5 Tips to Thrifty Living
October 13, 2008 by Karen Weideman
Filed under money saving idea
The following is a guest post.
As a mother that is always trying to figure out the budget I sometimes look for “thrifty” ways of getting stuff. What are some of your thrifty ways?
1) The kids are always asking me for popsicles that you can see going down in the ice cream truck or at the store. Instead I decided to let them experiment a bit and grabbed a bunch of kool-aid mixes (to get cheaper you can buy the no name types), ice cube tray and sticks.
The kids mixed the kool-aid, poured it in the ice cube tray and dropped in their sticks. After several hours they were ready to be attacked. The kids loved it and I not only had a drink from them but popsicles as well.
2) After we got out of the military we were hit with many “changes” that we weren’t ready for. For instance our electric bill, so instead of using the AC all the time we would turn it off and use fans instead. We also learned that by opening the windows first thing in the morning with the fans blowing it brings in the fresh cool air, shut the windows as it gets hotter and you’ll still have the air circulating. As the sun goes down, bring out those fans again. It beats $200-300 a month electric bills.
3) We used to go to the store at any hour of the day just to beat the crowd, but sometimes this meant going while hungry. We’d purchase anything that looked good, here are two tips to avoid over-shopping.
-make a shopping list and stick to it
- eat before going so you aren’t hungry
4) Don’t be late on payments. If a person is late on a payment they do have charges that will effect you. Keep current and you’ll never have to worry.
5) Many people tend to eat out a lot more these days, probably because it is quick and easy. No one has time anymore. Instead make time, prepare the night before or do it all at the beginning of the week (on a weekend) and freeze it. This way it’ll just need to be re-heated.
I sure hope these 5 tips will help you become a bit thrifty around the house. I know they’ve helped me out.
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Eliza is a wife and stay-at-home mother to four children that range from 11 years to 1. When she isn’t busy playing video games with them or changing diapers, she enjoys blogging and reading books. For a more personal view of her life, you can find her blogging about motherhood at Babylune or The Life of a Home Mom.
With Number 1, rather than going with Kool-Aide or other sugary drink, try the same thing with Orange Juice, Grape Juice, etc.
We use number 5 (pre-cooking) all the time here. We cook on Sunday, and make up dishes for the week. Besides not eating out, it is great for portion control as well.