Frugal living is all about making the most with what you already have. Here are 11 frugal living tips from Penny Pinching Mama to help you get started:
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Barter for services when possible. For example, we exchanged lawn mower repair from our neighbor for a table (garage sale find) that he was looking for.
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Learn to fix things for yourself. These days, with the Internet making information so easily available, you can fix most things yourself. We do 95% of the repairs around our house and we aren’t that handy. We just keep looking for the information about how to do it and keep working until we get it fixed!
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Stop eating out. This is one of the all time best frugal living tips. I know you hear it all the time but STOP!!! The “average” family spends $300-$500 a month just eating out! Eating out truly is one of the biggest causes of debt! I am always amazed how someone can be “totally broke” and can’t pay their bills but are still able to go to the drive-thru of their favorite restaurant.
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Study nutrition information and find out what you need to eat to have a healthy and balanced diet. Then stop eating the junk and eat healthy inexpensive meals at home. We have a lot of menu ideas here at LivingOnADime.com that can help you get started.
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If something breaks and you don’t have the money to fix or if you are out of something and you don’t have the money to buy more, figure out a way to live without it. If the lawn mower breaks, can you borrow a friend’s lawn mower? If your washer breaks, go to the laundromat. If you break your tea kettle, use a saucepan to heat water. In most instances, you can find a way to make do or do without something until you have the cash saved up.
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Do things for free. Go to the library, have a picnic or read a book. Kids are just as happy playing with mom and dad in the backyard as they are going to the zoo. If you can’t pay cash for the “fun stuff” you can always have fun at home.
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Buy items used. We buy 90% of the items for ourselves used. Going to yard sales and thrift stores does not take any longer than going to a retail store but you can save 90% off the retail price!
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Just say no…to your kids. Let kids buy their own toys and extras! Our kids pay for all their own soda, candy, treats like nail polish, their own computers and extras. You are not the Bank of Mom so just say no!
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Find a cheaper way to do things. Go to a beauty school to get your hair colored (or don’t have your hair colored at all it isn’t something you need to survive). Go to a mechanic school to get your car fixed. Hire a kid instead of a lawn service to mow your yard (only if you can’t do it yourself for medical reasons.
Paint your own house instead of hiring someone, cut the cable and the cell phone (gasp!), and have birthday parties at your house. There is almost always a cheaper way to do things so try to find the cheapest way and save some money! -
Cut kids’ activities. Most kids are in way too many activities and they’re often expensive. I know families who pay $175 a month for gymnastics lessons but can’t pay the mortgage. There is a problem with this kind of thinking! Kids won’t die if you don’t give them all the lessons and activities you can’t afford.
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Get it for free. When the landscapers were laying sod in our new neighborhood, I asked for the scraps and we were almost able to put in our entire backyard for free. When they were building houses, I asked for the 2×4′s that were going into the dumpster and got enough wood for our shed. When they were pouring concrete patios, I asked for the leftover concrete and they just poured our entire cement pad for our shed for free!! If friends have kids older than your kids, ask if you can have their hand me downs when they are done.
Frugal living is not about living cheaply. It is about choosing what is really important to you and saving your money for that!
Get as much as you can for free and you can save thousands of dollars!
-Tawra
My frugal living tip is to just stop buying stuff. It’s amazing what we purchase and then have to take care of or and live around before we finally take it to the thrift store. I read today there is 7square feet of storage space for every American. That means we could all stand under it!
I recently rearranged my clothing by color instead of by blouse, jacket, etc. Before I stopped counting I was ashamed to realize that I had 36 items of dress clothing. No one needs that much clothing. I won’t have to purchase anything for the rest of my life!
And when someone is kind to you such as workers laying a concrete pad for you, do something like make an delicous lunch for them the next day. Because I have white carpet and a big dog, I tip the carpet cleaner $20 before he even starts telling him that “I KNOW he will get all those spots out.”
Let me provoke your thinking a bit.
I don’t think garage sales are the way to go!
Money has been very tight for us the past couple of years so I have been extremely thankful for “freecycling” websites and Yahoo groups like Freecycle & Kijiji (the “free” section). Within the last 6 or 8 months our laptop speakers, our computer mouse, our hair trimmer, our washing machine, our toaster, our phone, our coffee maker, our rice steamer and our DVD player all died (and that’s all I can remember at this moment — it’s been kind of crazy!!)
Yikes!
I would have been VERY stressed out had I had to purchase even a few of these new. Thanks to these sites, all but one I have replaced for FREE from kind people who had an extra laying around and were willing to bless someone else and give it away rather than getting a few dollars for it.
The other — very important — side of this, of course, is that I choose to give away most of our things that we don’t need rather than sell them online or in a garage sale. I truly don’t give away our items so that others will give to us!! But I have come to realize that it does often work that way. Frequent users of the Freecycle group I’m a member of see my username showing up often with offer posts and so they tend to grant me favour when I request an item of theirs. So these sites are truly a great example of “what goes around comes around”. A tremendous blessing for those of us on really tight budgets!
