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Penny Saving Household Helper: Five Hundred Little Ways to Save Big
This handy guide resurrects the fine art of frugal housekeeping with over 500 tips on saving money throughout the home and garden. Learn creative ways to cut back, pinch pennies, reduce, recycle, and re-use. Want to save on the grocery bill? Buy the whole chicken rather than individual cuts. Get more wear out of your wardrobe? Add a dash of salt to the washer to keep your darks from fading in the laundry. Lovely vintage-inspired line drawings and a beautiful foil-stampedcloth cover make this an ideal stocking stuffer or newlywed gift. Best of all, Penny Saving Household Helperis a bargain in and of itself. At $12.95, it's just a little over two cents per tip!
196 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
61 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 22, 2015
I'm a sucker for "how to live frugal" books. And yes, I do wash and reuse ziploc bags, so I guess that means I've earned my place in the frugal club, and am allowed to comment freely on this latest book: Penny Saving Household Helper: Five Hundred Little Ways to Save Big.
Emphasis on the word "penny-saving" in the title here, as many of these tips really are just about saving small change: dust your lightbulbs weekly to save on electricity, unravel an old sweater rather than buying a new skein of yarn for a knitting project, cut paper plates into rectangles, rather than springing for a pack of index cards. Really??!!
Among the 500 tips offered by author Rebecca DiLiberto, I did find some gems though. In order to actually remember & apply them, I made myself a handy little list of favorites:
* Chill & whip evaporated milk just as you would whipping cream.
* Blanch leftover cooked pasta in boiling water to re-serve.
* Whip store-bought frosting to double its volume.
* Grate, then freeze leftover citrus rinds for future "zest" needs.
* Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube tray for future iced coffee.
* Set up a "cooking tree" with schoolmates, for school lunches.
* Drop a raisin in flat champagne to re-create lost fizz.
* Re-use aluminum foil.
* Slip nylon stocking over vacuum wand to safely find lost small items.
* Run an orange "Tang" cycle to clean dishwasher.
* Use windshield washer fluid instead of "Windex."
* Baking soda/vinegar followed by hot water cleans drains.
* Use aluminum foil ball instead of a dryer sheet to reduce static in clothes dryer.
* To make a flexible cold-pack: 3 parts water to 1 part rubbing alcohol in a ziploc.
So there. Several good ideas to try.
I did find myself wondering about a couple omissions from DiLiberto's list of 500 frugal tips though. They're ideas that our family has thought about, and in some cases applied. Maybe they're not politically correct, but I think they're worth adding. Namely, if you're really serious about wanting to save money, challenge yourself to examine lifestyle choices that maybe have never been questioned:
#501 Consider decreasing meat consumption. Or maybe even (gasp! dare I say it?) organic food consumption.
#502 Consider a "dumbphone" rather than a smart one.
#503 Consider dropping cable TV entirely.
#504 Only use a credit card for purchases that you can pay off at the end of that same month. Pay the card in full each month.
#505 And, when considering large purchases like a home (does each child really need their own bedroom?) or a car (do we really need this size vehicle?), or a housepet (do the math on how much the medical & feeding will cost prior to committing).
#506 Consider what regular commutes you might be able to walk or bike.
Anyway, like I said, not terribly PC, but really, if I'm seriously thinking about dusting my lightbulbs on a weekly basis just to save a few pennies, I think it's time I consider other more significant lifestyle choices. Just sayin'
~Jen
P.S. I would be remiss if I didn’t update my comments on frugality to also acknowledge my Christian faith. At face value, frugality seems to be a Christian value. The ascetic self-denial of immediate gratification appears the opposite of money-loving, idolatrous consumerism. But, at its heart, frugality can be self-centered (if my goal in saving money is to hoard it). Remembering Jesus’ Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, it was the miser who was condemned, rather than being commended for his frugality. And, how can I read the words of Christ throughout the Bible and not be confronted with the command to generosity (Luke 3, 12, 14, 19 to name a few)? So, I am holding the concepts of frugality and generosity in a fragile equilibrium. Saving to give away.
Emphasis on the word "penny-saving" in the title here, as many of these tips really are just about saving small change: dust your lightbulbs weekly to save on electricity, unravel an old sweater rather than buying a new skein of yarn for a knitting project, cut paper plates into rectangles, rather than springing for a pack of index cards. Really??!!
Among the 500 tips offered by author Rebecca DiLiberto, I did find some gems though. In order to actually remember & apply them, I made myself a handy little list of favorites:
* Chill & whip evaporated milk just as you would whipping cream.
* Blanch leftover cooked pasta in boiling water to re-serve.
* Whip store-bought frosting to double its volume.
* Grate, then freeze leftover citrus rinds for future "zest" needs.
* Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube tray for future iced coffee.
* Set up a "cooking tree" with schoolmates, for school lunches.
* Drop a raisin in flat champagne to re-create lost fizz.
* Re-use aluminum foil.
* Slip nylon stocking over vacuum wand to safely find lost small items.
* Run an orange "Tang" cycle to clean dishwasher.
* Use windshield washer fluid instead of "Windex."
