Wave Your Frugal Flag

I have tried all the frugal survival tips your site has to offer…yet, I’m still struggling to make ends meet…I’m so tired of this game we play in life…and tired of being broke and unhappy.

Hang in there, Sandra. I know it may not feel like it at the moment, but there’s always some other tip out there that can help you slash your spending further. I’ve been at this frugal game for a long time, and I’m still finding new tricks to add to my arsenal.

Everyone reading this column has access to a computer. For most of us, that is at home.

I’ve been quite well-off at some times in my life and I’ve always done all those things except the cable and long distance. I’ve never had or wanted a cell phone.

It’s all attitude. Frugal living can be viewed as a game. One “secret” to happiness is to choose what you’ve got. I suggest trying that. It really does work. “Act as if” if you really can’t (silly word!) like what you have.

I have used all of these valuable, frugal tips throughout the household. However, the one that really sets me apart is that I am a crazy couponer! I use LOTS of coupons. I combine coupons with sales in the stores to get maximum benefits. I also teach classes on HOW to use them and save. My best shopping experience so far has been at a local discount store where I bought $540 worth of product and only spent $33! That bought all of our Health and Beauty aids, Medicine, some Food, Diapers and more! THIS is where I am frugal beyond measure! Thanks for all of your great information!

I’m a stay-at-home mom of 2 and very lucky for it. But only because I can,freeze,dry or store everything I can grow,forage or trade. Like this month I have a source for fresh dug potatos….I gathered 150 lbs and traded for fresh brown eggs( 1 dozen a week through the winter) and a bushel of apples!!!

Dear Sandra Conley,

I used to feel as you do, like you’ll never get ahead, and that you’re tired of the merry – go round.

God says that we are to be good stewards of our money, resources, and time. So, living frugally is a good way of managing our money; however, there is a better, more sure way of being able to get your bills covered, and knowing everything will be alright. His name is Jesus. God takes care of his own children (those that have accepted Jesus as their lord and saviour.) Since I’ve been a Christian, I’ve had nothing t worry about. God always comes through. Sometimes in ways we wouldn’t imagine!!

How low do you frugal people put your thermostat. I live in a home that runs on hot water/oil, heat needs to be left on in the winter or the pipes will burst!!! Me and my family are always bundled up in fleece during the winter, I just don’nt know how low to put the thermostat. Thanks!!!

Thanks Jane, how soon we forget him when we’re angry and feeling blue…you’re correct…God will see me through this tough time and beyond. In Jesus’ name I pray…AMEN

Conventional wisdom says to set your winter thermostat to 68 degrees. We have a programmable thermostat so we can adjust the temp automatically when we are not home during the day. I find when I sit for long at my desk I get really chilled because I’m not moving around and I use a small space heater then. I am also able to turn down the temp a little more at night as we use an electric blanket to “preheat” the bed and we love snuggling under a pile of covers. You might also ask your utility or oil supplier for their recommendations. Hope you have a mild winter!

There are several things that I do to be frugal, like many of you but I do some things that many of you would not even think of doing. A quote from Jane:God says that we are to be good stewards of our money, resources, and time. I truly believe that statement. I do not go out to shop unless it is neccessary. That keeps me out of thrift and grocery stores a lot. I really enjoy my home (that wasn’t always so). I have a small garden, and share with my neighbors and friends, so they share with me too. I am always trying to learn new skills so I don’t have to pay someone to do the simple jobs around the house. And lastly, I dumpster dive and curb crawl. I try to keep things out of the landfill! I do not have a messy house or garage because I give away to the local food bank and thrift store regularly. Yesterday, I picked up about 30 lbs of shredded cheese It goes to the food bank. In case someone thinks we are poor, we are not. My husband is 77 and is an invalid, and I will be 71 in Dec. We own 6 properties clear. But throught our lives we have lived differently than other people. ( I don’t think other people even know that I dumpster dive. ) We have both rich and poor friends. I give God the glory for the fact that he has made both my husband I contended with what we have. When one is contended with life, it is easier to live a frugal life.

When we had to replace a water heater a couple of years ago, we got another electric one but instead of wiring it directly, my husband wired it through a very heavy duty switch that’s bolted to the top of the heater and we turn it off when we’re done with showers and washing dishes or laundry at night. It only takes about 10 minutes after turning it on until you have hot water, and it’s not sitting there gobbling kilowatts all day long while we’re at work. It has made a huge difference in our electric bills. I don’t know why they’re not all installed that way.

