If you haven't guessed so far...I like "top 10" lists. I don't know why, maybe it's because it's a short list packed with information, or maybe I just like that it's a quick read...I try to keep all of my lists no longer than 10 points, I guess I'm a little OCD about it.
This is another top 10 list, but it's going to be my Top 10 Realistic Frugal Living Tips, so here we go!
This is another top 10 list, but it's going to be my Top 10 Realistic Frugal Living Tips, so here we go!
- Do your research.
Are you in the market for a car, large appliance like a fridge, or even something as small as a blender? If you are, have you done your research to find the best possible deal you can get? If the answer is no, then you're missing out on saving hundreds. ALWAYS do your research, when it comes to cars google a comparison list or take the extra hour to call all of the dealerships to find the best deal! Viewpoints is a great place to compare hundreds of appliances, and it's written by the people who have bought them.
What's the best deal? Well, if two dealerships offer the same price for the car but one is willing to include the extended warantee, it's probably a better deal to go for the one that offers more warantee.
A chest freezer the right size of your house or apartment will be a great investment to keep and store food, and it'll also curb your habit of eating out. - Get yourself on a budget.
I don't even think I can possibly stress how important a budget is for frugal family living.
A budget is a tool to get both you and your significant other on the exact same page when it comes to your finances. No matter what you're trying to accomplish (savings, paying off debt, etc.), a budget is going to have a huge part in your success or your failure. Start short and sweet, which I would say, every 2 weeks and try to stay on budget every 2 weeks BEFORE you attempt to budget for the month.
Also, never feel bad if you go over your budget, or fail at staying on budget, you can always try again next week/month! Learn from your mistakes, and keep on truckin'. - Sign up for Cash-Back websites, and other reward programs to earn money while you shop.
Cash Back websites are great, things like snapsaves, zweet, checkout51, and cartsmart can make a huge difference hwen it comes to your rewards. If you DON'T sign up for these great websites/apps, download them fast! Let your account accumulate and grow, and cash out right before Christmas or any other holiday for extra gifts, or groceries.
Reward programs are great, as long as it's worth it. If you shop at Sobeys, and go to Irving a lot to fuel up, Air Miles would be awesome for you. If you shop at No Frills, or Superstore a lot, the new PC rewards card will be amazing for you. If you shop at Shopper's Drug Mart for all of your prescriptions, or other things you need, the Optimum card is goign to be your best friend. If you're like me and shop litereally anywhere you can find a deal, all of the cards might be even better. Keep them organized though, mess cards and grocery lists, as well as having to dig around for coupons is going to slow you down at the register and annoy many more people than the cashier. - Invest in a clothesline.
Not only will your powerbill go down, but your clothes will smell outside fresh!
If you live in an apartment with a balcony, you can make a clothesline. It seems a little silly, stringing a clothes line from one end of the balcony to another, but if you do small loads of laundry or wash a lot of clothes by hand (reusable baby diapers...), a clothes line would be a great investment. - Invest in quality items that will keep for a long time.
Clothing, shoes, and appliances are really made in 2 different pricepoints: the cheaper one that falls apart/breaks after 6 months of use.....or the more expensive one that even after 2 years of use, is still going strong/still fits. Depending on the extra steps you take to ensure you're taking care of whatever quality item you've bought, whatever you buy should last you a year or longer. - Grow, find, hunt, fish your own food.
The price of a licence and tags will be MUCH MUCH less than the price of buying the same items from the grocery store. If you make your own veggie garden with even the basics (green beans, peas, squash, tomatoes), should yield you enough veggies for 2-3 months. You can freeze your veggies and save them for the winter and buy whatever is in season as well to cut costs for the winter months when the prices for fresh fruit and veggies are more expensive. An entire deer, processed and packaged, should also yield you 2-3 months or longer if you get a variety of meats.
Hunting is SO easy, and it's a great chance to get out without the kids for adult time. Snaring is also incredibly easy and a great activity for older kids (my son's 5 and he's excited to go snaring for hare this fall.).
If you have an apartment with a balcony, have you ever considered an Aquagrow system for fresh veggies? If you've never considered that, then maybe you should. Pinterest has a wide variety of super easy, cheap, Aquagrow system using things you can easily buy at any hardware store or even places like Walmart. - Get a passport.
The price of 4L of milk in the US, is about 4$ as opposed to the 7-8$ we're paying in Canada. Also, if you've ever shopped at IGA, you'll know that they have frozen bread dough/dinner roll dough. This is an amazing way to have lots and lots of bread in your freezer without having a ton of full size, already baked loaves taking up all of your freezer space. Chances are, your grocery savings will pay for the passport in one season.
If you don't have a passport, but know someone who goes to the states fairly regularly, get them to pick the stuff up for you, and just give them the money!! I gave my grandmother 10$ to pick up the dinner roll dough, and she brought me back 4 bags of 12 rolls each (it doesn't seem like a lot, but for my family of four, we only really use 6 rolls for whatever dinner we make.). - Don't Waste.
Use as much as you possibly can from one item. The women in my family are notorious for re-using Ziplock freezer bags. We just rinse them out and re-use them.
OK, well maybe you can't re-use the ones from things like frozen chicken....so why not invest in a grocery saver? You know those silly contraptions that suck the air out and seal the meat in them that your grandmother had forever ago because she bought it from an infomercial? You can get those at walmart, and they really will save you money since you won't be throwing out freezer-burnt meat.
Instead of using plastic baggies in your children's lunch, why not use plastic containers? This will not only save you from buying a million baggies, but you'll be going green by not having the waste.
Your left over's that you won't eat?? Why not COMPOST them?! Make your own compost bin with a plastic barrel!
Water waste? Put a large plastic barrel under your eaves system, and reuse the water that falls in the barrel in your gardens. - Be A Proactive DIYer.
This seems silly, but before you buy something, ask yourself if you can make it yourself.
"Can I not find a pattern for this dress and make it myself?" "My kids constantly lose their mittens/scarves/hats...maybe I could learn how to crochet or knit to easily whip up a mass amount?"
Anything you can buy, you can usually make. Blankets, quilts, mittens, socks, etc. - Make Work.
If you don't have a job, are a single income family, and can't get a job or can't find a job....MAKE yourself a job. There are so many ways to make money these days it's crazy.
Take surveys on great websites like swagbucks, viewpoints, etc.
Sell your homemade goods online, kijiji, craigslist, etc. There's a lot of people out there that will pay for your homemade goods.
Sell your picture of that flower as a stock photo online, you'll get commission for whatever company buys that picture.
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