Just curious who else is living super frugal

[helenmar]

Hear hear!This thread is the best!I have been converted to so many new things and I thought I was frugal before! I am so grateful for what we have now and as i am currently in bed with viral meningitus I am saving a fortune on food as Im just not hungry! My parents keep rushing over to help out but due to buying lots of dried food from an online discounter I could survive for months with whats in the pantry.Mind you,my hubby is currently working away so that makes things easier.He is getting more used to frugality though, but every so often he does want to spend.He cannot understand, when he is earning that I want to be frugal.I keep trying to explain its because I value what he earns and would rather save it for important things than fritter it away.
One thing I still find shocking is the amount of food wasted.Before I got sick I got a temporary job in a kitchen.All the food that was cooked and then thrown away the same day was horrendous!I ended up bringing tons home with me.Most of it was fine for us to eat and I froze a lot but the chickens are loving having quiche,pork pies and cheese sandwiches defrosted for them!Obviously they have grain and layer pellets too,but all this food was destined for the bin!What broke my heart the most was all the chicken they cooked and then binned.

 

[HeatherLynn]

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I don't even go IN the store with the makeup counter anymore. I think the Dalai Lama said something about window shopping creating a desire for things. I've learned that if I don't LOOK at the things in the store, I just don't seem to want to buy them! HA! Plus my chickens seem to call me home after work each day making shopping during daylight hours a no-go.

I too am in the process of growing up financially. It is painful, but rewarding. I got out of frivolous debt in 2006 just in time to buy a house at the peak of the market. What crazy times that anyone would lend us THAT much $! That certainly would not happen today, which makes me extra grateful for my house.
I'm also grateful for a stable 30 year fixed mortgage (no funny finances or balloon payments), but now I'm in another kind of debt. The "I-can-barely-pay-for-my-house" kind of debt. The kind of debt that sneaks up on you.....so I'm adjusting again, because I know my fancy day job will not last forever. I want to be ready for whatever the future brings by living in a more sustainable way.

I love the homemade laundry soap. I like this recipe: 3/4 cup borax, 3/4 cup washing soda, one bar of grated ivory - Mix and toss in a jar.

Thanks everyone for your wonderful tips. I too, hope this thread lasts forever!

I find I can go in the stores without having the desires now. Once i stopped going there and really re prioritized our life, work, and spending. Wow Its like I got my sight back. I see things so differently. Now I can go in the stores and I am just appalled at the prices and the waste. Its almost heart breaking to see people spending so much. I see the credit card being pulled out and I wince. I don't resent giving up things or buying used or even reworking how I cook to save money. I resent interest payments or feeling like we need to work more to pay off debt that was caused by useless stuff that we no longer even have. I resent debts having to come before our kids BUT I know I can change all that. Its a great feeling to know that we are working toward a future where I could stay at home and watch my grandchildren or help our kids build their own house mortgage free. Thats a great future to look forward to.

 

[justbugged]

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When my daughter was struggling - she rented out her house (like you, it had dropped in value; not wise to sell) and moved into a much smaller place, nearer to school. The rent covered the mortgage payments and she was able to finish school with no debt. Once she had a good paying job, she was able to move back into her house.

Perhaps something like this would work for you. I know how it feels - it's happened to us before. BUT, the housing market WILL recover. It needs time. Unlike the stock market, housing is a tangible thing, not something written on paper. There will always be people who need a place to live.

I don't know how big your place is, but could you put a trailer on it and rent out the house?

We have rented the house out in the past. We lived much better during those 3 years. We were able to rent homes on acreage. I regret coming back to this house. The house is located in a sub-division. So for the past 11 years I have been aware that I can see into the neighbors house, and that they can see me. Not having any privacy is one of the worst things.

The other big thing is how far away from the nearest major urban centers. Our next door neighbor was killed on one of the 2 lane 55mph roads that serve this small town. It is nearly 20 miles to the nearest freeway. So work opportunities here are limited. Most jobs are a long commute. It wouldn't be so bad, but I am not able to find much more than minimum wage. At least DH doesn't have to pay to get to work. He is reimbursed for travel to and from the airport.

The small town I live in has not allowed any major stores in it. This has made the town remain with a very small town feel. We all excited when a Walgreens was built here. Until then there was only one similar type of drug store in town. There is a lot of money in the area, but most is spent else where. I can't even buy clothes here in town. It's my fault that we bought a house here, and now DH won't even talk about moving. All he will say is that moving is expensive. I know he doesn't have a clue as to how expensive it has been to stay.

It looks like there are a lot of rentals in the area these days. I must admit that since putting in the coop, and getting the patio finished, it would be hard to walk away from it. We have such good neighbors now. I would still rather live nearer my daughter, and closer to the city. As I get older, having better access to the best doctors would be nice too. I just want to have a plan in place, just in case we need to do things fast. We won't last very long, if DH was to loose his job. I can't see using retirement moneys to try to hold on to house that isn't worth it.

 

[justbugged]

Staying out of the stores has been my biggest saver over the years. I have also had to remember that it will always be on sale again, and I don't have to stock up on everything. I'm still not giving up the extra supply of toilet paper though.