You people should learn to be “realistic” and not into your god to save you. This imaginary character is not going to feed you and pay your bills. Get Real!!

A few things that I do that are probably normal to the frugal family are using real plates & cloth napkins. I also use homemade cloth ‘toilet paper’ for #1. I have two girls. We are home schooling, so we are home all day. We can go through some toilet paper. And, have you checked the price on it lately?

I use the water I drain from the fish tank, when cleaning it, to water my plants.

Sandra, hang in there. Everyone has those times. I do agree with others that perspective is really important in living frugality though. If your attitude is one of misery, then yes, it will be miserable. Try to look at it like a game, read some books for inspiration (like the Tightwad Gazette). Look to others who live similarly, don’t hang out with those who will bring you down.

I’ve lived my whole life frugally out of necessity and I don’t see that ending any time soon. If I were to think negatively about the present and the future I would not be motivated and encouraged to keep going.

And yes, faith in God for me is essential too. Even though we live tightly I’ve never ended up in the streets or without the basic necessities of life. I attribute that to Him, and not to my own power.

To add, a few things that I do are to: stay out of stores, have a budget in place, use the envelope method (by doing so we are able to pay for all of our bills and not be behind). We also: have a small allowance so we don’t feel deprived, use meat as a condiment, cook from scratch, buy whole foods/not processed. There are so many things to do that can help one to be frugal. Just choose what you enjoy and what is most helpful for you and your family.

I cook in large quantities at a time to keep the electric costs down. Doing two or three meatloaves in the oven saves and I have my meals made ahead which is a real asset as a working single mom. We also use the largest crock pot to make multiple batches and come home to warm meals as a way to avoid last minute eat-outs. My children are learning how to eat healthy meals made from “scratch” so they too will know how to live on a tight budget one day. We believe in a God who provides but also expects us to be wise. We have never gone without our basic needs being met.

I don’t really pay for many of my household necesseties. I recycle everything. I have saved lots of glass and my empty jam jars and lids are my drinking glasses sometimes I use them on the go. My dog’s empty bags from treats store my lunch sandwiches. I only use them once – for sanitary reasons but I always have plenty stored up. I am not a fine artist, but I am still an artist.My old newspapers are paper maiche flowers (painted of course) and placed in stained glass “vases”. I finally purchased my own grocery “totes”. I have saved plastic grocery bags for years. I use them as liners inside of my bathroom trash basket/a plant pot that I wrapped in beautiful fabric.I no longer buy many art supplies. I use my recyclables for my home as well as holiday and birthday gifts. I handwash my laundry. I use a lot of baking soda for cleaning as well as absorbing odors. I do spend money on kitchen and bathroom towels. However, they become cleaning rags after a while.I use my own napkins(50% hand sewn. Newspaper works well for spills on the kitchen floor. I make my own liquid soap/bodywash in order to buy organic and handmade bars of soap. I use a generous amount of fresh ginger root to make essential oils for my candles and body lotion and hand soap.This list is endless. Autumn is a wonderful season for all of this & more.

We turn our heat to 55 at night and it has made a huge difference in our bill. We keep the day time temp at 68. We don’t notice the cooler night time temp, and have the thermostat set to turn on about 20 min. before we wake up so the house is warm.

One way to beat the broke blues is to think of it as a challenge. YOU know how far you can stretch a dollar–and that is a skill to be proud of! Make sure you still plan some fun things to do…go for a hike, hit the library, etc… Keep busy…learn new skills (today I learned how to replace my bad dryer rollers thanks to informational videos on youtube!–a $200 technician bill reduced to only $40 for the part)!!