Thanks for the heads up. We use and do recommend free cycling and have written about it too. There are still areas though who don’t have free cycling or it is not as “good” as in some areas which is why we try to cover many different ways to buy things. Another example of this is many people swear by farmers market and use them all the time. Where we live ours is not very good. The quality of things are really bad, prices are super high and they aren’t open but just every once in awhile in the summer so using a farmers market for us just doesn’t work.
yes recently i was bombarted with too much stuff i found a family who needed a bed and couch they loved it
I like your response. I just had a conversation with a neighbor to find out that we have families in need just on the next street. We are in a nice area of Kansas and sometimes we forget that at times..it’s the family that’s working 2 jobs that has a need.
I also use a freecycling website. But I would like to remind everyone that those sites are supposed to be a two-way street. Too many times we are seeing a wave of people joining who list their myriad wants, but we never see their name with an item available to be picked up. My friends and I are starting to call it freeloadering. The groups were originally formed to keep good things out of landfills. I encourage people to use these websites – just keep reciprocation in mind.
Freecycle can be good but after having bad experience after bad experience I won’t use or recommend it.
Tawra, I’ve also had a few disappointments on Freecycle, but now I mostly ‘lurk’, reading the wants and offers but very rarely listing anything myself. I do speak up when something is offered I want, or if a want is something I have available. I finally got rid of my old computer and all the old parts when a ‘want’ was for a preteen who’s learning about computers. (Yes, I made sure the hard drives were reformatted.) A broken bird bath is now a favorite plant stand on my patio. I’ve gotten a few very nice clothes from freecycle as well.
I love our Freecycle. I recently got an artificial Christmas tree in very good shape (not with lights) and came with a tree stand as well. I also was given some golf items I’m going to give my brother for his b-day.
what i did was placed a ad on kiji giving the furniture away i would never give away things that were garbage these items were in great shape
I think a good frugal living tip is to form a bartering “club”. Notify members of the club of goods or services you are willing to barter! Chances are good you’ll not only make several good exchanges, you’ll make several good friends as well!!
I moved last March into a new neighborhood in my same city. Boy, what a difference! I have met so many friendly and caring people. We all have our own issues and concerns, but we help each other as often as we can. Quite often we gather in a neighbor’s yard to catch up. If someone is sick, others bring food over. Quite often someone will have “extras” of some food-this week it was oranges that a friend had bought in large quantity on sale. She had us all take 4-5. Another friend had lots of leftover candy from Christmas, and brought it all in a big bag. People just took what they could use. One sweet lady loves to bake cookies, and she will give everyone a half dozen, or so. We also get together for spur of the moment potluck dinners. They are really fun, even though we will have lots of different things. Food always gets eaten, when it might have been tossed otherwise. The big bonus is the fellowship, and sharing of hearts. I always feel renewed and encouraged!!
Barb, my old neighborhood was the same way. None of us were wealthy, (ok, we all live well below poverty level)but the generosity was always there, and we always shared what we had. When one of my co-worker’s daughter was pregnant, we all gave her a few items, and they had to buy very little for the baby. We all lived by “What comes around goes around.” It’s heartening to see that. Now that I live in a “wealthier” area with my boyfriend, everyone keeps to themselves. I don’t even know the neighbors, and I’ve been here for about nine months now. Thankfully we’re moving soon, and I can only hope that my new neighborhood will be the same way. There’s something to be said about “poor” people. They always seem to be more generous and willing to share than “wealthy” people.
Marie I have to agree with you and Barb. I am a single mom of 4 who is currently disabled. So yep we are poor. We were blessed with a housing voucher right before I had my back surgery and somehow ended up in the rich neighborhood of our town. (a lot of landlords did not want to take the voucher) Despite people seeing that I had surgery and several being told (i have kids who will talk to anyone!) Not one person has come over to offer their help with yard work or anything. We have a huge yard and my 11 yr old son was mowing it. Now we have a ton of leaves and due to him having an emergency appendectomy and my oldest daughter getting hit by a car (she’s okay but sore and bruised) the yard just sits there. My other two are just little bitty kids. My neighbors spend hours and that’s not an exaggeration mowing, leaf blowing and vacuuming etc yet not one has offered any assistance. I’m not one to ask for help so I guess we’ll stay leafy! But I”m just shocked that noone has offered. I’ve lived in the poor neighborhoods where everyone helped everyone and I think we picked the wrong neighborhood to move to.
sorry to hear that when my husband had cancer he was in Halifax and i was home alone with the kids i also work full time my neigbours were fantastic actually they did more for me then most of both of our families so there are good neighbours out there sometimes we have to make the first move and show them how to act
Marie,
They may be wealthy, but it sounds like you are the rich ones. I hope you find a new neighborhood that better suits the way you choose to live.
