10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget
No, this is not a huge list post. My friends at Wise Bread have written a book by this title! They sent me a copy for review, and I have to say I love the book! And I have one to give away, too, so keep reading!
10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget is a comprehensive resource of money saving ideas. The authors split their tips into two sections: Frugal Living and Personal Finance.
The Frugal Living section covers topics like:
- 10 Frugal Ways to Care for Your Allergies
- 10 Ways to Go Green and Save Money at the Same Time
- 55 Ways I Saved Time and Money Planning My Wedding
- 5 Ways to Trim Haircut Costs for Kids
- 13 Free Ways to Wrap Your Gifts With Style
The Personal Finance section includes topics such as:
- What Credit Counselors Do and How to Pick One
- 10 Easy Ways to Find Money for Charity
- 6 Tips for Following a Budget Without Breaking Down in Tears
- 6 Horrible Financial Products You Should Avoid
- 10 Dirty Secrets Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You to Know
And the list goes on…and on and on! (But that’s a good thing!)
At the end of the book, there’s a list of 142 resources that will save you cash. (There’s a list on the Wise Bread website, as well.) Each resource has a short description, so you know what it is, before you expend the energy to look up the website. BeingFrugal.net is even listed in the resource section under the Elevenmoms! It’s a small thing, but it’s pretty exciting to be listed among the other great resources.
And I have to mention the authors of 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget. There are too many to list them all, but the authors include many familiar names in the personal finance blogosphere: Leo Babauta, J.D. Roth, Trent Hamm, Silicon Valley Blogger, Xin Lu, Linsey Knerl, and many more. I’ve had the opportunity to work with several of the authors on various projects, and I have a great deal of respect for the amount of knowledge they have on frugal living and personal finance.
I love the way 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget is laid out! If you wanted to, you could read it straight through. But if you’re looking for specific information, it’s easy to find. I have a feeling 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget will become a staple on the frugal bookshelf.
The Giveaway
If you’d like a copy of 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, you have a chance to win one right here! Just leave a comment with a frugal tip. I’ll close comments next Wednesday, May 27 at noon PST and draw a winner, using a random number generator.
Please only one comment per person, as duplicate comments will be deleted. The winner will have one week from the time I contact them to get back to me with their mailing info. If no contact information is received, I’ll draw a new winner. The book will be shipped directly from the Wise Bread people, so I will have to pass your contact information on to them for shipping.
I think that about covers it! I can’t wait to hear your tips!
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Author
By Lynnae McCoy, on May 20, 2009
I'm Lynnae, wife of one and stay-at-home mom of two. I'm committed to getting out of debt by being frugal with my choices in life.
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I'm just an average mom, trying to live a frugal life and get out of debt. I write about things that have (and haven't) worked to improve my family's financial situation. What works for me may or may not work for you, and you should always consult a financial advisor before making important financial decisions.
In accordance with FTC guidelines, I state that I have a financial relationship with companies mentioned in this website. This may include receiving access to free products and services for product and service reviews and giveaways.
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Sounds like a good read– I hope I win it!
Gosh. I don’t think I have anything new or original to mention. I do love rotisserie chicken and the ones in the store are small and full of their seasons and no telling what else. I buy a roasting chicken and cook it in a crock pot. I put foil balls down to keep the chicken off the bottom of the pot and out of its juices. It turns our marvelous everytime. Just a note that when you use your seasonings on it to go light. They are greatly enhanced by this method and could end up being too strong.
Since it is that time of year, my frugal tip is to grow your own vegetables, or even have a few herbs in pots on the window sill. It is fun, organic, and a great way to add to your meal planning all summer long.
My best frugal tip is EAT LEFTOVERS! Some things are even better as leftovers. (Now the next trick is convincing the boyfriend of that!)
My tip: don’t buy your kids new clothes!
One of my favorite tricks is to add a little bit of baking soda to my shampoo when I’m washing my hair. I put a bit of baking soda in my hand, add the shampoo, swirl it a bit with my finger, and wash my hair as normal. It really cuts through the dirt and grim and leaves my hair really feeling clean– even when using inexpensive shampoos!
My tip is get a programmable thermostat. It will help to save money on those energy bills.
Learn to do simple sewing repairs- like sewing a button, hemming clothing, stitching a ripped seam-can really stretch your clothing budget. (I’m always amazed at the people who don’t know how to do these things.)
