11 Everyday Things I Haven’t Bought at the Store in A Loooong Time

1. Bread - Make my own.

2. Paper Towels - Bought a big box at Sam’s Club 1 1/2 years ago.  I mostly use chopped-up white t-shirts and cloth napkins in place of paper towels.

3. Laundry Detergent - No, I haven’t quite graduated to making my own yet.  I bought a big 5 gallon bucket of Charlie’s Soap a year ago, and I estimate it will last me another two years.

4. Kleenex - Wow! I think it’s been at least 4 years since I’ve bought a box.  I use the Tightwad Gazette recommendation -toilet paper in an old recycled Kleenex box.

This works great, and is MUCH cheaper and MUCH more convenient than regular Kleenex.  Plus, it’s a crack-up to see the look on people’s faces when they pull out a big long string of TP instead of the one sheet of Kleenex they’re expecting. I don’t hide it! -I just forget to tell people.

5. All-Purpose Cleaner - Make my own.

6. Liquid Milk - Love Me, Love My Powdered Milk.

7. Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheets - I don’t have homemade substitutes for these, I just don’t buy them anymore.  I used to think I couldn’t live without them, but here I am, still alive and kicking! True, sometimes my fuzzy blankets are sparky in the dark from the static electricity in them, but so far this has not resulted in Spontaneous Natural Combustion (a phenomena with which I am for some reason very fascinated).

8. Gasoline - The last time I filled up my station wagon was on March 11.  I paid 1.69/per gallon (total $27.25).  I still have pretty much a full tank and I know I can really make this last a lot longer still.

The last time I filled up my motor scooter was on March 18 for $1.33.  I know I will make both of these last more than a month, probably two months (actually, probably more than that).  $28.58 for two months worth of gas - not bad!

9. Stamps - Online bill-pay has really saved me a fortune here.  I did buy 200 Forever stamps, but won’t start using them (very sparingly, of course) until the cost of stamps reaches a level that I personally can’t take anymore.  I don’t know, that might be .50 or so.  Sorry P.O., but it’s every Skinflint for herself around here.

10. Teriyaki Sauce - Actually, I started making this from scratch when we moved to Texas and couldn’t find a nice thick one out here that we liked.  Teriyaki in general just doesn’t seem to be as popular out here as it is in California.  Boy, I really go to town at Mr. B’s when I visit my family.  Anyway, this was really me making a virtue of necessity, but it has made me a more self-sufficient Teriyaki sauce consumer, while at the same time saving a little green.

11. Tall Kitchen Trash Bags - Still going strong with grocery bags.

There you have it.