Our Throwaway SocietyIt always amazes me how much other people throw away. I did not grow up with much, and I always took very good care of whatever I had, as I knew my parents worked very hard for it. I thought I set an excellent example for my children, until the other day.
Don't Waste AnythingIf you want or need to be frugal, it's not just about the "stuff" you don't buy. You also have to use everything to its maximum potential.
Stretching My Meager DollarsI am a single mother of two kids. The income I have comes from what little I make from my full time job, my job working in my church's nursery on Sundays, and Child Support for my oldest. I am constantly learning new ways to stretch my meager dollars.
A Green Frugal LifeI've always been a frugal person, following in my Grandma's footsteps. She survived the Depression yet fed her family well. Even a teaspoon of leftover corn at dinner was put in a homemade soup. Pastry scraps were made into the most delicious treats, spread with either cinnamon sugar or jam, then rolled, baked and sprinkled with powdered sugar. From her, we learned how to make delicious meals cheaply.
The Most Frugal Of All, Free MemoriesWhat is your earliest memory? I will tell you three of mine as I don't know which is earliest. When I was little, the house was not heated past bed time. If the temperature was 10 degrees outside, it was 10 degrees inside, not long after we all went to bed.
13 Items That Almost Always SellThere was an internet meme going around recently that read: "See that clutter in your home? It used to be money."' That simple statement was a wow moment for me. OUCH!
Gratitude Not AttitudeGratitude, not attitude. Last week Lowes was giving away gift cards in denominations from $5 to $1500. As to be expected, most cards were $5, which is what I got. I saw some posts from people saying they "only" got $5. I felt it was $5 that I did not have before.
Finally Starting Out Being ThriftyMy partner and I are on SSDI with SNAP and I am enforcing a budget for 4 people in this household. We consume a lot of tea so we get the gallon bags on our main shopping trip. My partner brews it up in a large Dutch oven like pot and makes 2 gallons out of that, one for him and one for the rest of us.
The Thief In Your Closet and On Your ShelvesIs your stuff stealing your time and money? You know those doodads on your shelves, your clothing, the flotsam and the jetsam piled up in the nooks and crannies of your house. For most of us, the answer is a resounding YES! Your stuff is making you poor and you probably don''t even realize it.
Theories for a Frugal LifeLiving within my means has been ingrained in me my whole life, as is living a green life, meaning being nice to Mother Nature. I find when I share my theories with people, there are two schools of reactions. One is the person looking at me like I have three heads and webbed feet. This is sadly the usual reaction. The other rare reaction is a look of pure relief that there is a kindred soul out there.
Why Doing Things Yourself is More than FrugalMost people I know have someone else to clean their homes and wash their cars. They bring in food a lot and go out to eat often. They tell me that since I work full-time, I am wasting my precious free time. They also think I'm cheap.
No-Car DayThis summer, I decided to do an experiment. I decided to see what would happen if I didn't use my car one day a week. I have discovered that this is a really good idea for many reasons.
Becoming More DIYI have learned through my 60 years on this earth that not everything that is good is easy. Rewards come to those that wait or work hard for what they get. This holds true with food. I am single but now helping to raise my 16 year old granddaughter with my son, who is unemployed.
Teaching the Next Generation to be ThriftyWe grew up in a country area, at least 15 miles from a small town. We were taught how to work hard at all things. There was no down time as some make sure they get today. Each season had its work; some were to be fast and others slow and regular.
How To Appreciate Cobbler CrustThis was to be a prelude on the importance and appreciation of good, crusty Southern style biscuits, and more tips on how to make them. This 'prelude' became so lengthy, it turned into a 'story' in its own right. Read on.
Big Family on The FarmMy husband and I are raising 10 kids on about $25000 a year, yes 10! We have always lived inexpensively even before we had any children. We were able to purchase a small farm with an old farm house on it many years ago and fixed it up ourselves over time.
Life in the Fab Lane Without Breaking the...So, alright, I work at Wal-mart and see all kinds of shoppers. Some are good and buy mostly generic. Others use coupons. Then there are people that buy 6 makeup items and spend almost $50! They could have taken five minutes and saved almost $15 in coupons!
Being Thrifty or Frugal: The Big PictureWhen I was a child, my family and I lived in the city. Being a nature lover, I would often take long walks in the country. At that time, the county did not have a garbage collection service. People would put their garbage in a vacant area on their property.
The Lessons of LessI have found myself in reduced circumstances pretty chronically for the past 5 years. I am sure that I share this fate with many people, but, in spite of knowing this, my predicament has seemed like a very private and shameful hell.
