I saw this little article on the AOL homepage the other day and thought I'd share with you. I'm frugal at heart but find I'm less so now that I'm married. Thinking about getting back into it because man does it feel good to save.
http://www.walletpop.com/economizer/your-frugal-tips
My own personal money saving tips:
- Coupons, coupons, coupons. It's free money, people. Check to see if that item is already on sale and you get serious savings.
- Before running to the nearest fast food joint because you simply don't have anything at home to eat, check out your cupboards and get creative. Pasta+shredded cheese+can of black beans=Mexican Delight! Or bread+sliced cheese+butter=Grilled cheese! And you can put practically anything in a pot and call it soup or stew.
- Save those plastic grocery bags and use them for your mini trash cans.
- Drink tea instead of soda. One family size box has 48 tea bags. One tea bag makes a huge jug of delicious, antioxidant filled tea. Do a little math and try to figure out how little that cup of tea costs! Meer pennies my friends!
- Don't buy the expensive makeup and creams. If you have sensitive skin like me, know that Neutrogena has fantastic products. My daily face lotion with SPF costs only $10 and last forever. Also, I buy inexpensive blush, lipgloss and powder, but treat myself to good foundation. And check the Sunday paper - in my area, Max Factor always has $2 off coupons for their mascara!
- Use your crockpot. Ladies, I cannot stress this one enough. If you have one, you're probably nodding. If you don't, go get one! Not only can you pour a bag of beans, seasoning, water and STEP AWAY (as in not stand over a hot stove for hours cooking) you can make a larger meal. Meaning leftovers! But hey, don't gag your family with stew 5 days in a row. Do a swap with your friends or neighbors or simply put half away in your freezer for another time.
- Turn off those lights!! When I lived alone, I stayed in the dark. Usually the blue glare of the tv was the only light I lived by. But in doing so, I had an energy bill of around $80 or less every month. Now, I'm not saying to bump around in the dark but if you aren't in the room, turn off the light.
If you have a frugal living tip, please share! How do you save?
8 comments:
Invest $50-$100 for a stand-alone freezer off craigslist, then start buying everything in bulk! I currently have half a petting zoo's worth of meat on deep freeze at home.
Nice tips!
I changed all my lightbulbs to the energy saving ones. Fiance used to laugh at me but when he saw that my electric bills are averaging $20, he finally conceded.
I keep the heat turned down a few extra degrees and just put on a sweater. I also buy a lot in bulk and freeze things. I try to buy a lot of stuff off season too, like in the spring, I buy winter sweaters for next year. Sure, I'm always a year behind in fashion but a sweater in Canada never goes out of style! Same with Christmas decorations. And sales. If it's a great one, you can justify! Plus, I do alot of stuff myself around the house, home repairs and the like. It saves tons of money!
I'm not much of a grocery coupon clipper, bc I don't eat processed stuff... cept milk and yogurt... and cereal. BUT I do look at the grocery mailers to see what fruits, vegis, and meats are fresh and on sale that week. I choose our menues/ fresh snacks that way.
I make our own sammich bread... fun, easy, and so much more delish. I average about 50 cents a loaf!
I made James' bebe food from fresh fruits and produce... reduces some cost and reduces trash waste.
Oh, and the best is I do a lot of my clothes/other shopping online. There is ALWAYS a coupon code floating around out there that reduces your bill by as much as 30 or so percent EACH TIME. I never pay shipping, bc I buy our wardrobes in bulk 4 times a year... I know my brands... I know how the things fit me... I can run to the store to preview new merchandise in person... wait til it's a couple weeks old and on sale... then order away for a fraction of the price. Plus you don't waste your time or your gas! NEVER PAY FULL PRICE WHEN SHOPPING ONLINE!
Fun topic, dear!
xo
Hmmm....petting zoo meat, I think I need to break out the BBQ pit.
Cooking at home is definitely a big way to save money and the added bonus is that you will end up eating healthier. And it works even when you don;t have any time to cook, or if you don't know how to cook. One of my favorite go-to meals when I am in a hurry is a veggie burger (frozen patty of course, microwaved) and a bag of Steamed vegetables (love the Green Giant boxes, only $1.50).
All of these are fantastic tips! Thanks for sharing. Keep 'em coming!
We have a programmable thermostat for our furnace so it can turn down during the day and night but we can set it to warm up in the morning before we get up or before we get home from work. Now that I work from home, if I heated the entire house all day - it will really bump the bill, so I use a small electric space heater only in my studio during the day then turn the furnace on at night.
I too always walk around shutting lights off! Tyler would leave every one on if up to him :)
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