My frugal tip would be anytime you think you “need” something decide if that is really a want or a need. Then if you must have it try to find it used or find the best price on new. I have learned here that there is a great kids consignment sale twice a year (spring and fall). I love that not only can I consign the things my kids are done with, but I can then get them used items for a fraction of the price new (but look new). It is a win-win!
My Tip: Do not buy a new car during college – ride a bicycle or drive a used car.
Thanks,
Nate
A tip from me: try to wish list things instead of buying them right away – takes some of the impulse buying out of my life!
My frugal tip is plan ahead, esp. for a new baby and use Freecycle. I’ve gotten almost 80% of the things I needed for my son free. I also freecycle items that we just don’t use or baby shoes my friend insists on buying.
I save the liners from boxed cereals. They are good for marinating meat in, lining cookie sheets for freezing cookie dough and even for short term freezer storage of bread and vegetables.
I make a giant list of all the things I “want”. No censoring happens when I make the list.
But then I look at how ridiculously greedy and expensive it would be if I bought all of it, and I usually can’t decide which ones I *really* want, so I end up not spending anything!
Buy regular Olive Oil for cooking. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is for tasting.
I put a pitcher under the water when it is running to get hot and use that to water the container plants on the patio. I also fill a pitcher with water left in glasses when the ice melts or water the kids did not drink, instead of pouring it down the sink.
Prepare a monthly budget and stick to it!
Share magazine subscriptions with your friends.
You know the butt ends of the loaf of bread that no one likes to eat, get a ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. When full make homemade stuffing. I love learning how to be frugal and budgeting. All new to me.
Repurpose old picture frames that don’t match your decor anymore with alittle spray paint. Spray paint is pretty cheap and goes along way and is cheaper then buying new frames every time you paint a room or redecorate one. That is my frugal tip. Plus picture frames can almost always be found cheap at yard sales, goodwill and thrift stores.
I try to combine coupons with sale items to stretch our grocery budget.
I could so use this book, I am always looking for new ways to save money and the enviroment.
Ride your bike as often as you can for errands and commuting. Invest in a warm cycling jacket and a rack or panniers to carry stuff and you’re good to go (assuming you already have a bike and helmet). You will save gas, enjoy the outdoors, feel better, and be able to dump the health-club membership (if you had one to begin with).
A good tip is to invest in a package of either wooden or plastic clothes pins. Instead of wasting the paper of a “post it note”, I use the clothes pins and attach a piece of scratch paper with my “forget me not” note on it and I never waste the paper of a expensive store bought post it note!
Allow yourself a little “splurge” money in your budget. Even it if is only $10 a month, it will keep you from feeling like you never get to have any fun! It will also make you think twice about your splurges (Starbucks, McDonalds, books, etc) if you know you only get a certain amount of money for the month!
Also, your splurge money goes further at garage sales then at the mall!
I am planning a wedding so my frugal tip is to do everything yourselves to save money though the trade-off is more of your time! We’re doing our own invitations, programs, dress (my mom’s making mine!), flowers, centerpieces, etc., and we’re doing away with a lot of the excessive-ness of weddings (no huge bouquets, aisle runner, huge flower bouquets).
I use newspapers to make homemade pots for stating seeds.
The most important point of how to live frugily is to adjust your mindset! So much of our behavior is governed by advertisements and pressures from our culture. Living frugily comes from within, knowing what we need rather than what we want.
I find just putting a space of time between the desire to have and the actual purchase helps me to live frugily. It gives me an opportunity to assess questions like: do I need this, is this a good price, is the quality good, can I obtain this any other way, etc. Again, it has to do with your mindset – avoiding impulses.
Eat at home!
This is going to sound painfully obvious – but we know people who don’t do it: save and eat your leftovers. Honestly, I know a family who always tossed the leftovers – claimed that the kids wouldn’t eat them. Well, of course they won’t, if you don’t serve them and eat them yourself. ;o)
I use the plastic bags that the newspaper comes in to put dirty diapers in before I throw them away that way the do not stink up the diaper pail. This sounds like a great book.
Always check ebay for items you need, you can really find some good deals! But watch it not ALL items are good deals!
