Living in Creative Poverty in nursing school or on a nurse's salary

kellyo, LPN · Jan 26, 2005

Oh, I like this tread already. I'm looking forward to some great tips.

Coupons, store brands, no cell phones, no credit cards. Mostly I just avoid being around material things (too busy in school, anyway). If I don't SEE the beautiful things in the stores, then I don't miss them.

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 26, 2005

Read all of Amy Dacyzyn's books. The Tightwad Gazette series. She will give you ideas and insights to saving a buck you never thought of....some you won't want to, either rofl.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375752250/104-5523968-1645543

also visit:

http://www.notjustbeans.com

http://www.tightwad.com/

http://www.stretcher.com/

http://frugalliving.about.com/

http://www.frugalvillage.com/

http://www.frugalfamilynetwork.com/page7.html

for some money-saving ideas.

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 26, 2005

One thing I do is use 1/2 the meat in my hot dishes and no meat in spaghetti sauce. I make my sauces from scratch, as well as many cakes, etc. this really saves money for me.....LEARN TO COOK, and do away with convenience foods/prepared meals! its so much cheaper! And better for you.....

--Couponing is a must, but make sure its for things you DO USE ALREADY or else you are hooked into buying things you don't need or use normally, hence wasting money.

--Consolidate car trips/errands. Uses less gasoline than "spurts" or "jaunts" to do one thing at a time.

--use you library versus buying books/videos etc. Old Ben Franklin had a good thing going on when he came up with THIS concept!

--Put a brick in your toilet tank. Each flush will use less water and you will save $ on your water bill.

--they are spendy, but those fluroscent bulbs last MUCH longer and use less energy, thus saving you $$$ in the long run....

---baking soda is a great cleanser for most anything. So is lemon juice/vinegar, for many thing. I found the less I spend on expensive and potentially hazardous cleaners, the better my grocery bill is. And the better the environment does. Bleach is good, too if you can stand using it. It's much less hazardous to the environment than most household cleaners are.

--Shop the perimeter of your grocery store. Usually you will find the fruits./veggies and necessities there. The expensive stuff is in the middle and at eye level on the shelves, as well. Look high and low on shelves for the cheaper alternatives!

Those are a few ideas, I do have others. Later on when I think of em.

kellisdomain · Jan 26, 2005

thank you, thank you!!! i am a single mom of one soon to be 5yr old boy and he eats me out of house and home.

the store we have here has were you can by 5 different kinds of meat for 19.99. so i usually get the link sausage which last about 4 weeks for weekend breakfast, hamburger meat is over 1 pound so i usually get 2 packages, a package of skinned de-boned chicken breasts and porkchops. all that for 20.00, if i bought it @ walmart it would cost me about 30.00.

then i wait until they have the sales such as: 10 cans of veggies for $1.00 delmonte i think. i buy some one day and go in the next and buy more so i have enough. this week another store in my area has different cheeses for .99 each. normally its 1.19 on up so i bought some.

milk i pay for normally cause it hardly goes on sale and besides it good for him bread is usually .79-.89 get about 2 loaves.

i don't really coupon clip unless i really see a good deal. i don't by name brand items. last week my mom, my son and i went to outlet store in vicksburg, ms to get some shoes. i got me and my son some sketchers they both came to 22.00!! i was in awe. i love thrift stores!!!!!! buy good used clothes at a fraction of the cost and besides who is going to know you got it there unless you advertise but then again i'm not ashamed.

thanks for this thread!!!

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 27, 2005

Buy/sell used books.

Get together with friends and neighbors and have garage sales three or four times a year.

Have "toy trades" with your neighbors or friends for the kids.

Barter!

Get together with a few "cheapskate" friends and have a potluck of your cheapest dishes. Trade recipes.

Use cold water to wash clothes. Line dry rather than use the clothes dryer.

Doing dishes by hand saves water and electricity.

Board games are cheaper than electronic ones.

Sometimes your local pawn shop can have some good deals, but be careful as most don't guarantee anything. I got a $300 bike for $60 once, though.

Consolidating errands for off-peak driving hours will save time and gas.

