The Frugal Lifestyle

[Linus]

You're cheap, huh? Ol' miser? Don't spend a dime for anything, not even air? Or, perhaps you're the other side of things and want to learn how to do it? I joined, earlier this year, a frugal website. The reality is that with the recent economy I realized that a) was living beyond my own means and b) had "stuff" (see YouTube of George Carlin on "Stuff") that really didn't need to have.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac"]YouTube- George Carlin Talks About "Stuff"[/ame]

So for those who want ideas on how to be frugal; have ideas to be frugal; want support to be frugal; etc. this would be the place to hang around.

A few sites to help:

Retail Me Not: a great place to find coupons for online sites

ThunderFAP (Freebies Archive Page): free "stuff"! (samples)

[Arwen]

Such an intriguing topic. I am a hoarder trying to reform. I have stripped down on the books but still have enough to fill two 6' bookshelves.

I have some great recipes to help a frightened budget (which is what my aunt titled them when she gave them to my mother in 1960-63).

[Andrew, Jr.]

I have retired because of health reasons. It has really affected/effected what I spend my money on. Coupons are a must do each week. I use several websites like Coupon Bug, and another one, plus I trade things with others (veggies, etc.).

With the economy down the toilet, I think it has influenced everyone. I am not sure of what is going to happen in the future. It has made me think long and hard about what I spend my money on.

[Diva]

I have never been a frugal person, but in the last couple of years, have been on a journey to purge unnecessary stuff from my life. It feels good to get rid of clutter.....I'm not done yet!

Also, since it's just me in my home, I have no reason to heat this whole house, so I have a space heater that is easy to move. If it gets really cold at night, I throw an extra quilt on the bed....

[Novelafemme]

I am a single mom to two girls who enjoy eating my paycheck the moment it hits the bank.

Arwen, I would love it if you shared your frightened budget recipies with me! LOVE that new phrase

I am an avid thrifter and am trying to get out of the habit of making morning coffee stops on my way to drop off the girls at school and getting my hiney to work.

Isn't it terribly difficult breaking those old comfy habits?!?!

Looking forward to reading more tips to help keep our heads afloat during these economically challenging times.

[Bit]

oh, is this my place?

Couple days ago I emptied a bag of flour into the canister; a bag of sugar into its canister; a box of smashed tato flakes into its canister, but I couldn't bring myself to throw the packages away.

Last night I got frustrated because I have too many magazines and nowhere to put them. Gotta be something I can do about that!

*this is a job for SuperBit! ta-daaa!*

So I spent an hour getting messy in the only way I like to get messy: I ripped those bags into palm-sized pieces, cut the box into a magazine caddy shape, and papier mached the bags onto the box with white glue, plain side out.

It would cost me anywhere from $2.50 to $4.00 plus the busfare both ways to go buy a cardboard magazine caddy----and then I would have to throw away the otherwise perfectly usable paper bags and box after all, because my recycler won't take them.

Yanno why I didn't mind gettin messy? I got to peel the glue off my fingers when it dried. That's so cool, lol.

[Gemme]

I'm doing the 'less binging, more purging' thing too. It's freeing when I see the actual space that one, two, ten boxes took up that is now free and empty.

While I prefer to get some money back on the things I was stupid enough to buy (too many clothes....crafts....books....wedding gowns (don't ask....unless you are in the market, of course )...and general STUFF), I understand that it's a different time and most people can't afford to buy the same stuff I did before, no matter the condition. So, I'm doing what I can to purge through CL and a local consignment shop. It's very slow-going but I hope some of my nicer things will sell with the holidays coming up.

Coupons.com and other coupon sites help tremendously with food purchases. I'm cooking more at home versus picking stuff up on the fly. It's the perfect season to make stews, chilis, casseroles and other larger dishes that will span several meals. Leftovers rock!

I am a VERY good hunter/gatherer. When I have space, I will stock up months worth of food and household supplies. It's just my nature, so I have to fight myself every time I step into a store.

Do I need this? Really? REALLY REALLY? Okay then. But only ONE...or something like that.

[Diva]

Bit, what a great idea with the magazine bin! I have let most of my magazine subscriptions go. Someone gave me Everyday Foods (Martha) and to support a school group, I ordered Gourmet. I can't throw those away.

