Save Money on Dental Care

It is March once again.

And this could only mean one thing for my family...

Dental Check-Up Month!

Every March and September, we visit our Family Dentist for our bi-annual dental check-ups.

We usually go there on the 2nd Saturday of the month.

This may sound over-the-limit or very strict to others, but for us, having our regular check-ups saves us money.

How?

Well, first off, let me say that my husband is blessed to work in a company which gives the employee & his family, full medical & dental health cards. So, really, we don't pay for anything.

But even if we didn't have those health cards, we would still follow our bi-annual trips to the dentist's clinic.

Why?

Having your teeth checked regularly can eliminate possible-major-dental problems in the future.

1. They can prevent Gum Diseases.

2. Your dentist can check if you have bad breath - that can be the cause of a much serious problem.

3. Having your teeth cleaned regularly can save you from getting a Root Canal procedure.

4. There is such a thing as Oral Cancer, and regular visits to the dentist can help in detecting and avoiding this disease.

5. The dentist can recommend a better diet for your oral health care.

6. Your dentist can recommend a better toothbrush.

So you see, taking care of your oral health can save you a lot of money (and pain!) in the future.

Don't scrimp on this aspect and you'll see that you can save money in the end.

Save Money by Recycling Your KFC Buckets

More often than not, when we are running out of time to prepare for a meal to go (i.e. picnics, roadtrips, etc.) we go to KFC to order their Bucket Meal. It is actually cost-effective when you compare it to other food to-go.

 

As I've mentioned before, I hate throwing out plastic. As such, we end up with quite a lot of these plastic buckets.

So, I've come up with a list on what to do with those buckets:

1. As a laundry detergent holder. You can place your detergent sachets in the bucket so that they won't get wet.

2. For marinating. If you're like me who can't seem to find a plastic container that can fit a whole chicken for marinating, then you can try what I've discovered. I use the plastic bucket for marinating a whole chicken. You can also use it for other meat, like pork chops or even fish.

3. As a project holder. Let's say you're into arts and crafts, you've probably thought about buying a lot of baskets or containers to put your stuff in. You can just use a plastic bucket! If you're into crocheting or knitting or even cross-stitching, the bucket can hold your yarns, thread and what-have-you's.

4. Temporary kitchen trash can. When cooking, I don't like throwing the peelings or the wrappers very often, since I would get my hands dirty. So what I do is I place a plastic bucket nearby to put in all of the things I need to throw. After cooking, I just empty the bucket in the proper trash can. Saves me from washing my hands very often.

5. Small toys holder. If you have boys like me, you probably know how they love matchbox cars. I don't like placing those cars in the toy box since it will be hard to look for them later. So I use a plastic bucket to put in all of my boys' small cars, then I place the bucket inside the toy box. It's easier to store them this way.

6. Potato, onion and garlic bin. I store potatoes, onions, & heads of garlic in a plastic bucket (separately). I haven't thought of buying a plastic or basket container for this purpose.

7. Basin for cleaning bottles. When my boys were still babies, I used plastic buckets to wash their bottles in. It's big enough for that purpose.

8. Jewelry box. I have used 3 plastic buckets to store my chunky bracelets and other chunky accessories.

9. Car trash can. All you need to do is line it with a plastic bag and it's good to go.

10. Bath-time helper. My boys love taking baths and along with it comes the plastic bucket holding all of their bath toys. All you need to do is turn the bucket upside down (with the lid and with the toys inside) after the bath so that they can dry up fast.

11. Clothespin holder. When hanging clothes outside to dry, I am accompanied by a plastic bucket holding all of my clothespin.

12. Pots for plants. The plastic buckets work as fine as the clay pots.

13. First-aid kit & medicine holder. All you need to do is to clean the plastic bucket thoroughly.

14. Tissue/Napkin holder. As tip # 13, you just have to make sure that the plastic bucket is really clean for this use.

15. Computer cables / earphones / computer gadgets holder. We use a plastic bucket to organize all of our computer related things.

