Six Super Stingy Savings Scenarios

"Stingy" is a dirty word, isn't it?  No one wants to be seen as Stingy!

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Well, I've discovered that being just a little Stingy with some products I use on a daily basis can lead to Big Savings!  Here are Six Stingy & Super Stingy Savings Scenarios that will convince you to think twice before you waste again!

 1.  Laundry Detergent:  In the past, I have been so guilty of filling the whole cap with laundry detergent/softener and pouring it in.  Instead, I now only fill detergent to the first line of the cap.  Especially since I have an HE washer, I only need a little bit!

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Laundry Detergent Savings Scenario:
One 96 Load Tide Bottle = $21.99.
Filling to the 2nd line (and I am guilty of more) will result in only 48 Loads for $21.99.
My family does an average of 8 loads/week = 416 loads/year, requiring about 8.5 Bottles of Tide.
Total:  $186.91/year for laundry detergent!  Yikes!

BUT, if I am stingy and stay true to only filling the cap to the first line, I cut that amount in half!
Stingy Savings:  $93.46/year

Tide is too darn expensive, so I use Aldi's brand of Tandil detergent ($6.99/64 loads) instead and save even more at a cost of only $45.43/year!
Super Stingy Savings:  $141.48/year



2.  Dryer Sheets:  Ditch 'em altogether and either make your own for $0.005 (half a penny) per load or use aluminum foil balls for just about $1.00/year.

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Dryer Sheet Savings Scenario:
I use Snuggle dryer sheets at a cost of $4.99/80 Sheets.  My family does an average of 8 loads/week = 416 loads/year.
Total:  $25.95/year for dryer sheets!  

BUT, if I am stingy and make my own dryer sheets, a year's worth of laundry only costs me $2.08/year!
Stingy Savings:  $23.87/year

If I am Super Stingy and just throw in an balled up piece of aluminum foil to fight static cling, I only spend $1.00 in foil!
Super Stingy Savings:  $24.95/year


3.  Juice:  My son drinks at least one large glass of juice each morning.  I have begun pouring half a glass of juice, then fill the rest of the glass with water.  Juice is usually too sweet anyway and adding water will half the calories and double the life of the bottle!

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Juice Savings Scenario:  A 1-Gallon Jug of Motts Apple Juice is $5.49.  If my son drinks about 16 oz (2 cups) of juice/day, then that gallon is only going to last me a maximum of 8 days.  It's shocking to think, but that means I need to buy at least 45 gallons of apple juice/year!!!
Total:  $247.05/year 

BUT, by simply substituting 1 cup of water into his morning drink, I can cut that cost in half!
Stingy Savings:  $123.52/year

If I ditch the brand name and go for Aldi's brand of Apple Juice at only $1.19/64 oz bottle, then add water, I am only spending $53.55/year on juice.
Super Stingy Savings:  $193.50/year


4. Tissues:  We have a bad habit of always pulling TWO tissues out of the box to blow our noses.

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Tissues Savings Scenario:  
A box of Keleenex double-ply tissues costs about $1.25/75 count box.  Conservatively, I estimate that my family goes through at least 3 boxes of tissues/month.
Total:  $45.00/year

BUT, if they're already double-ply, then using two tissues at a time is a total waste.  Pulling only one at a time will double the life of a box!
Stingy Savings:  $22.50/year

Once again, skipping the name brand can save me even more!  Aldi's two-ply tissues sell for $0.95/224 tissues!  With that many tissues in a box, I will only need about 12 boxes/year = $11.45/year.
Super Stingy Savings:  $33.55/year


5. Garbage Bags:  I also have a bad habit of gathering up all of the small bathroom garbage bags and stuffing them into the large one in the kitchen.  I also confess that I am not the best at recycling. I mean, I do recycle many things, but I sometimes get lazy and throw a bottle, can or newspaper in with the regular trash - I could be more dedicated.  I estimate that I use at least two additional large kitchen bags/week doing this for a total use of 6 bags/week.

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Garbage Bag Savings Scenario:
One box of Glad Drawstring Kitchen Bags is $8.79/45 count box.  We would need about 7 boxes/year to manage our trash.
Total:  $62.79/year to literally throw away!

BUT, Is it really necessary to double bag the trash?  Instead, I've just been transporting all of those little bags to the garage and saving myself some room in the kitchen trash.  Stepping up recycling will save me 2 bags/week!
Stingy Savings:  $40.62/year

Once again, ditching the name brand and going for Aldi's trash bags at $4.99/80 count box, I only spend $12.95/year.
Super Stingy Savings: $49.84/year


6. Paper Towels:  Ah, paper towels, how I love you!  Let's say I use two full pieces of paper towel for every wipe-down I do per day.  That's wiping down sinks and counter-tops after each use (yes, yes, I have OCD tendencies).  A conservative, but honest estimate of my paper towel usage would be   Ugh - it's a lot - perhaps 4 rolls/week (hanging head in shame).

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Paper Towel Savings Scenario:
Bounty paper towels costs $11.99/8 count package.  It is absolutely shocking when I estimate that I use approximately 208 rolls of paper towels/year!
Total:  $311.74/year - Ahhh!

BUT, instead, for kitchen & bathroom cleanups, if I can avoid a paper towel by using a dish rag or purple rag, I will do it.  I also keep a stack of old raggy face-cloths in the bathroom for daily wipe-downs.  By doing this, I estimate I save at least 2 rolls of paper towels per week.
Stingy Savings: $155.87/year

Bounty is my favorite, I confess, and Aldi's paper towels are not up to snuff by comparison in my opinion, but just for fun, let's see how much I can save by being super stingy!  Aldi's price is $2.99/4 pack = $77.74/year.
Super Stingy Savings:  $234.00/year

That was fun!  Now let's add it all up!

Total Non-Stingy Spending: $879.44/year

Total Stingy Savings: $459.84/year

Total Super Stingy Savings: $677.32/year