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distances. You are supporting your local economy by buying direct from the farmer and cutting out the middle man.

Day old bakery goods, produce and meat can be frozen or consumed immediately. All supermarkets reduce prices on these items to move them out of the store. The best time of day to find these wonderful bargains is early in the morning. You can save as much as 90% on baked goods and up to a dollar or more per pound on meat. If there was any danger of becoming ill from day old food the retailers would write it off as a loss rather than risk legal action. It is a wise consumer that takes advantage of such savings.

Cleaning products are another expense that is only rising in cost. Dow Chemical announced recently that it is raising the prices of raw materials and chemicals provided to manufacturers by 20%. This increase will surely be reflected in the prices of many items including cleaning supplies. Baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, bleach, borax, table salt, and ammonia can be used in place of more expensive products. The savings in these areas is huge. Why pay for expensive cleansers that contain small amounts of bleach when you can put your own bleach solution in a spray bottle and have a stronger more effective product. Bleach can be purchased for less than $1.50 per gallon, diluted for light cleaning it will last for months. Pure ammonia diluted will clean the grease from surfaces better than a concoction you purchase with only a hint of ammonia in it. Lemon scented ammonia makes it more bearable if you are sensitive to the odor.

Baking soda and vinegar can be used to clean, freshen and disinfect refrigerators, drains, and just about any surface in your home. If you have a slow drain pour some baking soda into the drain, add vinegar and watch the bubbles begin. Allow it to sit for a half hour, plunge and run hot water into the drain, it works as well as the harsh and expensive drain openers and is far less expensive. You can use baking soda as an additive in the wash cycle for extra cleaning power and a half to a full cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle is a natural fabric softener. The odor disappears when the items are dried. There are plenty of web sites that can give you recipes for cleaning products and other uses for these items.

Soap can be allowed to dry out by removing it from packaging, making is last longer. Placing bars of soap into a basket in the bathroom is attractive and adds a lovely scent to the area. The small slivers of soap that usually discarded can be put into a glass container with a little water and they will dissolve into a creamy texture and used as liquid hand soap. I recently tried adding some baby oil to the bottle and discovered it makes a very acceptable body wash and is free!

By doing small and simple things such as these you can stretch your finances considerably. Using a library card to borrow CD's, DVD's and even tools at better libraries can save money as well. With a little effort you can research available services in your community.

The list of cost cutting measures could go on and on. Wise use of utilities, public transportation, brown bagging, purchases at garage sales, thrift shops and consignment stores are all ways to get what you need at a reduced cost. Ways to stretch your limited income are as unlimited as your creativity. By themselves the mentioned savings are small, but when combined on a regular basis, substantial cost reduction. If viewed as a challenge instead of a burden, stress is reduced and life is much more pleasant.

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