There are dozens of ways to save money everyday. Living the frugal life takes care and practice to get it just right. The goal is to make it a part of your everyday life so you don’t have to think about it, you just do it.
Purchase in Bulk/Use Coupons
Don’t run out to get things when you need them, instead bulk up. Purchasing in bulk reduced supply costs by a fairly large fraction. And when buying in bulk, don’t just limit yourself to food items. Think of things such as paper plates, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, pens or pencils, glue, pet food, even clothing. It will save you money in the long run. And don’t forget those coupons. For more information on using your coupons, visit the new DEALS section here at families.com.
Energy Efficiency
Make your home more energy efficient. It’s simply actually. Just turn out the lights in rooms that are not constantly occupied. Turn off TV’s and radio’s in rooms that are not using them. Encourage your children to watch TV without the lights on in that room. Purchase a low-light lamp for night time reading, the smaller bulb will require less electricity. In addition if it gets left on all night, it’s not as bad. Another tip, but one frequently forgotten, don’t run the hot water in the sink aimlessly. Be sure you are using what you need. More than likely your hot water heater is powered by electricity, and it requires it to warm more water back up. Same with leaving the refrigerator door open while shopping around for food to eat. Try to envision what’s in there before you open the door so you have some idea of what you would like.
Barter With Friends/Family For Services
Utilize your friends and family to trade off services. For instance, you mother might really like cleaning or painting a room for you, while you might enjoy weeding her garden or doing some laundry for her. Maybe she needs to run some errands and you can do that for her, and she could watch your children for an hour or two. Same with friends – babysitting co-ops are the best.
Share/Trade Items
Don’t keep them lying around your house, share your stuff! If you are done with a book or movie, share it with your neighbor. Get into the habit of sharing items between friends, neighbors and family. This can save a lot of money! Same can go for clothing, bedding, food, and other items we use everyday.
Eat a Meal With Friends
Once a week or so, try sharing a meal with a friend or neighbor. You invite them over for dinner, feed her whole family along with yours. In return, she can reciprocate the following week. This doesn’t necessarily save money, unless you’re the only one feeding everyone, but it does make for a cheap form of entertainment! Be sure and buy your ingredients for that night in bulk – because there’s your real money-saver!
Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog and for the Frugal Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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