To the lady complaining about the price of toilet paper. Yes, you are the only one I’ve heard this from. When I discovered Scott was joining the other companies by puffing up the tissue, more than halving the amount in the rolls and doubling the prices, I, too, became angry. So what I do now is buy tissues (regular kleenex-like tissues) when they are on sale. That is what I use and they last a heck of a lot longer than the best toilet tissue bargain out there. I just found a box of 240 tissues in the Winn Dixie marked down bin for 70 cents. That is less than a quarter of a cent per tissue. However, a 200 count box for 99 cents is always agreeable to me and Publix sells their “green” tissues for that price on sale from time to time and i stock up. That is only 1/2 cent per tissue. If you figure out the square footage, yo will see that toilet tissue is ALOT more expensive. Check it out!

another cheap place to buy bulk TP are office supply stores and restaurant supply

Use old telephone books to wipe up spills, animal messes, clean your eyeglasses, windows, mirrors and scrape plates clean. Give up paper towels, you don’t need them. Search the web for “home made” products and make them yourself. These include dishwasher soap, laundry soap, oven cleaner, fabric conditioner, furniture polish, baking soda instead of toothpaste, deodorent, glass cleaner, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, hair coloring, cosmetics, creams, soaps, silver polish, glue,lampshades, window shades, plaster moulds (I made shoe supports and saved hundreds of dollars) and even your own home made grout for laying tile can be found on the internet along with the instructions to lay tile! Use Google to find all these recipes, patterns and how-to’s. Use a 79 cent box of bird grit instead of brillo or scrubbies, Ajax or oven cleaner and I’ve had my box now for over 2 years! It makes your pots gleam like new without any chemicals! Get rid of ants with Karo syrup and boric acid, get rid of fleas and/or roaches with boric acid, plant your own spices and dehydrate them and also fruits, veggies, for winter use. Freeze veggies when on sale. I make my own dehydrated mashed potatoes, dried tomatoes, spices, apples, and more. Make your own yogurt (easy – no special equipment required). Bake your own bread and save a ton on the exorbitant cost of breads. Make your own cheese, it is easier than you think! Shop at salvage stores and save a ton on groceries. Buy your cars (used) with cash and don’t pay interest. Make extra principal payments on your mortgage and pay it off. If you have to make payments and incur interest on anything other than a mortgage, then don’t buy it. Save up for it by putting money aside and collecting interest, not paying interest and THEN buy it at a discount. If you must pay interest for something, go to bankrate.com and find the best rate in your area. Stop buying processed foods that are bad for your health anyway. Make it if you want it – including crackers (with no hydrogenated fat), cookies, cakes, etc. If you don’t want it that bad, you won’t make it and it will be a good thing! If you don’t reject the prices on the market, they will never go down. You will be shocked when you find out things like Febreeze are made of alcohol and water and cheap perfume only (and paying $5 for that is crazy), and that baking soda and cornstarch make a perfect deodorent (and it has no aluminimum in it to poisen you). Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar will kill 99% of all bacteria in your home without caustic chemicals that will kill your lungs. Use them as your cleaners. Alcohol will kill odors. Buy your herbs bulk when you need them at your health food store and save $$$. Buy beans dried instead of canned and soak and cook up a bag and freeze for future use. Big bags of beans are dirt cheap – especially at salvage stores. I just bought a 10# bag of Uncle Ben’s brown rice for 80 cents (yes, this is October, 2009). Freeze your excess garden veggies for the winter or can them or dehydrate them. Collect what you can from your yard to use. I have grapefruits, oranges, pineapples, avocados and loquats that I make jams, jellies, fruit mixes, juices, fruit leathers and flavorings with. Plant stuff in your yard that you can harvest. Use your library to find free information on fixing your own car. They have “free” databases at all online libraries throughout the world you can use for information on mechanics, medicine, home repair, herbs, animal veterinary treatments, cooking, nutrition journals, etc. etc. Use herbs to heal instead of buying vitamins. Synthetic vitamins only are about 10% utilized by the body. You are wasting your money on synthetic vitamins. If you cannot afford whole food vitamins, grow the herbs you want, dehydrate them and put it in capsules, or buy herbs in bulk, buy the capsules at the health food store and capsule them up. I do garlic, fenugreek, turmeric, kelp, bran and many other bottled (expensive) formulas for practically nothing. There is almost a herb for every medical condition that you can use that will be healthy for you (such as celery seed as a duretic). Feed your pets raw meat diets as true carnivores and omnivores eat in the wild. Use your herbs to supplement the meat. Almost all commercial pet foods contain dangerous and sometimes poisenous ingredients. I lost a cat to the last Chinese poisen pet food in the Winn Dixie store brand and feed only (amost) 100% safe human standard food now. Ounce for ounce, people food (even sirloin steak) is cheaper than the good grade petfoods (and even the cheaper pet foods). Figure it out for yourself by the ounce and you will feel like a food for buying commercial pet food. Go to Truthaboutpetfood.com for more info on this subject. Don’t keep buying Lexmark printers whose cartridges cost more than the printer. Shop for your cartridges before you purchase the printer. I have found Epson to be the most reasonable myself. I have a brand new Espson printer and pay only $4 for the cartridges (online). Put nightlights all around your home that come on at dusk. They are about $1 – $2 at Walmart, use a scant amount of voltage, and will keep you from not only hurting yourself in the dark, but will keep you from turning on higher voltage lights. I have them all over my home and can walk around the entire house at night without switching lights on and off. Get a rain barrel. I have several. Use the water to wash your clothes, flush your toilet, clean kitty litter pans or garden equipment, water plants and the garden and even wash the car. Water is plentiful and free (in nature only) in Florida where I live. So is the sun. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer. Use the internet to get the news and cancel the newspaper delivery if you have it. Also, Yahoo provides TV schedules so you can cancel the TV Guide. Get your reminders online with a good calendar program. Use a digital camera and print your own pictures. Pay your bills online and don’t buy stamps anymore. With the new digital TV I get over 40 channels so no need for cable or satellite. Use dial up if you can stand it and save a ton. I pay $38 a year for dial up at Vtisp.com Get a free cell phone from Safelink at Safelink.com. They give you 60 free minutes a month if you qualify (and I sure did) and you can save the minutes up for emergencies when you are travelling in your car. I use the cell only as a beeper so when someone calls, I return the call on my land line phone. Then I keep the phone in the car in case I get stranded My local electric company gave me a dozen free expensive light bulbs for taking their energy survey. Almost all utility companies will give you a break of some kind if you call them and ask about discount programs for low-income families. I also get a discount on my electric bill. My phone company also offers a discount if you are low-income on the phone bill (and did’t opt for the free cell phone instead). Check yours out too. Read those circulars that come with the bill or call them up and ask. Use coupons. I collect all those local freebie papers that people leave all over the streets to get dozens of packs of free kitty treats, granola samples, etc. Go to dealspl.us.com and click on
“coupons” under Site Links at the bottom right side of the home page or just type the store name that you are interested in in the search field at the top of the page. I have never paid full price for anything at Michael’s or Joannes. There are hundreds and hundreds of stores they cover including all the big retailers and mall stores. Well, there’s more but I gotta go…..

