Hope all are well. It is cold, nasty and windy just about everywhere! Some getting bushels of snow and others getting tons of rain. Please stay safe and stay in if you can. We had rain all day yesterday, and today it is very windy - the chimes are singing, and limbs are down. Stay safe to all.
Today I want to speak briefly about making do! Most of us, that are regulars here, know how to do that. We may have some new viewers and those who are just starting the frugal journal. I want to let you have a few basics - not all things by any means - but basics to get started. You adjust as you go along, and soon it becomes a normal way of being in your life. I started being frugal as a need (as did many), and then it just became a habit and a way of life. I don't even think about the things I do now, it is all just normal.
Self-gratification goes bye-bye for a while if you are serious about getting out of debt or trying to get ahead. SERIOUSLY!!!!
You need to learn very basic recipes and use basic foods for a while. The basics are very good and can keep you full and can be made in fun and exciting ways. No more shopping just to be shopping! No new and latest gadgets. No coffee stops every morning or afternoon. No more eating out for a while. Make a crockpot your friend, especially if you work. It cooks while you work. It can make easy and cheaper foods taste wonderful. Use leftovers!
Turn down the thermostat and put on clothes or add covers. Keep lights off if not in the room. Don't let faucets just run, while doing dishes, or rinsing items, or even brushing teeth. That is money (albeit a few cents) going down the drain. Wash full loads - and only wash what is really dirty. Do NOT shop everyday! Shop once a week, or every two weeks and plan your meals around the sales. No more "just going to run in for one thing" stops. You all know it is always more than one thing.
Stop using credit cards and making minimum payments only. If you are using cards - pay them off quickly or if possible pay them off each month. I do use a lot of cash, but also use a CC for gas or other bigger purchases - but I pay it in full every month. Interest can literally eat you alive.
DID YOU KNOW??? If you have $30,000 in CC debt, and you only pay minimum payments, it will take you about 40 years to pay it off!!!! That is if you NEVER charge anything else. You will also be paying thousands of dollars in interest!!!!!!
All for those "bargains" you found and just couldn't live without!!!!!
Make coffee at home - you can jazz it up at home too
Make your meals at home and keep them somewhat simple
Turn off the lights
STOP shopping
Keep the temps cooler - put clothes on
Run errands all at one time - to minimize gasoline use
Use the sun for extra heat
SAVE something every week
Keep cleaning supplies basic - use what you have on hand or make your own
LEARN new ways - follow blogs, Vlogs, books, etc.
Use the library - it is free
Put the word out - if you need something. Odds are someone you know will have what you need
Barter and trade with others for items or service (it is kind of fun)!
The list goes on and on...........................
Continue to read along each week on this blog and other frugal minded blogs to learn new tricks and ideas and recipes. We grow as we learn! Learn to save, pay off, and be a good steward of what you have.
I understand it all seems overwhelming when starting out. Many of us have been there and done that. Do not be daunted - you CAN do it. Getting out of debt, staying out of debt, and having a nice emergency fund or savings account feels FANTASTIC!!!!!!
You can have that as well.
Just start! Yep, you will have days of failure - but you can start afresh the next day.
Pick yourself up from the failures and go forward. Try hard to stay on the track of getting out of debt.
YOU GOT THIS!!
Let us help you and each other. We learn together and share ideas.
Let us make it a fun journey!
Have a great day.
The sad thing about credit card debt is that so much of it is food eaten out and things like vacations that are long gone and forgotten and the debt goes on. But, if you do have any cash sitting around right now get it in a CD! They are really making money right now and all you have to do is put it there!
ReplyDeleteLana, we did just that in mid December. I'm hoping to get a couple more.
DeleteGood advice Lana! Very good advice.
DeleteYes most of that CC is for stuff that is no more. Paying so much for it in the long run.
This is a great post Cheryl. SO many people have to idea the difference between wants and needs and that gets them in to trouble quickly. It is so important to learn to live below your means. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteWant and needs are sure different - and a lot of people don't get that. Living below ones means is such wonderful advice. Living a lot simpler - gives great rewards.
