Saving Money: Portion control with Drinks

We were going through lots of milk and tea.  I was in the habit of buying at least 5 gallons of milk every two weeks. My kids love to drink these things, but it is a killer on the budget!   Water is better for them ayway.  So I bought us each a water bottle and wrote our names on it with a Sharpie marker.  I don't know why, but there is something psychological about having a water bottle. You are more likely to drink water.  Who knows what is behind that?

They are allowed 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of juice, and 1 cup of tea per day.  That accounts for their three meals.  In between meals they are only allowed water.   I now only buy 3 gallons of milk every two weeks, and Michael has some tea available to him when he gets home from work instead of an empty container!  It works for us.

Hanging Laundry

 

 

I have always enjoyed line drying our laundry, but I haven't had much of an opportunity except for drying a little here and there over the doors or occasionally using the shower curtain rod in the bathroom.

Our dog is in the back yard with the clothesline, and until he is moved, there won't be any laundry hung out there with him.  I have imagined some interesting visuals of him running through the yard with specific pieces of clothing. 

I saw a comment on a blog post about frugality where a girl said that her mother hung an extra long shower rod over her washer and dryer.  I was thrilled to read that because I had never thought about doing that.  Laundry hanging problem solved, and I can do it rain or shine!  Plus, if I use hangers, it will save time for those things that I would already hang up anyway.

Why I think it's a good idea to hang laundry as much as possible:

• Less wear and tear on clothes
• Less wear and tear on the dryer
• Saves money on the electricity bill

I ordered my shower rod from Amazon.com.  Click here for the link.