I live alone in a small studio apartment and drive a small used car. And only drive 5 miles to work. I used to walk to work, but since changing jobs I cannot safely walk there in a timely manner. These basic things help me to be financially stable.

I didn’t realize that this message board was turning religious?? Isn’t that one of the big no-nos to talk about? Religion, Politics, & Race?? That’s nice that some people have faith, but not everybody believes in God…it just seems odd that this is mentioned on a “Frugal Website”?

why is it that peple have such a problem with mentioning Jesus or religion that’s what our country was founded on . we all have our beliefs and everybody is going to serve somebody we all have the right of free speach that is what America is so famous the freedom to choose who and how we choose to worship. No one is trying to force our belief on anyone but we also have the right to voice our opinion . I don’t understand why people get so offend when someone talks about their faith .

The thing I do, when feeling poor, is to look at the rest of the world. You see, I have a house to live in with electricity, running water & heat. I have access to doctors & health insurance to help pay for it. I have a car to drive, a tv to watch & a computer to surf the web on. What percentage of the worlds population can say these things? I have my family, my frends, my freedom. I can say what I feel, wear what I want, and go to any church I choose. I am rich! I may have no money but I am rich compaired to the rest of the world. By definition Americans are spoiled brats. We have so much, but can only obssess on what we don’t have, never happy with what we do have. A little global perspective always helps me when I am feeling poor or deprived. Just something to think about.

I will get off my soapbox now. Sorry to anyone I offended, I mean no harm.

I thought this was a place for everyone, Christian as well as atheist. It seems that freedom of expression only applies if you are not Christian. God isn’t a no-no, sweetie, He is an important part of lots of lives. If you don’t like Him, don’t read posts that mention Him. But do not tell others what they may or may not talk about. Suzy

If you don’t like what people write, then why are you reading it? To be frugal with your time, stop complaining and get on with your life. Time is something we must all be frugal with if you want to make a difference – religion or no religion – doesn’t matter.