* Baking soda/vinegar followed by hot water cleans drains.
* Use aluminum foil ball instead of a dryer sheet to reduce static in clothes dryer.
* To make a flexible cold-pack: 3 parts water to 1 part rubbing alcohol in a ziploc.
So there. Several good ideas to try.
I did find myself wondering about a couple omissions from DiLiberto's list of 500 frugal tips though. They're ideas that our family has thought about, and in some cases applied. Maybe they're not politically correct, but I think they're worth adding. Namely, if you're really serious about wanting to save money, challenge yourself to examine lifestyle choices that maybe have never been questioned:
#501 Consider decreasing meat consumption. Or maybe even (gasp! dare I say it?) organic food consumption.
#502 Consider a "dumbphone" rather than a smart one.
#503 Consider dropping cable TV entirely.
#504 Only use a credit card for purchases that you can pay off at the end of that same month. Pay the card in full each month.
#505 And, when considering large purchases like a home (does each child really need their own bedroom?) or a car (do we really need this size vehicle?), or a housepet (do the math on how much the medical & feeding will cost prior to committing).
#506 Consider what regular commutes you might be able to walk or bike.
Anyway, like I said, not terribly PC, but really, if I'm seriously thinking about dusting my lightbulbs on a weekly basis just to save a few pennies, I think it's time I consider other more significant lifestyle choices. Just sayin'
~Jen
P.S. I would be remiss if I didn’t update my comments on frugality to also acknowledge my Christian faith. At face value, frugality seems to be a Christian value. The ascetic self-denial of immediate gratification appears the opposite of money-loving, idolatrous consumerism. But, at its heart, frugality can be self-centered (if my goal in saving money is to hoard it). Remembering Jesus’ Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, it was the miser who was condemned, rather than being commended for his frugality. And, how can I read the words of Christ throughout the Bible and not be confronted with the command to generosity (Luke 3, 12, 14, 19 to name a few)? So, I am holding the concepts of frugality and generosity in a fragile equilibrium. Saving to give away.
January 4, 2019
Chock-full of some oldies, some fresh takes, and some intetesting helpers. I am for sure going to try the dishwasher cleaner trick to see if that works.
November 17, 2022
If you want a book on tips and tricks to save money in life this is the book for you!
Easy to read and does what it says!
Easy to read and does what it says!
October 13, 2023
"Penny Saving Household Helper: Five Hundred Little Ways to Save Big" is, quite frankly, a disappointment. This book feels like a missed opportunity to provide practical, concise advice on budgeting and saving money. Instead, it reads like a listicle that would have been better suited for a short, clickbait-style article on a website like BuzzFeed.
The book promises "five hundred little ways to save big," but what it delivers are mostly painfully obvious tips and common-sense suggestions. While there may be a nugget of wisdom here and there, the majority of the content feels like filler, with recommendations that are so basic they leave you wondering who the intended audience is. It lacks depth and the kind of innovative, money-saving strategies that readers might expect from a book on this subject.
Furthermore, the book's structure is disjointed, making it difficult to navigate and locate specific tips. The lack of organization and clear categorization makes it frustrating to use as a reference guide, which is often the purpose of such books.
In essence, "Penny Saving Household Helper" fails to live up to its potential. The information it provides is neither insightful nor comprehensive, and it ultimately feels like an overextended, low-quality listicle rather than a helpful and substantial resource for those seeking practical money-saving advice. For readers looking to improve their financial management skills, there are far better resources available than this book.
The book promises "five hundred little ways to save big," but what it delivers are mostly painfully obvious tips and common-sense suggestions. While there may be a nugget of wisdom here and there, the majority of the content feels like filler, with recommendations that are so basic they leave you wondering who the intended audience is. It lacks depth and the kind of innovative, money-saving strategies that readers might expect from a book on this subject.
Furthermore, the book's structure is disjointed, making it difficult to navigate and locate specific tips. The lack of organization and clear categorization makes it frustrating to use as a reference guide, which is often the purpose of such books.
In essence, "Penny Saving Household Helper" fails to live up to its potential. The information it provides is neither insightful nor comprehensive, and it ultimately feels like an overextended, low-quality listicle rather than a helpful and substantial resource for those seeking practical money-saving advice. For readers looking to improve their financial management skills, there are far better resources available than this book.
August 15, 2012
This is a great thing to give a college student or someone moving out on their own. Many of the tips are very easy or rather common sensical, but since less and less of these everyday tips are being shared from parent to child, it's great to have a list of them in a book. Some of my favorites were cures for burned food and substitutes for expensive household cleaners.
December 27, 2009
Good advice. I just wish it were a little longer and gave more of the history behind each tip.
Want to read
June 18, 2012.99
July 9, 2012
Quick, easy reference for housewife how to's and tips.
April 23, 2013
"Penny Saving Household Helper" is like the other books of its ilk - some tips are more useful than others but, if your memory is like mine, you won't remember the good ones when you need them.
January 10, 2014
I learnt some stuff from there. Not bad, she likes vinegar and baking soda for everything. Considering the author was once a spendthrift, this book is a work of reversed- engineered genius.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews