Split Up Unexpected Windfalls Of Money Into Thirds

Whenever you have an expected windfall of money, such as a gift card from a survey, a bonus from work, contest prize, etc; divvy it up into three equal shares as follows:

• The Present - Use one third of the money to buy something for yourself personally or towards a home improvement or personal improvement
• The Past - Use one third of the money to cover past debts that you owe
• The Future - Use one third of the money to save for the future in a savings account, TFSA or another investment vehicle

An Emergency Fund Or Slush Fund For Unexpected Expenses

Experts state that a three month operating budget is the MINIMUM that you should set aside as your emergency fund. How do you figure out this number? Track all of your spending for a month including all of your bills and incidentals, then multiple by three. This money should remain liquid for you in some form of a deposit account. (Liquid means that it should not be locked into an uncashable investment tool, it must remain accessible.) While it's nice to make some interest on this money, it's really there to bail you out of a jam. The amount of interest earned in really inconsequential to the peace of mind this money will give you.


Avoid Blowing Your Budget With The Worst Budget Busters

1. Having no emergency or slush fund. In the event of an emergency where you do not have a cushion in place, it can set you back by needing to find some kind of loan or using any asset you have to bail out.
2. Budgeting too rigidly. If you budget too strictly and don't allow yourself some fun, then you could end up deviating from your budget and overspending. It's like a dieter who doesn't allow themselves a dessert now and again, they might end up binge eating. Allow yourself some small indulgences in your budget to keep you on track.
3. Gift giving. Buying our friends and loved ones gifts is a type of emotional spending that can have people dish out more cash than they can actually afford. Limit gift exchanges to a couple of close people in your life and include these expenses in your budget.
4. Impulse buying. Following a detailed budget will allow a person with impulsive buying habits to see exactly where the money would be coming from. For example, should they borrow from their grocery money to buy a new pair of shoes. The impulsive buy may not look as attractive when you look at where the money is coming from.

What are some other simple yet effective ways that you save money and trim your expenses?

• Use coupons and price match your purchases whenever possible
• Learn about SCOP and take advantage of price errors
• Join loyalty rewards programs and get rewarded when you buy
• Complete compensated surveys online to make extra cash/gift cards
• Follow gas savings advice and tips