As summer is slowly drawing to a close and school is finally back in session for most children including the homeschooling families, it is the perfect time to take a look at your frugal habits. Evaluate what is going well for your family, and what might not actually be working. Some things you cannot save money on year-round. Some seasons are better than others for certain savings. Just evaluate where you are and look forward into new ways and methods to save money.
Look what great ways we showed you how to save money in the frugal living blog this week. Be sure and check out any you might have missed.
More Frugal Decorating at the Dollar Store
Again we look to the dollar store for inspiration and design elements to decorate our home in a more frugal way. Just because you live a lifestyle where money in the bank is better than money spent, does not mean you cannot fund a home decorating project for a little less.
Mmm who does like pancakes on a Sunday morning? The good news is that pancakes can be a very frugal meal. Here are some ways to enjoy your pancakes, frugally. The best way to frugal pancakes is to make them yourself from scratch.
Yesterday was grocery shopping day. Yes, I know that Saturdays can be tough, but as I was mentioning on one of the forums, when I go shopping, I need help. So, my husband comes along, and we make it a family affair.
Do you have an upcoming wedding shower or baby shower to plan? Why not turn it into a freezer shower? It is a great frugal way to have a lot of fun, save money and give your party person practical presents that will be very much appreciated.
5 Reasons Donating Your Old Stuff Saves Money
You wouldn’t normally think that giving away your stuff as saving money, would you? Well there are plenty of reasons that donating your un-needed items can actually save you money! I am a big believer in donating stuff.
Three Ideas for Frugal Earring Storage
Earring organizers are very trendy at the accessory stores, but there really no need to spend a lot of money to organize your earrings. Here are three great ways to store them frugally. See which method works the best for you. I tend to store my earrings in a cubby drawer on my bed’s headboard.
Don’t you love those expensive foaming hand soaps? I first came across them at a friend’s home and fell in love with the ease of use, the texture and the smell. The only thing I didn’t love about these soaps is the price. A typical foaming hand soap can cost up to $5 a bottle.
Frugal Decorating at the Dollar Store
Who doesn’t love a good deal? And there is nothing but good deals to be had at the dollar store. In fact, it’s a great place to start when you are looking for frugal decorating items. Sometimes the dollar store is just the ticket for some really cool items.
A Frugal Gift Idea: Hand Made New Sew Blanket (1)
With Christmas rapidly approaching, and plenty of gifts to be had all around, I have already begun our shopping, as well as creating of gifts. Every Christmas I hand make at least one item per person. I want a personal gift that tells them I loved them and spent time on their gift. (The second part of this article will be up this week).
A Clever and Very Frugal Way to Use Torn Panty Hose
I am completely fascinated by new and useful ways to use items that have run their course, which you can probably tell by many of the articles that I write. When a friend recently showed me a new trick with some panty hose that had a tear in them, I was so excited to go home and try the same thing.
A Quick Guide to Frugal Laundry Pre-treaters
If you read my earlier article, The Frugal Washing Machine, you’ll notice that it got a lot of comments from wonderful frugal folks with great ideas about laundry. One of the topics that stood out was the one about using pre-treatments for laundry stains.
Are You Wasting Laundry Detergent?
I am always surprised by how much laundry detergent the average person uses for a wash load. Watching a friend throw some laundry in her machine the other day, I observed her method of just filling the cap up to the top with liquid detergent and tossing it in.
Laundry is one of those things that we just have to do in life. There is something about laundry that inspires me. Not, I’m not completely nuts, but I do actually enjoy doing the laundry. I just love clean clothes.
A Deeper Look Into a Once a Month Cooking Session
It is always helpful to get an idea what a cooking session is like, before you jump head first into trying a once-a-month cooking session. I’ve already shared what it is like to prepare for one in the upcoming days prior.
What Are You Paying for Milk in August?
Every once in a while, I check on milk prices. It seems to me that you can judge a lot about whether the cost of groceries are increasing or decreasing by looking at the prices for the basic staples, such as milk.
The Frugal Garage: Long Handled Tool Storage
We moved to a new house this past spring and are still trying to get organized. One area that is in need of some help is the garage. When we moved, we used our garage as a sort of staging area for a lot of our boxes.
A Glimpse at a Once a Month Cooking Session
I thought it might be helpful to some of you, if I showed you what a day of once-a- month cooking looks like. It really differs for everyone, and it is not even always the same for me.
Freezer Cooking Weekend Preparations (2)
In honor of my upcoming freezer cooking weekend, I thought I’d take some time to share the preparation process up until the cooking day. I am hoping it will be helpful to you to see the steps that one must take to prepare. It takes a little bit of time, but is so worth it at the end.
Hidden Storage for Stockpiling
There is no doubt that stockpiling can save you a lot of money, especially when it comes to food goods. But lately, I have been hearing from folks who want to stockpile but just don’t have the room. I can appreciate this.
Freezer Cooking Weekend Preparations (1)
This coming weekend is another freezer cooking weekend for me. We have been in preparations for the past couple of days. I thought I’d give you a look into what my days look like in preparation and then actually doing the freezer cooking meals.
Make A Designer Table from Paper Bags!
Yes, it can be done. You can make your own designer table that has a really interesting leather look for pennies, and all by using ordinary paper bags. What is more, is that you can use this same technique to create other pieces of furniture and even a durable and unique floor.
Unsealing An Envelope And Other Frugal Mail Tricks
Have you ever sealed up an envelope only to realize that you forgot something, such as signing a check or including a rebate form? Normally you would have to open it up, and throw the used envelope away, right? Well here is a handy trick that you can use to save that envelope.
Frugal Finds for the Cat in Your Life
Many people seem to think that cats are the easy pet and that they just lay around all day and don’t do much. While that is true in many cases and I can certainly relate, our cat loves to play and will do it all day (with a few catnaps for good measure) if she has enough things to do.
Five Bread Prices for Five Families
Bread is one of those great staples in life. And, despite all of the bad press that it has gotten in these low carb days, I still think bread is a wonder. I thought I would take a look five fictional families and see what each of them might spend on a loaf of bread.
Frugal Living Week in Review for August 12th-19th, 2007
Today’s families are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to save money. With the help of the Frugal Living blog, every family should be able to find ways to save money and articles and ideas for stretching their budget.
The Cons of “Paying Yourself” in Coupon Savings
In this third article in the series, we will explore the darker side of paying yourself with the savings that you earn from using coupons. If you haven’t read the previous two articles, yet, you might want to do so now.
With our extravagant purchase of a new puppy, and the fact that it was a less than frugal purchase, we had to really figure out ways to cut corners. Not that we don’t already, but putting such a large purchase on the credit card was simply not taken likely.
The Pros of “Paying Yourself” in Coupon Savings
Did you catch yesterday’s article, Should You “Pay Yourself” in Coupon Savings? It introduced the concept of paying yourself with money that you save from clipping coupons and taking advantage of bonus card savings. I talked about what “paying yourself” means, as well as different ways of doing it.