Instead of renting a DJ for a wedding use an Ipod or MP3 player. You can create your own playlists on an Ipod. If you don’t have one, you can try to find a used one or maybe even buy a new once, since you didn’t pay a DJ. Or maybe you could borrow an Ipod or MP3. Load it with all of your favorite music that you already have, check out CD’s from the library or borrow from friends. Ask a younger cousin to run it for you (it could be their gift to you). You will need to have equipment to play it on, so you might have to rent that, or maybe you can borrow it too? I suggested this to a friend last year and they went with a DJ, and she wishes she had used my idea. If you already own an Ipod or MP3 player then you’re halfway to a DIY wedding reception on the cheaper!
combine leftovers with salad greens and other random items in the fridge to turn them in to 2 or 3 meals!
One idea I use to stretch ground beef and make it healthier is to add TVP (textured vegetable protein) found in the health food shelf of most supermarkets and grocery stores. It adds protein and reduces the ammount of fat in the recipe.
I hope I get the book, I love learning newe ways to being frugal.
Well, you had me at the 10 ways to take care of your allergies. :) With 6 of us, and 5 of us with allergies, spring and summer get expensive.
I’d love to win the book. I’m sure that wouldn’t be the only beneficial advice. Hope I win!
Lalycairn (at) gmail.com
When shredding paper only rip off the part with confidential info to shred and use the rest of the paper for scraps or recycle. Our recycle won’t take shredded paper and I always have no cost scraps for grocery lists, etc.
Also, read Being Frugal and other blogs to curb the spending habits.
I’d love this book! My tip is to save all your veggie peelings in the freezer until you have enough to put together a veggie stock.
Don’t collect anything…ex. spoons, figurines/etc. it all costs money plus you have to have a place to display them & then you have to dust. If you are able to do this, you’ll save money & time (by not shopping & by not having to dust it all).
I wish I could turn back the clock of time & set up my house differently.
Another tip is drink more water (cold or hot as tea)…if you are unable to eliminiate other types of beverages, at least cut back on soda & beer (I don’t drink that) expenses by consuming less…you’ll be healthier, as well.
please enter me, thanks!
Put it off. It’s amazing how something you thought you absolutely had to have doesn’t seem so urgent a day or two later. If you really need it, you’ll still need it in a day or two. If you don’t want it a few days later, you’ve saved yourself from yet another unnecessary expenditure. (This approach shouldn’t be used for apologies, medical care, or homework.)
My tip would be to find and follow blogs that match sales and coupons for stores in your area. I had stopped shopping at a local store becaue their prices were too high, but now that I have found a regional blog that lists the sales/coupons matches, I have saved a lot of money by shopping there. I wouldn’t have put the time into trying to match everything myself, so this has been quite a blessing. Thanks for a great blog yourself! I learn a lot from you.
My tip is to cook from scratch, elimating lots of prepackaged food and eating out at restaurants. This has helped us tremendously since my husband’s been laid off since November.
Thanks,
Kimberly in NC
Frugal tip: The library is a GREAT resource. I rarely buy books, DVDs, music, etc. Instead, I borrow from the library. If I absolutely love an item, I may buy it later, but many times I just want to read/listen to/watch it one time.
Check whether your local library offers free movie rentals. The past two cities we’ve lived in have this with a great selection of movies. As soon as a movie I want to see comes out on DVD, I request a hold on it. It’s like Netflix but free!
This book sounds great!
Make your own bread and buy the bread flour at Sams. You can get a 25 lb. bag for about $8 vs. 5 lbs for $3. Per pound, it is almost half price.
My frugal tip is to use homemade cleaners. Also, couponing has really helped me at the grocery store. Lastly, just keeping a budget has made me more frugal because I actually see where every penny is going.
Cloth diapers, all the way! It is the most frugal tip for baby. Well, and breastfeeding.
My frugal tip is to use GOOS (Good On One Side) paper when printing from your computer. I get most of the paper I need from the recycle pile at work.
Don’t buy things that you throw away. Instead of paper bags for lunches, get a cloth lunch bag. Use plastic containers instead of baggies and plastic wrap. Buy a reusable water bottle and refill it rather than cases of bottled water. You are helping the environment and your wallet!
Use a clothes line to dry cloth diapers and other clothes. Having said that…use cloth diapers! They are not as bad as you think they are, they’ve come a LONG way! Using a clothes line saves money and energy! Also, make your own bread and grow a vegetable garden. I use containers since we don’t have the space for an above ground garden, but they work just as well! Basically…get back to the basics of life and you’ll save $$$ and set a good example for your children!
