Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Living Frugally

Alright, I know it's been forever since my last post...but I plan on doing this whole blogging thing and it really shouldn't consume that much of my time to jot down a few things and post them, right??

So here is the topic of today:  living on less or frugal living, self sufficiency and sustaining.  I love the idea of it all.  But frankly, when you live in town and rent, there are some things that are just out of your control.  I do still have choices though.  I choose to 'repurpose' 'reuse' 'recycle' 'reclaim' 'repair' whenever possible.  I love 2nd hand finds.  I garage sale, shop the Goodwill, Consignment Shops, Craigslist and even participate in a free kids clothing swap twice a year.  I use coupons, scour ads for the best deals, buy generic and sometimes go without to save money.  We recently changed our cleaning methods to include more eco-friendly solutions.  Apparently you don't always need chemicals to get things clean and now I do not buy those things.  Our next step is to dabble a little in the self sustaining field by growing our own garden.  In previous years, our gardens have flopped.  This year we hope for different.  I love the idea of growing, eating and maybe even canning our own food.  This year I hope to hit up the Farmer's Market much more than in previous year's.  Will definitely be looking for fruit since I cannot grow the trees myself, plus I really want to learn to make homemade jelly.


There are certainly many ways to cut cost and live more frugally, even eco-friendly.  How are you reducing expenses in your household?


Oh...almost forgot!  In stitching news, I am working on a little something for a someone special.  Will reveal the final project after it has been gifted!!          


4 comments:

  1. I planted a bigger garden this year & like you, hope for better results than I have had in the past. Another thing I am trying to do it to drive less & make my errand trips count for more to try to use less gas.

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    1. That is great! Gas is definitely something that is a huge expense! Plus those 3 mile walks to the PO and back are good for ya :P One reason we do not come visit family as much is because of gas prices. When you live paycheck to paycheck (as we currently are) it's so much less stressful to have a full tank last until your next payday instead of using around 1/2 of it in 1 weekend.

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  2. I suggest biking or walking to work. It's green, saves a ton of money on gas, is great exercise, and you'll lose some weight.

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  3. Brian that is a great suggestion...however for me it is not so practical. We did reduce ourselves to 1 car though since my husband has a company vehicle he brings home every day. The amount of savings we see from that has been extremely helpful.

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