Now, you may notice that I have come up with a lot with recycling these plastic buckets, and I guess you're wondering how did I acquire a lot of it. Well, some of it came from our own to-go purchases, a lot of it came from my parents & in-law's. They also love ordering the bucket meal and they save the plastic buckets, for their use and some to give to me.

These buckets don't necessarily come in the usual KFC logos, some of them have cartoon or movie designs. Last year we had some extra paint so some of the buckets were painted baby blue.

Total money saved for these projects: Php 1500 in 6 months and counting!

There are just too many things to do with an empty KFC bucket!

Save Money While Cooking Rice

As Filipinos, our diet has too much rice.

We eat it almost 3 times a day, even more for some.

So how can cooking rice help us save money?

By not throwing away the water we wash the rice with!

Usually, rice is washed at least 3 times before cooking it. After each wash, I place the water in a pail and use it for something else for later.

Here are some ideas on where to use rice water:

1. For watering the plants.

2. For your dog's drinking water. It's clean enough, don't worry...

3. For cleaning gardening tools.

4. As a facial toner. Yup, you read it right, I was able to watch this tip in a japanese-english channel last year. They said that Sake handlers have very smooth skin hence the conclusion that rice water is good for the skin. Just wash your face with your normal facial wash, then rinse your face with the rice water. You have to be patient with this one since results don't show immediately. But as per my personal experience, it does help in giving you smooth skin.

Money saved for this tip: at least Php 100 a month on your water bill, and another Php 100 a month on your beauty bill!

That translates to Php 2400 in a year, not bad for rice water huh.

Recycling Plastic Utensils

Whenever we buy take-out or have food delivered, I noticed that the restaurant or fast food gives us a lot of plastic eating utensils.

We really don't have use for them since we're gonna eat the food at home where we have our own eating utensils.

I hate throwing plastic since it just ends up in the landfill for a long time. So I kept these utensils in another plastic container (I'm really big on recycling!).

Before I knew it, I had enough utensils to be used by a small army (okay, exaggerating here)!

But anyway, I've come up with some things on how to recycle these plastic utensils:

1. On picnics. We often go on an unplanned picnic every so often. And whenever we do, I just bring these plastic utensils so that we wouldn't have so much stuff to bring back home. I just make sure that I throw the used plastic utensils in the recycling bin of the vicinity.

2. During parties. Instead of buying new plastic eating utensils for your party, why not use the unused fast food plastic eating utensils instead? It can save you around Php 200. You can use that money to buy additional food or favors for your party.

3. For packed-lunches. I pack My S lunch to bring to work everyday, along with that goes a plastic spoon & fork that he can use. You can do the same.

4. As plant support. My mom-in-law is really into gardening. And when one of her seedlings are a little bit droopy, she uses a plastic spoon as a supporter.

5. As a coffee stirrer at work. If you are into coffee or hot chocolate during your shift, keep one plastic spoon together with your mug or tumbler so that you can use it as a stirrer.

6. As toys. My boys use some plastic spoons as road tracks for their cars. You can also use these for play doughs. And even pretend-cooking playtime.

You may have noticed that we saved a little amount of money on this tip.

But a little goes a long way if you add them up...

Save on Treats!

With summer-time comes the fruit season!

There are a lot of low-cost fruits for sale now in the marketplace. You just need to look around for the greatest deals. You'll find out that you can save a lot of money compared to buying the ones in can.

What you can do is, peel a couple of the fruits, slice them into bite size pieces and place them in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap (or you can use a plastic container) and refrigerate for an hour.

Then when your family is up for some snacks (while playing or watching TV or surfing the net), you can serve the fruit bowl that you just made.

It's healthy and it's a money-saver too!

You can eliminate the chips and other unhealthy & expensive snacks.

Follow this up with ice-cold water or lemonade and your family will feel so satisfied with their snacks!

