Imperfect People

 

There are plenty of things we HAVE to pay for but here is a quick list of everyday items that you should NOT have to pay for.  Enjoy saving some money!

 

Cleaning Supplies you DON’T need to pay for:

 

1. A cleaner for every surface of your home: A solution of equal parts vinegar and water plus a splash of lemon juice is the perfect all purpose, all natural, and all frugal cleaning solution.  Perfect for an empty bottle of your old cleaning solution or a purchased spray bottle.  Bonus: vinegar is an awesome disinfectant! 
   A damp rag is all you need to dust and baking soda sprinkled in the toilet is a perfect toilet bowl cleaner! 
2. Laundry detergent: I make my laundry detergent using soap nuts. Complete recipe here.  As if it wasn’t simple enough I found an even easier already made SUPER concentrated version of the same thing here. It is affordable, all natural, and very easy! 

 

Health and Beauty products you DON’T need to pay for:

 

1. Face wash, toner, AND moisturizer: Face wash is full of random yucky unidentified chemicals, yet it leaves your face with nothing good.  Taking away all the oil  from your face leaves it needing moisturizer and a few hours later your face has to produce more oil to make up for what has been lost.  Ask any chemist and they will tell you oil cleans oil.  Yes I am talking about washing your face with oil.  I have done it for two years now and have no acne to speak of!  Only soft skin and less expense!  All the details here.   
2. Shampoo and conditioner:
   Same rules apply to your hair as they do your face although i don’t advice washing your hair with oil.  I wash my hair with a shampoo bar. Affordable, chemical free, and it give my lifeless hair volume!  I dab coconut oil on my fingers and apply it to the ends after they have dried. Also worthy of note is the “poo free method” it didn’t work for me but many people swear by it and it doesn’t get any cheaper than that! 
3. Hair products: Now that I clean my hair with natural products it is so weightless!  I no longer need mouse, gel, hairspray etc!
4. Mouthwash: a solution of half peroxide half water is actually better than most commercial mouthwashes (says my dentist.)

 

General Items you DON’t need to pay for:

 

1. Books Remember the library?  Good news…it still exists!  You can place a hold for your books online and it will be there waiting for you at the front desk.  If you have a kindle make sure you check the amazon kindle site and check it often. There are always free books.
2. Basic Computer Software when you are buying a computer they want lots of extra cash for basic software (word-processing etc.)  Open Office is a free site where you can download all of that stuff for FREE
3. Bottled water I think most people know by now that bottled water is nothing fancier than tap water. It is between 240 and 10,000 times more expensive than tap water and horribly bad for the environment (yes even if you recycle them).  If you are still stuck on bottled water read this
4. Your credit report.  www.annualcreditreport.com, the only truly free place to see all three of your credit reports for free once a year.
5. Shipping:  This doesn’t work every time but before you complete your online purchase check  www.freeshipping.org.
6. DVD Rentals You can rent DVDs from RedBox locations for $1 a night and better yet, if you use one of the coupon codes from www.insideredbox.com you can get it FREE. Most libraries now have free DVD rental as well.
7. Cell Phone – Most major carriers will give you a free phone, even a free smart phone, with a 2 year contract.
8. Basic Tax Preparation – If your taxes are not overly complicated, then you should probably be preparing your own tax return using one of the many free online services. It’s now common for e-filing to be free as well with many services. You won’t even need a stamp!
9. Tupperware: Why not reuse that old spagetti jar? 

 Part of the Green Resource at Sorta Crunchy, the Greenbacks girl, Life renewed, and a Delightful home

 Have other suggestions?  I would love to hear your comments!