 

[kuntrygirl]

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I don't like shopping at all, so that is my saver. I don't like being around crowds, so I don't go in the stores often.

 

[justbugged]

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I don't like shopping at all, so that is my saver. I don't like being around crowds, so I don't go in the stores often.

My mother doesn't like to shop either. She just buys what she needs from catalogs that sell super cheap junk. She happy with the stuff. I would rather pay more and get better quality. Things usually last much longer that way. I don't mind shopping, and I love to find a real bargain. It's still cheaper to live without it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

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I don't like shopping at all, so that is my saver. I don't like being around crowds, so I don't go in the stores often.

My mother doesn't like to shop either. She just buys what she needs from catalogs that sell super cheap junk. She happy with the stuff. I would rather pay more and get better quality. Things usually last much longer that way. I don't mind shopping, and I love to find a real bargain. It's still cheaper to live without it.

Unfortunately, yesterday was my shopping day and it wasn't too bad. Found a lot of deals in the store.

Not sure if this was mentioned or not but when I pick up groceries, I always have my eye open for items that have an expiration date of that day's date or within the next day or 2. I will ask for the manager and bring to his attention that the product will expire on that day or the next day and ask for a reduced price on the item. They ALWAYS give me a reduced price. This is what I bought at reduced price on yesterday and ALL of the products were in good shape and of course still good for consumption.

6 bags of salad @ $0.25 each = $1.50
2 bags of grapes @ $0.25 each = $0.50
1 bag of apples @ $0.50
4 cantaloupe @ $0.25 each = $1.00
1 bag of grapefruit @ $0.25
2 gallons of Organic orange juice @ $0.75 each = $1.50
4 bottles of salad dressing @ $0.25 each = $1.00
2 medium size containers of yogurt @ $0.25 each = $0.50

TOTAL PRICE for all of this was $6.75

In addition, in store sale on liquid laundry detergent (29 loads) 45.4 oz - regular price $4.00 was on sale for $0.97. I stocked up on 20. All of this was only $26.75. I bought the kind that is free of dyes and perfumes because I have sensitive skin.

So keep an eye on expiration dates that are not way over the "use by" date. Many of these items are still good. The stores just want them off the shelves.

I sign up for my local store's emailed sales paper, so I get that week's sales paper emailed to me and I can take a look at the items on sale to see if there is anything that I can use. This way, I don't have to waste gas going to the store to check out the weekly sales. If any items are sold out, you can usually get a "rain check" slip and pick up those sale priced items on the next shopping trip.

Also, check to see if your store has a "Reduced Item" section/aisle specifically designed to have the store's reduced items in one designated location instead of placed on the shelf in each individual section. They have great reduced prices. Yesterday our store had packets of seasonigs, marinades, etc for $0.10 - jars of peanut butter for $0.80 - spray cans of insecticides for $0.50 - large cans of juice for $0.25.

Sometimes it just takes a few extra minutes to look but your pocket will thank you at the cash register.

 

[HeatherLynn]

I made my first from scratch biscuits yesterday. I figuered out costs and I am tossing a ton of money down the drain buying all those cans of biscuits. My family wants to have them at least 3 or 4 times a week. They were all right. I am going to be making biscuits until I perfect the art. Should see a decent savings and my dad is super happy about them being from scratch like his mother used to make.

We also are working on finding a nice used sewing machine. My daughters was deemed better for play than 4h sewing. Sooo its craigslist time. Later today we are looking at a singer machine for 10. It works but apparently it was given to someone who cannot sew. I can't sew yet either. Hopefully by the end of 4h classes I will able to. The teacher lets me sit in with my daughter so i can learn too. If anyone wants to learn check with you extention service. They have classes for just a couple dollars compared to hundred from the fabric store.

 

[Momma on a Mission]

My husband and I are at the point of being out of dept with our credit cards. Christmas gifts I have put on layaway at Walmart this year. And it was only 5 gifts each per child. I have 3 kids.

I get majority of my groceries from Aldi or Save a lot. That saves ALOT of $$!

We are now beginning to raise chickens for eggs and meat. I buy loads of self rising flour and my husband has the knack of making a fresh pot of chicken n dumplings. mmmmmm.....not to mention his biscuits.

I'm a stay at home mom and only going to the store once a week is helping our gas bill. And we converted to a outdoor wood fireplace to heat our water and house. Satellite is about to get kicked because the prices have skyrocketed and I would prefer to watch antana tv anyway.

 

[Crafty-Chicken-Lady]

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I have found the key to good biscuits is handle the dough as little as possible. I tend to make drop biscuits more than rolled but when I make rolled I don't actually roll them out. I get the dough onto a floured surface and gently, with my hands, form it into the needed thickness and size and cut out my biscuits. This I have found keeps them light and fluffy. The more you make them the better they get and make sure to experiment some with herbs, cheeses, amounts of salt and such. Recently I have started adding whole wheat flour in with the white flour, tastes so much better. If you do this then you need to add extra baking powder. My recipe calls for 2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder, when adding whole wheat flour I change the total baking powder to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Hope this is helpful.

If you lived closer I could help you with the sewing issue. Good luck on finding a good sewing at a good price.