Well having just lost a job in this dreaded economy I now have to make every penny I have count. Of couse hind site is 20/20, I constantly think back on those items that were not necessities that were purchased just because I wanted them. You know those items the Wii system, the new stereo for the car, the brakes for the car. Stuff like that. We buy these items because we feel secure in our financial status; we do not think about the future. Well the future is here and I have to make every penny count. And I mean every penny.

I have done things that have made people call me "cheap". I do not like being called cheap. I prefer titles like"thrify","resourceful" and my favorite "eco-responsible". There aer many thing one can do to save money, make things last, and reduce waste in the landfills. I have been practicing some of the things for a while and have made a difference in my cost of living.

Some of things I do come directly from the fact I live in Florida where we have hurricanes, tornados, and floods. And some of these ideas sound wierd. When you have a storm comming and you need to stock up on supplies everyone forgets that there are items that sit on the shelves of stores that go unnoticed. These item are battery operated air fresheners, baby wipes, vinegar to name a few.

Lets start with the battery operated air freshener. This item is of major importance because it comes with batteries. Yes batteries. When I needed to get batteries they were out and I saw that they had these air fresheners. So I thought, well with the power out the house will stink plus I will have batteries for radios and flashlights. So I bought as many as I could. And it worked. I had a nice smelling house with no power but I could listen to the radio and see in the dark with my flashlight.

Baby wipes, are something everyone should have. One they clean well, and two they can be used for cleaning counters and such if needed. Because I could not practice daily showering because of the storms these worked well, this made the water stored in the tub for other uses like toilet flushing and clothes washing. When you do not have access to unlimited water you begin to start practicing things like living like a pioneer.

The third item is vinegar. Vinegar has many uses, to name a few : it is a discentfectant, it will also help remove excess soap from laundry when hand washing, and mixed with a little water and sprayed onto yourself and or pets a pretty good insect repellant. Of course you and Fido as well as your house will smell like a salad. That explains the air fresheners.

Now by doing these things I was able to stay at home instead of going to an overcrowed shelter or paying big bucks at a hotel. In 2004 these things saved me much needed money. So when everything got back to normal I took those air fresheners that I had bought and instead of buying the refills I refilled them myself. I used those potpurri scents that were more appealing to me than the refills for the air fresheners. A bottle of potpurri liquid sells for $3.00 at any Walmart where the refills for the air freshener sell for about $4.00. With the potpurri I get many refills where as you get one for the actual refill cartridge. I even replace the batteries.

Another thing I do is I wash and reuse the swiffer wet pads. You just throw them in the washer and when there done stick them back into the package but on the bottom so they soak up the left over fluid. This has saved me a couple of bucks and up until now no one knew. I also make my own carpet sprinkles by using baking soda and a few drops of the potpurri I use to refill the air fresheners. Many people call this green living, I call it saving green $$$.

There are many ways to save you money and still maintain a decent way of life. One of the best ways is to buy products that can be used for two different purposes or used many times over. It is not hard just look around on the internet and study up. My main learning tool was my parents I grew up poor, so being able to survive on little was tyhe only way I knew. QWhen I got older I discovered the duality of many products. Yes, you cook in a pot; but, to a child that pot can be the best toy in the world it's a helmut, it's a drum, it a tote for his or hers blocks. Same goes for a box.

Ebay has done wonders for reducing the waste in landfills. You can get many good items that were once loved. I purchased a small motorhome for $2500. So this time when the storms come I can leave and still be comfortable with air conditioning. Amazon is another resource that can be used for many items some new some used. These are tools that were created to help people get what they want and possibly make a buck too. There is also a webite dedicated to recycling it is called "Freecycle". This is where people advertise items that they do not need and let them go for free. Free is the best of all. So look around online read your local pennysaver use coupons and those rebate cards the grocery stores are giving away. They all add up.