I always try to keep in mind my end goal — being debt free. That will enable me to do really special things with (and without) my family. Everytime I tempted to buy something or buy something bigger than I’d planned to, I try to think about whether that purchase gets me closer to my overall goal or keeps me from it.
Unfortunately gas prices are going up again! :(
Do a search for cheap gas prices in your area at gasbuddy.com
Then to make sure you aren’t wasting your gas try to group errands together when you go out.
Do it Yourself. From mending, to painting, to lawn care, to cooking extra and packing lunches so you don’t need to eat out… do it yourself!
Coupons are your friends! Keep an eye on circulars and combine coupons with sale items for the best deals. Also watch for special sales where stores that don’t normally double or triple coupons do. I saved 72% on a trip on a special triple coupon weekend.
Take the time to look for things on freecycle or on Craigslist. Ask your friends if you can borrow something. Barter. We all live in houses just filled to the rim with stuff…someone’s got it out there!
Make a plan with a friend (or another family) to make dinners for each other once a week. If you’re single, it’s easier to cook for 2 people and if you’re splitting with a family, you get one night off to spend more time with the kids.
Stay home! Going out means spending money: at the grocery store, mall, etc.
I hope I win!
Since beverages are so expensive, order water when eating out. You’ll save tons of money over time.
my frugal tip is to menu plan. i make a menu plan for the entire month. of course it changes as we go along but it helps me keep an eye out for sales on the groceries for our favorite meals. plus it saves the last minute panic of ‘what’s for dinner?’
My tip is to mix your own cleaning supplies with common household products like vinegar and baking soda. Cheap, works well and helps our environment too!
When I really feel like I need something or as my frinds and I call it my want meter is going crazy. I start cleaning. It helps me appriciate what I have.
I personally feel that if I can’t keep what I already have clean and tidy (that includes ironing too!) then I have to decide if I really want to add it to my things that will need my attention. It also helps me appriciate what I have. IT also reminds me what good deals I have gotten on most of the things I own. I have 6 kids, if I actually make it through getting everything cleaned and I still need it, I will give it more consideration. If I decide I really have to have it. Then the game begins to find the best deal on what I want.
I guess that is why my husband won’t let me have a housekeeper;-))
Make sure you eat all your leftovers. The most expensive food is the food that is thrown away.
My tip is for those planning a wedding. If at all possible, when booking or getting quotes for anything from flowers to dinner / lunch – don’t mention it is for a wedding. Say it’s for a family celebration. The “w” word seems to add additional cost instantly!
My tip? Use baking soda for everything. Mixed with vinegar to make a paste, it makes a wonderful cleaner for all sorts of surfaces. If I have to run out the door without having time to shampoo, a little baking soda rubbed on the crown will take care of grease. Even more amazing is that the vinegar and baking soda mix can treat ant bites. I got six on one foot, applied the paste, and around an hour later I could only see one bite.
Wonderful, frugal resource.
One thing that has worked wonders for me is simply tracking everything I spend everyday. It sort of turns saving into a game. For instance, knowing you’ve spend a $100 on eating out in the first two weeks of the month, how do you go the rest of the month without spending a dime? And it can be done…and becomes fun when you have to figure out ways to “go out and meet friends” but not spend anything. I just track my spending in an excel spreadsheet; works great.
Using a clothes line saves me at least $20/month in energy costs during warm months.
here are some tips:
1) skip that coffee chain coffee: Save $5 every morning!
2) pack your own lunch for work: Save $10 every lunch
3) unplug all electronics every night @ bed time: Save about $40 a month
4) swap furniture with a friend to redecorate: Save $100+
5) shop goodwill for like new clothes: save $100
6) call credit company to lower interest rates: $100+ (it worked for me! two of my cards now have 0%!)
I’d love a copy!
Here is one of my best frugal tips:
Both my husband and I have allergies nearly year-round. Claritin costs around $1 a pill. With each of us taking one per day, that’s $730 per year! Well, a few years ago I discovered the CVS brand “Claritin”. I buy the largest box to get the best deal: 240 pills for $39.99. That’s about $122 per year for both of us, a savings of $608! And the CVS brand works just as well.
I make all of my own bread products from flour I grind myself. This includes: bread, tortillas, hamburger and hot dog buns, english muffins, cinnamon buns, dinner rolls, etc. We save a TON of money doing this, even with the initial cost of the wheat grinder. I can buy a 55lb pound bag of wheat for $28.00. I have also had friends/neighbours ask to buy a loaf of my bread for $5/loaf. Its a great money saver for our family of 10 (1 girl, 7 boys).
