frugal habits (grocery shopping, pay, buying, saving)

[tet tea]

I think growing up in a home with not a lot of money, my frugal habits were instilled at a very early age.

Here's a few that are second nature and might give others ideas.

- packed lunches
- coffee maker and a thermos
- cooking several dishes at once in the oven
- making dishes in the microwave
- unplugging appliances when not in use and turning off lights
- sweaters, socks and a nice big quilt instead of cranking up the heat
- close the curtains or blinds to keep the heat in or the heat of the sun out
- Navy showers and never letting the water run when brushing your teeth
- Doing laundry or running the dishwasher later in the evening
- Composting

I am a firm believer that if you haven't used or wore something in a year then off to Goodwill it goes (make sure you get a receipt for taxes). It makes you think twice about buying something and it helps keep you organised.

As for the trash bag issue... we use the grocery store paper bags in a small trash can that fits in the cupboard. Because we compost, reuse, recycle and have very little food waste it's perfect. Plus the paper is biodegradable.

[BigDGeek]

I used to buy things and leave them in my closet with the tags on them for ages. Nowadays I go through my closet every month and anything with the tags still attached goes right back where I got it from.

I no longer impulse buy. If I am at Target or another store like that, I make a mental note of something I've seen that I think I might want to buy. Then if I remember it later and it plays on my mind, I may get it. Or I may not. Mostly I spend money (and clip coupons too) on the essentials...food, toiletries like deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. There is a big difference between needing and wanting and a lot of people forgot that while they used their houses as ATMs.

Instead of renting a movie I go through my pretty big collection of DVDs to find something to watch, or I find something on TV already, since I am already paying for it. Might as well right?

I found that since I always fell asleep at the movies I would save a ton by napping at home for free. So that is what I do now!

I do like to drink diet sodas so instead of buying them when I've run out, I stock up when they're on sale and store them in the garage. I never run out. Same with cat litter and toilet paper. It will all get used eventually so if it is on sale and I have a good coupon, I stock up!

If I have a smaller painting project in the house, I hit the "oops" table at Home Depot and sometimes find something suitable for a lot less than what a custom-mixed can would cost.

I hang pants and flat-dry sweaters to make them last longer (they fade otherwise), and also do not use fabric softener (makes fabrics wear out faster). I have a sewing kit so I can fix small rips and sew buttons back on instead of buying a new pair of pants or a new sweater.

I use old ripped/stained towels or t-shirts to wash my car instead of buying new shammies for it. I also wash my car using a single bucket of water and park it so that when I rinse it off, the lawn gets watered too. I do not see the point of paying someone to wash my car. I also clean out my car's interior myself.

I make my own household cleaners; they are cheaper and usually work better anyway.

I clip coupons and check weekly specials to save as much as possible on groceries. I plan a shopping trip to make the best use of time/gas. I also buy generics for most things. Sadly my cats turn their finicky noses up at generic cat food!

I buy clothes with classic cuts/lines and in classic colors to make them last year after year. I recently gave away 2 old winter coats, but I had owned one of them for 10 years and the other for 8. I gave them away because they no longer fit me (lost 118 pounds). Both were in excellent condition. I plan to keep my new coat for at least 8 years and since it is a classic color/cut it will look good for those 8 years! Plus it is an incentive to maintain the weight loss. I also hit my mother's closet from time to time and borrow clothes or shoes. Or costume jewelry!

No Starbucks, no McDonald's, none of it. I rarely ever eat fast food and I never do it spontaneously. Luckily in my new neighborhood there is not a single Starbucks but I was never a Starbucks addict anyway. Daily or weekly trips to Starbucks or for fast food lunches/dinners can really add up.

I pack a lunch to work most days. The only time I do not is if a team lunch is planned and those happen maybe once every 4-6 weeks.

Garage sales! One man's trash...

Machine-washable, durable mop heads and microfiber cleaning cloths instead of Swiffer pads and paper towels. I keep a little plastic basket in my laundry room for the dirties and wash them when the basket fills up.

Replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs to save on electricity...and turning the lights off when I'm not in the room! The exterior floods are also being replaced with CFLs, gradually. CFL floodlights have been hard to find around here.