PBAJS · Jan 27, 2005

juice drinks are mostly water. i get the 100% all juice and dilute it: i use 1/2 juice, 1/2 water.

quote=kellisdomain - milk i pay for normally cause it hardly goes on sale

to save mileage and my valuable time :chuckle , and it's a bonus if it on sale :), i purchase extra milk and freeze it. suggestion: remove about one cup of milk from the container to allow for expansion.

http://www.dairyland-ca.com/storing.htm

freezing milk

although we do not recommend freezing milk products, for some it is a necessity. milk may be frozen for as long as 3 months provided the sealed container is frozen prior to the best before date. skim and 2% milk freeze better than homo milk (whole milk). thaw frozen milk in the refrigerator. the milk will still have the same nutrients, but it may separate. if it does, shake well or beat with an electric mixer or rotary beater.

Achoo!, LPN · Jan 27, 2005

I volunteer at the St Vincent De Paul once a week. I sort the stuff,so I have 'first dibs' so to speak, plus I get a discount!

I also buy a bottle of lysol, and put it in a spray bottle 10/1 with water and use it for my countertops and cleaning.

I buy bulk hamburger and seperate it into zilpoc baggies. I can make porcupine balls for $2.00 and it feeds all 4 of us.

Attheana · Jan 27, 2005

Just alittle tip in ohio and here in florida there is a line of grocery stores that are very low in price. Of course you need to add a few more seasonings to some of the stuff but most are good. Its called SAVE A LOT. You can find it in low income areas usually on main drags. No not always crack neighborhood but country areas rual areas etc. I save so much money there. cereal $1.79 a box always.... canned soups still .25 cents. low prices from new or smaller companies... I also buy my meat in bulk and seperate it in baggies. I sandwich size baggie holds about a pound of meat.. I wait for sales sometimes at other grocery stores and buy.. then freeze.

purplemania, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2005

While in my ADN program I learned that the school library stocked at least one of every REQUIRED textbook. I mostly made do with the handouts, but when I needed the text I used the free one in the library.

smkiya, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2005

When I began tightening my wallet, I began buying my clothes at thrift stores until I discovered a cheaper alternative. If you look in your local paper, the mall department stores have % off coupons. Usually at the end of a season all of the clothes go on clearance. If you wait a few weeks, you'll notice the clothing getting cheaper and cheaper. You'll also notice that the clearance items may be an additional % off already reduced prices and if you have a coupon. I never pay full price or even sale price...

I have 10 pairs of Tommy Hilfiger jeans, I bought them brand new, they retailed for $48 - $60 each, and I didn't spend more than $8 per pair. In fact I went to Boscov's one day and bought 3 pair of Tommy jeans and a pair of Tommy khakis for, hold on to your hats.... $2.75 each! Sears is a great store to shop for clothing because their sales are sometimes take an additional 80% already clearance prices. I once bought 15 items for a whooping $27 (pants & shirts).

Here's another idea, when you buy these items sell them on Ebay. You'll definately get more than what you paid for them. Think about it, if I sold a pair of my Tommy jeans that retailed for $48 and I bought them brand new for $2.75 do you think it unreasonable to get a bid for a brand new pair of Tommy jeans for $20... that's a huge profit! Baby clothes are also big sellers on Ebay.

The best stores for clearance merchandise are Sears (wait for "take additional % off"... sometimes you just have to go to the store because its not advertised.) Strawbridge & Clothier (they usually also have coupons for an additional 15 - 20% with all the other clearance discounts.) Boscov's, (also coupons in paper... but harder to find good deals than previous two... I did get those 4 pair of Tommy pants for 2.75 there though.) Last year Express had boxes of clothes in the front of the store ranging from $5 to $20, I got excellent deals there. Remember clothing is marked up more than anyother product, so when stores want to get rid of it, they mark it down. Hope it helps.

CHATSDALE · Jan 27, 2005

penny's is also a good place to look for seasonal sales...right now their winter stuff is as low as it is going to get...if they don't sell it i think they send it to a distrubution center..i know that dillard has a store in shreveport where the regions stores send the stuff they didn't sell.

i buy shoes in feb and in august...i buy summer shoes in august..[actually i can use sandals all year here in La..and tennis shoes which i usually wear to work i have picked up at meryvns for about 25% of orignial price

teenagers are more difficult to buy for...try and resist pushing the 'in' thing for your under 10yo because it won't be long before they "just have to have this" on their own

you students learn some good habits...i know there is a tendancy to splurge when you finally graduate but hold back a little...reward yourself some but remember how hard you work for your money and invest some of it so you will someday sit on a beach in florida and watch the rest of the world go by