Susan
Plant a garden. This year we have cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, rhubarb and collection of herbs. We hope to get some strawberries this year too. I have a decent size yard (about 1/4 acre property) but even if you don’t have a large yard you can still grow something.
My frugal tip is: Use less of everything. Do you really need that much shampoo and conditioner to wash all of your hair? Even be mindful of the amount of toilet paper you use. Once you start paying attention, you’ll notice how much you waste!
Try one new frugal tip per week and make a game out of it. A year ago, I couldnt fathom doing all the frugal things that I do now much less enjoy doing them. It takes awhile to change your non-frugal habits so give it some time and be creative with your frugality.
Bike to work and bring your lunch.
A great frugal tip for cat owners: Invest in cat nip! A small bag is about 1.99 at the stores and it can go a long way. One great cat toy: take a paper towel or toilet paper cardboard roll and put it inside of a sock that’s lost it’s mate. Put a pinch of cat nip in the tube and close up the sock by making a knot at the top. Your cat will go crazy with this toy and it will keep them occupied for hours. The best part is if the sock starts to get dirty or the tube starts to get bent, you can just wash the sock, use another tube and put in another pinch of cat nip.
Instead of buying wax paper use the liners from cereal boxes. Works very well.
My tip is just stay out of stores. You won’t be tempted to spend. When you need something, make a list. Only shop from the list. You will save tons!
Use cloth napkins and rags instead of paper towels – haven’t bought or used those in a couple of years now.
My upstairs neighbor warned me about/complained about how hot the southwest bedroom would get in the summer so I bought some cheap quilted black fabric from Walmart and made curtain liners. I used tension rods to hold them up and curtain hooks to attach the fabric to the rods then I covered them with my regular curtains. I also keep the miniblinds closed all summer. The bedroom stays cool all day this way. Those cheap solar curtains you can buy from Harriot Carter or in other online catalogs also work great in the summer and winter as long as you keep them reversed correctly.
Mix in one scoop of a flavored ground coffee when making a pot with your regular cheaper brand. It tastes like it came from the coffee shop and costs much less.
Hello! Replace all paper products in your house.
First, paper towels, use dish towels instead. They work great. Save at least $125 a year.
Second, paper napkins, cloth ones or washclothes work great and feel so much better on your face. Save about $25 a year.
Third, toilet paper, it may sound weird, but it’s not. Cut up old t-shirts, sweats, and fleece. I throw the used ones in a bucket in my shower and wash everyother day. Save about $125 a year.
Four, disposable diapers and wipes. Use cloth. Over three years you will save about $1,000 (if you buy all in one cloth diapers, you can cloth diaper much cheaper.)-Bonus most kids who use cloth potty train sooner!!!
Five, tampons and disposable pads. Ditch the tampons, they are bad for you (organic or not), and use cloth pads. They work great and feel great. Over three years you will save about $500 (after buying a set, they will last 3-5 years.)
Six, tissues, use a hankie or a washcloth, then toss in laundry. Save about $25 a year.
Also reuse everything you can. Before you toss something, think “what I can I do with this?” Cardboard egg cartons, become seed starters or caterpillars for the kids (paint & add eyes.) Junk mail can be used for scrap paper. Food boxes can be used as kids blocks. Let them paint, tape the ends, and enjoy. Empty dish soap bottles & ketchup bottles make great water squirters. Yougurt containers make great ice pop holders, fill with juice, add a popsicle stick and freeze (you may need to use wax paper or something to hold stick in place.) Baby food jars has so many uses, store nails and screws, make snowglobes as gifts, make homemade butter with cream and a marble. Online you can find many more ideas.
Thanks for your blog!
Hello- my tip is to make a meal plan every week and make the meals from scratch… I have saved a lot of money by cooking from scratch and by looking for ingredients on sale. Thanks
We turn off our water heater when gone for at least two days. We also keep the water temperature at around 110 degrees. This will save a LOT of money if you have a water heater with a tank.
Invest in quality tupperware ( I love Lock & Lock) in all different sizes and stop buying ziploc bags!!!! It creates less waste and it is so much easier to run a dishwasher full of tupperware than to hand-wash and dry a zillion plastic baggies like I used to do! I hope I can save money buy winning the copy of this book!