I read on our freecycle that a woman needed professional clothing for a new job and since I had just retired I gave her a complete wardrobe. She seemed very unappreciative and in a hurry when she picked the clothes up. She looked familiar but I couldn’t place her. Several months later I stopped at a garage sale and there she was. Guess whose clothes were hanging up for sale. Yep, and I’m usually pretty laid back but I saw red. I told her off but she said she lost the job so didn’t need the clothes after all. The reason I thought she looked familiar is because I’d been to her sales before. I contacted freeserve and they said that they have no control over what people do with the things they get. I watch and she is still on there taking and taking. At my age, I don’t need much so I do a lot more giving and feel good about it. I wouldn’t feel that way if I was taking to make money. Like you said, You reap what you sow, karma or what goes around comes around. Every religion has a name for it. I’d rather pay ahead.
Gayla T,
I would put up a post on the website so others using that website would know what this woman is doing. People should know not to do business with this person, money exchanged or not. The only way to stop people from abusing these “free” websites is to start publicly “outing” them for the theives that they are.
SKHampton,
Thank you. It really does seem to be that way. We’re happy, and even though there are things that we want, we know that we don’t NEED them, and by the time we have the money saved up for whatever it is, we usually forget about it. So far the neighborhood that we’re looking at seems to be very nice. But even if it doesn’t work out, lo and behold, there’s a home for sale in my old neighborhood.
Super good point Marie. I have that happen all the time. I will save and save and by the time I get the money for something I often don’t even want it any more.
I live on a military base, and as the houses are so close together, once we make friends with neighbor’s it’s always “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine” We throw bbq’s every week, and no one family is put out for groceries, since we all help out with the meat, sides, and drinks. We also joke about having the “community garage” where we can put a vehicle in to have all the mechanics around (my husband, the garage owner etc) work on the vehicle to fix it. When my husband deploys, we know that our toddler and I will be taken care of when I go to have our second baby, since we all help each other out in times of stress or even in the good times.
You are very very lucky! As a former military wife not all bases work like that. You are very fortunate to have been blessed with one like that.
Paying too much for auto insurance? Here’s a frugal idea suggested to me by MY insurance agent.
My policy runs for a six-month period. For the time of the current policy, I’m odometer-tracking. I write down the odometer reading when I leave and when I arrive (easily charted with paper and pencil, and transferred to computer). We’ll see what happens with my policy this fall.
Commenting on #8…my kids will buy themselves treats (i.e. box of snack cakes),etc and then sell some of them to their siblings for a profit (but less than the individual item would cost at a convienience store).They often pay for their purchases this way and have some of the snacks for themselves.
Heidi…that is a great way for them to see how the real world works. When I was was a kid we would do this…and I learned that if I was willing to skip eating the “junk” I could make a bit of profit. I have always liked the profit…today, my husband and I own our own business. More people in this country should learn this instead of asking for handouts.
some schools have offers to trade for yearly cost of sports. you need to check with athletic director. i sold tickets at games two nights and it covered cost of my 1 son playing 3 sports that school year.
I am with you Tara Freecycle people make me mad when they want something you offer set a time and do not show
One thing I found out that really bothers me is the “community supplies” in our son’s school! They have the kids put all their like supplies in a bucket or tub. Ex: all the glue together, all the pencils together, etc. My son is very particular with his supplies (because I taught him to be responsible for them!) and when he goes to get a pencil from the bucket, either a lot of them have been chewed on, broken in half, or the eraser is chewed off because the teachers aren’t making the students be responsible for them. His box of colored markers were missing half of the markers because they were taken by the other students, then he had no red, or green (or whatever other colors) he needed. Supplies cost a lot, even at the beginning-of-the-school-year sales. Usually, in the middle of the year, teachers are then asking for more pencils, markers, etc. I’ve talked to teachers until I’m blue in the face that letting the kids “share” the supplies is really teaching them to be irresponsible because some aren’t taking care of their own supplies when they know they can get from others. I’ve told the teachers, “You can count on me to help however needed, but when it comes to resupplying the class with school supplies, I won’t do it. My son takes care of his supplies, and they last him all year, if no one else uses them.” I may be a hard person about that, but it’s just not right when we are struggling with job layoffs and being asked to send extra supplies. Also, I have a day care and in the past have used his extra school supplies in the summer for my day care kids. I haven’t been able to the past 3 years due to the “community supplies” because there is nothing left at the end of the school year.
We have covered this same subject a few times in the past. For anyone interested here is the page which links you to several articles and comments on this same subject.
http://www.livingonadime.com/?s=school+supplies&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
Hi! I am new to this site. As a teacher I must say I have seen it all when it comes to use of supplies. And just as some kids want their own items–others feel it is their job to supply everyone else or “hold” friends supplies/HW until the friend needs it. My class students are encouraged to keep their own; if they need a place to keep stuff I try to come up with something for them. There is a shared bucket (the school provides limited supplies), I’ve seen kids deliberately break items (I hold them accountable). Most kids truly do not understand the concept of sharing–they think sharing is taking. I have posted Return Items In The Same or Better Condition Than You Found Them. There is a learning curve for each one of us. I want to say thank you to all who teach their children at home and ask for patience with kids still learning this.
