Things That It Makes Sense To Buy In Bulk

If you are looking for ways to save money, buying certain items in bulk can be one way to trim your household budget. While it is true that a membership to Sam’s, Costco, BJ’s, or another wholesale club does cost money there are savings to be had if you shop wisely. For most families, it does not make sense to buy all of the groceries in bulk. For example, is the double mega pack of Honey Nut Cheerios really a good deal of your kids don’t like eating the same cereal for breakfast every day for a month? There are … Continue reading

Save Money While Conserving Energy

Earth Day was last week. You may or may not have realized that there is often a connection between things that are good for the environment and things that are good for your wallet. In honor of Earth Day, here are three tips that can help you do right by the planet and save some money on your utility bills. Programmable thermostats are easy to install and can save money and energy. You can program your thermostat to go down five to ten degrees at night while you are sleeping. This move alone can save you five to ten percent … Continue reading

Is That Good Deal Really Good?

The other day as I was at the grocery store, I was inspired to write this post by some coffee that was on sale. Our family’s grocery budget is rather tight but we do splurge on certain things, like high quality coffee for my husband’s morning cup. Our favorite brand, Green Mountain Coffee, was on sale for $6.00 per bag instead of its usual $8.50. That is quite a savings. As I picked up two bags of the coffee and placed them in the grocery cart, I remembered that coffee was not on my grocery list. I had bought two … Continue reading

Happy Kids On The Cheap

With all of the expenses of raising a family, parents are often searching for ways to save money wherever they can. One area of the family budget where spending can often be reduced quite a bit is entertainment. Parents often believe that they need to spend more money to keep their children entertained and occupied than they actually do. Children are naturally curious, and often parents are pleasantly surprised by how simple things can capture their imaginations and hold their attention for hours. My favorite example of low or no cost family fun is a trip to the playground. Depending … Continue reading

How to Save on Soap

I like to examine different items on our grocery list to see if there are ways that we can reduce the cost of them. With enough things on the list costing less, the overall bill can really go down. One of the things that we seem to go through a lot of is soap. That makes sense. With three children who get into everything, cooking from scratch at home, and trying to keep the illness away during winter, it isn’t surprising that we use a lot of soap. So, with a little thinking, I’ve come up with some ways that … Continue reading

Frugal Freezer Cooking: “Hot Pockets”

Stocking your freezer using leftovers or foodstuff that you buy in bulk on sale can really save you quite a bit of money. If you have the freezer and the room, I highly recommend doing some freezer cooking. It will give you the opportunity to have low cost meals handy and avoid eating out, and it will also give you the opportunity to eat food that you might have otherwise thrown away. These are free meals, as I like to call them. With panic in the economy, it makes so much sense to cut expenses and pay down as much … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: December 1st Through December 7th

By the first week in December I am almost ready with everything for the holidays–at least shopping wise. Of course there are always a few things to pick up here and there, hopefully frugally. December 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: November 24th Through November 30th How was your holiday? Was it a frugal one? In case you missed any of last week’s articles, here are the posts that were featured. December 2nd Frugal Month in Review: November 2008 November to be is the beginning of two things. The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, and then there is winter. Despite … Continue reading

Managing Your Stockpile

Having a stockpile of food and household goods that you purchase on sale makes good sense, especially now when the prices on things keep going up and up. For example, I purchased an extra bulk box of laundry detergent for $20. The price today is $30 for the same box. That is a 50% increase! The bulk organic flour I purchased cost me $25 for 25 pounds. Today the price is $50, a 100 percent increase! I purchased cans of pizza sauce on sale for 59 cents. The price today is 99 cents. You see what I mean. But one … Continue reading

Frugal Living Month in Review: July 2008

July went by so quickly for us! There were so many fun and frugal activities and events for us to explore, from a science camp to free movies and sand sculpting. I hope your July was equally fun and frugal. Summer is a busy time, I know. Did you miss any frugal articles last month? If so, here is an opportunity to catch up on what you missed. There are new ways to save money on food, clothing, kids, gas and more. Feel free to leave a comment on any frugal post. I read all of the comments myself, no … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: July 21st Through July 27th

We have a lot of articles on food this week, from saving money on cereal to the best time to grocery shop. Please check them out and let me know if there are any particular topics or knowledge that you would like to read about. July 21st Frugal Living Week in Review: July 14th Through July 20th What is your biggest frugal pet peeve? Is it other people who waste things? Is it the price of food? I’d love to hear from you for a future blog post. Meanwhile, in the words of Ricky Ricardo, I have some “splainin” to … Continue reading