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Adult Mother and Daughter Together

Lessons About Frugal Living from My MotherThis page contains frugal living advice. Growing up during or just after the Great Depression, meant that life was tough for many people. One of our users wrote about the lessons her mom shared with her from growing up in a time where it was important to be frugal, waste nothing, and appreciate what you had.

 

Woman Showing Daughter how to Save Money with Piggy Bank

Our Throwaway SocietyThis is a page about living frugally in a throwaway society. There are many ways to live a meaningful life with less things, and reuse items that many just throw away.

 

Couple Sunning Backyard

The Non-Vacation VacationSometimes a staycation is exactly what you need to relax with out traveling far away. This is a page about the non-vacation vacation.

 

Saving Coins

Challenging Yourself to SaveSaving money is an important skill to learn. This is a page about challenging yourself to save.

 

Group of young men and woman discussing frugal living.

Start Your Own Frugal ClubWhether it's at a school, church, or local community center; starting a frugal club to help your friends and neighbors save money is a great idea. This is a page about start your own frugal club.

 

A woman writing a check for a bill.

Being Frugal From NecessityFrugality is a way of life that isn't always a choice. This is a page about being frugal from necessity.

 

Writing a budget on a notepad.

Living on Very Little MoneyIf you are low on money living frugally is an imperative. Use these thrifty ideas to help get you through times when money is short. This is a page about living with very little money.

 

Learning Frugality

Learning FrugalityHowever and whenever you learn to be frugal, it will be helpful for your life. This is a page about learning frugality.

 

Hand holding Social Security Card.

Surviving on Social SecurityTrying to live on your Social Security income alone can be very challenging. It requires planning and creativity, along with obvious frugality. This is a page about surviving on Social Security.

 

A mom and child walking in the woods.

Living a Simple LifestyleThis is a page about living a simple lifestyle. Modern life can be stressful and living with less things can often be a positive change.

 

When Are You Being Too Frugal?

When Are You Being Too Frugal?We all need to be thrifty to avoid waste and reuse whenever possible, but not be penny wise and pound foolish. This is a page about when are you being too frugal?

 

Taking Pride in Being Frugal

Taking Pride in Being FrugalThis is a page about taking pride in being frugal. There are many personal rewards that result from living a frugal lifestyle.

 

A dress bought at a thrift store

Using My Clothing Budget WiselyI am often asked where I bought one thing or another. The answer is almost never as simple as just a department store.

 

Learning Frugality

Learning FrugalityI have always been a pretty frugal person, but I'm finding later in life that I don't need as much as I once thought I did. When you are young, you are led to believe that those pretty new shiny objects you see on TV or someone is wearing is something you just can't live without.

 

A family playing in a sprinkler.

Cheap Ways to Beat the HeatThis page contains cheap ways to beat the heat. Try some ways to cool your temperatures and your budget as well.

 

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A woman clipping coupons for the first time.

Starting to Live Frugally?This page is about starting to live frugally. It's never too late to begin saving money and reusing what you may have trashed in the past.

 

Frugal Living Advice

Frugal Living AdviceReading advice from others who live a frugal lifestyle can be helpful in developing one of your own. This page contains frugal living advice.

 

Piggy Bank Surrounded by Money

Frugal Living SayingsSometimes a saying or quote can help set a course or keep you on task, even when it becomes difficult or discouraging. This page contains frugal living sayings.

 

bartering hand shake

Bartering for Goods and ServicesThis is a page about bartering for goods and services. Bartering can be a great way to get the most out of things you own, make or services you can provide. Bartering also keeps the value of those goods and services in your local community.

 

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My Frugal Life: 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 and the tasty garden treasures for is long past.

 

The weekly ad section of a Sunday newspaper.

Money Saving Ideas for My DaughtersMy husband and I have never had a lot of money. Our whole married lives, we have had to watch and constantly be careful. We were married and started our family very young, and neither of us has a college education.

 

When Are You Being Too Frugal?

When Are You Being Too Frugal?The definition of frugal is "Prudence in Avoiding Waste". We all should be wise and thrifty, and reuse or recycle where possible, but here are some indicators when you just might be going too far to be frugal and are simply being cheap or possibly hoarding:

 

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My Frugal Life: A Winter MiracleI wanted to share with you all what our "stay at home married ladies" group at church did several years ago at Christmas. We were a Wednesday night group of about 15 women who met weekly for Bible Study and grew rather close.

 

Hoarding: The Food Wars

Hoarding: The Food WarsIn my last installment, as promised, I will talk about food. And again, I want to emphasize that I am not picking on anyone, so if you see yourself or someone you know in these articles, it is purely coincidental.

 

Hoarding: Cleaning and Maintenance

Hoarding: Cleaning and MaintenanceI have a sister who does q-tip cleaning. Now, the first time she mentioned that to me, I immediately thought of the world's tiniest feather duster, ready to take on a dusty q-tip.

 

Hoarding: Too Much Stuff

Hoarding: Too Much StuffThere are many programs to watch these days on bachelors, dancers, singers, racers, survivors, and the like. But, there are none so compelling as those that dissect a little known malady known as hoarding.

 

A basket of line dried laundry

Do It YourselfThe old adage "If you want it done right, do it yourself" carries significant merit in the frugal times of a frail economy. Donate some time to completing three tasks yourself, and you'll save money every time. Not enough time?

 

Spending More WiselyThis year our library fundraiser earned less money than in previous years. The chair of the event mentioned that in comparison to other local events, we still did quite well. Her comment was, "People are just being more careful with how they spend their money."

