Like many other busy moms, Lydia Senn knows her way around the kitchen and how to stretch every last dollar of her grocery budget.
But the mother of two wasn’t always frugal – in fact, quite the opposite.
Read more: 15 ways to save on groceries without digging for coupons
Frugal mom shares 5 money-saving secrets!
On her personal blog, Lydia explains that she and her husband used to be $36,000 in debt, which was a combination of car loans, student loans, credit cards and medical bills.
By eliminating unnecessary expenses, the couple paid off their debt in two years on just one income.
As Lydia points out on her website, finding various ways to save even just a little bit of money can make a difference, especially in the kitchen — and here are just five of her secret strategies!
1. Extend the life of your produce
Are you throwing away more produce than you’re eating? To make bananas last longer, Lydia breaks them up and stores them away from apples, which can make them ripen faster.
Here are 29 ways to keep your fresh produce fresher for longer!
2. Use your scraps
Lydia keeps leftover vegetable scraps in a Ziploc bag in her freezer, and once the bag is full, she makes vegetable stock in her slow cooker.
You can also freeze leftover fruit and use it to make delicious smoothies!
3. Ditch paper towels
If you rely on paper towels to keep your kitchen clean, you might be surprised to learn that some people have abandoned them. Lydia prefers to use cloth rags, including some made from her husband’s old t-shirts.
4. Make your own cleaners
Instead of buying commercial cleaners, grab a spray bottle and mix together water, vinegar and dish soap.
And if you love the convenience of those handy dishwasher tablets, there’s a quick and easy way to make them at home with baking soda, salt, lemon juice – and an old ice cube tray.
Here’s how to make these money-saving DIY dishwasher pods.
5. Reuse aluminum foil
In her YouTube video, Lydia explains that she stores old aluminum foil in a drawer to be used over and over again. She also cleans out Ziploc bags so that she can use those another time as well.
See many more of Lydia’s tips below and check out her blog, Frugal Debt Free Life.
