Living the Frugal Life

I was sitting in church last weekend, thinking about how I would probably go home and throw my dress in the laundry pile. But, I had only worn it a few hours. What a waste of time doing laundry, ironing, electricity, water, etc.! So, I started doing some research on exactly how often we should do our laundry. Here is what I found:

Most of us don’t need to wash our clothes after every wearing.

You should start a habit of inspecting your clothes after every wear. Underwear and socks, please, wash after every wear! Other items may only need a quick iron or to be hung in the bathroom while you are taking a shower to get the wrinkles out. If there are any kind of stains, you should absolutely pretreat and wash.

The benefits:

• Washing and drying less often keeps your clothes looking newer, longer.
• With less laundry to do, you’ll have more time and money for the activities you actually enjoy!

Simple guide to how often to wash clothes:

Underwear and socks - every wear!
Bras - depends on you - smell test!
Towels - after 2-3 uses
Jeans - after 2-3 wears
Dress shirts - probably 2 wears - smell test!
Jeans/Trousers - at least 2 wears
Skirts/Dresses - at least 2 wears
Jackets/Coats/Blazers - several wears
Workout clothes - depends on you - smell test!
Sweaters - at least 2 wears

Always be sure to check for stains and hang clothes out/Iron between wears!

*Always wash new clothes and clothes from thrift stores before you wear

More laundry tips from idealbite.com, WikiHow, and US Dept of energy:

• Put away “clean-enough” clothes right after wearing to keep them from rumpling and mixing with the truly un-wearable stuff.
• Hang already-worn items outside or near a window to air out, or in the bathroom while you shower to steam out light wrinkles.
• The recommended detergent amounts are about twice what you need. Use half of what they recommend & your clothes will be just as clean and your detergent will last twice as long.
• Blue Jeans should be inside out to retain their dark color.
• About 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water. There are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes—use less water and use cooler water. Unless you’re dealing with oily stains, the warm or cold water setting on your machine will generally do a good job of cleaning your clothes. Switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut a load’s energy use in half.
• Wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents whenever possible.
• Wash and dry full loads. If you are washing a small load, use the appropriate water-level setting.
• Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
• Don’t over-dry your clothes. If your machine has a moisture sensor, use it.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
• Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.
• Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire. Manufacturers recommend using rigid venting material, not plastic vents that may collapse and cause blockages.
• When you have several loads to wash, do them back-to-back so you can use the residual heat in the dryer.
• To prevent static cling, add one cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle, using your washing machine’s dispenser. Static cling, by the way, is caused by using synthetic fabrics, so you could also switch to cotton. The vinegar also kills bacteria and prevents the buildup of detergent residue. Remove the laundry before it’s overdried.
• Air dry whenever possible using indoor racks or an outdoor line. This conserves energy—and your clothes. They will not wear out or fade as quickly. (You’ll also save about seven hundred pounds of carbon dioxide over six months of warm weather.)
• Remove clothing from the dryer before the cycle ends and line dry to finish. This conserves energy and increases the life span of the clothing.
• Avoid using dryer sheets to soften fabrics. They often contain harsh chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin. Soften fabric with baking soda in the wash cycle.

I absolutely love getting free stuff as you can tell from my series here and here. I have been waiting to post about this website until I got my first gift card. I finally got it in the mail this week, a $25 Lowe’s gift card. I was very excited!

The website is called MyPoints.com.

As you know “There is no such thing as a free lunch” so the free gift cards have to come from somewhere. It takes a small investment of your time, as MyPoints will send you emails from their advertisers. You gain points by reading the emails and clicking through to the website. If you decide to sign up, I would recommend that you start a MyPoints folder and have the emails sent directly to that folders. That way you can click through the emails whenever you have time.

You earn more points by responding to offers, playing games, taking surveys, and shopping online.

Reading emails and clicking through to the websites help you consistently gain points, but the best way to gain the largest amount of points is by shopping online. You can earn a lot of points by purchasing everyday items simply by starting at MyPoints.com.

Sign up today and see how quickly you can get a free gift card!

Although I don’t do much personal shopping online, I do have to purchase items online for my job occasionally. I have discovered a very cool website that is a collection of all the “promo codes” out there. They have made them available for anyone to use. Now, I have a mental reminder to check this website when I am about to check out and see the box to enter a promo code. Check it out:

www.retailmenot.com

The website has coupon codes and discounts for 13,000 online retailers. All you do is type in the online retailer store name and the current coupon codes will pop up. Just yesterday I had to have some stickers printed from an online printer for an event for work and saved 20% of the total price. I was also purchasing American Express gift cards and found a code so I didn’t have to pay the $4.95 fee for each card. That saved over $100. Pretty sweet!

If you are going to check out the website, take a look at the Retailmenot Forums, Just by clicking around there, I found an easy way to receive an extra 750 Delta Skymiles.

I have read so many tips about how save gas and have tried almost every one of them. I have even driven around in 90 degree temperatures with no air conditioner!

After a little bit of research, I have determined the #1 way to save gas and improve fuel economy. With this one tip, you can see almost instant hybrid-type gas savings without buying a new car. Depending on how you currently drive, you could save up to 37% on your fuel economy. If you also combine trips and perform regular maintenance, you be talking serious cash. So, what is the #1 way to save gas and improve fuel economy? Simple…

CHANGE YOUR DRIVING HABITS!

Edmunds.com recently tested the top theories about saving gas. They found that some of the theories don’t actually matter that much when it comes to saving gas. So, how can your change your driving habits?

Don’t be an aggressive driver - The most significant way to save gas is your own gas pedal foot.

Don’t mash the gas when you start up. Accelerate moderately and brake lightly. By simply slowing your acceleration pace from 10 seconds to 15 seconds, you’ll notice significant savings.

Drive the speed limit - even better savings on a long trip. The US Dept of Energy says that gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds 60 MPH and above. As a rule of thumb you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas. Also, this is generally safer and you could avoid speeding tickets.

Use Cruise Control - surprisingly effective way to save gas. Using cruise control helps you avoid aggressive acceleration and helps you avoid reacting to changes in traffic by taking the long view of the road. The only way cruise control is not effective is in mountainous areas - your car will want to stay the same speed and will use extra gas down shifting to do so.

Avoid the drive-thru - if you are going to be more than a minute, it’s best just to park. Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines. Try to avoid idling for more than 1 minute.

What doesn’t work:

Air conditioner off, windows down. They found no measurable difference! The A/C does use gas to run, but not significant especially on modern cars. Plus having the windows down increases drag canceling out any improvement in gas mileage.

So, the #1 way to save gas and improve fuel economy all has to do with changing your driving habits. If you can change with the tips from above, not only will you see significant gas savings but you will also see reduced stress, greater safety, and hopefully no speeding tickets.

What are other bloggers saying about gas savings?

The Simple Dollar: A gas station trick that puts money in your pocket

Five Cent Nickel: Improve gas mileage by 15%

Ecotrekker: 101 ways to use less gas

Financial Ramblings: What will you do if gas prices go…down?

Free from Broke: Beware deceptive gas prices

Free Money Finance: Saving on gas myths

Living the Frugal Life was featured on the Carnival of Personal Finance.

Even though I am a former shopaholic, I still like having nice clothing and accessories. I am planning a trip to the Frugal Mall ( a.k.a. thrift store) this weekend. If you know what you are looking for, you can absolutely keep up with the current fashions at much better prices. When I look at the current fashions, I look for items that are classic and that will stay in style longer so I can wear them longer.

Here are the current summer trends that I will be looking for in the thrift stores this weekend. I have picked these trends out of all the current ones because I think these will last for more than one summer:

The Safari Look or Tribal Trend (strong graphic prints combined with warm, earthy tones and natural accents)

 Scarf Print Tops (Very classic and ladylike)

Bright colors (This can be on anything - tank tops, shorts, dresses, shirts, bags, shoes)

Lightweight Scarf (It will have to be very lightweight to be worn in the summer!)

Canvas tote bag (For the beach or everyday)

Peasant Tops (Back again - good reason not to get rid of your clothes)

All-American - anything red, white & blue

Long Print Dresses - Can be carried in the fall/winter season with a cardigan.

If you need to find a thrift store in your area, here is a great directory: http://www.thethriftshopper.com/index.htm If you don’t have any thrift stores in your area, this is yard sale season!

Happy frugal shopping!

This blog was featured on the festival of frugality.