* Keep the kitchen clean! No more paper plates (shhhh...don't tell we've been using paper plates quite regularly since DD #4 was born, they'll take away my crunchy card...)
*Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan. Keep close inventory of what we have and USE IT
*DH has started cutting his hair at home again--we'll also avoid the occasional trip to Great Clips for the boys. My SIL already cuts DD's and my hair.
*unplug everything not in use.
*turn down the thermostat a couple more degrees.
*consider rigging a clothesline in the laundry room (this one will kill DH, I'm sure...). When spring hits, we'll add another line outside, as I have just barely enough space for one load on our current line...but, at the moment, spring looks to be a long way away...
*pack lunches for the boys. We pay $20 a week for both boys for school lunch. Surely, I can do better.
*carefully plan garden around what we will use. Do not be lured by the exotic and beautiful items that, despite their beauty, no one will likely eat.
*start lettuce now in a pot. I think I can do this...I don't know if I have a window that gets enough light--our house has no windows on the north or south. Maybe I can move it east to west during the day, LOL.
* try to reduce laundry. If it's clean, don't wash it.
*USE WHAT WE HAVE--bath products, food items
*make more of our dairy products from scratch--we get raw milk, and I need to make more things with it--no more buying ice cream at the store, make butter more often, sour cream, yogurt, etc.
*Post for sale list
*check again on cutting cable plan--last we checked, it didn't seem worth it to drop anything.
*I'm getting a sewing machine off of Craig's list. I do sew, but haven't had a machine in years. Will work to re-make items, salvaging fabric from thrift.
At the moment, I think everyone is set with clothing, but, who knows how long until the next growth spurt, LOL.
Please tell me you have more for me...It doesn't feel like enough.
If you have books you are not using list them on amazon. I've heard from a lot of mamas here that it works well for them. I do not do this as I never get rid of books unless I have duplicates or hated them so . . .
Know the thrift stores around you. Thinking about what's around me we have . . . six? Maybe more, I'm kinda worn out. If you have a general idea in your head of when stores have the 99 cent sales etc . . .
Do you have a credit card? Dh has one only for work travel and never uses it otherwise, so it's easy for them to re-emburse him for expenses. Otherwise we put everything on one card because it gives us Amazon gift cards. Right now it's having a promo that if you pay your bills with it you will get triple points for those bills for three months, or something. I think it's one of the chase ones? We've had it forever and always ALWAYS pay the balance in full.
Tell your parents and in laws that they always pick out the cutest clothes (if you can honestly stand what they buy, i know this isn't true for everyone). Between my parents and his and the fact that their birthdays are in May and Christmas is in winter we hardly have to buy them clothes.
Keep an inventory (I can do this mentally since there's only me, dh, and two dds) of what clothes are about to wear out or what has worn out and get them at the thrift store sales.
Carry a calculator and figure out if it's really cheaper (by pound or liter or whatever) to get things in bulk. Some stores here have on the tag the by-the-pound price, others don't. I do not keep a good head for how much a bag of frozen chicken breasts costs I do need to work on that.
It sounds like you do a lot of your own cooking, ask me if you need any recipies that you can't find online, I have a ton of cookbooks both standard, themeatic and by country.
How much is Dr Bronners where you life? You can dilute that down like 18 parts water to 1 part DrB or something (i disremember the label atm sorry) depending on what you're cleaning. There's a "water pipe" store near dh's work that will refill your bottle of dr bronners for super cheap and their price for both the bars and liquid are cheaper than anywhere I've seen it. I am going to make a ton of soap & house cleaning products as soon as I've cleared this cold alnd have two hands.
Plant potatoes. They're easy to grow (here anyway lol) and are a good filler for nearly any meal.
Wash everything in cold and only when the washer is full. (you probably do this already)
We have a Grocery Outlet which is a lot like a few other stores I've heard mentioned here on Amitys, dents dings and overruns and stuff. Again, you have to keep a good paper or mental list of what stuff costs, but a LOT of stuff there is cheaper (like 99 cents for a big box of cereal).