My Frugal Life: Buddha's ExampleThe Gautama Buddha, over 25 centuries ago, commended frugality. As an example, he taught the first monks and nuns to make their robes from "pure cloth" that is cloth that no one wanted.
My Frugal Life: Good, Clean FunBubbles are among the oldest and most popular of children's playthings. Even when families have no money for toys, they can usually find a wire to twist into a circle and some soap suds.
My Frugal Life: Frugal ForeverI love ThriftyFun. It IS fun! I was learning to be frugal before frugal was even a word! I don't even remember hearing the word "thrifty." We just did it! My dad grew up in the depression so we heard a lot of those stories.
Of Kids, Christmas, and PetsIt is that wonderful time of year again - December. The month of both of my daughters' births, and the birth of my Lord.
My Frugal Life: Price Hike"Hey, Bob, look!" I said as we neared a bus stop in my neighborhood. "Now why would anyone want to do that?" he grumbled, outraged at the eyesore we'd just driven past, a gang of abandoned shopping carts.
Finding Peace in the ValleyMy husband and I had very different childhoods. He grew up in inner city St. Louis while I was raised deep in a rural Alabama valley. We do, however, share one common thread. We both grew up poor.
My Frugal Life: The Coffee TestI have found it helpful, thriftily-speaking, to take a look at all the necessary things in my life and make a list of those that I just can't scrimp on.
My Frugal Life: Making DoVa, at 87 years old, wanted to visit Copan. She'd been there before in 1941, when her husband had helped to unearth and restore a Mayan maize god. At the time, she and her two babies had travelled by horseback from Guatemala to "Las Ruinas" to see Leonard and his discovery.
My Frugal Life: Planning AheadI used to be proud of being spontaneous, of living on a whim. Now that I can no longer afford to have anything I want at the moment that I want it, I have come to savor the far deeper pleasure of expectation, of waiting for something and looking forward to it.
My Frugal Life: Shop SmartI learned that the Goodwill is changing their marketing strategies due to the availability of new goods coming off shelves of failing/going out-of-business/bankrupt stores. I have found a plethora of NEW in-the-box with-the-manual items at tremendously low prices.
My Frugal Life: Use Every BitRemember the satisfaction you felt at being able to extract that last bit of toothpaste or shampoo or cold cream? Remember how long it took? Each day you thought there couldn't possibly be anything left in that tube, bottle, or jar, but there always was.
My Frugal Life: GiGi's Labor of Love"Hey, Lady! What are you looking for?" asked the driver. "A penny," said I from the pavement next to him. "It's sort of a game I'm playing, and I need to find the penny myself. You know (I lied), for luck."
My Frugal Life: Food Enough for VisitorsIn my small community there are many traditions including having enough food for people that visited around a meal time. It was important to feed them, so this was done by taking out a few more things than was needed for our family.
My Frugal Life: Don't Be Persuaded!Manufacturers are so good at persuading us that we HAVE to have their products that it's difficult not to end up buying all sorts of things that we really don't need.
My Frugal Life: Thinking About ThriftinessI've been thinking a lot about the world and the terrible state we are in. One thing I've been thinking is that we would all be a lot better off if we didn't say "someone ought to do something" and said "I'm going to do something" instead.
My Frugal Life: Watch Your Pennies and the Dollars Will FollowI have been frugal all my life. When I was young, it was called "living country". You saved everything and found another use for it. To this day, I don't know if we would have been considered working poor or not.
My Frugal Life: A Life Without Financial WorriesWhen my husband and I first married, I didn't have any real sense about saving and/or spending wisely. I allowed my husband to assume control over finances because of his excellent upbringing.
My Frugal Life: Beverly Hills on $30 a DayI struggled for years to put myself through college. When at last I was employed, and besieged by credit card offers, I was not very wise. I had lived so lean for so long that the temptation was too strong; and I went under.
My Frugal Life: Coupon ClassI recently went to a couple of Coupon Classes locally, my brother's wife was very interested. I wrote down a few things that I learned and then after reading it a few times decided I should share what I learned.
Is the Season Beginning or Ending?Oh, but it's getting ugly around here. I am speaking of my garden of course. For one thing, about this time I lose interest in it. The magic of watching the plants grow, then blossom and put on their colorful array of tasty treasures for us to enjoy is long past.
My Frugal Life: Six Decades of FrugalityI can't remember a time when I was not frugal. My parents were young during the big depression so I learned "thrift" early on. Now at 63 with my hubby at 67, we find that frugality is what allows us to survive.
My Frugal Life: Penny Wise or Pound FoolishIs there such a thing as being too thrifty? Are we many times penny wise and pound foolish? I ponder this because by nature I am a logical, practical person. I have been told this all my life. So the following situations make no sense to me.
