With food and gas prices being so expensive, even the non frugal are becoming frugal. People are having a rude shock when they realize that their dollars aren’t going as far as they should. This is leading a huge interest in frugality and saving money. Living frugally is becoming a widespread necessity. That is why I hope that you can use and enjoy all of the great articles here in the Frugal Living Blog. Here are just the ones from last week, in a handy review.
April 28th
Frugal Living Week in Review: April 21st Through April 27th
This week it is all about shopping and spending, from the upcoming rice increase to going green. We’ve included a lot of tips on saving, too.
With the growing price of gas these days, getting less than what you are paying for is an added insult to your budget. But, as the Associated Press (AP) reported this weekend, getting cheated at the gas pump is a pretty common occurrence. Here is what you need to know about becoming aware of the problem and getting reimbursed.
April 29th
Do you need a little extra cash to get you through? With rising prices on food and gas and the needs of growing families, you might just feel a little tight. Here are a number of easy ways to make some money this spring.
April 30th
Three Ways an Organized Pantry Saves Money
One of the great pitfalls of frugal grocery shopping and stockpiling can be an unorganized pantry. Unfortunately, a pantry that suffers from disorganization can wind up costing your money instead of saving it. Here are three ways why it pays to take the time to organize your food.
Incorporating Freezer Cooking into Your Life
I greatly admire anyone who can do once a month cooking for freezer meals. I just can’t do that, nor do I want to make the effort of spending an entire day cooking, even it if means that I won’t have to cook for the rest of the month. In spite of my aversion to freezer cooking sessions, I still have a relatively full upright freezer full of meals for busy nights. How is this possible? I’ll tell you.
May 1st
Make Your Breadmaker Work for You
Even with the rising price of flour, having a breadmaker can be a very frugal thing, provided that you use it well. Of course, you can save lots of money by making your own breadmaker, but I personally find that it is a good investment because it really helps me fit home made bread and even freezer cooking into my busy day. Here are some tips that well help you make your breadmaker work for you.
The Dangerous Practice of Hypermiling
Hypermiling is a new term that is applied to various techniques that may improve your gas milage and reduce your gas costs. With the rising cost in fuel, websites have sprung up all over the Internet with different tips and techniques. People who practice hypermiling say that they can get twice the amount of milage on their vehicles than what manufacturers of the vehicles suggest. While some of these hypermiling techniques make perfect sense and have been practiced by frugal drivers for years (such as maintaining a steady speed below 55 miles per hour), other may actually be dangerous. Here is the scoop on some of the dangerous hypermiling techniques, so you can avoid them.
May 2nd
Alternatives to Hanging Laundry Outside
Hanging laundry outside is not only good for your budget, but it is also good for the environment. Sometimes, however, hanging laundry outside just isn’t practical or even possible. Maybe you live in an apartment or house without a backyard for a clothesline. Maybe hanging laundry is simply not allowed in your area. or maybe you just don’t want to hang your laundry outside for all of your neighbors to see. I remember being a teen in New York City and being mortified when my mother hung the underwear out on the clothesline that ran from our kitchen window and across the courtyard to our neighbor’s kitchen window.
May 3rd
Not Reading Labels Cost Me Money
We try to provide a healthy but frugal diet for our family. I am constantly reading coupon websites, grocery store flyers and unit pricing signs to make sure that we get the most food for our money. We stay away (mostly) from expensive junk foods, such as soda, candy, sugary cereal and packaged convenience foods that are loaded with chemicals. But, I recently found that I haven’t been doing enough label reading, and that fact has cost me some money. How? Here is my story.
Three Ideas for Cooking What We Have
Are you throwing away valuable food that can be put to good use? Even the smallest of leftovers, the most overripe of fruit and the remains of a meal can be used deliciously for meal prep. If you make it a habit to use everything you have, you will shave your food budget by at least 25 percent (the amount of food that generally goes to waste in American households). Here are three ideas for cooking what we have, based on my adventures in the kitchen this morning.