If you were to ask a random group of people “what are the two things of which you wish you had more?” \u00a0my guess is that most people would say time and money. \u00a0In my last post I discussed some of the things I do to help manage my time on a daily basis. \u00a0In this post I want to share some of the things I do to save money and live a little more frugally.<\/p>\n
I don’t have a clothes dryer. <\/strong>\u00a0 I dry all of our laundry outside on a clothes line. \u00a0 If weather is bad then I hang laundry on drying racks in one of the bathrooms and on the shower curtain rod. \u00a0This saves us money on electricity each month.<\/p>\n Menu planning.<\/strong>\u00a0 Wednesday is my meal planning day. \u00a0I take an inventory of what is in the pantry then I sit down with a calender, pen, paper and my tablet to make out menus for the week using what we already have in stock. \u00a0This helps in a couple of ways. \u00a0I am using what we have on hand so nothing goes bad before it gets used. \u00a0Tossing food out because it has spoiled before it was used is like tossing the money spent on the food into the garbage. \u00a0Also, some weeks I don’t have to make a trip to the store at all because I already have everything I need. \u00a0If you do an online search you will find many free templates to help get you started with meal planning and saving on groceries.<\/p>\n We eat leftovers! \u00a0<\/strong>Not much needs to be said here except that we take leftovers to work for lunch or have them as a quick dinner on extra busy nights. \u00a0They sometimes get frozen for another meal. \u00a0We love leftovers!<\/p>\n Make my own cleaning products. \u00a0<\/strong>From window cleaner to laundry detergent, I make most of what we need for cleaning. \u00a0By keeping just a few basic items on hand you can very easily whip up \u00a0what you need. \u00a0I keep white vinegar, baking soda, Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds, isopropyl alchohol and essential oils on hand for my recipes. \u00a0I also keep washing soda, borax and Dr. Bronner’s bar soap for making laundry detergent. \u00a0Recipes for these products abound on the internet.<\/p>\n We cut our own hair.<\/strong> \u00a0Yes, you read that right. \u00a0I save a ton of money by giving myself a basic layered cut every so often. \u00a0I learned from a video I saw online. \u00a0I also give myself manicures and pedicures. \u00a0I will admit that they don’t always look as nice as they do when someone else does them but they are good enough and I love the money I save! \u00a0John cuts his own hair with a shaver and I touch up the back for him.<\/p>\n I shop second hand and outlet stores for clothes.<\/strong> \u00a0One of my favorite past times is going shopping at the Salvation Army. \u00a0I have found many brand name items of clothing in excellent condition to add to my wardrobe. \u00a0And since I have basic sewing skills, I am able to do alterations if I find an item that I love that does not quite fit just right. \u00a0I also shop the local outlets for end of season sales on shoes and clothes. \u00a0One of my favorite stores marks down their clothing to $5 an item. \u00a0I am able to add new items to next season’s wardrobe for a great price. \u00a0I also make sure that I get as much use out of my clothes as possible before they are sent to the rag box.<\/p>\n Utilize the local library. \u00a0<\/strong>The local library is one of my favorite places. \u00a0 As with all libraries I can check out books, movies and music for free. \u00a0If the town library does not have what I am looking for they can request it be sent from another library for me. \u00a0And sometimes I just go there to sit in the quiet, read and unwind. \u00a0It’s like a free mini vacation for me.<\/p>\n Car pool. \u00a0<\/strong>John and I are blessed to work only about a mile from each other. \u00a0And our schedules are similar. \u00a0That makes car pooling a no brainer for us. \u00a0John drops me off in the morning and picks me up in the late afternoon. \u00a0On days that I get off early I will drop him at work first then use the extra time run errands before I have to pick him up in the afternoon. \u00a0We save a good bit in gas this way.<\/p>\n Using a bike in town.<\/strong> \u00a0Another way I try to save on gas \u00a0is to use my bike to run errands in our little town. \u00a0 If I have to go to the pharmacy, library or even to get a few items from the store I can hop on my bike, get some exercise and save gas while running an errand. \u00a0John even purchased \u00a0panniers (bags) for my bike to make transporting items easier.<\/p>\n There are many places online where you can go to get more information and ideas on how to save money. \u00a0One of the blogs I follow is www.theprudenthomemaker.com. \u00a0She is not a homesteader but she does an amazing job caring for her family of 10 and keeping her household running on one salary. \u00a0I get a lot of inspiration from reading her blog. \u00a0I recommend checking it out.<\/p>\n I am always looking for ways to stretch our money further and welcome any ideas or tips that you folks might have to share.<\/p>\n SIDE NOTE: as I write this I occurs to me that each actvity I’ve listed could actually be post in itself. \u00a0So I think I will try to address each in more detail in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you were to ask a random group of people “what are the two things of which you wish you had more?” \u00a0my guess is that most people would say time and money. \u00a0In my last post I discussed some of the things I do to help manage my time on a daily basis. \u00a0In … Continue reading Saving Money on the homestead<\/span>