Growing my own herbs; I can buy a small perennial herb plant for what it would cost me to buy those herbs fresh at the supermarket. And now I have as much sage, thyme, mint, chives, rosemary, etc. as I can hope to use and then some. I let my neighbors snip from my huge rosemary shrub whenever they want. Why not?

I love these kinds of threads and I love reading other peoples' tips!

[RHB]

Clothing is still an issue with me. I don't buy a lot, I'm 50 years old, and am still getting my sisters hand-me-downs What happens is I end up with a lot of really nice clothes, but I don't wear them often, just not my lifestyle. I have those, then casual nice, that get down graded to work clothes, which get down graded to farm clothes, which stay forever (a few that end up with holes, might go in the night clothes pile) until they aren't fit for much of anything. I need to work on getting rid of some of these clothes.

Like BigDGeek said (oh my the way, congrats on the weight loss) this are great tips. I do grow my herbs, except rosemarry, can't seem to keep them alive - any hints. I also grow horseradish that I use instead of pepper.

We are getting the floor done in the house, and I need to find a good mop for it. Before I've had the swiffer (I used an old towel for pads so I could wash them) but there is too much floor for those. I've used the rag mop thing, but they get stinky, and are a storage problem (the mop, bucket and wringer) and are a mess when you try to wash them. If anyone has a suggestion for a good, washable mop, I'd be greatful.

[paulpan]

I don't want to start a new topic for this, so I thought I would place my question here, under the Frugal Habits:

My understanding is, that about 10% of your income goes to your church (those who go to church)
Religious people, did you stop going to church because of your financial hardship, or you still go to church but not contributing any money to your church? Or you go to church and still giving your money while you have a very limited income?

Just out of curiosity. I don't intend to judge anyone, no matter what the reply is.

[RHB]

There is a thread about budgeting your giving, that you might get some more responses there.

As for me, My giving is budgeted in to the regular budget. No matter who I give it to, I believe in the tithing principle. So if my income decreases, so would my tithe.

[smartygurl]

Originally Posted by sterlinggirl

for snacks i usually take a walk over to bob's house while he's combining his trips to the store, church, etc. The bologna is pretty good, and his wife can't figure out why he keeps eating so much cheese...

lol

[plaidmom]

Originally Posted by LittleDolphin

Wanted share a really fun and cool frugal event I just attended. Organized by one woman, she invited six of us to her house to bring along items we no longer wanted--small household items, clothes in good condition, jewelry, shoes, purses, books, accessories...all our no longer wanted but still nifty and desirable things.

I thought this was a great creative re-use and recycling event. We plan to have another in the Spring!

Great! She is basically expanding the "Naked Lady Party" concept (it's not what you think, just google it ).

We do the same thing with a group of women cyclists every year. Bike gear is $$$$$$. You can do the same thing with any group of like-minded friends.

[plaidmom]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Machine-washable, durable mop heads and microfiber cleaning cloths instead of Swiffer pads and paper towels. I keep a little plastic basket in my laundry room for the dirties and wash them when the basket fills up.

Growing my own herbs; I can buy a small perennial herb plant for what it would cost me to buy those herbs fresh at the supermarket. And now I have as much sage, thyme, mint, chives, rosemary, etc. as I can hope to use and then some. I let my neighbors snip from my huge rosemary shrub whenever they want. Why not?

I love these kinds of threads and I love reading other peoples' tips!

Tried to rep ya, but you know "the rules". We live much the same way.

I think the Swiffer is a great invention, but the cleaning cloths etc. are a rip-off. I too reuse recycled cleaning cloths and pads.

We eat at home. When we do eat out, it's usually at lunch (less expensive) and at a good quality sit-down restaurant. No fast food. Grow our own herbs and a few veggies. Keep only one car. Borrow all DVDs and books from the local library. Maintain our health through diet and exercise vs. costy drugs.

We do not, in any way shape or form, live a life of deprivation or meagerness. Quite the opposite in fact. We just like saving our $$$ for the things we really want in life.

[dmwlakewylie]

When running errands/shopping for the day I pack a few water/juices in a cooler and put it in the car. When I get thirsty, I have one of those instead of buying them in the mall or going through a drive through. Less expensive and healthier than the soda (and maybe fries ) I would purchase.

[tet tea]

Old socks make great dusters, and some of them fit perfectly at the bottom of your Swiffer sweeper/mop. You can even wash and reuse them.