Fell off the Frugal Wagon
by Alyssa Avant on August 2, 2008
in Just Frugal
Welcome back!
Ok I admit it, 6 months or so ago, at the beginning of this year I vowed to live a frugal 2008. However, I have seriously fallen off the frugal wagon and rolled down the hill apparently. We have spent a great deal of extra money lately, some necessary, some not so necessary, some I felt was necessary, whatever the case, new debt has been accumulated and we have been living not so frugally.
With the end of my pregnancy brought shopping and eating that was out of routine I shopped at the Dollar Store here in town (the only actual store we have that has food besides the gas station) and we ate out way too much. So between the two it was a killer on our wallet.
Also I have “invested” a good bit of money into improving my ministry, the trip to the She Speaks conference, though well worth it set me back a good bit, then just this month my computer died and since its a necessisty for me to work I had to purchase a new one, can we say big $$.
So, I need to get back to frugality, however here are some issues I ran into earlier in the year that first catapulted me off the wagon in the first place besides the other things I have mentioned. For example, I tried couponing, but found it difficult to find coupons, much less coupons for stuff I actually buy. Why buy something I don’t normally buy just because I have a coupon? Doesn’t seem logical to me. Second, I tried the CVS thing, but it was in a town I don’t normally shop in which caused me to have to make a special trip there, with gas prices at an all time high that was silly as well, and not really money saving was it?
The only things I did that I felt did help with the frugal lifestyle was menu planning. When I menu plan I tend to eat out less, and I do better with my grocery shopping. So, that I am trying to get back into the habit of, but I could sure use some suggestions on other things I can do to save money. We already don’t do much for entertainment, we don’t buy things that aren’t necessary so the areas we need to save in would be regular household expensese and groceries.
Suggestions anyone?
I also could not do the coupon thing, I would get frustrated and then end up buying what I don’t normally buy. If in your area, they have “buy on get one free” sales that is when it is best to stock up on things. For example they had that on peanut butter recently and I stocked up because during the school year my boys love PB&J sandwiches. Also meatless dinners (at least one a week, saves money)
In the dollar store there are some decent to really good cleaning products. There is a product I bought called (shoot can’t remember), it is in a clear spray bottle, yellowish color and the bottle was only $1. I was amazed how good it worked in my kitchen and bathtub.
I need to get back to meal planning also, especially with football going full force. I want my kids to eat healthy.
It is hard I know to keep the expenses down, especially while you are in the diaper stage with two kids. Coupons for diapers would the only coupons I would seek out.
Oh well my two cents. I to struggle in this area and am trying to get back into the swing of it =)
[Reply]
Alyssa, I really enjoy reading your blog. I’m a faithful follower of yours on Twitter. There are several regular household expenses whose costs I’ve managed to reduce in various ways.
1) Auto insurance: Call your agent and examine your policy. There may be some coverages you can change, reduce, or even drop altogether. There may also be some deductibles you can raise. Also, make sure they have the most current information on your vehicles. You get discounts for things like daytime running lights, low mileage, etc. This will save loads on premiums.
2) Homeowner’s insurance: Ditto. (I saved a couple hundred dollars just by updating information on our house. Online!)
3) Utilities: I bet you already do things like turn lights off when you leave a room, but one thing that has really helped our budget is to sign up for the budget-wise billing that most electric and gas companies offer. Granted, it only spreads the bill out evenly over 12 months and doesn’t actually lower costs, but it sure helps reduce the volatility these bills sometimes can have.
4) ISP: Call your Internet service provider and ask if they can provide a discount for you. I did that last August, and they gave me $20 off every month for a year – just for calling and asking! And when I called again yesterday to see if I could get another year’s discount, they said “yes” again.
5) Landline phone: Check with your phone company to see if you’re getting the best package you can for the cheapest price. Be sure to check online as well – they sometimes have online packages that aren’t available if you just call in.
6) Cell Phone: Ditto #5.
In doing all these things, I’ve managed to save our household several hundred dollars. Hope you can too!
[Reply]
I’ve had disaster after disaster trying to save money at Walgreens. I also find couponing to be very cumbersome and of negligible value. Just last night I cleaned out my coupon envelope and found that 80% of it had expired without ever being used. Couponing didn’t work the other 3 times I tried it either, so I’m not sure why I gave it another shot.
I think you are on the right track with menu planning. Work on your lineup of affordable recipes– I’ve got a bunch of easy ones at my place if you’re interested. Also gradually diminish the number of convenience foods you buy. There are lots of things that are almost as quick and much more tasty when you make them yourself.
Take change gradually and you’ll be much more likely to have success and to make changes that are sustainable.
All the best
Mary, mom to 10
[Reply]
Menu planning is key, as well as shopping with a list and when you are not hungry. Avoid taking the kids with you if you can because that also cuts down on the impulse purchases. If you don’t already, buy the generic brand- there are some exceptions but mostly they taste just the same as the name brand for much less.
Gas prices are also killing us as we too live in a semi rural area. So try to plan ahead for errand running and other trips to consolidate as much as possible into one trip to save on gas. Some friends and I carpool together to go to Sam’s Club once a month since it is over 25 miles away.
And definitely operate from a budget! One of our rules at our house is if we can’t pay cash we don’t buy it unless it is an emergency such as broken AC or dishwasher.
Blessings
Melissa
[Reply]
Coupons are not for everyone, but I am fortunate to have good ones in my paper plus the great stores to shop. I enjoy it and view it as a hobby, and I also use the great deals I get to donate to my church and women’s shelter. I also use some things, like free razors and body wash, to give as presents. I make gift baskets with these items.
I agree that menu planning has saved me a lot of money as well as making double batches of certain meals to freeze. Some weekends I will even make meals to put in the freezer. I do have an upright freezer that definitely pays for itself. I can bulk buy plus save time not having to cook every night. I have a 14 cu/ft that only costs me an extra $5/mo to run. Well worth the money.
If you haven’t read the Complete Tightwad Gazette then I would suggest getting a copy from your local library. I have learned a lot of great information in there, but I don’t do everything in the book. Many people read it thinking they have to apply it all to their life. I do some things to a lesser extent than the author. I also have started a price book writing down all the great sale prices on the items I buy regularly. From groceries to health and beauty products and even household stuff.
[Reply]
Alyssa, I really enjoy reading your blog. I'm a faithful follower of yours on Twitter. There are several regular household expenses whose costs I've managed to reduce in various ways.
1) Auto insurance: Call your agent and examine your policy. There may be some coverages you can change, reduce, or even drop altogether. There may also be some deductibles you can raise. Also, make sure they have the most current information on your vehicles. You get discounts for things like daytime running lights, low mileage, etc. This will save loads on premiums.
2) Homeowner's insurance: Ditto. (I saved a couple hundred dollars just by updating information on our house. Online!)
3) Utilities: I bet you already do things like turn lights off when you leave a room, but one thing that has really helped our budget is to sign up for the budget-wise billing that most electric and gas companies offer. Granted, it only spreads the bill out evenly over 12 months and doesn't actually lower costs, but it sure helps reduce the volatility these bills sometimes can have.
4) ISP: Call your Internet service provider and ask if they can provide a discount for you. I did that last August, and they gave me $20 off every month for a year – just for calling and asking! And when I called again yesterday to see if I could get another year's discount, they said “yes” again.
5) Landline phone: Check with your phone company to see if you're getting the best package you can for the cheapest price. Be sure to check online as well – they sometimes have online packages that aren't available if you just call in.
6) Cell Phone: Ditto #5.
In doing all these things, I've managed to save our household several hundred dollars. Hope you can too!
[Reply]