liz . when my son was little, he didnt like others touching his stuff .. and if he pikd out his fav colors for his notebooks (those little flimsy ones with the little prongs in middle, they were normally paper/soft cardboard type ones) .. i used ot get his fav colors and put his name on them with a permanent marker .. same thing with the crayons and markers too .. and then put them in one of those pencil boxes .. with his little supplies ..
and then i would get some stuff for the other kids too .. not everything on that list .. some things i would donate later on in the year (like toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer) ..
but this stuff was very cheap .. and i could afford to do it this way ..
some of his teachers didnt like that idea and i told them he gets very upset if someone touches his stuff that he picked out and wanted .. its his stuff .. and the rest that i brought in was for the class ..
i can truthfully say only one of his teachers got super upset over this and i ended up having a meeting with the teacher and hte principle at the same time .. the principle agreed with me ..
some kids are like that and the fact that i bought stuff for the other students too was a good thing .
not everyone likes to share every single things ..
my son was like ur son esp wiht the pencils .. it would be one thing if he chewed on them but its another to have the “community” supply of pencils all with teeth marks ..
every summer b4 school starts those school supplies can be very very cheap and if u go early enuff u can stock up each week ..
even tho my kids are out of school now (one is 22 and the other is 30), i still buy stuff at this time of year ..
Rose, I too, would buy extra things for his class. I was/am usually the room mom, so for Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s, I would always give the kids pencils, etc. At Christmas, I would give everyone a new box of crayons in their goody bag. I just don’t think it’s teaching kids to be responsible when others take something that is someone else’s, specifically. This is more an issue now that one of us has been unemployed for basically 2 1/2 years. Kids just aren’t responsibility at school with regards to supplies, or each kid would have their own supplies. If my son truely used up all of his supplies, I would purchase more (or get from my stash of pre-school sales). I just don’t think I need to be purchasing school supplies because some kids are hard on their supplies because they know they can take from others. I don’t expect other parents to purchase supplies for my child if he abuses them, just as I don’t feel like I should purchase supplies for other kids when they are disrespectful of others’ supplies.
Oh, I suspect that there are some generous wealthy people. Some just don’t want their names publicized.
Yes there are. It is like any other group of people – you have some really sweet, generous nice ones and then you have the not so nice, kind or generous ones.
I take a little offense about wealthy people and stinginess. We ate so much macaroni and cheese one year I cannot stand the sight of the blue boxes in the store. OUr church has a monthly mission project that we contribute to and our church is where the food pantry is based for our small town. Both projects get donations from my weekly shopping trips. We had student loans and I had to build a business. I have been there and don’t mind contributing a hand up. We also have always tried to buy what we need not what we want and pass that philosphy to our 2 20somethings. It took alot of years to impress upon them the sayings “Big hat, no cattle” and “we don’t wear our money” I love your website keep it up. Oh, I still use a lot of paper towels but am trying to cut back Thanks Susan
When my daughter wanted to continue in gymnastics and we could no longer afford it, I offered to man the phones and books while she was in class for the amount of payment. It helped free up the owner so she could supervise the children with the instructors and I enjoyed doing what I normally do in my regular job (answer phones, and book-keeping.) It was a win/win for all of us!
This may be hard to believe but our home is entirely furnished with things we bought from charitable organizations, garage sales, and things that other people had left on the curb. We paid $35Cdn for a perfectly good living room couch for example and my husband one day found an as good as new leather armchair on the curb. Our daughter is going to college next fall and we have found so many useful items at garage sales and the other day when my husband was out he found two very nice living room tables, a dresser, a piano bench etc. all in good condition that our daughter, who is money smart, can use in her new apartment. Our daughter is turning 17 this fall and I still have her flannel diapers that are excellent for window cleaning.
I totally believe it. The only new furniture we have purchased is our bed. Otherwise our entire house has been furnished for less than $350 and I might be overestimating that price.
Hi, I’m an elementary school teacher and I totally agree with the comments regarding NOT having “community supplies” in the classroom. I ask the parents to label their child’s supplies. I also don’t allow my students to give away any of their things. Especially in Kindergarten, some children love to “share” their things. I tell them their parents bought it for them, not to give away. I do have a stash of supplies for students who need them.
Thank you Melva. I always say teachers and nurses will get special crowds in heaven.
I think it depends somewhat on how the wealthy became wealthy as Susan said if you have eaten boxed macaroni and cheese when you were getting your start toward “more money than most”, then you don’t forget and maybe are more willing to be generous than others. But then I have a millionaire friend who says ‘she worked for hers, others can to’ not stopping to think that some have and always will have more opportunities to gain wealth than others-not to mention the knowledge or intelligence on how to gain it. The Bible tells us that “the poor we will have with us always”.
I love your website and read it every time it comes into my inbox.
Some people remember how they started, Julia, and will cheerfully help others.
In fact, the Bible commands in 1 Timothy that those who have much help those who have little. It also warns those who are idle to get busy and do something productive (1 Thessalonians 5).
