What a happy month is June, filled with the renewal of spring and the promise of summer. In the last month, we have shared so many ideas for frugal living and saving money. This past month has seen some pretty big increases in food, gas and other items (look for an upcoming post about strawberries increasing more than 100 percent). Now more than ever, it is important to save money where we can. This is why I decided to do a month in review.
June 2nd
Frugal Living Review: May 26th Through June 1st
Garage sale shopping has got to be one of the fun and frugal events that I look forward to experiencing when the weather turns warmer. Unfortunately, circumstances this weekend have prevented me from yard sale shopping, such as a rainy Saturday and the flu hitting our household. So, I have to live vicariously through you! Check out this past week’s articles for garage sale shopping tips, outlet shopping tips and the rest of the frugal week.
If you want to have a little frugal fun, why not hunt for money? People are constantly dropping money, especially coins, and if you know where to look, you just might find some.
June 3rd
Who couldn’t use a little found money? The next time you are out on a walk, out shopping, or just out on an errand, look around. You may just find some spare change or even a $20 bill if you keep your eyes open.
June 4th
A New Way to Save Money on Milk
Milk may do a body good (if you believe those old commercials), but it does a wallet bad these days. Organic milk it especially high in price. We just paid $7 for a gallon of Horizon Organic skim milk in the store. Regular store brand milk was priced at $4. Since we go through about 2 and a half gallons of milk here per week, that equals $70 worth of organic milk in a month, or $40 for non organic milk. I remember the days when I could get a whole month’s worth of groceries for less than that. Whew!
June 5th
Are Recession Bargain Hunters Making It Harder to Be Frugal?
Among all of the stories out there about the recession, there seems to be a large portion of articles about how to save money with all of the rising prices. This is understandable, of course,. People who never even thought about living frugally are now finding that they must curb their spending or at least shop smarter in order to get by.
June 6th
You may have seen some retail stores advertising bonus money or services when you purchase a store gift card using your tax rebate or stimulus rebate check. Is it worth it to take advantage of these offers? Let’s take a look.
June 7th
Isn’t it funny how even someone who has been practicing living frugally for a while now can still learn new things? Times can change making certain practices that were once very frugal only moderately so. Also, new information pops up all of the time, or at least our awareness of that information does.
June 9th
6 Ways to Reduce Our Use of Paper Products
Paper products, such as paper towels, paper plates, paper napkins, baby wipes and even printer paper are certainly convenient in today’s world. But, let’s face it, these products aren’t very frugal. We have come to believe that many of these products are a necessary part of our household, but are they really? Reduce the use of your paper products, and you’ll reduce the amount of money that you spend.
Frugal Living Review: June 2nd Through June 8th
Did you have a good week? I am so grateful to be back from a very bad respiratory infection that drained out my energy. My wonderful husband got me to the doctor just in time to prevent a hospital stay, which wouldn’t have been very frugal at all. But now I can concentrate some more on learning new ways to save money, such as making my own cream soups instead of buying the ones in a can. Check out this past week’s list of articles for that story and more.
June 10th
75 Things You Can Do to Save Money
If you need or want to tighten your budget, there are so many things that you can do to save money. Pick a few from the list and get started today, or try them all. It will be nice to have some extra money available.
June 11th
So many times when we practice frugal living, we concentrate on saving money and making things stretch farther because we have a sense of not having enough otherwise. I think we need to get away from the attitude of not having enough. Instead, we should change it to one of gratitude for what we do have, as well as the opportunity to have enough knowledge and drive to be good stewards of our resources.
The Princess of Frugal Has Returned
Having always been known amongst my family and friends, neighbors and sometimes even strangers as the Queen of Frugal, what’s the deal with the sudden change in name? I’ve taken a step down in my title. I realized that while I can be frugal in many areas of my life, there are just some areas I am not compromising on. My friend commented that I was dethroned and now apparently I am the Princess of Frugal. I’m perfectly okay with that. Really.
June 12th
75 Things You Can Do to Save Money (2)
We are counting out 75 different things that you can do to be frugal and save money. Which ones are your favorites? If you missed the first part of this topic, click here: 75 Things You Can Do to Save Money.
Shopping at Goodwill Saves Loads of Money
Many people who hear the words Goodwill, immediately think donations. And those that realize there are Goodwill stores think they are filled with leftovers and hand-me-downs. They are. But you might be surprised at the bargains and other savings you will get from shopping at a Goodwill store.
June 13th
I’ve been talking about how an attitude of gratitude is important when living frugally. if you missed the first part of this topic, please click here: An Attitude of Gratitude. I really appreciate all of the great comments on that post!
June 16th
Frugal Living Review: June 9th Through June 15th
Have you been finding that your budget is exploding these days? We actually haven’t been doing too badly, but we have changed our lifestyle just a little bit to accommodate some of the increases in prices. Later this week, I’ll be sharing some of the changes I have made in grocery shopping, for example. Meanwhile, check out this past week’s articles, including two by Nicole. Welcome back!
Ice cream is a great treat for families, especially in summer, although don’t let the seasons stop you. Did you know that New England, known for its cold winters, is the ice cream eating capital of the country? Having lived in New England, I can attest that there are homemade ice cream shops by the dozens in every county.
What You Can Find At Goodwill Series – Clothing and Furniture
Goodwill is an awesome place to shop if you don’t mind buying used items. Of course Goodwill also has many new items that were donated from people who didn’t need them or stores that were getting rid of overstock and donated the items instead. It is easy to see that Goodwill is like a used department store.
