Since last Fall our family has scaled back. I mean, who hasn’t right?
We’ve bargain shopped at the grocery store by watching specials. We’ve (I mean I’ve) cut trips to the salon unless I look like Medusa. We have staycations instead of going anywhere new or exotic. We thrift store shopped for the season’s snow clothes for the kids. And, we strayed from our usual brands to try out new and less expensive alternatives.
As part of this cost-cutting venture we’ve run across some great brands and products that we’ll keep in the house long after times are (hopefully) not so tight.
For example, I stopped buying hair product at the salon and my hubby and I share Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner now and I honestly like it all the same (although I admit half the time my hair is in a ponytail or low bun anyway). And instead of an expensive face wash, I remain happy with switching it up between Bioree and Neutrogena.
And, of course, some things didn’t stick. Like, we’ve yet to find another laundry detergent better that our standard Arm & Hammer and when we tried the Kirkland brand the rest of the family informed me they thought our clothes stank. And sometimes there’s a reason why some things are cheap, and its because they ARE cheap.
One of the most embarrassing, and epic “fails” of our money-saving efforts actually took place on a more public venue. We bought HomeLife brand dishwasher tablets because, you guessed it, they were on sale. By the time we realized that they turned our clear glassware into a chalky-looking mess we were setting the table for a dinner party. Argh. Needless to say, we went back to Cascade. Can’t win ‘em all!
Anyway, if you found this at all useful, or thought it might be and it wasn’t, there are others out there with much better advice, like MoneySavingMom’s ongoing tips or within networks like Parenting’s Mom’s Money Saving Tips section or MommySavers, which even includes useful coupons.
Have suggestions for our household? Would love to hear your pearls of wisdom!
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