I love to save money. It tends to be an obsession with me if I am not careful. I have found that it is like a game and I want to be the winner. Well, especially since every other game I play with the kids I usually lose at. Just saying.
But being frugal- now that I can do!
Let's be frugal room by room!
Kitchen - This is my favorite room to save in so I will share a few of the easier ways I have found to save a few pennies.
Buy whole chickens, cook and use the meat for several meals!
Don't waste your money on expensive children's snacks. Make several batches of cookie dough at once at freeze it in rolls. When your kids are hungry just pull out a roll, cut and pop them in the oven.
And paper towels? A HUGE waste of money. All you need is a stack of while multi-purpose cloths.
Laundry Room - Make your own laundry detergent. Trust me on this one - it is far less expensive and it is better for you and your family! You can use the recipe we use or do a quick search on the internet. There are many floating around.
Bathrooms - No more chemicals here! We found a few homemade cleaner recipes that use essential oils and we love them. Instead of hundreds of bottles of different cleaners, we have two main ones we use. Easy and cost effective!
Dining Room - We do not use paper napkins in this house. Honestly, my family was just going through them like no tomorrow and it was driving me crazy. I found a bunch of cloth napkins on sale and a few friends have given me some and that is all we use now. Yes, I wash them often, but at least I feel like we are not just throwing more paper into the trash can.
Outside - OK,OK, I know it is not a room, but let's face it, growing your own food does save money. You don't have to have a farm to do so, either. Raised beds are the rage right now as well as container gardening. Check out Pinterest for a ton of ideas!
Kid's Rooms - Stop buying stuff! Yes, it is that easy! Well, for the parents. Our new rule around here is no new toys and stuff unless it is your birthday or Christmas. The end. I know it may sound harsh, but I am going to tell you - my kids do not need more stuff. I promise you they have enough to keep them and probably the whole neighborhood entertained. No shopping, no spending. It's a pretty easy way to save.
So how about you? How are you saving money room by room? We would love for you to share. If you have a post about this very thing, feel free to leave the link for us. Beginning on Wednesday, you can also check out how fellow TOS Review Crew members are Being Frugal!
Blessings,
Kitchen - I do the exact same thing but with whole turkeys on sale. I always feel that with chicken, it's just as much work to debone and pull apart but I get a lot less meat than with turkey.
ReplyDeleteCloth napkins - Thanks for this suggestion. I have considered doing it for years, but never have taken the plunge. I really need to just switch over!
Laundry detergent - I'm going to try your recipe! Another thing that I just need to do.
I absolutely love your cookie roll idea!
Frugal food ideas that work for us in the kitchen - I frequently make quiche because it's such a money-saver and they all love it (plus we have our own chickens); Cornbread and beans is another frugal family favorite; Also meat and cheese in homemade bread pockets (Bierrocks in German). They're filling but you can really be creative and frugal with the filling, but since it's encased in homemade bread, the family always loves it. :)
Thanks Gwen! Love the turkey idea. Stocking up on them during November is the best time to get them!
Deletegreat tips! I have the cloths to make a cute not-paper towel roll. I need to get going on that! We're eating out of the pantry and freezer until we move to Germany. It's starting to get stressful as some of the favorites are disappearing and not getting replaced. A good lesson in contentment and sacrifice.
ReplyDeletePraying you have a safe, and frugal, transition to Germany! Yes, eating out of the freezer provides entertainment around here sometimes! ;)
DeleteA few energy saving tips:
ReplyDeleteFans are a great way to cool down and much cheaper than AC. Just be sure to turn them off when you're not going to be in the room. A fan makes you cooler by whisking away your body heat. It will not cool down the overall temperature in the room.
Turn down your furnace at night and use an electric blanket to warm up your bed before you get in.
Keep your blinds and curtains open on south facing windows during the winter to help warm your home with the sun.
Don't rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. You're wasting water and effort. If both you and the dishwasher have to wash the dishes one of you is redundant. A good dishwasher can handle whatever food doesn't get scraped into the garbage.
General tips for the frugal:
Never buy an extended warranty. They wouldn't sell them if they were paying out more than customers pay in. If you can't afford to replace or repair it you can't afford to buy it.
When you pay off your car loan keep making the payments, but send them to your savings account and don't touch that money. The next time you buy a car use cash and save thousands in financing costs. Always make the payments to yourself instead of the bank and always buy with cash after that.
Never put anything on a credit card unless you have the money in the bank to pay it off when the bill comes due. Then pay your bill in full - never carry a balance. No one would shop at a store where everything costs 30% more, so why pay an extra 30% or more for everything by using credit? A credit card is a great tool for building credit and for convenience over using cash or check but should never be used as a loan.
Build up at least a couple grand in your savings account for liquidity. It's tough to not use that expensive credit card loan unless you've got some cash in the bank to carry you through an expensive car or home repair, or unexpected dental bill. Think of your savings account like a cistern - if you want water during a drought you need to replenish it when the rain comes.
I so enjoyed reading this, and definitely want to try some of your natural cleaning product ideas, as Ashton has told me about them. =] Being frugal sure does remind me of simplifying, and you know what a fan I am of that! Thanks for sharing some great tips!
ReplyDeleteahhhh, simplifying is my life mission!
Deletehmm.. I think I'd have a revolt on my hands if I instituted the no new stuff unless it's your birthday or Christmas. :) But cutting back is fairly easy in this house toy wise if I can say "So, son, you have money...would you really want to spend it on thus and such?" NO? Oh.. well then why should I? Works really well. :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you work in that limited spending by putting the responsibility back on them!
DeleteGreat tips! I gave up buying paper products years ago and never looked back. I even gave up buying tissues and bought handkerchief's instead. I also keep an eye out for old tableclothes at second hand stores to make fresh cloth napkins when the ones we use get stained. I just cut them into squares and hem them and they work great.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea about the tablecloths!! We will be on the lookout from now on! My daughter wants us to monogram everyone's' so we can tell them apart. We use to have certain colors but the boys especially change all the time and confuse everyone.
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