Flipping Q-Tips! Or Why is Non-Food 1/3 of My Grocery Budget? - Page 4

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Leta

brymommy, I do pickle (beets, cucumbers, okra) and use vinegar to make ricotta cheese. And I also use it as fabric softener.

But most of it goes for cleaning. I clean the kitchen table multiple times a day with a spray bottle of 50%-50% water and vinegar. I Shmop my floor (not often enough) with a basin of vinegar and water. I dust once a week with feather duster that's been sprayed with vinegar and water first. I clean windows, mirrors, electronics, and marked on walls with vinegar and water and a microfiber rag. I clean my bathroom sink and toilet with vinegar and water daily. And DSS and DD each have their own spray bottle to help me. So yeah, we go thru a ton of vinegar here.

I wipe down my counters with a spray bottle filled with about a pint of water and about a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. For washing mirrors, I use a vinegar/water mixture that's about 1/8th vinegar and the rest water. A 50/50 mix of vinegar and water seems really strong to me!

[mnnice]

Leta get to know Walgreen's it will be your friend. Free toothbrushes, floss, and toothpaste are especially easy to get (although kid toothbrushes are harder to get deals on than adult brushes). I have also scored tom's of maine on clearance

If you read money saving mom or other coupon type sites they will tell you the deals that week. Also I often get overage that I can put towards things like foil, baking soda, or the single roll of walgreens toilet paper (which is a lot like the Scotts). I sometimes end up with some things that I have no real use for (i.e. diabetic monitors I donate or low dose asprin which I give to my dad). For me it worth it, I have a Walgreen's on my way home from work (it just yards out of my way) and I get to go without kids (because they are at home with DH). If there is an especially appealing deal I might to it 4 or 5 times during the week.

[sbrinton]

I don't think what you are spending sounds that excessive.

When we create our budget, toiletries, medicines/vitamins, pet, and office supplies would all go into separate categories. Household items like tp and soap do count as grocery. Most months my non-food grocery items are between $25-50.

We budget about $40 for toiletries and $25 for medicines/vitamins. And about $10 for office/computer supplies. We don't have pets. Even without pets, that adds up to $100-125. This is within our budget. There are areas we could cut back if we needed to and I do try to be thrifty in many categories so we have extra for things we do enjoy or want.

[~Megan~]

ok, so I looked at your list and my best suggest is don't get them from the grocery store. The prices are so much higher there. These aren't really grocery items as much as household items and they fit in a different place in our budget

Look for sales and stock up
if you aren't buying speciality (ie recycled materials) get them from the dollar store
if you are buying speciality then order form a co-op like Azure Standard
buy in bulk at a membership store (check prices though)

[quelindo]

Originally Posted by Yooper

We rinse and re-use straws. We have had the same 10 leftover fast food straws for years. I am not even sure where they came from since we do not even eat fast food....

We do this too. In fact, I have a long skinny brush that I use to wash them out with. I kind of forget that this is not normal...until I offer guests a straw to go with their mojitos and then realize that all our straws have teethmarks on them...

[kis95]

Originally Posted by Kyamo

4. In Canada, there's no such thing as getting paid to take merchandise, and if there is a "try it free" coupon it is for expensive gimmick cleaning product that is not necessary, never staples like toothpaste or tampons. Coupons in general are much rarer.

Exactly! It's so annoying to read about the amazing sales/coupon deals they offer in the States, but we just don't have the same thing here. Coupons, yes, but not the way they do there. Once in awhile, I'll have a coupon for something that's also on sale, but that's about the extent of our coupon extravaganza! I am so envious of the blogs dedicated to getting almost a whole month's worth of shopping for free.