Do you make bread? Homemade bread (to me) is more filling, though you do have to guard it because people will swarm all over it
Open the window coverings if it's sunny and as soon as the sun starts setting close them. On a good sunny day here our living room can hit the 70s according to the thermostat so the heater never kicks on.
Make everyone wear socks. And underlayers for the littles or those sensitive to the cold, it helps if you're programming the thermostat to be colder. (you have a programmable thermostat right?)
Make a soup instead of serving meat pieces (assuming you're a meat eater). You can use less meat and feed more people this way (this would also apply to vegetarians). We only eat meat some days at our house, not every day.
Oatmeal is your friend.
It's early, but start looking around for farmers markets and the like. This is of course assuming there are some by you.
If you have a huge box of candles you don't use because they are for "a special occasion" start using some one night a week instead of lights. Gather the family in one room and eat dinner by candle light and then play a family game.
Make sure you have enough attic insulation. It's supposed to be so many inches deep, your power company should have it listed on their website where the energy-saving stuff is kept.
Okay I'm out of ideas for now, I hope nothing I said upsets you, I don't know what you're doing or what wouldn't apply, so I'm just throwing anything out there hoping something helps mama. Plus I think a lot of us are going to watch this thread wihle jobs continue to get lost.
((hugs))
(ps the lettuce idea is cool, where can i find info on it?)
Location: Driving an SUV powered by Biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil.
Posts: 2,983
Start eating more legumes. Cook them from scratch (I believe they freeze well, but haven't tried it). Replace expensive meat items with them. Lentils, beans, etc. If you don't want to replace the meat, use the legumes to stretch meals with meat in them. Eat at least 1 vegetarian dinner per week....though more than that is much more frugal.
Buy ONLY what's on sale. This is huge for us. I'm specifically thinking of grocery items, but this extends to any other shopping.
Never buy new clothes. I looked down at our feet the other day and realized that 5 of 6 of us had used shoes on. DH was lecturing at a conference and was dressed up with his professional shoes on. The rest of us had these: Me: Red Dankso clogs that I got for free; My oldest son: Keen Boots for 2 dollars (perfect nearly new condition); My middle son: Merrel tennis shoes and we also had along Naturino boots for him....thrifted; My toddler: Dr. Martens boots and also an extra pair of Clarks toddler shoes. DH is a foot surgeon...he doesn't think it's a problem to wear used shoes, btw.
Last weekend, we were staying at a cross-country ski lodge/resort. All of the boys snow boots were thrifted, all of their coats were thrifted. All of their snow pants and suits were thrifted. Get my drift?
I sew. My fabric comes from thrift stores.
My sewing machines are from thrift stores. I have a collection of vintage machines that I could potentially resell for a lot of money. The last machine I bought was 5 dollars.
My children have NICE clothes. Again....they come from thrift stores.
Grow your own produce. It's amazing how many snap and snow peas can come off a few vines. Same for beans. Instead of buying pumpkins for your kids to carve, why not grow your own? They're easy and fun. Lettuce...easy. Plant apple trees. I get overloaded with literally thousands of apples each fall. I'm not complaining, though. LOL.
Learn how to preserve the produce that you grow.
Find out if there is a gleaners group in your area. There's one here and they allow gleaners to "glean" their fields after harvest. They also give expired food away and have other benefits.
I could go on and on.....I'm really frugal.
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~Amy~
Cherishing my newest wee boy...Fionn Skye and homeschooling mama to Spencer (proud to be 9) and wee Lazlo (5)
Kayaking is my bliss. Strip-built kayak made by DH.
San Juan Islands - New Years 2007.
Don't use your dryer. At all. My home right now looks like a rummage sale but I'm saving and we seldom get company and by the evening it's dry(and ready for our next load)
Eat what's on sale. Chicken on sale this week....then it's chicken up the ying yang for us.
Eat leftovers.
Do not enter any stores. We try to use up everything in our pantry every couple of months.
Shop with a list and stick to it. No junkfood. Forget the soda(yup even diet it does add up).