DeleteThese days it pays to make do! Getting a cup of coffee is about what a cheap lunch used to cost. I have yet to see anyone die of thirst before they got home to make their own drink. With the Farmer following a more strict eating plan, there are very few places where we would eat While at Meijer yesterday we found meat that was marked down and some of it has already been put in the freezer. I need to cook and chop the chicken breast yet, and brown the ground turkey. The Farmer and I have a saying after a meal, "you can't get this anywhere else!". ha!
ReplyDeleteThe wind has been fierce at times. Ole Jim adjusted the weather forecast a bit this morning, raising some of the lowest temps. We were spoilt with the unseasonably warm days well into fall. Stay warm, love on those kitties!
Those coffees are expensive. It amazes me how expensive. I have never once been in one of the famed coffee places!
DeleteThere is so much fixed at home that just tastes so much better and he is right - you can't get it anywhere else!
It is windy for sure. It is going to get cold later on and next week - well just bbrrrrrrr.
This is a great blog post, Cheryl. Just making do with what we have. I'm sitting here bundled up with no heat on while saving money on my electric bill. We can do this so easily in the winter time, but summertime is another story. We are frugal so we can air conditioning in the summertime. LOL
ReplyDeleteI keep off the sir much of the summer - unless it gets unbearable. I have been lowering furnace a degree or two here and there - and I put on clothes or wrap in a throw while sitting here. It has saved money. I am comfortable, so win-win.
DeleteYes, it is smart to save in one way to be able to afford other things.
Good morning! Excellent post. Good suggestions. Great tips. It can be hard getting started. It does become habit. I've read recently about how many are putting bills and groceries on CCs. As you said, Cheryl, buy what's on sale in the grocery store. Look for unadvertised markdowns. Know where the grocery store's clearance section is and what corner of a case they have meat markdowns in. Ditto dairy. Learn the sale cycles in your area. Sales DO cycle consistently.
ReplyDeleteIn our area, a loaf of brand name sandwich bread has a shelf price of $5-6. Sales run $2.99-$3.99 for a loaf of bread. Buy store brands whenever possible for significant savings. OR... do you have a bread machine tucked away somewhere? Buy flour at dollar stores, WM or Costco, Sam's Club, etc. WM carries quick rising yeast at lower prices than just about anywhere. Flour + quick rising yeast + water + a little oil and salt = a loaf of bread machine bread for pennies on the dollar of store bought.
Then be creative! Soups and stews can be made with bits and bobs of leftover meats and veggies. Have an all-you-can-eat soup (or stew) and bread dinner! Warm. Filling. Delicious. No waste. Got lettuce? Add a salad, light a candle on your kitchen or dining room table and you have a national chain restaurant dinner right at home.
Blessing to all on this wintery Wednesday! --Elise
Yes, buying food on a CC is crazy - you are getting no deal regardless of the price - as you pay big interest on it.
DeleteI am happy that I buy store brands for most things.
Being creative with what you have is key. Soups and casseroles are great budget stretchers. Throw in bread or crackers and it is quite filling.
Great tips - thanks.
Here's a neat hack that my daughter taught me. I use the cap on the of my laundry detergent to measure what I need. Instead of pouring it into the load, I now drop the entire cap into the machine. Doing so, cleans up the cap entirely - no residue is left, and it doesn't hurt the cap. I do wash in cold water only too.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of cold, it is definitely that here. -18C (0F) with a windchill of -31C(-24F). It's supposed to get colder overnight so I shoveled the 3 inches of snow we got last night when it got light out this morning.
We've got the thermostat turned down to 18C (64F) but the furnace is running a lot. I expect next months bill will be a bit painful.
I use cold only for 95% of what I launder. I use a half of cap full when I do laundry and everything gets clean. Never thought about washing the cap too! Cool.
DeleteBrrrrrr. That is cold. We are supposed to have single digits next week at night and teens during the days. Sure stinks since we have been used to 40's and 50's!
Stay warm and stay in when possible.