June 17th
What You Can Find At Goodwill Series – Kitchenware, Luggage and Accessories
Our exploration of three top Goodwill stores in our area was quite an event for our family. It had been many years since I had visited one, and it was in a different location. As a whole, we were both surprised and amazed at the variety of items and the condition of them. There were so many useful things and the price was so amazing, it was well worth the trips.
One of the things that can be said about my household is that we try not to have anything cheap. That doesn’t mean that we spend a lot of money on stuff, it just means that we aim for good quality for things no matter what they are or how we acquired them.
New Grocery Shopping Techniques
Have you changed the way you grocery shop lately? I know that I have. Rising food prices and gas prices have certainly caused me to make some adjustments. For example, grocery prices on many items are changing so fast that keeping a traditional price book that is based on cycles of sales is no longer useful. Instead, shopping can be more of a guessing game or like playing the stock market.
New Grocery Shopping Techniques (2)
I have definitely changed the way I do my grocery shopping. The rise in food and gas prices and the frequent changes of the prices of everything has made the old grocery shopping habits to save money just not work anymore.
What You Can Find At Goodwill Series – Shoes, Toys and Electronics
We’ve been discussing the various departments that can be found in Goodwill stores across the United States. So many people have a negative connection with the purchasing of items at a Goodwill store, and I am off to prove that it is worth shopping there.
June 18th
What You Can Find At Goodwill Series – Home Decor and Artwork
The frugal blog series of articles on the vast quantity of items found at Goodwill stores continues on. As we discover the department’s that most Goodwill stores have, keep an open mind about what you can find. If you are truly interested in living frugally or getting bargains or deals on items, you will be pleased with your shopping experience at Goodwill.
Everyone knows that growing your own food can save you a lot of money, right? Well, in some cases, it may actually cost you money! That is right. You may find yourself spending more money than growing your own food saves. Here are some tips on really frugal food growing.
June 19th
Garage sales can be a great way to find the things that you need at a frugal price. But, with the rise in gas prices, we all have to wonder if driving around to yard sales is even worth it. After all, if you spend $10 in gas and find very little in terms of bargains, then garage sales are just not worth it.
June 20th
Okay, here is another one for the Hall of Frugal Fame. Can you imagine walking down the aisle at your dream wedding with a dress made out of toilet paper? You got to believe that this would be a dress that was very frugal. In fact, you might even be able to reuse it after the wedding for even more savings. (I heard of one family who reused the toilet paper that they found draped over their trees after Halloween.)
June 21st
If you are in a desperate situation with your food budget, there is hope. Here are some ideas that you can use to get free food.
Reusing what you have is usually a sure bet to save money. Some things have obvious reuses, such as paper bags from the grocery store, while others may be a bit obscure, such as what to do with a bunch of leftover allen wrenches.
What to Do with Vending Machine Bubbles
You know that you are really frugal when you can look at anything at all and find a way to reuse it. one such items that came up recently for me is the plastic vending machine bubble. These are the little plastic cases that hold rings, tattoos, erasers, cheap jewelry, bouncy balls and other little toys that can be had from a vending machine.
June 23rd
Birthday parties for kids can be fun, although the cost of these parties can quickly add up. One of the costs that can quickly get out of hand are the goodie bags. Although some parents do get very elaborate with goodie bags (one family gave out $50 toy store gift cards and tickets to the circus), even filling the bags with traditional small toys and candy can can add up.
Frugal Living Review: June 16th Through June 22nd
From grocery shopping to Goodwill, and from ice cream to value, there is certainly a lot of stuff to know about living frugally. Have a look at all of the good stuff pasted last week.
June 24th
Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings
Let’s face it, no one really wants to do endless piles of wash every week, right? Minimizing your wash, besides making laundry easier, has the added benefit of increasing the amount of money that stays in your pocket. Less laundry can mean less time that you can spend earning or saving money through frugal practices. It can also mean less laundry detergent, less electricity or gas cost and less wear and tear on your clothes.
June 25th
Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings 2
Cutting down on your laundry will not only make life a little easier for you, but it can also save money. If you missed the first article in this series, click here: Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings. Now let’s talk about combining your wash loads.
Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings 3
Do you find yourself constantly doing laundry? Each load may be costing you between $2 and $3. I have been talking about ways to minimize doing laundry and therefore maximize savings. If you missed the first two posts in this series, catch up here: Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings and Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings 2.
June 26th
Summer is an exciting time. There is so much to do and experience, especially if you have kids. But summer can also be a time to fall off of the wagon frugally. Here are some of the summer money grabbers that could quickly consume your money.
June 27th
Are you ready for the Fourth of July or summer BBQ? You might be discouraged from having your party this year because of the high food prices, but don’t worry. There are still ways to reduce your spending for your BBQ without making your guest feel as though they are deprived.
June 30th
Frugal Living Review: June 23rd Through June 29th
From birthday parties and summer activities to doing the laundry, there are plenty of ways to save money in your life. The best way to be frugal? Read the Frugal Living Blog of course and put some or all of the advice into practice!
Frugal School Supplies in July
My oldest son has only been out of school for less than 10 days on summer vacation, but I am already getting ready with school supplies and clothing for September. Why do I do this? First off, it is to avoid the rush, and secondly it is to avoid spending too much money.
Frugal School Supplies in July 2
I know you think I am crazy, but I have to say that my school shopping is almost done for this coming September. No, I am far from supermom, and I do have a life (or at least I think I do). Instead, I’ve been employing some strategies to help get the best deals possible on school supplies, and as a result, I am usually prepared long before that first bell rings after summer.