We leave the thermostate no higher than 65 or 66. At these temps you not only save money you make it harder for flu and cold “bugs” to get a hold of your body. You can turn it down to 62 at night if you have a programable furnace. New research shows that humans sleep best when the temps are between 60 and 67, so conventional wisdom was wrong. If you can wrap your pipes if you live in a cold area.
We do everything you listed plus grow as much of our own food and process is as we can. We trade off with friends and have simple meals followed by board games. Cheep socialization. We also unplug everything when it is not in use including the computer. We spend a lot of time in the library learning how to fix things, garden more effectively, for less and so forth. We walk to the closest store (which is a small discount grocery) for the small purchases. We drive as little as possible. We accept the neighbors leaves and bamboo which makes exceptable “straw” to mulch our garden. I make some of my clothing when I can get the material real reasonable and repair clothing until it is not possible. I am using 10+ year old clothing for gardening. We wash in cold water and use minimal soap. Then use the rinse water to wash the floor before putting on the flower bed. The rest of the water along with shower water saved are used to water outside (perfectly safe). I make my own soap every couple of years and candles when I collect enough of other peoples ends and broken ones. I bought the molds cheap and am using an old deep fat fryer someone discarded due to high colesterol. I use both for gifts. I used the old mattress pad for the inside of pot holders, much better quality then the store and make great house warming and wedding gifts. We recycle anything we can. Well I guess I have said enough for now.

Holy Cow Steff (22) you could write a book called “Wave Your Frugal Flag.”

Barter for things you need on Craigslist, move to a smaller house, own just one vehicle, go to potlucks to save money on food, stay out of stores, make your own coffee drinks at home, make large pots of soups and stews during the winter, stay away from malls, shop for clothes at Ross and TJ Maxx, don’t use credit cards, or if you do pay off the balance in full every month. Use up the food in your fridge or freeze before it goes bad.

Steff, what a great post! And I have to say I very much agree with Krispie. Having “real perspective” is KEY. Being grateful for what one has gets one through much in life. I don’t consider people in general in the U.S. to be poor – broke maybe, but not poor. Poor is truly having nothing.

What I enjoy about frugal living is that I can be creative with it. There are so many creative things that can be done. Frugal living is more about using time versus money.

One of the biggest things that helps me frugally is to plan ahead. I do that as much as possible and it helps me to be prepared for the unexpected in life (which always comes).

Thanks to L and Jo for your compliments. I just wrote another bunch of suggestions and then my computer went down! LOL. Of course maybe I should use the library computers FOR FREE !! Anyway, I totally agree with you also and do use your suggestions too. They are great!

Steff, I hope you’ll come back and share the rest of your list still. Thanks much.

My goodness!I don’t know that there is anything more to be said here!
I didn’t see,though,much said about needlearts(sewing,crocheting,knitting)?I do can,freeze,dehydrate,make candles and soap like everyone else,but I also sew,etc.Our curtains,pillows(throw-not bed),some throws,cloth napkins,scarves,hats and some gloves,washcloths and dishcloths,etc. have all been made by me.I hardly ever buy batting as I have had great success taking apart old bed pillows when they get too lumpy and uncomfortable and using them to stuff new ones.My sources of materials are various,but I don’t buy new unless it is a clearance sale on something like yarn or the like.
I do want to know how to make your own TP-and WHY??

JULIEB: I have one that hasn´t been mentioned yet! I live in Costa Rica, and one of the main ingredients in all our meals is cilantro. But it´s difficult to keep it fresh, and most of the times some of it (or the entire bunch) goes to the trash. I recently learned that I can chop it and put it in ice cube trays with just a tiny bit of water, and that way I can use it all, not to mention that I have it already chopped and ready to use! This tip is good for other fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, etc.
Thanks for all your tips! I hope mine helps too.

for: julieb: Homemade TP is for use as in “old days” sew several strips of absorbent old cloth or flannel together & use for toilet “pee only” use. Sounds gross but you can soak & wash repeatedly just as we used to launder cloth infant diapers. Do not use for feces! I have also found a website that has a pattern for menstral pads you can sew & reuse after a good washing in cold & then hot water. A diaper pail or old bucket with a cover works well for soaking. (Women used these & boiled them for purity after use in old days, it was all they had unless they used some natural cattail down or other absorbent grass.) Human females are very inventive, creative creatures!