I have learned to buy the store brand on most things. There are some brands I cannot however, because while the store brand of applesauce is just as good, the store brand of maple/brown sugar oatmeal is not. Sometimes a store brand is not a savings at all....and sometimes, the difference in price blows my mind....and I realize I've just been paying for their brand name!

I have found that I simply do my grocery shopping on a full stomach and have a defined list of what I need. I do less impulse shopping that way.

Also, I have found no shame in buying my groceries at Wal~Mart rather than Central Market. When I drive, I try to run all my errands in one big trip, rather than a bunch of small ones.

This is a wonderful thread..... <3

~Diva

[Lady Jewel]

There is a website called zinio.com...magazines can be read online for free or nominal feel. So its a frugal and green way of reading your favorite magazines. Also, they have a lot of LGBTQ mags too.

Wasrmly,
Jewel

Originally Posted by Diva

Bit, what a great idea with the magazine bin! I have let most of my magazine subscriptions go. Someone gave me Everyday Foods (Martha) and to support a school group, I ordered Gourmet. I can't throw those away.

I have learned to buy the store brand on most things. There are some brands I cannot however, because while the store brand of applesauce is just as good, the store brand of maple/brown sugar oatmeal is not. Sometimes a store brand is not a savings at all....and sometimes, the difference in price blows my mind....and I realize I've just been paying for their brand name!

I have found that I simply do my grocery shopping on a full stomach and have a defined list of what I need. I do less impulse shopping that way.

Also, I have found no shame in buying my groceries at Wal~Mart rather than Central Market. When I drive, I try to run all my errands in one big trip, rather than a bunch of small ones.

This is a wonderful thread..... <3

~Diva

[Diva]

Originally Posted by Lady Jewel

There is a website called zinio.com...magazines can be read online for free or nominal feel. So its a frugal and green way of reading your favorite magazines. Also, they have a lot of LGBTQ mags too.

Wasrmly,
Jewel

OH! Thank You! What a great thing!!! Thanks, Lady J!

~Diva

[pajama]

Originally Posted by Diva

Bit, what a great idea with the magazine bin! I have let most of my magazine subscriptions go. Someone gave me Everyday Foods (Martha) and to support a school group, I ordered Gourmet. I can't throw those away.

I have learned to buy the store brand on most things. There are some brands I cannot however, because while the store brand of applesauce is just as good, the store brand of maple/brown sugar oatmeal is not. Sometimes a store brand is not a savings at all....and sometimes, the difference in price blows my mind....and I realize I've just been paying for their brand name!

I have found that I simply do my grocery shopping on a full stomach and have a defined list of what I need. I do less impulse shopping that way.

Also, I have found no shame in buying my groceries at Wal~Mart rather than Central Market. When I drive, I try to run all my errands in one big trip, rather than a bunch of small ones.

This is a wonderful thread..... <3

~Diva

Yep, much as I hate it, I no longer shop Publix, opting for Wal-Mart Great Value Brand. The difference in my food budget (with a 14y/o boy in the house) has been phenomenal! And you're right Diva, some things I haven't been able to tell any difference.

I also try to cook once or twice a week, big meals, grilling the meats whenever possible, and put together homemade "tv dinners" and freeze them. That way I have good food for work, the boy has quick, good meals, and I can share them with Mom when she doesn't feel like cooking. Plus cooking it all at once means the stove/cooling/heating energy is reduced slightly.

Great idea Bit for the boxes.

My roommate is moving out the first of the year and that's when I really plan to start purging. It'll be the first time in seven years we haven't shared a home.

A

[Diva]

Since it's just me, I cook what I like.....

When I first moved here, I bought a LOT of Lean Cuisines.....I thought ~ at the time ~ those were a GOOD thing for me....but they are SO loaded with sodium! So for the price of about 2 LC's, I can make a huge meatloaf ~ control the amount of salt ~ and have many more than 2 meals from it! The freezer is my friend! Also, I buy frozen bags o' veggies, rather than the canned. I find them to have better flavor. Of course, fresh is ALways best.



~Diva

[Lady Jewel]

Diva Ma'am...I have to watch my sodium and cholesterol so I watch the store ads and wait till ground turkey goes on sale. It can be used in any recipe requirirng ground beef and its wayyy healthier. Also, if you want low carb pasta, dreamfields makes a very very low carb pasta that tastes like the real deal and also has a $1.00 off coupon on their website

Originally Posted by Diva

Since it's just me, I cook what I like.....