The other cool thing about living this way is that it's FOREVER knowledge. Your life might be going great, money rolling in, and BOOM. Calamity Jane shoots up yer life. That knowledge is power to get thru the crisis. It served us well when hubs lost 2 jobs in 3 yrs. My friend, a fellow tightwad, hated her nursing job (people getting dangerous) and just quit. She confidently told me that they spent many years living on rice and beans and she'd rather do that than risk a head butt from some loon. As it turned out, her elderly parents needed her so she's now their own private nurse.
ReplyDeleteYES!!!!!!!! Stuff happens in life and it can be a roller coaster for sure. FOREVER knowledge is a great tip!
DeleteI have had those moments too. Things going great - then boom.
I am with your friend - eating a frugal diet sure beats getting hurt and putting yourself in jeopardy.
I went from not liking to cook to preferring to stay home and cook. In fact in the old days, I rather enjoyed telling people I didn't like cooking! I now have dozens and dozens of cookbooks. Mostly I use them for inspiration or jumping off point as I often cook without a recipe.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning I had no idea what spices and herbs went with what kind of foods but I learned. I started to think about what foods I liked having when I went out and I would try to find recipes to make that at home. I discovered cooking can be a creative pursuit.
Then I discovered a twist to learning to cook. I could save money! And feed my family better and quicker than going out.
Given a choice my children began to tell me they'd rather stay home & have me cook rather than go out!
Realizing I could feed my family and save money helped me realize other ways to be frugal. Like getting organized and decluttering so I knew what I already had on hand and not purchase the same thing.
Cooking things we enjoyed meant leftovers were something to look forward to rather than dread. I tell my mother who hates leftovers that I have good leftovers because I only make stuff we like. (Plus despite cooking for 70 years my mother's cooking abilities never improved. They're sufficient but she dries stuff out and has a limited palate so yeah her leftovers aren't very appetizing a lot of times.)
Yesterday for fun I opened my fridge and pulled out all the orphans. Large cabbage head, half a bag of carrots, wilted celery, half a cup of canned mushrooms, 3 T of pasta sauce, a leek from November, a sad looking kale bunch.
I made cole slaw with the cabbage, leek, carrots. I love cole slaw on sandwiches. Third of the head made a lot.I made a dressing with the remains of a few condiments.
I steamed cabbage, carrots, leeks for super quick "Asian" meal (4 packages for the freezer- thaw, put on rice, heat in microwave and pour over a homemade Asian-inspired sauce.) I don't eat meat so I'll probably bake up some marinated cubes of tofu to add to the meal.
Chopped up kale, added raisins and chopped nuts and kept the dressing simple- balsamic vinegar. Put into a jar for a quick side during the week.
Soup! Of course! I used a minestrone recipe even though I didn't really have any of the "right" ingredients I just needed the proportions & spices. In went the rest of the cabbage, carrots, leek. Then lentils, a little pasta, the leftover pasta sauce, cherry tomatoes from the freezer, some frozen, cubed hashbrowns, 2 cups of vegetable broth, water, the canned mushrooms, frozen zucchini. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Twenty minutes in the instant pot. Even soup out isn't cheap any more. Today when my daughter needed help with something I was able to grabbed a jar of my soup to have for lunch (she'd already told me yesterday she was low on groceries.)
After making the soup I realized I had 2 baggies of limp arugula and a baggie of sad chopped lettuce all left over from family meals that I just couldn't get used up. I made stock from it in the instant pot. I discovered years ago that stock from lettuce makes a good base for soup.
I went from having "nothing" to eat to a few things that would make a nice meal.
Last night I had soup and salad! Two salads to boot. Kale and cole slaw. As yummy as any soup & salad meal out.
I know this long but maybe it might help someone because I went from not liking to cook to being pretty good at it.
~margaret
I am s glad you mentioned this post and that I found it. What a great testimonial for all of us to hear, but especially for someone just starting out. You know there has to be others out there right this minute who felt like you did back in the day.
DeleteIt is amazing what we can come up with just a little imagination and creativity. Using all those bits left over.