I think that some poor people are more willing to give openly. We are recently unemployed (after being as my mother would say well off) and if we are careful with our rainy day savings, we are ok for 1 year, maybe longer – due to careful saving on our part. I would detest someone giving me things just assuming that now I am poor I need them. Really I would. I just wanted to say that there is more than 1 way to help others – some feel comfortable giving of themselves and others would rather donate money or items. Some prefer to be in the spotlight and others in the shadows. Sure the person who hands out food at the pantry is important, but behind them are people who donated the food, people who pay for the rent and utilities of the building, etc. And that can be said for most of these charity type things. Neighbors helping neighbors is great, but for the most part neighborhoods are divided by income, so in reality (in a middle class or higher neighborhood) you think – the people who live here make as much as I do, so if they need help they can pay for it. And in some poorer neighborhoods they will assume the opposite. I’ve had friends who live on the edge of poverty and none of them have neighbors who would help even if their house was burning down. In this case I feel generalizing about one group of people is making assumptions that are not necessarily true. No matter what income I have or what neighborhood I live in, I would rather work behind the scenes than be a spotlight girl and I don’t see what is wrong with that. Most of the people I know are like that. Sure if I had a skill someone needed I would be more than willing to donate my time, but I’d rather knit nice warm scarves for the local homeless instead of teaching a group of girls to knit those scarves. I’m just not that public of a person. And I also detest taking help from others. I like to do for myself and my family and if I have to have help – well previously I would pay for it…now I just do without. It is amazing the stuff you really don’t need
I work at the clothes closet in my town. And I see children’s school supplies come in all the time, by this I mean the teacher is giving them to us after school is over.How do I know ? The kids names are on them. I always wonder why they weren’t given to the kids to take home. I haven’t had a child in school in 19 years, but it still amazes me about this !
I never heard of freecycling but thanks for pointing it out. I live on a very limited income and clothing is a luxury for me. I’m lucky to have a very sweet best friend and I traded a week of me staying with her children for clothes.I’m trying to get into an apartment and have no household items. I will definately try theses sites.
Julie our Craig’s List also has a free section and a section where you can post things you need and often people will have things they will give you for nothing if you post under Wanted section.
I have adopted the minimalist lifestyle recently. I am not embracing the whole thing but the idea of living on less has been a great stress reducer for me. I am in the middle of switching jobs and just clearing out extra stuff I don’t need has greatly reduced stress for me! I don’t have to spend hours cleaning just a quick pick up and cleaning has really been wonderful!!! Getting rid of extra stuff is very freeing!!!! NOT spending has been great especially this time of year when everyone is out spending on back to school clothes! It’s like another holiday! I feel blessed that I don’t have to spend money on stuff for back to school and at Christmas we will NOT be spending just to have gifts to give. We have already agreed that we have enough actually too much and we will be reducing instead of adding to our load!!! It is a wonderful way of freeing yourself by unburdening yourself of stuff!
I make the laundry liquid too with a slight receipe variation. It saves so much money and you dont run out as fast. It costs me $2-$2.50 for 15 litres and lasts about 55 washes!
Little things I do to save money #1 I don’t buy cleaning products. I make grandmother’s ” house crack” cleaner. Lol . I use it for everything except scouring ( baking soda). 1 bottle of alcohol , 1 cup of ammonia, a Gallon jug. Mix the ammonia and alcohol in the jug and fill the rest with water. I clean everything with it( except wood of course) cleans and disinfects bathrooms and kitchens and your floors have never sparkled so well. Cleans glass like a charm and it cost me about $1.50 for a gallon. Just pour what you want in a squirt bottled (recycled of course).
I went “junkin’ as my daughter and I call it, and bought cloth napkins. I have t bought paper napkins in well over 5 years. No I don’t make an extra load if laundry, I buy white ones and throw them in with my other whites. I use hand towels and not paper towels…. I do draw the line at cloth toilet paper:)
I breast fed my babies not only was it free, no bottles to buy or wash. No extra electric bill, no bottles to heat in the middle if the night . And it’s not like you can forget them at home or have one cut loose on the car on a hot summer day:)
Cloth diapers… Yep took more time with folding and washing, but I spent $120 up front for a weeks worth and I never bought another diaper. Who knew about landfill mess back then, all I knew was I couldn’t afford $35 a week in diapers . No my kids never yep I said never had a diaper rash. And ohh the ease potty training was… Right to cloth under pants no pull up baby pants.
For your teens if they have to have a cell phone or they will just drop dead. Buy a cheapie prepaid and make them earn their minutes . They want a fancy smancy phone have them get a job . Sounds tough, but the lesson you are teaching will come in handy when they are older.
We have basic cable movie night is a Redbox or Netflix for $8. The kids watch about 20 movies a month so I am saving money there.
We dont buy box cereal …because teenagers blow throw cereal and the milk that goes with it. It’s cheaper to make them an omelette and I come across as the cool mom…
For extra income I bake cakes from my house.