Beautiful Thoughts on a Frugal LifeIt seems as if others are learning for the first time how to be frugal and enjoy it, which I have known all along, but now that prices at the pump are at an all time high, I am so happy I know how to save money!
My Frugal WaysI am a single mom of two awesome boys. I am always looking for ways to be frugal. I hang clothes to dry, make food from scratch, and I never turn down clothes, etc. for my boys and me when someone has them to share.
My Frugal Life: Thrifty Grandmas Stay With You ForeverGrandma was born in 1895 and raised 6 children on her own after her no-good husband ran off. This was long before the days of Social Security. She had lived through some really hard times, and she taught me so much, it still makes me smile.
My Frugal Life: Clothing Is FabricI was raised in an area that was a long drive to the town, and we went in to town only two times a month - once for paying bills and another for shopping and visiting friends.
My Frugal Life: Going Home Again"Wake up and smell the roses, you really can't go home again". That's what I thought anyway. But with childhood memories dancing in my head and trepidation in my heart, I gave it a try.
Still Trying To Be FrugalI have been at my new job for 4 months now and I have had my days reduced to 3 days a week from 5. I am not a happy bunny but as the job is pants, its forcing me to look for something else, which is good.
My Frugal GardenI have found many ways of saving money, while still having a lovely garden to provide fresh food and flowers. I have found that plant sales at churches and garden clubs can be a good source for perennials.
My Frugal Life: Being Mentally ThriftyI have always mentally been a thrifty person. As a child, I was confused by the other kids who would spend all their money on candy, toys, or other little things.
My Frugal Life: On The SidelinesSometimes it is hard to sit on the sidelines and watch things happen. Sometimes you want to get in and help, but all you can do is sit on the sidelines and be patient.
My Frugal Life: Letter to My DaughterThis is a letter to my daughter who has been out of work for 2 years.
My Frugal Life: Food On HandI am dependent on a small monthly check for all my outgoings. Recently, I realized that I had absolutely no money left AT ALL and ten days to go before that check arrived. At first I wondered how I would eat.
My Frugal Life: Making It Through a Little LongerMy husband and I moved here to CO to be close to our kids and grand-kids. We had lived in KY to be close to our oldest son, but we had to move away because of my arthritis, allergies, and asthma. Since we've lived here, we've both had to work and we're on Social Security.
My Frugal Life: Reuse CreativelyCreativity is important to living frugally. Before you go out and buy something, ask yourself "What can I use that I already have?", "What do I have that needs to be used up?", and "What can I make out of what I have?"
My Frugal Life: More Neighbors Come Calling For MuralsAfter some irregular heart beats, shaky knees, and many brush strokes, a new and stronger me has emerged. I can see clearly now and a path has been paved. I had taken a small snowball and placed it on a big ol' hill and before I knew it, that snowball began to roll.
My Frugal Life: Living in a "Post-Consumer Age"Almost two years ago, my husband and I bought our first home. We were excited about finally being about to make a place our own: fun wall hangings, even more massive amounts of bookshelves, unique paint colors on all of the walls, and so on.
My Frugal Life: Find Out How Great You AreI grew up with the message that I was fat and worthless. A couple of years ago, I looked at the few pictures that exist of me over the years (I always avoided being photographed). Me at age 4 - not a bit fat, though my teenage sisters had me convinced that I was.
Going Public After Cosmetic Surgery (For...I am content doing laundry because I now have cheery walls to look at. I have to tell you, I never thought there would be a part two to my previous story, but as I wash the paint off my brushes once again, I wanted to share my adventure.
My Frugal Life: Surviving After A LossWhile people everywhere were preparing for the holidays, my children and I were preparing for a funeral. My husband of thirty years had a heart attack on December 14, 2008, passed away on December 23rd, and was buried on the 31st. It was indeed an indelible holiday.
My Frugal Life: Pay As You GoIt seems that so many young people living in this fast paced world are getting in debt way over their heads because they want it right now or just because they feel they have to keep up appearances for their friends.
My Frugal Life: Furnish Your Home With Used ItemsSo you are young and getting ready to make your own home for the first time, whether an apartment or your first house. Of course, you want to decorate to impress as well as to express your taste.
Our Little Trailer On the PrairieIn the early days of our marriage, Jim and I had six teenagers and a weekly food budget of $35.00. I am grateful that Jim is such a fine gardener, and that he thoughtfully included the children in that hobby.
My Frugal Holiday: Resolve to Eat HealthierNew Year resolutions are not something I ever make, I regret them all year long after I break them. This year we weren't given a choice but to make resolutions.
