Shop at Home to Save: The Sources

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

03 Jan 2009 05:19 PM

So, now that we are done talking about shopping from home, you may be wondering how on earth I had enough toothpaste to last for years or where I got all of that laundry detergent. Whether you are interested out of curiosity or are looking to get some tips on having free or nearly free products, it should be an interesting read.

Here are my sources for all of the shop at home products we have around the house.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste manufacturers have started to place expiration dates on the tubes, although this is a relatively recent practice. A very intelligent former neighbor of mine who spent almost 40 years as a dentist in private practice before retiring told me that fluoride toothpaste (the non-gel kind) never expires.

Based on that, I took advantage of 75 cent off coupons and tripling at my local grocery stores when toothpaste was on sale. This allowed me to stock up on toothpaste at 2 cents a large tube. Since toothpaste is a relatively small package, you can store quite a bit of it in a very small space, in my case a large shoe box. Smaller tubes that we use for traveling came from free samples, free with other products, free from the dentist, etc.

Fabric softener sheets and laundry detergent

I have never bought a fabric softener sheet in my life. Vinegar can soften clothes when needed. But when we moved into our new home, there were unopened boxes of the stuff left behind, along with some detergent. We evaluated and took advantage of what was available. I cut the sheets in half and use them mostly on jeans and heavy winter clothes and sweat shirts. I also have single use detergent and softener samples I've gotten from signing up for freebies. Friends who have detergents that they try once and don't like for whatever reason know they can give them to me.

Check back again tomorrow when I continue the list!

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

Favorite Deal Websites:

FreeCoupons

Related Articles:

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Shop at Home to Save: The Steps

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Getting Creative with Almost-Expired Food

Managing Your Stockpile

Managing Your Stockpile 2

Five Little Grocery Shopping Tricks: The Limit Sale

Five Little Grocery Shopping Tricks: Look Left and Right

Five Little Grocery Shopping Tricks: Hide and Seek

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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