04/27/2008Frugal living tips?
- Does anyone have any frugal living tips that you would like to share?
- Best Answer:there are so many I can't list them all. Don't wear makeup when you don't have to. Don't wear hose when you don't have to. Stop buying anything extra except for food and gas (and pay your monthly bills). Eat on $1-$2 per day. Don't buy newspapers or magazines. If you send out a lot of mail then maybe sending emails would be better (since you're already paying for an ISP connection). Pull the plugs out of the wall for everything except one light to see by. If you're using a pc at home only use it for about an hour a day and then unplug it...because the pc heats up the room and then your electricity bill be be high...and, three days a week do not use the pc. Soap products can last longer if you water them down. Stop using lotions. No more getting your nails done or your hair cut, styled or whatever it is you do that costs you money, and that means no buying nail polish, remover, etc. Combine the trips you make in the car using less gas.
- Answer:One of my favorite quotes is, "If you can't have the best of everything, make the best of everything that you have." With that said, you don't have to cut out things in order to save money but you can and should cut back. Your library will have a number of FREE books and magazine back issues that offer great articles on frugal living... Womans Day, Family Circle and the others will give you articles on green living, saving on shopping, internet sites for coupons, and so much more. Start a notebook of copies and tips you hear and read about. Talk to friends. Check out websites. A penny saved is a penny earned.
- Answer:First of all, make it a personal rule to always buy kitchen and household staples in bulk. If you buy rice, flour, milk, cereal, washing powder, and toilet paper for instance in larger packets, you will spend less per item or kilogram or litre.
Shop at factory sales outlets. These are what factories use to clear stock that might be slightly underweight, or be labelled incorrectly. There is nothing wrong with the food. I get a lot of food at factory sales outlets. Just make sure that you're getting a bargain. Take a calculator with you and work out the price per unit, item, can, or kilogram, and compare that to what you'd pay normally at the supermarket. I can get cakes of 'end of line' soap for 10 cents each, 12 tins of salmon for $11, etc. I know the price I'd normally pay at the supermarket, so I can tell if it's a better price at the factory sales outlet.
Use energy efficient light globes. They last longer and use much less electricity. Also, use curtains on windows and seal draughts around doors with sealing foam. It's self adhesive foam strips about 5mm wide, which you buy at the hardware store, and stick around the doorjamb. I use old rolled up towels under doors where there's a draught.
Take your own lunch to work instead of buying it. I do this and save between $700 and $1000 minimum a year. It always costs less to make your own. I make a whole loaf into sandwiches and freeze it in the freezer. I also make curries and pastas and freeze those in serves in the freezer so I can reheat them at work, or keep them for evenings when I'm too tired to cook. This stops us resorting to take away.
Make your own homebrewed beer, if you're inclined. There are heaps of resources online for that sort of thing.
Anyway, that's a few of the things I do. Hope it's helpful.
Best wishes
- Answer:Check these ideas:
http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/frugal.ht...
- Answer:Goonhild has great ideas. One more I would suggest is
carry a small notebook and write down every penny you spend out of pocket. You will be surprised at how much flows out unaccounted for.