If you run out of ketchup for something don't go to the store to buy another at full price. Use that barb q sauce you have on hand. Better yet try some garlic powder on them instead.
Feed your family from stratch as much as possible. Even if the cost equals to that which can be processed it will mean your family is eating healthier(and then they will be less inclined to be sick therefore saving money on dr bills and meds)
I LOVE Target and I shop at Walmarts but I've missed loads of sales due to not stepping foot in the stores and shopping.
We set our temp at home at 63-65 in the am and lower it as much as possible in the evening when we are all snug in our beds. You have no idea how much a sunny day can warm a home.
When I use the oven I have my ceiling fan running counter-clock wise which helps push the hot air(hot air rises)and warm the home better.
Write down every penny you spend and you will be very surprised at how much is spent on little things. I did this once , when I felt I was at my most frugal and found I had spent in one month $125 on pizza, newspaper and gum
Nothing is to be put on a credit card unless some dire emergency(tow a car, car repair etc)
Even if it's one dollar a week , put something aside. Get into the habit of saving money and then don't touch it. Watch interest grow. Stop laughing. I know with interest rates now it's slow go but we(Americans) really need to begin saving.
Having said that I think with what's going on in our economy today we need to keep some type of cash in the home . This is something my hubby and I disagree on , and I'm not about to stash money in my mattress either but I do keep money and it's helped us by not dipping into the bank and thus avoiding fees or even touching our savings.
If you can , make larger payments on credit cards. If minimum payments are hard you might want to call and re negotiate your payments . What you don't want to do is default on them. Let your creditors know you are having a difficult time(not uncommon in the us and other parts of the world today)
As you pay off one card(burn it LOL) use the payments towards another card and bring that down to zero . Do this till it's all paid off.
Think of ways to bring in more cash to your home. Learn a skill at home(I'm trying to do that now) .
My brain is frozen right now but whatever anyone does .....
Be hopeful
Be patient
Have faith.
Being frugal isn't a bad thing . I've done it most my life and when I come to a time where I wont need to be frugal .............I will still be frugal.
Use 10% less of everything--TP, hair care products, soaps, detergents, cleaners, chocolate...see if you notice a difference. If you don't, cut back and other 10% and so on until you figure out how much you really need.
If you eat meat, add one or two more meatless meals each week.
Compare prices on different varieties of food--for instance some parts of the year frozen or canned is a better deal than fresh. Other parts of the year the opposite is true. My friends keep telling me I will save money with powdered milk, but I sat down and figured up the true price and powdered milk--even on 50% off sale--around here still costs quite a bit more than fresh. Just because its "traditionally" a frugal option doesn't mean it actually is!
Eat more whole grains (made from scratch), beans, lentils, etc. You will be fuller and save tons of money.
Stock up when things go on a great sale. Buy 3-4 months worth. (Hide it under the beds if you need to for storage space.)
When its time to grocery shop, try to put it off one more day and use up things in your pantry.
Bake bread instead of buying if you aren't already. Here for the same quality of bread, that is a savings of over $3/loaf, and still about 50% savings from cheap, unhealthy processed store brand white bread.
Reevaluate your expenditures to see where you can cut back. What is your guilty pleasure, and is there a cheaper way? Try it out and see if its as satisfying.
Recycle any paper that comes into your home that doesn't need to be shredded by letting the kids use it for their art projects.
See how many days you can go without spending anything.
Don't buy anything that isn't on the list. Don't shop with kids, DH, or when you are hungry or tired.
Close the doors to rooms you don't use during they day or part of it. Close the heat vents, put towels along the bottom of the doors.
Turn your thermostat down at night and put more blankets on the beds.
Instead of a clothesline indoors, I have a wooden clothes drying rack. You can also hang a shower curtain rod in the laundry room to use to hang hangers.
Use the crock pot & microwave more often and the range/oven less often.
Utilize freecycle and Craigslist. My parents are remodeling their kitchen and they have gotten (new) supplies for a fraction of the cost, including hardwood cabinets, as well as the siding for their addition to their house and most of the supplies for my dad's shop.