Buy produce from a local farmer road side stand or farm market way cheaper and fresher than the super market.( the back of a pick up even better).
For those of you who need it the same cleaning product recipe is in Dining on a Dime. We listed it under window cleaner because it does work great for that. We do have the book on sale this week for our Christmas sale and it has a huge section on other cleaning products just like that if you need them.
I used cotton diapers that I laundered myself for both of my daughters and they never had diaper rash; I always changed them as soon as they needed and we saved a bundle of money. I can really recommend cloth diapers to anyone, they are far superior to the expensive store bought diapers.
Please tell me where I can find the recipe for the laundry detergent.
Thank you!
Here is the link forhomemade laundry detergent and if you misplace it we have it listed on our home page too. Also it might help to watch our video on how to make it too.
Thanks a lot Tawra for sending the link to the laundry detergent; I am very eager to try it, if I can figure out where to buy the soap.
Susanne it usually is pretty easy to find if you don’t live out in the boonies. Most grocery stores and Walmart carries the things and many small hardware stores do too. If you don’t find the exact bar soap you can replace it with something else. We have just found the Fels Napa works the best.
newb. Love the tips. Have done so many for years and am constantly trying to add new habits. A few things I learned
Kids activities- try the free/nearly free activities–scouts, schools and groups like PAL & church groups (no you don’t have to be that faith or even any faith). All of these use small budgets, organize the kids to raise their own money, work off volunteerism and donations.
Groceries: DIY your own mixes for boxed meals & envelope dressings/sauces. Tons of recipes on the net, save big money, reduce your carbon foot print, gain better health & most times lose weight.
Upcycle: Most of my canister type containers are upcycled food container (big pretzel or ice cream tubs, clear plastic restaurant size food items, etc)I use them for everything from DIY hot cocoa mix to dog bones to DIY laundry detergent to planters.
Repairs: We do most of our own but when a professional is required he/she only gets the part of the project we can’t do. e.g. When our water main broke-My husband broke up the concrete and dug the trenches. The plumber did the plumbing parts (he had to because old code meets new code requirements–gets very messy). I was on photography (for insurance purposes-cannot stress the importance enough) and clean up/disposal due to the basement flooding. It helped us because we didn’t feel so useless. Additionally, when the insurance adjuster came he had no trouble authorizing all the money needed. We had a check in 48 hours. When we hire a professional we always get the hourly figure and supplies listed separately, and a completion time frame. Payment always 1/3 upfront, 1/3 when half the job is complete and 1/3 when satisfied the job is complete.
Sorry so long winded-hope this helps someone out there.
For those of you who are new to our site be sure to check it out. We have many articles covering all the above things Fay mentioned plus our Dining on a Dime Cook book has a whole section on making your own mixes including dressings and sauces.
Must disagree with doing without a washer. Our local coin laundry is $2.25 per load to wash. Eight loads a week (sometimes more for our family of 5, one dog) is $72 a month. A new HE washer $450- major chains always compete for appliance sales so there is always one offering 0% interest for 1 year. The washer would come out to $37 a month. That’s a savings of $35 a month. Even if you finance at 19% it is $42 per month for a year you still save $30 per month. My suggestion-place a piggy bank by the washer and do not wash unless you pay, this way you will be able to meet/exceed your monthly payment. Takes discipline nothing more.
This can depend on your circumstances and where you live too. For example for my family of 4 I only did 3 loads of laundry a week and it cost $1.00 to do a load. So at $3.00 a week it was much less expensive to do that then charge a washer. The interest alone would have cost more for me. The main point is to try to see if you can’t make do without. We now a day have the problem of thinking that so many modern conveniences are needs instead of realizing we maybe could do without them for a time and make do with something else or doing it another way.
I agree. It is time to know your wants and needs. Easy rule of thumb.
“If you want it and you cant eat it, you don’t need it. ” This the best way to live. A lot of cuts can be made and you can lighten the load on yourself. A stress free person is a happy one productive one. Set the timer on the TV and trade in your cable for netflix or something. Think about it, just those two things will save you 100 bucks a month. How many others can you cut. Even if you had a date night, which is better then cable, you still got 50 bucks to put back. Live, Love and Dream.
My Dad was a child during the depression and died a few years ago at 91. That generation knows about minimalist lifestyle and how to live on a dime for sure. he always told me you must decide between your wants and your needs. Lets hope that as future generations come along we will go back to those fundamentals instead of everyone having everything NOW!
I had a friend with little money coming in and many kids and they could not afford a washer and dryer. I told her what I did when I was newlywed and in our first house. Buying the house took all we had and I decided that since I not work in the work place that I would contribute my time by saving as I could. I washed the clothes in the tub. Yep, the bathtub and just stomp on the clothes with my feet; rinsing was the same process. Wringing was the hard part. Wringing out blue jeans by hand was the hardest of all. Clothes were hung on the line. With the money I saved by not going to the Laundromat, we were able to save money for a washer first then a dryer later. She did the same thing but it was her kids stomping the clothes clean. It was play for the kids. My mom decided to stop smoking when she was in her twenties and with the money saved from that she bought a refrigerator. Doing it by hand yourself for a short time or giving up a bad habit for good might give you the money you need to make your life easier in the long.
