How have I been trying to save money so far...

So a big part of getting started homesteading and homemaking is finding ways of saving money.  A lot of this involves either simply not buying some things, making them yourself,  finding free or cheaper alternatives or stretching the stuff you do have to buy.  Here's a few of the ways I've been doing this in our home so far.

reducing power usage to save money on hydro

This worked out pretty good, by keeping the lights off as much as possible,   using cold water or cooler water to rinse dishes and wash clothes and not keeping the heat on unnecessarily we managed to save an extra $25 on our last hydro bill.

planning 'from scratch' meals to reduce our weekly shopping bill and taking potentially profitable courses

Planning our 'from scratch' meals involves using what we have on hand in the house already,  and turning the previous night's supper into the next day's lunch or even breakfast also helps in saving on the grocery bill,  useful when you have $300 + weekly budget for groceries and still have to buy things like diapers,  personal care items and cleaning supplies withing the same budget.

making our own timmy's ice caps right at home for just over a $1 a glass

We're make our ice caps nutritious and with less sugar too by using Plexus Whey Protein shake powder an awesome base to built our rich coffee drinks from.  We've made salted caramel using salt and brown sugar,  mocha with salt and cocoa,  and french vanilla with international delights french vanilla coffee whitener and salt,  and maple flavored pancake syrop for a yummy maple ice cap.  Just add ice and whiz up in the blender and you're done!

baking our own 'from scratch' pizzas in a variety of flavors like butter chicken,  taco and cheese pizzas

a family favorite and way way cheaper than buying delivery pizza.

using one soap to make more than cleaning product

And the trick here is to get a natural dish soap with some kind of germ killing essential oil,  we've been using 7th generation's lavender mint dish soap to dilute as both a spray cleaner and foaming hand wash.  (And we always keep old cleaning product containers so we can do this)

making my kids curly hair products last  twice as long by mixing them with water at 1 to 1 ratio

Here,  I've been using my old green works all purpose spray bottle to mix 1 cup of Aussie detangler with one cup of water and it works just fine to smooth out those knots from my kids' hair.

saving money by reusing compostable items for compost

using compostable paper bags and egg cartons as compost holders instead of buying compost holders

Because I don't intend on buying fertilizer either so I've got a compost pile going in the yard for when the weather is ready for planting again.  God willing,  we'll be able to prepare in advance for any shortages that may happen this coming year by doing so.

making our own fancy condiments for cheap - this is our homemade teriyaki sauce

making our own soft bread for pennies a loaf or set of hot buns

And finding inexpensive ways to entertain my kids and get them to play with each other when possible.

Balloons and bubbles aren't just for parties.

And taking the kids out for a wagon ride at least 2 or 3 times a week instead of a car trip some where.