Wanna know how much I saved with this tip last summer? Php 1500 for the whole summer!

Not bad, right?!

Sew It!

My grandmother owned an electric sewing machine, and she used to make our everyday-house clothes with it. She even repaired clothes that get torn. She also knew how to make new things from old clothes. Like if you don't like your jeans anymore, she can make it into shorts. Old bedsheets can be turned into pillow cases. She had a lot of projects with that sewing machine. We probably saved more than Php 5000 a year because of it.

I was young then, house-hold chores were far from my interests... So I never asked her to teach me how to do those projects.

Until My S and I started our own family... And I started taking interest on these type of projects.

Sadly, she has passed away, leaving me with an electric sewing machine that I have the slightest idea on how to use... (God Bless Her Soul)...

But, as our generation of internet-savvy individuals, information on these kind of things are just a click away!

So I began researching on how to use the old machine, started some really simple projects with it, damaged a lot of old clothes due to trial and error, and alas! I finally learned my way through on how to sew!

Well, not as an expert like my grandmother, but at least I can use it to save money...

Here are some projects to try:

1. Make everyday-house clothes. If you chance upon a fabric shop that sells soft and light fabrics for a low cost, buy a couple of yards and turn them into sleeveless shirts and shorts. What I do is I take one of our existing clothes and use it as a pattern (you can also google some patterns and print them out). Your first few tries may be fashion disasters (I know, 'cause mine were!), but that's okay, you'll learn through experience.

2. Make pillow-cases from old bedsheets. When my boys were still babies, I was handed-down with A LOT of baby blankets. Now that they're toddlers, I really don't have any use for them anymore. So I tried to turn a couple of them into pillow-cases. Since they're already used, they're really soft and nice to use. Now, all of those blankets have been re-created into pillow-cases! If you have bedsheets that you're ready to throw out, try making them into pillow-cases, just use an old pillow-case as your pattern.

3. Repair torn clothes. We sometimes get our clothes torn in the most unimaginable places. Some people throw them out or use them as rags if this happens. But why not just repair it? You'll save on buying new clothes to replace the torn ones! This may take some skill so that it won't look "repaired". But as I've said, information is just a click away!

4. Make curtains. I haven't been successful with this one yet. But I am learning by using old bedsheets as experiments. My teacher for this project is ehow.com. We all know that the tag prices on curtains are sky-high if you want the good-looking ones! So why not learn how to make it, right? You'll get exactly what you want, the right shade and ruffles and size, plus, you'll save money on the way!

5. Make something new from something old. Have some old jeans that you don't like anymore? Or probably some old t-shirts that are kept at the back of your closets? Why not turn them into something new and useful? I've turned My S' old jeans into walking shorts and they look like store-bought! He also had a lot of t-shirts that he didn't want anymore, so I turned them into my everyday-house clothes and into pillow-cases.

In estimate, we have saved almost Php 3000 last year by making use of my grandmother's old sewing machine.

If you don't have a sewing machine to use, you can always do manual-sewing, but that can be hard to do if your gonna make some curtains or turn jeans into walking shorts. But for all of the other examples above, you can do them even without a sewing machine.

The possibilities of saving money by sewing can be endless!

The Energy Vampires

Nope, this is not about those people who suck energy from you (i.e. negative and melodramatic people).

This is about the energy-sucking vampires in your own home!

Check this image from GOOD Magazine:

Those lines are the energy that your appliances consume while they are still plugged in (even if you're not using them)!

So it means that even if you power-off your TVs and DVD players, they will still consume energy if they are kept plugged to the wall sockets.

And as per this article, you can save more than $50 a year if you start unplugging those appliances.

My family and I have incorporated this into our lifestyle and this is what I've noticed.

My parents-in-law have the same amount of appliances that we do, there are 3 adults in their household and almost half of the day, nobody's at home - their monthly electric bill: more or less Php 2500.

Our family (composed of me, My S and our 2 toddler sons) stays at home almost the whole day (except for My S who goes to work). Our monthly electric bill: more or less Php 1200!

I am not sure how my parents-in-law get to consume that much, but they have had it checked with the electric company, and it is accurate.

What we do in our house is just so simple but it works - we unplug it when we're not using it.

May it be the electric fan, the TV, the DVD player, the PC, the rice cooker and even the chargers!

Eliminate the Energy Vampires in your home and see for yourself how much you can save on your monthly electric bills.

Make Your Own Baby Wipes

I'm a mommy of 2 toddler boys. And when they were still babies, I was so frustrated on finding the best baby wipes so that they would not get rashes.

I checked the internet back then and found some baby wipes "recipes" that worked for me.

I would link back to that blog if only I could remember the URL, but sadly, I don't (baby brain!). I tried searching it in google but I can't find it. Anyway...

You would need a roll of paper towels for this project (no, not the usual tissue roll). If you are a member of S&R or a frequent buyer of Puregold, you would find these rolls on sale more often than not.

Recipe #1:

2 tablespoons of baby wash
2 tablespoons of olive oil or lavender oil
2 cups of water

Recipe # 2:

2 tablespoons of baby wash
2 tablespoons of olive oil or lavender oil
2-3 drops of tea-tree oil
2 cups of water

Recipe # 3:

1/4 cup aloe vera gel
2-3 drops of tea-tree oil
2 cups of hot water

All you need to do is mix the ingredients in a clean bowl.

Cut the roll of paper towel in half using a clean sharp knife (or an electric bread cutter).

In a cleaned tissue holder (or circular plastic container), place half of the roll of tissue and then pour the mixture, making sure that every surface gets wet with it. Then take out the cardboard roll. And there you have it, your home-made baby wipes!

This is cost-efficient as well since baby wipes can cost twice as much as tissue paper.

Energy-Efficient Lighting

I just found out that the Pasig City government has launched a program called "Palit-Ilaw Caravan" last month.

They changed all of the fluorescent lights & incandescent bulbs in all of the public schools, marketplace and government offices to CFLs.

This is a very great initiative, with regards to Global Warming.

It also means lesser energy consumption.

How does CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) lessen energy consumption anyway?

1. They don't generate heat that adds to cooling costs.

2. They last longer than incandescent bulbs.

3. They only use 20-30 percent of the power used by an incandescent bulb.

So if you're still not using CFLs, it's high time that you do.

Think of all the energy you can save.

The money you can save.

And the contribution that you can make in the fight against Global Warming.

Switch Off & UnPlug Please!

When I was still a teenager, I never really cared much about our energy consumption at home.

I would leave my computer, radio, electric fan and lights on when I leave my room regardless if I'll be coming back after 15 minutes or after more than an hour.

Global Warming was in it's pre-historic era back then... In other words, we didn't care...

When My S and I were starting out our first year of marriage, bills were not a problem. I mean, we were both working, so it never dented our monthly income. So again, we didn't care...

Then I got pregnant...

And it was a very emotional pregnancy! (Oh mercy!)

I would watch the news, read some articles on-line or hear stories from my colleagues and I would be crying in minutes! Bad news made me feel sad, good news made me cry of joy.

So to save you from all of those basket-case stories, I'll just say, that I got more interested about this world and it's current situation.

Not for me nor for My S.

But for the baby growing inside of me...

I started thinking of how my baby would grow up what with battling global warming and all!

So I did my research on how to help save the world from global warming.



The mother of all tips is this -- Switch Off and UnPlug when Not in Use!

It's so simple but so effective!

Before trying this energy-saving method, our electric bill was around Php 2000. But after starting this method, it went down to almost Php 1100! Php 900 in savings!

We have then incorporated this method into our lifestyle because it gives us extra cash and more importantly, we are helping in the fight against Global Warming For Our Kids...

I will have other blog posts describing in particular how to further cut down energy-consumption.

But for now, let's call it a day, power off the computer and unplug the power cord...