I love the fact the your children decided they liked HOME cooking more than take out. Smart kiddos.
Once you start the process of eating at home, cooking, and using odds and ends - you DO learn that it is cheaper and it really does taste better.
Thank you again for the testimonial - I am sure this will help someone!!!!
Great basic ways to start on a frugal journey. Adding one way each month in order to make a frugal habit really works.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Good idea. Sometimes it hurts a little less to do things at a slower pace. Thanks.
DeleteA number of years ago a friend and I have a series of talks to newly married couples in our church about living within your means. Once a month for six months, we spoke about 10 ways to save money. I see a lot of those families still and it’s great to see how many of them are doing so well ( some didn’t….like the bossy princess who married the nice quiet guy
ReplyDeleteAnyone who is starting out remember it’s a journey that sees sacrifice before reward. But those rewards do come.
Take care everyone, Louise.
Good for you - it feels good to offer some advice and help to others. I am sure you helped many.
DeleteLove your statement about sacrifice before reward! SOOOOO true! And yes the rewards do come.
Thank you
We're in the AZ mountains and had 6 inches of snow over the weekend. It's been cold. Winds picked up this afternoon and will be 40-50 miles per hour overnight, bringing 4-6 inches more snow. It's not snow by the foot, and I knew this area has snow in winter before we retired here, but wow!! Like last winter, this one is shaping up to be a doozy.
ReplyDeleteJust a mention, because part of being frugal is being prepared as much as you can be. There are always crowds at the grocery stores before winter storms. If you have things on hand, you don't have to panic or pay full price for what's remaining on shelves. A well stocked pantry and freezer is an edible "emergency fund." Thank you, Cheryl (and all), for encouraging me when I began stocking up as inflation hit in '22. --Elise
P.S. In winter months especially, we keep extras of our prescriptions on hand. The good news is our new insurance brought the price of our prescriptions down significantly.
Yes, Elise, I agree, we need to be very wise as having food and medicines, things like that on hand. And a generator if we are able too. We can observe the ant and the animals how they prepare. : )
DeleteHave a great evening! ~Amelia
ELISE - similar to what I plan to post today!
DeleteGood to hear about the scripts.
This is such a great post, Cheryl! I'm flabbergasted with how people shop for a hobby. A little fun is okay, sure thing, but I think we all know what I'm talking about...Our daughter's neighbor drove over an hour to buy a designer purse for $2500.00. All I can say besides, to each his own is I don't understand that!
ReplyDeleteThe Littles and their mommies were here today and I'm so tired, but soup's on the stove, I made a big pot yesterday so tonight will be a finale of the same. Maybe I might even have some to freeze.
The weather looks like it's going to be a challenge soon. Yikes. We have a wood burning stove that will help.
It's a good idea to have wash done etc. in case of power outages too. Speaking of, we don't have to use so much soap in our laundry as you wrote above.
I'm operating on half my brain tied behind my back tonight! lol Tuckered out!
Great post, Cheryl! (((hugs!))) ~Amelia
What a fun day it must have been for you. A big pot of soup will be nice - good for a cold day or a tired day!
DeleteYou have been getting nasty weather down that way - stay safe.
It amazes me what people spend good hard earned money on. I wonder what she would think, to learn how many hours she worked for that $2,500!! A LOT
Thanks. Stay safe.
Few feelings can compare with being debt-free. Cindy/WV
ReplyDeleteIt is awesome!!!!!!
DeleteI remember all the things my mother taught me that she learned in her childhood from her mother and grandmother.
ReplyDeletePractical Parsimony above.
DeleteMy mother was born in 1921. Her father died before she was born.
Most of our parents sure did pass on the knowledge. Then growing up during the depression gave a whole new view of things as well.
Delete(Little Penpen) needs versus wants is a biggie!! We are having to watch our budget closely these days, since our daughter and granddaughter moved in. Thankfully, I know a lot about frugality and grocery shopping.
ReplyDeleteYes. That is a great example of how our situations can change. We just never know what might happen - and it sure is nice to be prepared and to KNOW how to handle things.
DeleteYou got this!