[PlayaMama]

Originally Posted by Leta

As for how often I buy what, these are educated guesses on my part. (For example, I know that the package of doodie bags contains 120 bags. The dog averages two dumps per walk, and gets walked every day, so a package lasts me about two months.)

the only thing i have to suggest is this: that is a LOT of dog poo! no offense but purina is full of fillers that don't really offer any nutrition but make it seem like a lot of food. corn is probably on the ingredient list.

you may want to consider switching to a more expensive dog food because your dog will eat less of it because it has more nutrition per cup so the bag will last longer.

if you don't mind me asking, how much does your dog eat per day and how much does she weigh?

we have an 85 pound dog that goes through a 40# bag of costco dog food (~$25) every month and a half. she free feeds but i'd say she probably eats about two cups per day. i used to work at a vet clinic and a pet store and it's hard for people to understand why anyone would want to spend more on dog food but it REALLY makes a difference in the stool of the dog. the boarders that were on purina had these huge yellowish poos all.the.time and the ones on the better foods had smaller better formed darker poos twice a day. they also ate less food.

[Leta]

I don't think our dog poops more than normal, . Her stools are always well formed and she very, very rarely poops in our yard. 90%+ of the time, the two dumps on the walk are the only times that she goes- she's a fastidious dog. Our yard is small and I don't think she wants to mess up her "den".

She weighs between 65 and 70 pounds and a 25# bag of dog food lasts her a month, so she's eating about 14 ounces a day, which is, what, about 1 and 3/4 cups? Something like that. She also free-feeds. She's a healthy weight, according to our vet. You can feel her ribs.

[PlayaMama]

Originally Posted by Leta

I don't think our dog poops more than normal, . Her stools are always well formed and she very, very rarely poops in our yard. 90%+ of the time, the two dumps on the walk are the only times that she goes- she's a fastidious dog. Our yard is small and I don't think she wants to mess up her "den".

She weighs between 65 and 70 pounds and a 25# bag of dog food lasts her a month, so she's eating about 14 ounces a day, which is, what, about 1 and 3/4 cups? Something like that. She also free-feeds. She's a healthy weight, according to our vet. You can feel her ribs.

hmmm... my dogs have always gone once per walk twice a day (so two walks = two poos) so four poos per day seems like a lot to me.

i wouldn't think she'd be over or underweight necessarily, just that it might be taking more food to keep her there, but 1-3/4 cups seems about right for that size. it is possible that purina has bettered it's formula since i last checked...

[Leta]

Ah, see, we only take one walk a day. So those two poos per walk are the only times all day that she goes. Because this dog poo conversation wasn't detailed enough.

Oh, and as it turns out, my pets DON'T eat Purina- DH buys the pet food, and puts it in the container, so I can't recall the last time I saw an actual bag. Turns out he switched them to Dad's months ago. Who knew?

[xekomaya]

First Aide: Any chance you have a flex spending account for medical and can buy your contact solution, bandaids, etc pre-tax at least?

Staples: Can you buy a staple-less stapler and be done forever?

Food Storage: How do you use your tinfoil? A single roll seems to last us for years. Are you using tinfoil, ceran wrap, etc. when reusable food storage containers can be used instead?

Pens: Can't you just steal them from the bank like everyone else? j/k

[PlayaMama]

okay, sounds like you've got the dog poo situation under control !!!

love those pets :

[Chicky2]

I personally think Leta is amazing.

I do think that's pricey for baking soda. Have you checked the pool supply section of your big box store? This time of the year it's on sale pretty cheap (sorry, don't remember the price/amount right now)

[Leta]

A stapleless stapler? I just Googled this, and they look so cool. Sooo cool. And they're five or six bucks. I really want one now.

Yes, we spend a not-insignificant amount of money on office supplies for being just a little household. I think it's a combination of things- a holdover from when I was selling on eBay a lot, and the fact that my kids would much rather do art with my office supplies than with their art supplies. I'm trying to think of a way to combat this, but so far I'm coming up blank- their art supplies are in an easy accessible desk, well organized, they have everything, including a work table- they just like mine more. Maybe I'll hide mine...

Here's what I have figured out:

-Tinfoil, plastic wrap, and parchment are coming from the restaurant supply store from now on. The big boxes should last us 5+ years.