I love Aldi’s too, but my next favorite money saver is the “as seen on TV” forever bags. They extend produce life by 2-3 weeks easily!! Now its a very rare event for me to have to throw out spoiled produce. You can sometimes get them “free” from Menard’s on their 100% rebate with store credit-that’s how I got mine. Also you can wash and reuse them many many times. I wash with hot soapy water, rinse inside and out with hot water and dry them with inside out-then turn it back inside when it is dry. PS I have no monied interest in your trying these!! lol
Yes Mary-Dawn those do work great. Another way to get them is Jo Ann Fabrics is starting to have many of the “as seen on TV” things too. You can take one of their 50% off coupons and use for them. Also it is more expensive but HSN carries Debbie Meyers green bags and containers which do the same thing. If you find you are throwing food out a bunch even though it may cost some at first this is one of those things that would save you money in the long run.
One thing that I have found works well is keeping things in their original plastic bags or packages they come in. I had some radishes I bought almost 3 weeks ago and I left them in their original bag and they are still good. I do this with iceberg lettuce. I tear off what I need and then re wrap in it’s plastic wrapper and it can last me at least 2 weeks.
I’ve found I have a lot less fresh produce spoilage since the money has gotten so insanely tight here. I cook from fresh produce nearly every night, and only get things I know I will use before they spoil. Since there is so much less in the fridge, I can see what needs to be used first so much easier. To keep the freezer full I keep empty juice bottles filled with water in all the empty spaces. When we get a chance to stock up, I just pull out some of the bottles of ice and let them melt. Meat is more of a side dish now, with fresh produce and either brown rice or baked potatoes for the major part of dinner. When we do get steak, we will splurge on a smaller piece of higher quality meat when it is on sale. Otherwise it’s smaller pieces of chicken, fish, pork, or ground beef. Our sons are vegetarian or pescaterian (vegetarian who eats fish), and they are trying to influence our food choices (somewhat successfully). I won’t let them ‘guilt’ me into changing, but they are more frugal and healthier ways to eat.
[...] and probably one of your favorite things to do, it’s incredibly expensive. If you start eating at home and not going out to restaurants at all, you will save an average of $300 to $500 a month, [...]
After reading some of the “conversation” on people in neighborhoods helping or giving, I felt compelled to make a comment. There are many valid comments above. And it’s true some people think that people need to work for what they get. I worked my hiney off for many years and was always a day late and a dollar short. A lot of that was spending habits. Not that I ever was a shop aholic. I just didn’t know the best ways to shop back then. I often would find some good deals, but now am a way better buyer. Some of the people in the wealthier neighborhoods may just be getting by themselves. Along with the higher mortgages, insurance, home owners fees etc. comes the higher priced lifestyle and the debt. I have a feeling that a lot of those people are in way over their heads and really can’t afford what they have. Sure their are some who can afford it, but a lot probably can’t. Whenever I see a homeless person I throw cash their way, usually not a lot (since I don’t carry a lot) but enough for a meal at least. I know a lot of people have attitudes about people like that, but the way I think is “be Christ like”. We are “entertaining Christ” when we do unto the least of these. Whether that person makes a profession out of pan handling or not, I have done what is right in my heart. Anytime we give, it should come from the heart. God loves a cheerful giver. Sure there are some who take advantage, but what about the ones that don’t? And we shouldn’t assume anyone needs our help just because they lost a job, some are better money managers than others. But I think asking them if there is something we can do to help or if they need anything is okay.
I am learning that I have made some “big” money mistakes in my life. I had a friend that replied to me in a frugal manner, and here I am trying to find ways to be frugal.
So here’s my tip for kids activities. Find activies that have a flat fee. My son once took guitar lessons @ $60/month. That was an 1/2 hour lesson, once a week. Once he broke his guitar, that was it, and I’m glad. Now my kids participate in sports that last a whole season for the price of a month of guitar lessons. I found a 6 week day camp for $140 for both kids versus the $160/week camp that their school offered. The quality was just as great. They swim twice a week, have themed activites, and outside resources from local college volunteers to teach them theater, dance, and art.
So, instead of spending $1090, I am spending $240 for sports and aummer day camp. Check your community centers and community parks for deals like this.
Gayla and others who wish to donate clothes (or need them), please consider Dress for Success. They collect clothing donations for women who are trying to come out of bad circumstances like shelters, abusive situations, prison or whatever. You have to be dressed appropriately for a job interview and many women can’t afford to go wardrobe shopping from a shelter. DFS lets you pick out all the pieces for a few nice outfits including shoes, handbags and jewelry for FREE. They have meetings for encouragement and help to teach basic office skills to women who want to repair their lives and take care of their kids without relying on public assistance. Find your nearest DFS location on http://www.dressforsuccess.org. When we help one another, it will always come back to us.