Years ago I used to just eyeball the amount of laundry detergent and bleach I added to the wash. Then I read this tip: if you’re not measuring your laundry soap, you’re using too much! Since then I’ve carefully measured out the amount I use, and also slowly started reducing the amount I use to be below the recommended measurement — and my clothes still get clean without using so much detergent.
Wow! This book looks great! My frugal tip would have to be making ahead freezer meals. I work full time outside the home and it is so nice to be able to pull something out of the freezer to cook rather than resorting to drive thru or delivery food. And, by making batches ahead, I can take advantage of sale items like meat and then cook up a bunch of things using the sale item. I do not always find time to devote an entire day to make ahead cooking, but often will make 2 or three of whatever entree I make on Sunday and freeze the remaining batches.
Would love to win this book! Love your site!
My frugal tip is to stay home more. If you don’t go to the mall or store you won’t be as tempted to spend.
After raising 4 kids on one income, I have lived most of the frugal tips here…and loved every minute of my colorful life. Now, 30 years later, I am sending my 4th child off to college with a full scholarship, (including housing) which he earned on his own; and now it’s time for me. So, I’m starting my new adventure, housesitting, next month. It’s a bit scary not having a permanent place to live, but what I’ll gain in cost savings and life experience, will be plentiful. My goal is to save as much money as humanly possible and travel to all those places I’ve only dreamed of. I want to see it all AND still have money left over to visit all my kids (and future grandkids) wherever they live. So adventure here I come!!
Surf the internet for free offers on fatwallet.com or similar sites. There are so many offers for free samples or companys (such as Friendly’s on June 6) that are giving away free ice cream.
Thank you for your website…You have made me more aware of my money. My frugal tip is : Keeping your bread more fresh so it wont mold fast, is to dubble bag with 2 zip lock bags and just keep refrigerated…also instead of using baggies for everything…just buy at the dollar store plasticware for things like nuts, chips, fruit, sandwiches. It will keep them more fresh and your items wont get crushed. Thank you…Bryce Neckels
Each week buy only those items which are on sale at a good price and you have coupons for to get items for free or as cheap as possible. This works for pretty much anything, except maybe meat. Buy only meat that is on sale at the lowest price possible and stock up until it goes on sale for that cheap again. Plan your meals for the week with what you already have in your pantry and freezer. I try not to buy anything that is not on sale as cheap as I can get it, unless it’s an absolute necessity. Thank you for the entry.
koinonia572001@yahoo.com
My frugal tip is to eliminate paper towels in your house. It is amazing how much money goes down the drain using paper towels when you could use a cloth towel instead.
My little mum would always say, “When in need, improvise”. That little ditty has worked for me countless numbers of times. It also has caused me to be very creative!
My tip: say goodbye to Windows.. Use free, reliable, secure software such as Ubuntu, or Open Office.. Open Office is a fully functioning, better than Word or Windows Office, Office suite available free of charge from OpenOffice.org! This is available for Widows and linux both.. Why spend $200 for Windows office, when you can get better for free!
Mentioned earlier was freezing your bread crusts for stuffing. I buzz em in the blender and have bread crumbs for homemade chicken parmigiano or other such meals. Yummy.
Tip # 2: A great cleanser for sinks, tubs and etc. is equal parts of salt, baking soda and Borax. I love that stuff.
Don’t throw out stale bread. Make bread pudding, strata, croutons, french toast, just to name a few.
We use the small chips of bar soap with boiling water and then place the solution in a plastic bottle with a pump spray dispenser, uses all the soap and spend less on hand soap refills.
Make a weekly meal plan for every meal, including snacks. Then make the weekly grocery list. Do not purchase anything not on the list. Our wasted food is down to almost nothing now because we only have a little more then a week of food at any one time so nothing has time to go bad. “Just in case” food is kept with the hurricane supplies and is non-perishable.
Couponing, as several people have mentioned, saves me tons. I got a kitchen mill grinder for my home. I am able to grind wheat flour and bean flour for a fraction of the cost. I figured if my little family (3 year old son and 8 month old baby) didn’t grow at all and we only used as much flour as we are now, we will break even in about four years. I save that much by buying wheat berries and grinding my own flour. I know I’ll break even before that with a growing boy and being able to grind other flours now too. LOVE my grinder!
