Tightwad Tuesday

Some people don’t like the word “Tightwad” because it has negative connotations. I happen to like it because I associate it with The Tightwad Gazette and its author Amy Dacycyzn. From her and others like her I learned to hold on to my wad tightly and not fritter it away on frivolous things or through unconscious spending.

What I did in the last week as a tightwad:

• Cut out almost three dozen baby burp cloths from fabric in my stash. (Unfortunately I got sick before I could sew them together, but that’s coming.)
• Used odd leftover envelopes to mail letters to our son in Marine Corps Basic Training.
• Made three loaves of banana bread from four overripe bananas.
• Started compost buckets again for veggie and fruits peelings, egg shells, etc.
• Made two cups of breadcrumbs from leftover individual slices of bread that I’d stuck in the freezer. Used one and a half cups of it in the meatloaf Monday night.
• Cut open a lotion bottle to get at the stuff at the bottom that wouldn't come up the pump.
• Rinsed out the last little bit of ketchup in the bottom of the bottle to use in the glaze for the meatloaf.

 And that's just what I could remember at the moment. Some things I do are so habitual that I don't even think about the money saving they bring. Like opening up the drapes and curtains to let sunshine in to warm the rooms, and closing them when the sun goes down to hold in the heat. Like shaking out each piece of laundry as it goes into the dryer so the dryer cycle doesn't take as long. (Kudos to you who hang your laundry, I'm not there yet, especially during Iowa winters.) And cutting the dryer sheets in half, or if I'm really desperate cutting them into fourths. Like measuring the amount of dishwashing liquid I use each time I do the dishes. (We don't have a dishwasher, unless you count me!) And turning bottles upside down to capture the last little bits, and then using a slim spatula to really clean it out.

So what did you do to not spend money this week?