When I first moved here, I bought a LOT of Lean Cuisines.....I thought ~ at the time ~ those were a GOOD thing for me....but they are SO loaded with sodium! So for the price of about 2 LC's, I can make a huge meatloaf ~ control the amount of salt ~ and have many more than 2 meals from it! The freezer is my friend! Also, I buy frozen bags o' veggies, rather than the canned. I find them to have better flavor. Of course, fresh is ALways best.



~Diva

[Rook]

This magazine was awesome with DIY ideas, some are frugal and simple...some are complex, but most fit within a decent Budget....

http://www.readymade.com/blog/

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Rook

This magazine was awesome with DIY ideas, some are frugal and simple...some are complex, but most fit within a decent Budget....

http://www.readymade.com/blog/

That's looks like a great site. I like the idea of reusing things (our society is a little too throw-away at times).

[Dean Thoreau]

After raising our own softball team of kids...the wife and I stll have not let go of our frugal ways. Cause now we are working on a football team of grandchildren

I truly beleive their is a big difference between being frugal and going on the cheap.

My favorite clothing store has been and continues to be GoodWill or Salvation Army thrift shops in fancy neighborhoods....nice clothes cheap prices. I have brooks brothers suits, that cost me 3 dollars....brand new gucci shoes,,,,and various other fancy labels that i prolly paid 1/1000 of the retail price...

My favorite sport is dumpster diving behind nice private colleges during exam time, I get books, computers, refridgerators, microwaves, ipods, u name it.....and yes i have been known to resell them, disinfect and give to my kids or take them over to the goodwill, or give them away...i just cant stand the wastefulness.

Late Garage sale is fun - u stroll aorund after the garage sales and see what they toss,,and trash day in fancy neighborhoods during october and november has wonderful finds...(people redecorate and toss) If I can not use it i will call and see if a friend will want it beore i pick it up,,if it is to good to pass up the goodwill loves the donation.

I also love auctions, cause If i do have to pay for something it will not be a retail price. Best one is www.govdeals.com and yes i am so tempted to buy a fireturck and give it to a small town cause the prices are so low.

But i have purchased my aerator for the lawn thru them, my kids all drive bought at auction cars....maximum i ever paid was 1900 for a 2002 saturn sport coupe.... and yes they run beautifully u just have to know what u r looking for. the saturn had a little bullet hole in the door panel....a buddy of mine fixed it....and i must confess the wife loves antiques..so we go to a dealers auction and part of the cardboard box has that stuff in it....

I adopted this motto about 4 years ago "nothing is worth having unless you can get it for free'... and for the most part a very large part of my fish room furnishings in the cardboard box has been gotten for free.....

The addition to the garage (which is ready to be done) I have obtained all the wood, electric wiring, switches, doors(specific to the plans i drew) over the past 18 months by dumpster diving, asking construction sites for their scrap, picking up the most beautiful oak hand hewn beams that are 10 feet long that someone set out for the garbage cause they were redecorating. It appears i will have to go to the habitat thrift store to buy the windows...so the entire addition will cost me 200 dollars for the 4 windows...(they also have wonderful tools on sale....i have some great wood planers i picked up for 5 or 6 dollars)

My greatest find has been six 8 foot high fish tanks, that i picked up this past summer....the guys at PETCO even helped me get them out of the dumpster and in my truck...
I am currently building a fish wall with them....(I like projects not fix its).

my grandfather and father were both frugal....and their ability to make something from nothing has always been soemthing i respected.
I also however beleive frugality does not mean cheap or lacking.....
My family is frugal so we can .... go to the opera,,,go to concerts,,,have an entire room of fish tanks, pay for the grandchild to go to a pre school...to me frugality is a setting fo priorities.

[violaine]

tag sales can be fun. do any of you have FreeCycle? i have received several huge kennels and dog houses for our projects. free !

[Kimbo]

Originally Posted by violaine

tag sales can be fun. do any of you have FreeCycle? i have received several huge kennels and dog houses for our projects. free !

I use freecycle as much as I can..

Hope you get many more kennels..

I admit I am a Goodwill or ValueVillage junkie...

[Stacy]

I definitely need to subscribe to this thread. I would really like to get my whole family on board with living a more frugal lifestyle.

[SelfMadeMan]

<---- doesn't like being overly frugal - jus sayin