 

Summer Stay Home Vacation

Summer Stay Home VacationBecause of tough economic times, many will find they are unable to afford an away vacation this summer. May I recommend a summer STAYcation?

 

shampoo squirt bottle

Make Purchases Go a Little FurtherThought I would share a few good deals and some thrifty tips I've come up with in the past few weeks.

 

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Robin's Thrifty Tips: Share With Your FriendsMy husband and I have always had to watch our money our whole married lives, and try to be as frugal as possible. When we had children at home, I had to get as creative as possible, at times, in order to feed and clothe everyone well.

 

Bringing Style to Out of Style Furniture

Bringing Style to Out of Style FurnitureWhen furniture goes out of style, it's a serious investment to replace it. You can't change the furniture that you may already have.

 

What You Shouldn't Try Yourself (But Maybe You Have)Chopping the budget is invigorating, especially when extra money can be seen as a result. However, sometimes it can get a bit too invigorating and lead to some over-pruning. Just like the shrub in your front yard, your budget may be more beautiful to look at if it's pruned regularly but over pruning could kill it.

 

What You Should Be Doing Yourself (But Might Not Be)There are luxuries, but in bad economic times this isn't the time for luxuries. If you're looking to whittle down on your budget, be sure that you're not giving in to luxuries.

 

scraping ice on windshield

Getting Ready for WinterThis is the time to prepare for winter if you live in one of our colder states. Waiting until the last minute to prepare for the cold or an outage most often results in spending extra money or putting money out for repairs.

 

How Much Food Do You Toss?The Average American tosses $859 worth of food a year, how do you stack up?

 

30 Tops - TOPS!

Keep No More Than 30 TopsThis is an idea I've been slowly implementing. If you have 30 tops (many women have 150 or more including tees, tanks, sweaters, sweatshirts, long sleeved, short sleeved, dress blouses, cotton blouses, etc.), you could wear each top ONLY ONCE A MONTH for an entire year!

 

Kids in a sleeping bag on the lawn.

The Non-Vacation VacationIf the economy has brought your vacation plans to a screeching halt, there are some fun alternatives in your future. The alternative vacation plans might be even more enjoyable than a real trip, especially knowing that they're not costing you a fortune.

 

use it or lose it

Use It or Lose ItI'm sitting on a jackpot, and I didn't realize it until a rainy week inspired me to clean my office closet. Over the course of this year I had easily purchased fifteen boxes of thank you cards for $3 a piece.

 

My Frugal Bathroom

My Frugal BathroomHere are some of my favorite money-savers for the bath: I keep a spray bottle of homemade cleaner in the tub; I use vinegar, a little dish soap, and, perhaps some "this and that".

 

thrift week web page

Bring Back Thrift Week!If you're like many Americans, the answer very well might be no. The unfortunate truth is that it seems that some Americans can't even remember the concept of thrift itself! It's time for a change - it's time to bring back National Thrift Week!

 

Cutting PVC pipe

Milk Crate for Cutting PVC PipeRecently, I needed some white plastic shelves put back together in a closet. However, I had a gap that didn't reach the top, but the full height of the shelf was too high.

 

penny

What Have You Done to Save a Penny?We were featured on a call in radio show about thrifty living; Patt Morrison at NPR affiliate KPCC in Los Angeles, CA. They wanted to know how far someone will go to save money. We asked for your stories and here they are!

 

Chart Showing Financial Losses

Preparing for Tough Financial TimesIn the event you find yourself unprepared for the financial hard times we are facing right now, Don't panic, here are some things you can begin to do to help weather the storm.

 

Coins Coming out of Glass Jar

Spare Change Adds UpI have been saving my husband's and my spare change for years. This year I decided to document every "cash-in", to see exactly how much change that we DID wind up with at the end of the year.

 

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Simple Tips to Save ElectricityWith the end of many states' electric rate freezes, the cost of electricity is rising at an alarming rate. Even if you're still protected under a frozen rate, it's not a bad idea to alter habits now.

 

What Are You Doing to Pinch Pennies?As gas prices continue to go up and food follows, what are you doing to pinch the pennies to make ends meet? Here are some suggestions from the ThrifyFun community.

 

Frugal and FoolishMy husband likes to remind me that there's frugal and then there's foolish. It's hard to tell the difference because companies and products want to market themselves, so they claim that they are essential. However, there are foolish ways to be frugal, and many of them end up costing more money in the long run. Take a look at where I've learned not to cut costs.

 

Finding the Silver Lining Behind the Gas PricesThere's not much that would make me happier than seeing a dollar sign followed by the number two at gas stations. I long for the days that I complained about gas prices exceeding $2 per gallon. However, there's little that I can do to find immediate relief, so I'm going to try to make the best of things.

 

RCA plugs

Home Electronics: Use What You've GotFriends of ours recently splurged to purchase satellite radio hookups for both of their cars and their home. They also purchased a surround sound package for their living room to give the 'movie theater affect' to their TV.

 

bartering hand shake

Bartering: The Wave of the FutureWell, all the economists are talking about recession and I don't really know what that big fancy word means. I do know with rising gas prices and with rising food prices that times are hard for all of us.

 

What Are We Saving All This Money For?

What Are We Saving All This Money For?I was reflecting this morning, "what are we all actually saving this money for?" I guess there are as many diverse answers as there are readers here: Are we saving to reduce our bills and get out of debt? To buy a house? To take a special holiday?

 

Vegetable Ready for Canning

The Old Fashioned Way is the Cheaper WayToday people look for items to make life easier. Yet, those items cost money which is earned by working, thus defeating the purpose of making life easier. In the "olden days" things were done more economically than today, and life seemed simpler.

 

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