Learning to Live Frugally

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Learning to Live Frugally

Submitted by: joymarshall 12/26/2008 5:34 PM

My spouse is about to retire, and like most, we just lost over half of our retirement money in the economy. I am learning to save a lot of money.

1. I never buy convenience foods, but rather make everything 'from scratch.' I bulk buy sale items and plan meals around them. My husband eats meat; I do not. When I make a chicken or turkey, I boil the carcass. I make soup, a la king, and poultry salads - often adding a little cooked macaroni to the poultry salads. This way, everything gets stretched.

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2. We eat a lot dried beans, which are ever so economical and delicious. We eat homemade cookies, pies, cakes, and breads.

3. We dropped cable and t.v. reception altogether. We read the news online. We cancelled our newspaper subscription, because I can make lists for shopping by viewing the store flyers on line each week.

4. I buy coupons from www.thecouponclippers.com.

5. We have internet connection via satellite, costing us $100./mo. (We are in very rural area.) We also joined Netflix. We receive dvds in the mail and also download them onto our television. Otherwise, we read.

6. We cut our own hair.

7. I took my spouse's old underwear t-shirts and cut the bottoms off at the armpits. Each shirt made two large napkins which we use instead of paper towels. I made hankies out of the sleeves to use instead of tissues.

8. I never buy a cleaning product or soda pop. All the errands are run on the same day, and in geographic order, to save fuel. We drive a 1991 vehicle, which is paid for and is fuel efficient.

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9. We keep the winter thermostat at 65 degrees during the day and 55 at night. We have a down comforter, so the 55 degrees is very comfortable. We save a TON on heating fuel. We wear sweats and warm socks. If we get cold, we cover our heads and warm up instantly.

10. Plans: clothes line, water gathering system by installing gutters on the sheds and car ports (we live in an RV), expansion of my square foot gardening boxes to expand volume of crops.

Maybe some of this will help. I am always looking for new ideas, myself.

Joy

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Comments:

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Dear Joy, thank you for some new tips for me. I recently purchased the "Square Foot Gardening" book and am very interested in starting to use this method this summer. I retired just a few months ago and I'm hoping this will help me save money. Have you had success? What vegetables have you grown this way? Where did you buy the products to make the special growing mixture? Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me. I really enjoyed your posting; it gave me some good ideas. Thank you, Rose

Posted by rose9112 on January 02, 2009 5:26 PM

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Thanks for all of your tips

Posted by betty p on January 02, 2009 10:50 PM

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Dear Joy-
My husand and I are retired. I make my own cleaning products, I buy at thrift shops and ebay. I appreciate your ideas about beans and cooking. I have gone back to work part-time to pay off debt from my daughters wedding. Nothing feels as good as being debt free. Thank you for your ideas.
Melinda

Posted by Melinda A. Ely on January 03, 2009 1:48 AM

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libraries are a great source of books, newspapers, videos etc & all are FREE! you can also go on line at most as well; I got beautiful white satiny cloth napkins 12 for 25 cents each which we use for "napkins"; I never saw the need for paper towels to begin with; in fact I asked my sister why she bought them! I still have several rolls bought from years ago, but mainly I use cloth; I make my own laundry soap & it works so well I will never go back! The ONE thing you might keep an eye out for is a food saver or seal a meal with vaccum seal; I got mine from thrift store for $18; get generic bags from ebay cheaply; once vaccuum sealed stays like fresh til opened & air hits it; also read a lot on drying foods: very inexpensive to do & can seal that as well; get in season & really take advantage of low prices; & excellent for storing after drying even spices grown in your garden! your house might look like a storage bin but you will be prepared for any & all things!

Posted by MzScarlett on January 04, 2009 9:30 AM

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We did a square foot garden this past summer. I bought the book and followed the directions. I learned a lot and surprisingly grew a lot in just a small space. I was just thinking the other day how I had used my onions all through the holiday season that I had grown this past summer in our garden. It's so rewarding!! We grew other things, too.

