Five Small, Frugal Skills that Save Big Bucks

On your quest to become frugal, adding to your skill set is probably not something you've considered. By developing your talents in five, simple areas, however, you can save yourself a bunch in the end.

Cooking Well - Cooking must be distinguished from cooking well. If you simply cook bland food, your journey down a frugal lifestyle will be a short one. You'll dread dragging that brown bag day after day to the office refrigerator. Instead, by learning to cook ten meals well, you'll look forward to your lunch. The key here is to find recipes that you like, are cheap and that you can make. A good place to start your journey is at www.allrecipes.com. The site is like amazon.com for recipes.

Sewing - Learning to sew a button and repair a seam will make your clothes last longer. Plus, you won't get fed up with the garment and be tempted to give it to Goodwill. The simple of skill of learning to hem can easily save a household $100 a year. After all, buying a dress on sale is not frugal if you have to turn around and pay $15 to have it hemmed.

Gardening - Keep a simple herb garden. Fresh herbs cost a mint at the grocery store. For less than a dollar you'll have plenty of seeds to learn gardening by making mistakes. Plus, fresh herbs add a kick to your meals. The better your meals taste, the more likely you'll eat at home.

Entertaining - How much money do you waste eating out with friends? Going out every once and a while is nice, but do you have to catch up with buddies over Starbucks? Next time, consider having friends over to your house for tea and cake. Or how about throwing a pizza party with actual homemade pizza? By entertaining at home, you'll grow closer to your friends and your net wealth will grow, too.

Research - Research is not just for big-ticket items. Do you know how much a bag of apples costs in your area? Can you tell what a real sale is versus one that is in name only? Keep a pricebook where you can track the costs of the items that you buy every week. Each item like apples gets a page. You'll note the date, the store, the brand name of the item, the size and the price. It takes a little work in the beginning. In a few weeks, however, you'll be able to see the benefits of the little book when you're able to make wise decisions.

Becoming an expert in any one of these skills is not necessary. Aim to be competent, perhaps concentrating on one skill a month. Track your progress and see how much money you save. Maybe along the way you'll discover even more skills to help you reach your frugal goals.