I just now became a SAHM w/ two children (ages 2 & 3 1/2) so I am gathering as much frugal info as possible! My latest finds are Walgreens coupons and register rewards. I am working on buying ONLY what my family NEEDS and uses on a regular basis and as our green (but rather pricey) cleaning suppplies run out, I am making green, but frugal ones from baking soda, salt, lemon, etc.
I use coupons ALWAYS, and I put any “found money” directly into savings – tax returns, money from surveys, money from mystery shopping, money from ebaying, money from garage sales etc. It adds up quick!
OK, maybe this is in the book. But the comment about frugal caring for allergies made me think of two ideas that have really worked for me and friends:
1. Drink nettle tea. You can get this at the health food store and it’s much cheaper (and no drugs and healthier, imo) than the stuff you buy at the pharmacy.
2. Eat local raw honey. It’s important that it’s local. My cousin couldn’t even live at his parent’s house barely at certain times of year, but after having raw local honey in his tea for a few months it’s amazing the difference.
We are very saving with our money. I use coupons and love to stock up and give extras to my clients and donate to the food bank. There is tons of FREE websites that gives good tips on where to find the good deals at the stores. I dont waste money by paying for some of the sites that charge for the same info you get for free elsewhere. We reuse zip bags, hang out cloths, grow a huge garden and can and free our veggies. We heat with wood and cook on the wood stove in the winter. The best cheap thing I do is make my own laundry detergent. Saves lots of money and the clothes come out sooo fresh and clean!!! Can make 4 gal for less than .50 each.
We also have been saving our jars to can in. Got a bunch for free off freecycles.
I am real new in attempting to become frugal, but what I have been doing lately with my two “green”, reusable shopping bags are the following:
I use one bag for groceries for the week and the other bag for stuff we NEED that’s on sale. Whenever I go out to run those errands, I try to get everything to fit in the bag that those items are assigned to. If those items cannot fit into its designated bag, then something’s gotta give. I only walk out with what we NEED. I prefer to have the bags to be as empty as they can be.
This exercise has made much more conscientious to our NEEDS. It has been a lot fun and kind of a challenge, but when I get back to the car, I am so proud of myself!
Yay!
My frugal tip is to re-use food containers as “tupperware”- i.e. sour cream or margarine containers, spaghetti sauce jars, etc. Also, use the plastic containers from berries to pack a green salad in your lunch… You get the picture!
Do a written budget once a month! Count me in!
If you have to use the clothes dryer, do not turn the dryer on and allow it to run through the whole drying cycle. I have learned that clothes can dry within a half of an hour to forty minutes. Most people just turn the dryer on and leave it until they hear the buzzer, sometimes that could be an hour or longer.
I try and have a “no spend day” once a week. It really makes me think before I buy something.
There are so many good ideas everyone has left, I can’t really think of anything new. But since its the time of year for yard sales, save a little money by going to them for clothes, toys etc. I also go to thrift stores they are alot of fun for saving money, just gotta watch it or you can spend alot of money.
I have a watering frugal tip. If you need to water plants – collect the drain water from your washer. That’s at least 40 gallons of grey water you can use to water roses, flowers – whatever needs watering.
We looked at where we waste money and it was mostly on food. We set up a menu for all meals for the month and don’t eat out anymore at all. We budget for groceries ans I think we’ve done much better this past month. I’d love to have a copy of that book! :)
Instead of buying bottles of water, invest in a good water bottle and fill it at the water fountain. Same goes for coffee. Instead of spending $20 a week, spend $40 on a good thermos and make coffee at home.
My frugal tip is something my mom passed on to me. Hang your washing on a clothesline outside! I am mystified that I am the only person in my neighborhood who does this!!! First of all it costs NOTHING to dry them. Secondly you have the added benefit of that lovely lovely clean scent! And third you are helping the environment by NOT consuming power!
By the way… you CAN hang out your wash in the winter. I tried it up north (in Wisconsin) because i did not believe my father when he said gramma did it all the time. They come off the line a bit frozen, just give them a good shake, and allow the clothes to warm up for a bit. Works like a charm and the smell!!! Oh!! Heavenly!
Coffee is so expensive and there is no cost relief insight, sooo after you make a fresh pot of coffee, (1)the unused coffee still in the pot, place in the refrigerator until you are ready to make another pot. Just add a water to make the amount of cups that you want. (2)do not throw away the coffee grounds either, you can leave them in the coffee maker and just add a bit more for that new pot. You probably do not want to do this more than once though.
Happy jitters!!!