-I'm going to spring for the dispenser, and switch to the napkin-like TP. This will be easier for toddler hands, produce less waste, and will be cheaper in the long run. Also from the restaurant supply store.

-I'm going to spend $50 for 1000 zip top bags from Amazon. They are 5 mil plastic, so thick, and since we re-use, they should last a while. (We spent $40 on 1000 bread bags 2 years ago, and even with 100% home bread making, have only used about a fourth of them. So I'm thinking the ziplocs will last around 5 years.)

-I'm going back to making my own laundry detergent. I'm subbing out the Fels Naptha with Sun w/Bleach Alternative. This will be less work, cheaper, and should work better. I'm just going to dissolve the powder in hot was water before I switch to cold, so I should notice only a marginal increase in my gas bill, if it increases at all, and I'll be saving about $70/yr, so I'll still come out ahead.

-I'm going to try growing aloe vera and catnip. This won't eliminate the need to buy it, but should reduce.

-I'm going to check out Walgreens and try to get toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, and razor blades cheaper or free.

-I'm going to start using a measuring cup as the food scoop for my fat, fat cats and hopefully reduce the amount they eat as well as improving their health.

-I'm going to spend $25 on a gallon of pine tar, and make enough soap with it to last us a decade.

-I found some floursack towels. This will not eliminate our cheesecloth needs entirely, but will reduce them by about 80%.

-I'm going to go to Office Max for our office supplies (including a way cool staple-free stapler!) and buy printer paper in the big box... and I'm going to HIDE it.

-I'm not buying dog treats anymore. DH has been bringing the dog beef bones home from work, and she likes those way better, anyway.

I think if I do all this stuff, it will take our average from $100 a month down to about $60, if my math and estimations are correct. (If I can get down to $50/mo, I'm going to be happy and just try to stay there.) So my "investment" purchases will take about three or four months to pay for themselves, and after that we should be saving $40 a month on household supplies.

The other nice thing about bulk shopping is that it really shortens the amount of time our monthly stock-up takes. Because we don't buy a whole lot of different items from the grocery/big box store, as it is right now I do the OAM shopping trip in less than 3 hours, including the 1 hour driving time, assuming I'm alone. This should shave that time down further still.

[BekahJ]

How do you make your own sunscreen?

[mtm]

Originally Posted by kis95

Exactly! It's so annoying to read about the amazing sales/coupon deals they offer in the States, but we just don't have the same thing here. Coupons, yes, but not the way they do there. Once in awhile, I'll have a coupon for something that's also on sale, but that's about the extent of our coupon extravaganza! I am so envious of the blogs dedicated to getting almost a whole month's worth of shopping for free.

save.ca has some good coupons. smartcanucks.ca has forums listing who has the best sales, how to match coupons with the sales flyers etc. Nothing like in the States but I've saved quite a bit since finding these two sites.

[Leta]

I put zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (both white powders, purchased on eBay) in lotion or some other medium (like coconut oil or vegetable shortening). To make it waterproof, I melt it with grated beeswax and a few drops of glycerin.

[sunnysandiegan]

Sounds like a plan, Leta!

I want to know what kind of soap you make with pine tar, though. Sounds icky to me, but it is just the word "tar".....

Also, I get my baking soda from the restaurant supply store for a lot less than other sources around here.

I need a better source for coconut oil. Where do you get yours?

[Leta]

I need to put that on my list- find a better source for baking soda! I need to check the pet store, the feed store, and the Rec Room (our pool supply store).

I just buy the coconut oil at the grocery store. WM has the LouAna brand, it's about $2.50 for a quart.

Pine tar makes pine tar soap . It's wonderful for dry scalp/dandruff. I've heard it's good for psorisis, too, but fortunately none of us have that. It's like the natural alternative to that Neutrogena coal tar shampoo.

[Leta]

Thanks, Chicky! But, honestly, I have MDC to thank for much of my current skill set, so I think all you other mamas are amazing, too.