If you do home improvements/repairs, check to see if Habitat for Humanity has a shop in your area. They sell donated building materials, and use the money they get to help pay for the houses they build. It's much cheaper than buying new, even though many of the items are new, just remnants or small quantities.
Get rid of junk in and around your home. I really believe that getting rid of stuff you don't need opens space in your life and energy for new (free) blessings to come in.
Baking soda in place of shampoo (if you use the higher-priced shampoos).
Sewing machines also show up on Craigslist and even Freecycle.
While getting your shower to the desired temperature (while the water is running and before you soap/shampoo up), put a bucket in the tub and catch the water to use on your houseplants or garden.
Don't rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher (if you use one)...use a spatula instead to scrape any goo into a lined garbage can (or your compost bucket).
It's cheaper to purchase dried beans and rehydrate them yourself rather than buying canned beans (and black bean burritos are yummy and filling!).
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~mama of 3, wife of 1~
Last edited by Rident_Mama; 01-29-2009 at 12:18 PM..
While getting your shower to the desired temperature (while the water is running and before you soap/shampoo up), put a bucket in the tub and catch the water to use on your houseplants or garden.
We do this too--and keep it in there while we are showering. (If you use biodegradable soaps,) it helps keep bugs off your plants.
In the winter or when we don't have a garden to water, we use the bucket to flush the toilet with.
Assign everyone their own towel and a place to hang it between bathing.
More on towels; they can hold a lot of detergent so every once in a while, don't add laundry soap.
Check the air in your tires. I saw a marked increase in gas mileage when I properly filled them. Not so obvious just running round town, i noticed it on a highway trip. My hybrid was only hitting 30-35mpg, shot right up to 42-45 mpg. yipe. Check your oil while you're at it.
Only buy perennials. Strike annuals from your list (unless veggies of course). better yet, have a perennial swap with the neighbors. Put up a free request or offer to split perennials for people on craig's list.
Consider sandwich boards, since you like paperplates. They're small cutting boards you make and serve sandwiches on, instead of a plate. most often, all they need is a knife scrape, or just a rinse, then set in the sink drain. You could make these yourself even. Just cut small squares from a hardwood, like maple. Or scour thrift or dollar stores for small cutting boards.
If you can, put up a working clothesline this summer. A big one, I love my pull out style with 5 lines. I'm telling you, if you dedicate a full month (swear off the dryer except for socks) to the line and have a good breeze with sunshine, you will see a HUGE difference on your electric bill. I did.
((hugs))
eta; buy a bar of fels napth (1.00) and use it instead of a stain spray for laundry. If will last forever.
Find out when your local thrift shops have sales. Mine has one the first thursday of every month - everything is $1 each for all clothes, shoes and linens. So during the month I keep a running list of who needs what, and then on that Thursday I go and usually find everything I need for very, very little money. Beyond grocery shopping, I seldom buy anything anywhere else.
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Jeni - wife to a great guy and mama to 2 dd at home (10,8) plus two adult(ish) dd and a 1 year old granddaughter!
Location: This hospital, that hospital, oh.. and the one over there
Posts: 5,178
Subbing because this is a great topic and I want to read what each of you have suggested!
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Samantha
Proud Mama to Corey (16), Asia (13) and her special skills dog ^..^ River (8, CGC) ,Raven (10) , Raina Jade (7) ,Sienna Brooke (5)
www.Shanka.ca
Sienna having a blast crossing the river on Daddy's back.
How much is Dr Bronners where you life? You can dilute that down like 18 parts water to 1 part DrB or something (i disremember the label atm sorry) depending on what you're cleaning. There's a "water pipe" store near dh's work that will refill your bottle of dr bronners for super cheap and their price for both the bars and liquid are cheaper than anywhere I've seen it. I am going to make a ton of soap & house cleaning products as soon as I've cleared this cold alnd have two hands.
I want to make soap.. and I want Dr. Bronners there, I think! Maybe we need a playdate to do some projects...
Jody
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