Living Frugally

Living frugally can mean so many different things to different people. We have developed some ideas on our own and learned from our family and friends. Some of our best tips and ideas are:

Limiting our entertainment budget - We have discovered a gold mine in dvd's at our local library where we check out movies for free and we regularly check our community calendar for events that are free or low cost. The Children's Museum is a favorite attraction and offers reduced Friday evening admissions once a quarter. Also, we visit our local parks and playgrounds on a rotating basis. Our back yard has become a haven to hang out in and play. We invest in one membership each year and visit that location frequently.

Clipping coupons - Money saving coupons abound. There are certain days that it is very beneficial to invest in a newspaper. Visiting the websites of our favorite products has also yielded a boost to our family budget. Many companies offer coupons and free samples. One of our local grocery stores also has a coupon bin where you can exchange coupons. We have found that you can print some from websites, but only if it is a reputable site.
Conserving electricity - Turning off lights when not needed, monitoring the temperature on our thermostats (68 in winter and 72 in summer), waiting for full loads when doing laundry, hanging some items to dry, and washing many of our dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher.

Walking to destinations - We live within a 3 mile radius of shopping, park, ymca, restaurants, and many of our friends and find that using foot power saves fuel and also gives the added benefit of burning some excess calories.

Meal planning - Having a food plan for the week and sticking to it has actually freed up more time for fun activities as well as reduced our food costs. We designate a couple times each week to prepare meals and store where it easily accessible at meal times. For those days we are away from home, we have become adept at packing a picnic.

Having a garden - With limited yard space, we are only able to grow certain plants, but enjoy tomatoes year round as well as squash, bell peppers, and okra. Growing and preserving some of our own veggies has helped our weekly food bills as well as added extra flavor to our meals.

Visiting local farmer's market - We love to add fruit to our menu and have found the best deals for freshness and price are at our local farmer's market. Also we have learned that buying each fruit when there is an over-abundance and during harvest times, lowers the overall cost. We freeze small containers of our favorites, when we can buy in bulk and enjoy fruit all year long. We also have plans for planting blueberry bushes and strawberry plants to go alongside our grapevines in the back yard. Most farmer's markets are also great for other goodies as well: local honey, flowers, seeds, country ham, dried beans and fruits, bakery items and crafts.

Reduce/Eliminate credit - We do maintain a credit account for emergencies only, but hope to never use credit. For those times when credit becomes a necessity, we focus on paying more than our minimum payment each month, and monitor our interest rates closely.

Eliminate unnecessary expenditures - We have totally removed a landline service for our telephone. We discovered that it would save us quite a bit and still allow us the security of having a cell phone when traveling to only utilize our cell phone package. Also, we no longer subscribe to a large cable bill. Basic channels and basic costs save us money each month.

Frugal living for us has also created increased family time and a deeper awareness of the effort it takes to earn a livable wage. We have discovered that we are wanting to be rid of all clutter in our lives. Donating to worthwhile causes such as Goodwill Industries and the local outreach ministries is an excellent way to de-clutter and help others at the same time. Also, we have found that shopping in consignment shops adds more bang to our buck. Reduce, reuse and recycle has become our household motto. Living frugally is a way of life for our family and many other families now and we look forward to finding more ways to save money, give back to our community and conserve our resources.