Using the water from the roof is a great idea as the soil mixture you use really dries out fast. I have had gardens for years but this is one for someone who doesn't have lots of time to spend in the garden or is getting older but still wants the homegrown produce. Once you get it set up it is actually a lot of fun!

Posted by Linda S. on January 07, 2009 9:09 PM

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Wonderful list of frugal living ideas. Thank you for sharing!

Posted by Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas on January 16, 2009 12:34 PM

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We have had a huge garden for years. last year I tried adding the square foot gardening mixture in a raised bed made from old concrete blocks. We had a constant yield of specialty lettuce that was spectacular from this small space. I added two tomato plants in the bed real late and they were the best producers. Try it it's worth the effort of finding the products used in the mixture

Posted by anonymous on January 16, 2009 6:19 PM

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i'm sorry but the part about tee shirt napkins is truly disgusting!!!

Posted by nora on January 16, 2009 6:40 PM

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Hi Joy,

I just wanted to give you a place to get free coupons weekly. Go to www.couponmom.com and register. It is all free. Read the e-books for free as well and learn to save even more on your grocery shopping each week.
There is another place I would recommend and that is www.mommysavers.com . They have awesome tips on how to save in all areas. There is a discussion board on all kinds of topics regarding living frugal. I love the site.
Finally, I would like to share a book with you that will teach you how to make homemade cleaning supplies. I have made many of them and love them. My family loves them too. Have you ever used club soda to clean glass and windows? You will be amazed with the results. You mentioned that you reuse the hubby's t-shirts. You can use all old unused items as cleaning cloths. Ok. The book title is "Clean House, Clean Planet", by Karen Hogan. I first borrowed it from the library. I liked the ideas so much that I purchased my own book! Good Luck!

Posted by Lowbudget on January 16, 2009 7:50 PM

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Received this from a friend...knew a lot of them but not all...

This is what Oxi clean is...
did you Know????

3% peroxide

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana

"I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little old bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide, or they would lose thousands of dollars."

1. Take one cap full (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe)

No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash (Small print says mouth wash and gargle right on the bottle)

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of "Peroxide" to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years - until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine, but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, or plugged sinuses. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change.

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors with, and there is no smearing which is why I love it so much for this.

I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner.

Editor's Note: This comment now has its own tip page: http://www.tiphero.com/tips_2342_13-uses-for-peroxide.html

Posted by anonymous on January 19, 2009 2:46 PM

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The t-shirt napkins gave me an idea...instead of just throwing away our raggedy underwear which I always launder first anyway (what if a dog rips into your garbage, do you really want your dirty underwear laying in the street??!?), I'm now planning to use them for cleaning up cat puke! Usually that is one thing I DO use paper towels for, but no more!

Posted by anonymous on January 19, 2009 11:50 PM

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The tips were good but honestly you cut your own hair? How do you do that on the back to make it look truly professional. I only get my hair cut about 3 times a year, but that is one thing I will not give up. There is big difference that can be seen between a home job and a professional one done on hair. I can ALWAYS tell.

Posted by Leigh Jones on March 04, 2009 12:25 PM

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Agree about tee shirt napkins, not so good.

Posted by anonymous on April 06, 2009 3:07 AM

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To those who disapproved of T-shirt "napkins": you're probably thinking of "napkins" that you would use at the dinner table. I agree that table napkins made from old undershirts would not be terribly attractive, but what these really are is rags. Their job is to clean up spills and so on. They don't have to look good; you can keep them out of sight until they're needed. And if a freshly laundered shirt is good enough to put on your body, then why isn't a freshly laundered rag that was once part of a shirt good enough to clean your bathroom with? They're a lot more absorbent than paper towels, too.

Posted by haverwench on April 24, 2009 1:51 PM

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I've noticed there are several new personal finance sites popping up. www.mommysavers.com is a solid one.

Posted by JimL on February 25, 2010 3:41 AM

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