My Top 40 Frugal Living Tips of 2009

Frugal living is not new to our family but now has new meaning! 2008 saw our family move from the “secure” life in Alabama (job with a monthly paycheck) to the exciting life in west Texas to start a vineyard (no paycheck at all !).  In the past, I had tended toward frugality, reasons including living within our means and being a good steward. But using most of our savings to start our vineyard and then watching the rest disappear just living, I have had to take an advanced course in frugal living. As 2009 draws to a close, I began thinking of just how we have been able to live on so little. As I thought about this, I began to put my thoughts into words and hence the following list. These separate actions may seem insignificant, but their cumulative effect over time has added up to big savings.

1. Tithe to your local church – Remember that God is source of all we have and can do. And He uses our all experiences to bring us to a greater knowledge of Him.
2. Write all expenditures down in a budget book - Know where all your money is going.
3. Stop impuse buying – Give yourself a week to think about a purchase and the necessity of it.
4. Stay out of the stores as much as possible - What you don’t see won’t hurt you!
5. Determine “needs” vs “wants” – Keeping up with the neighbors is an endless task in our society costing you not only money but needless anxiety.
6. Compare prices – Look for the best buy. Check different stores as well as brands.
7. Buy used – Shop yard sales, thrift stores, Craigslist, eBay
8. If buying new, shop sales – Certain times of the year are more “sales” oriented than others so wait for these if possible.
9. Make your credit card work for you – capitalize on the “cash back” aspect many card have when used to  purchase particular items. Example: 5% cash back offered for gasoline purchases for the first $150/month.
10. Use coupons – Coupons are a tool for you to use to save but also for the seller to hook you on a fad.
11. Combine coupons with sales to maximize savings.
12. Utilize store “rewards” programs – Example: Walgreens - Register Rewards or CVS - Extra Care Card and Extra Care Bucks.
13. Drive older cars – If it still works and is reliable, keep it!
14. Combine trips to save gasoline.
15. Walk or bike instead of driving
16. Adjust your thermostat so as to save energy.
17. Turn off room lights when leaving a room.
18. Turn off ceiling fans when leaving a room.
19. Do not window shop in front of the refrigerator – Determine what you want to remove ahead of time to avoid unnecessary time spent with the fridge door open.
20. Wash your clothes when they are dirty – This may be after one wearing, but then again, maybe not until several wearings.
21. Hang your clothes out to dry – Save energy and get that fresh, line-dry smell in the summer.  In the winter, use a drying rack inside to help humidify your house, which is healthier and feels warmer!
22. Make your own laundry detergent - Homemade laundry detergent is easy and economical.
23. Use cloth diapers instead of disposable – They are both economical and “green”.
24. If applicable, nurse your baby – Nursing is definitely more economical than formula, healthy for the baby and helps you lose “baby weight”.
25. Plant a vegetable garden – Space is not an issue as even small areas can produce large amounts. Incorporate vegies into your flower beds. Read books pertaining to gardening to learn more.
26. Freeze or can your own vegetables. This is both economical and rewarding.
27. Plan your meals -  Monthly menu plans work great. Here is a free downloadable menu planner in either the weekly, 2-week, or monthly formats.
28. Make a master grocery list of staple items – Go through your pantry and make a list of each item you stock and routinely use. Once you have your list, make an Excel worksheet of it. Then when you shop monthly, print off a copy, check your pantry, mark what you need, add items based on your menu and you are ready to go!
29. Shop for groceries once a month – This sounds overwhelming, but with a master list it becomes easy. ***Planning meals combined with monthly shopping from a master list cut my grocery bill by over 60%.
30. Drink more water and less soda – Save not only money but also empty calories and decrease sugar intake.
31. Make-it-yourself
32. Fix-it-yourself
33. Do-it-yourself
34. Cut your own hair – at least your husband’s and sons’. Having 1 husband (of 25 yrs) and 7 sons, at $5 per haircut every 2 months, I figure that I have saved over $3,000!
35. Eat out less – if you do eat out, use Restaurant.com Gift Certificates.
36. Fix your lunch and carry it with you – This option is healthier and you are able to control the ingredient, calorie and fat content of your food.
37. Don’t eat out at all - Homemade meals are healthier as well as more economical.
38. Use the local library – Depending on the size of your local library, they will have many current books and videos/DVDs and are able to order ones they do not have on the shelf.
39. Discontinue cable – Stop watching television. Read books together (from the library) and make more quality family time together.
40. Discontinue cell phones – This is not a popular option in our society. I found that for 1/2 the price of two cell phones and dial-up internet, we can have a landline, high speed internet and still maintain a trac phone for emergency use.

Frugal living tends to become a way of life in order to be a good steward. The necessity of it may depend upon your circumstances but it has become for me a fun challenge. Frugal living should not be confused with miserly living. We are living frugally for a purpose and a common family goal.

As a final word, as my husband says, “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without!”