I am honestly proud of myself today! We did not eat out – even though I was in the car and all ready to go. A few thoughts on the matter caused me to rethink the expense it would have been, and despite the late hour, I went inside and made a quick dinner. Thanks for your post.
Way to go mama goose. the more you do it the easier it will get. Sometimes when you start something like this is is fun to keep track of how much you saved for a month. It often shocks many people because they had no idea they were spending that much.
I watched that how to fold a fitted sheet, several times, spent 30 minutes trying it…still have not a clue. I just folded it back up, my old way, fairly neatly, and put it away!!!!!
One thing I do is keep a box of brownie or cake mix on hand, esp when they are on sale. When there is a pitch-in, I can bake cupcakes and frost them for about $2 because I bought on sale. For Christmas, I like beautiful, expensive paper, but what we do is this: Wrap the box in the beautiful paper but before using the scotch tape, lay it on your arm then remove it. It weakens the tape a bit. We tie a bow around the box one way. After the present is opened, we place the bow I the box and re-wrap it. I have a “holiday” room in my basement that is full of lovely pre-wrapped boxes. Often, I will spend $10 on a roll of beautiful paper, but I re-use it so often by being careful, it ends up being normally-priced in the long run. Also, since I don’t like to cook, I will usually stick to recipes that have 5 or fewer ingredients. My mom subscribes to the newspaper, so I dropped my subscription and share hers (she lives across the street.) We donate our clothes to a home that helps women transition from prison to jobs. One lovely lady took a photo of herself and the director mailed it to my sister. She was wearing one of my sister’s suits and looked great in it.
In our family, we all try to share food before throwing it out. For example, we will split a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, or 5 pounds of potatoes. We are all trying to drink more water because diet coke (which we all love) weakens bones and we’re all over 60! I’m a pretty good knitter, so I often knit sweaters for my family for Christmas (I actually taught myself when I was about 9 by reading a book with illustrations.) Instead of vegetation killer in areas that I don’t want any growth (the side of my house used to be a real mess) I sprinkle salt that I bought at Aldi’s for 39 cents instead of $17 for Round-UP at Lowe’s. Don’t forget to dry out coffee grounds and put them in your garden. It will turn your hydrangeas a lovely shade of blue!
This may sound really awful, but when I purchase a large item, like new pillows for my bed, I make sure the clerk puts them in a large bag. I use the bag for a trash bag once I remove the pillows. I have dozens of kitchen towels, and usually only buy ONE roll of paper towels a year. I use the kitchen towels instead of paper. My friends are amazed when I tell them this but it just makes sense. 100 years ago, they didn’t have paper towels.
We have a facebook group for giving things away. We also have a 25$ and under, 10$ and under and then just a regular site for clothing and other garagesale items. I bought 63 pieces of clothing for my 2 year old for $20. We aren’t allowed to sale clothes that are torn or spotted in anyway, unless its stated that they are. I have boughten her shoes for $1 even. I was so lucky to fall into these groups. They have even started a farm and ranch site so people can get eggs and meat, veggies and even the live animals.
The sad thing is, we already do all most of these tips and still need to find ways to save. We eat out very little, I cook from scratch for the most part, we don’t have cable (never had) buy second hand when we can’t get it for free, etc. We waste very little food, and we hardly go anywhere. I know there are a few more tips we can try, such as using Ivory soap for dishes. I just grate some into my hot water to dissolve. It is natural and very cheap.
Dawn there is a small percentage of people who just need to make more money or need to consider moving some place less expensive. This isn’t the norm and there are very few who fall into this category and that may be what you need to do. But first really look careful at where your money is going. I don’t know how many times I have people tell me they are being so careful -not going out to eat, cutting cable, watching utility bills etc. – but they don’t notice many places they are still spending their money on.
For example I have had people tell me they can’t cut back one more place on their bills but the next week they got a manicure and pedicure for $50. Another one keeps a $12 bag of candy on their desk to munch on or they refuse to wear the same pair of jeans twice so they spend a lot on doing the laundry. I know people in my quilt guild who think nothing of paying $40 for a class plus $100 in material to take to the class or they will go on a shop hop and spend $1000 without batting an eye. These same people are so worried because they have lost their job and their husband maybe losing his. I know others who will say the only money I spend is on second hand books for only $4 a book. They still can’t figure out where to save.
The biggest way most can save is using less, buying less of everything and finding ways to start new habits to do that. For example I have been to people’s homes for dinner. They cook a meal and use 6 very very large pans for this meal. I would have cooked the exact same meal using 2 small pans. That means less clean up so less soap and hot water used and it also means I can get by with less pans. This is not the way most people think. Because of that thinking when I had kids at home I had 1 grocery sack of trash a day and now on my own I have 1 1/2 sacks (small grocery sacks) a week. I don’t even buy trash bags because I don’t need them – more savings.
I’m just saying look in the less obvious places to start saving. Everyone knows about saving on going out to eat or utilities but they sometimes over look other things.