9/20/24: Dollar Stretcher Tips

Rice Is Nice (and Cheap!)

Rice is a good choice when wanting to stretch your food dollar. We buy it in bulk and serve rice two or three times a week as a side dish with chili or soup on top.

Rice is also versatile. You can serve it plain, with butter, soy sauce, vegetables mixed in, or spices like garlic or chili powder added. The possibilities are endless!
Becky

Related: Bulk Rice Storage Tips to Prevent Food Waste

A Money-Saving Shopping Order

I use the following order when shopping for anything but food items. This method makes sense and has worked for me for years, helping us to save enough to be out of debt. When I am looking to buy something specific, I go to the stores as follows, looking for the item I want. This is in the order of the cheapest to most expensive:

• Garage/yard/tag sales
• Thrift stores
• Resale shops
• Dollar stores
• Dollar General or Family Dollar
• Discount department stores

If you do this, you will be assured to get the item for the cheapest available price.
Nancy

Related: 6 Brick-and-Mortar Clothing Resale Shop Saving Secrets

Repurpose That Old Phone

My second Kindle died. Rather than invest in a third one, I downloaded the Kindle Reader app from Amazon onto my old Android phone, which I had saved for this purpose. I use this old phone exclusively for Kindle books and games. I don't have the phone hooked up to a mobile service; I just use Wi-Fi. Not only has this saved me the cost of buying a new tablet, but it is also helping me prolong the life of my new cell phone since I am using it less at home and reducing the chance of dropping it.
Janet

Related: 7 Places to Find Free or Cheap Books and Audio Books

Smooth-Moving Car Windows

Use spray silicone lubricant and apply a generous amount to the window tracks of your car. I could barely roll up the power windows and thought it needed new window motors. After spraying the silicone in the window tracks, they've worked like new for almost two years now.
Rob

Related: DIY Auto Maintenance for the Frugal Car Owner

Inexpensive Frizzy Hair Care

I have thick, curly/wavy hair. I used to rely on expensive leave-in conditioners to remove the frizzies because I air-dry my hair. When I went thrifty, I discovered that a few drops of olive oil work wonders for my hair — no more expensive leave-in conditioners for me.
Janet

Related: 5 Inexpensive Homemade Hair Treatments

Pizza Delivery Savings

We love pizza with loads of toppings, but each topping adds to the total price.

Now we order pizza with sausage and cheese. While waiting for our pizza delivery, we cut up and saute onions, peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli (you can do this in the microwave). When the pizza arrives, we add these toppings, have a healthy meal, and save a bundle.

I like to let them add the sausage since I can't see very significant savings by buying my own. I also feel the flavor of the pizza is better if the meat is cooked with it. But if you prefer pepperoni, add it with the other toppings.
Anita