Cheerful Frugality Saves Painlessly
As I waddle my way through the last trimester, I'm not such an aggressive saver. Lugging buckets of bath water to the outside ferns? Not happening right now!
Yet there are some habits that make saving money painless. Here are a few that keep me cheerfully frugal, without even trying:
Buy multiples on sale. Bertolli sauces are BOGOF at Publix, or $1.09/jar. I bought enough of our favorite to last through pregnancy--and postpartum.
Use powdered milk for cooking. This saves me an extra milk run per week--and lots of spills, too. Leave a little water in the macaroni pot; sprinkle powdered milk before stirring in the sauce.
Pay all bills online. Every time I schedule a payment, I think of the stamp I didn't use. And the gas to buy more later!
Hang laundry out to dry. When I can't be bothered with the retractable line and pens, I slip damp clothes on hangers and leave them on the back porch rail. Bonus: less ironing and shrinkage!
Close blinds and drapes during the hot part of the day. Just a few minutes' work for several degrees difference!
I did all of the above in one short hour, and I wasn't even thinking about the money I saved.
What frugal habits have you internalized? What saves you money when your brain is on auto-pilot?
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8 Responses to “Cheerful Frugality Saves Painlessly”
August 4th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I’ve been paying more and more bills automatically online for the same reason – not only does it save me time and a stamp, but late fees as well. Too often I forget to pay on time, and those $5-25 fees can add up quickly!
Today, I plan to set up a separate bank account for tithes as well. We’ll have the money automatically drafted each payday, so we know that tithes are being paid right off the top.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
My favorite frugal habit must be brewing my own coffee at home instead of spending hundreds on Starbucks or even convenience store bought.
I am a serious caffeine freak and I go through a lot each day – but brewing my own pot in the morning or the evening before (iced coffee in the AM) saves so much time and money throughout the course of a week. I get a solid extra 15 minutes with my son each morning by not stopping to pick up on the way to work.
That 15 minutes is worth more than any amount I could save each day.
Tropper
http://www.dontdiepoor.com
August 4th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
We hung light-blocking drapes at the beginning of summer in the front room. We have big windows and that room gets so hot in the morning that it would take the a/c all day to cool it back off. It takes a few minutes to put them up and a few minutes to take them down in the fall and we save tons all summer long.
One other thing I do without much thought is stick stuff in the freezer. Bananas getting too brown, bread getting hard? The freezer is just as close as the trash and now I have bananas for muffins or bread for bread crumbs. I hate to throw away food!
August 4th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I rinse my S.O.S pads (steel wool) after each use and pop them in a zip lock bag in the freezer. I have uses the same two for a YEAR now. They don’t rust this way.
Sign up for e-mail reminders at your local library (if offered) no more forgetting books. No more late fees.
After dinner I pack my husbands lunch for work, and THEN put everything away. No rushing in the morning, or pulling it all back out = less eating out for lunch.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:27 am
online library renewals.
I trash-picked 1″ thick styrofoam insulation panels — 8 of them! An R-value of 4.35 — from some homeowner’s renovation project leftovers.
Cut to fit, we pop them in the west facing windows of our old home when the sun is hottest (2-5pm). We have had a couple 90-100 degree days, and the room difference has been 25 degrees cooler!
August 5th, 2008 at 8:19 am
The dry milk for macaroni is a great tip–thank you!
We are enjoying borrowing movies from the library (and I am looking forward to borrowing some curriculum dvds for this year–the library has at least one subject that I was planning to buy!).
August 5th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I pretty much do all my bill paying online.
I use my debit card as credit to earn more points with my bank!
I always use ebates or upromise to shop online.
I can’t shop ever without using coupons.
I like the powdered milk idea! especially for mac & cheese.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:48 am
If I am eating alone, I eat from the same dish that I cooked in, or if I used aluminum foil to bake, I will just use that instead of getting an additional plate that I will have to wash.
In addition, I keep a water bottle with me the whole day, and drink lots of water (which is healthy), and I am never thirsty, so I do not have to buy drinks when I am out. Also, I do not buy bottled water, because I am pretty sure it is a scam. I’ve never heard of anyone getting sick from the tap water of a country with a good water system. Bottled water blew up out of nowhere if you think about it, and all they did was convince people there was a need.
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