Add To Gift Box All Year LongI have a "holiday/gift box" that I keep in my closet. I started this box years ago when our church started a secret sister program. Each month, you give your secret sister a small gift, and at the end of the year, you tell her who you were.
My Frugal Life: Resolutions for 2011Aside from all the obvious resolutions I have just made for 2011 - to lose weight, eat more healthily, take more exercise etc., there is one other really important money and stress saving thing I have made up my mind to do.
My Frugal Life: How I Make Ends MeetEvery day I take the opportunity to look around my home and decide how I can make a difference in the cost it takes to make my household run. It can be as simple as turning off a light when someone else walks out and leaves it on.
My Frugal Holiday: The Old Family BibleIt had a place of honor on the long table in the living room along with a pretty old lamp which had colored glass all around the shade part of it, and little crystal dangly things that hung down around the bottom edge.
My Frugal Life: Influencing Grandchildren's CharacterMy husband and I live in a 29 foot travel trailer. We recently sold almost all of our possessions and decided to live with less stuff and more happiness. Part of the reason that we now live in a travel trailer is for the opportunity to spend more time with our two beautiful granddaughters.
One Size Doesn't Always Fit AllI have been a frugal woman all my life. And it seems I am always researching or joining a group in an attempt to find ways to be even more frugal. And in my quest for information I have found this; one size doesn't always fit all.
My Frugal Life: Economics of MenopauseWhat do menopause, singleness and caffeine have in common? You guessed it lower heating bills.
My Frugal Life: Adopted AngelsI love to be frugal and love to entertain. What I have been doing for several years now, is serve a single food, cookies, and simple beverage and ask for gifts. But, the gifts are not for me, they are for others.
My Frugal Life: The Wisdom of FrugalityI am blessed to have grown up in a family where my parents had gone through the Great Depression and then WWII. They never made being frugal seem like punishment, but more of a game, where I was taught to look at the bigger picture.
My Frugal Life: Keeping Our World CleanFall is here and I'm so thankful for cooler weather. It has been a long, hot summer and not a good time to pick up a lot of litter.
My Frugal Life: Good InvestmentsWell here I am again feeling a little rather chipper at the moment. I have purchased my yogurt maker and am quite apt at making and drinking thick and Greek yogurt. Mixing in the different flavors to suit our mood.
My Frugal Life: Ten Reasons to Embrace the Frugal/Thrifty LifestyleAs of August, I am debt free and I am very thankful for this. I just want to say a big thank-you to all of you, because I have really benefited from your frugal wisdom which you have freely shared in your posts.
My Frugal Life: Living With Very Little MoneyBeing raised in the sixties and seventies meant I was being raised by parents who knew about war time deprivation.
My Frugal Life: Rebuilding Our HouseWhen we got married, Jim and I had only one thing in large numbers: children. We decided to purchase some land in the country where the six of them could have room to grow. We had $5,000 saved, and used it to put a down payment on an 11-acre piece of marginally useful land.
My Frugal Life: Great ImpressionI grew up in a family who knew The Great Depression. They made a Great Impression on how I lived, as well. My Grandpa raised his own hogs, and showed me how to make a ball out of a hog bladder early on.
My Frugal Life: Of Grandpas and GardensGardening with my grandad was a lesson in patience. When I was a child my mother worked to put food on the table and shoes on our feet so I spent a lot of my time with my grandparents who lived across the road from us.
My Frugal Life: ThriftyFun FamilyIn 2007, I lost my entire family. We grew up in San Diego. As the kids became adults, we found that even with decent jobs (I am a school teacher) we could not afford to live in SD. My mom helped my siblings buy houses, but not me.
Beating DiabetesWe are beating diabetes the frugal way! Last year my husband was diagnosed with diabetes after numerous health problems. I, too, am diabetic. We decided to change our life.
My Frugal Life: Cooking From ScratchWhen our children were growing up we had very little extra money. We got clothes and shoes from the thrift shop and only bought groceries that were on sale. We had barely enough each month to pay our bills.
My Frugal Life: Craft Fair Birthday PartyOnce upon a time there was a little girl with many, many friends. She often asked her mommy for lots of sleepovers and tea parties. Even though her mommy had very little money, sleepovers were easy and tea and cinnamon toast were cheap, so the mommy always said "yes".
My Frugal Life: Lessons From My MotherI first learned frugality from my mother, who had a motto for just about everything. "Use it up, wear it out, 'cause if you waste, you'll do without." I'll bet I've heard that old rhyme a million times.
Become a Frugal CrafterFor those of us who have fallen on tough times more recently, this essay is intended to help you find a creative outlet for free and perhaps the chance to make some gifts that will be all the more treasured simply because you made them.
