Frugal! Penny pincher! Cheapskate! Prepper! Weirdo! If you have been called any of these, welcome to your tribe! This list is for you…

• Wash aluminum foil and plastic baggies. If nothing gets majorly stuck to them, clean up and use them again.
• If you have chickens, dry and crush their own egg shells to mix into their feed instead of buying them a calcium supplement.
• Reuse plastic water bottles. Rinse and refill those babies! I don’t really use water bottles much, but my husband likes to take them with him to the fire department so it doesn’t matter if he loses the container he’s drinking from. We use them over and over.
• Use the rewards program My Reader Rewards to get free books, stickers and CDs.
• Water down whole milk instead of buying lower fat milks. I used to buy 1% or 2%, but have started buying whole milk and water it down with about a quarter to a third water. My kids don’t know the difference, and our milk lasts longer.
• Use plastic gas station cups with straws and lids instead of fancy cups with lids. Occasionally I get one of those fountain drinks from the gas station. I love cups with lids and straws. My kids are very active and always up under me, I’m always thirsty and don’t particularly like my drinks spilled or nice cups broken. These cheap cups will last quite awhile, even ran through the dishwasher.
• Cut dryer sheets in half, if you use them at all. You don’t need the whole thing to get the effects you want. Trust me!
• Vinegar makes a great rinse agent in the dishwasher, and is super inexpensive compared to those expensive kinds you can buy.
• Those styrofoam plates you buy to save on dish washing? If they don’t get too messy, just wipe them down and use them again! this adds up quick when you’re mostly using them for things like sandwiches, anyway.
• For one of my favorite ways to save, look at How to get a free trial of Amazon Prime

Have any strange savings tips of your own? Share them, and they may be featured in a future list of strange ways to save! 😉