For me, I just can't seem to get the hang of the coupon thing. And I really hate shopping... well, I suppose not shopping so much but the actual driving to get there and getting in and out of the car with the baby. So, I try to do as much "one-stop" shopping as I can. I am also in the process of 'decluttering' our house (yes, I know... i STILL am in the process), and I can't imagine buying things (or getting things for free) that I have to store for a while.
When we first were married (almost 6 years ago) I was diligent about budgeting and we did very well. Once we moved into our home, I stopped budgeting because I didn't know what to expect with having a home. I have once begun to budget again and find that we can always make changes in things. Along with the budgeting, I was trying to find other ways to make money or to save more money and I came up with this idea...
Our lawn is a nice size and I took a stab at mowing the back half on Friday. I think I did an ok job, although it needed to be mowed again. Normally, when Ken mows it, it takes him 3-4 hours to mow the lawn, edge it and all the little extras. And it takes him so long, because he can't mow it as much as it needs to be mowed in the summer, so when He gets to mowing it, it has to be mowed more than once (at different levels) to get it cut sufficiently. I'd been contimplating hiring a neighbor boy to mow it occasionally and then I thought I'd hire a landscaping company (owned by another neighbor) to take care of all the yard (lawn and shrubs and flowers).
After this mornings short reading about being a frugle women, I thought "Hey, I could mow the yard and it would benefit our family in many areas."
- We would get to spend more time with Ken as he wouldn't be mowing for so long when it needed to be done.
- Ken could work more over-time now and again because he doesn't have to mow the lawn so often.
- I would get my exercise once a week, mowing the lawn. I do break a sweat pretty good!
- We wouldn't have to pay anyone to do it.
- I get a chance to be outside while Finnegan is napping.
So, this is my first attempted to be frugle! Now, hopefully Ken will teach me how to edge the lawn and then it will really look nice :)
Any other tips to be frugle that you have and would like to share are appreciated :)
4 comments:
Good job! I can understand you not wanting to do the coupon thing - it's a lot of work! But I commend you for mowing the lawn. I am do not like mowing the lawn!!! Good job being a helpful wife! My frugal tip - plan your meals before you shop. I try to do a monthly "meal menu" so I know what we're having for meals all month long, and then I mostly just buy what's necessary to make those meals (along with some great sales). It saves a lot to really know what you need before you get to the store!
Thanks Lacey! That's a great tip! We are currently working through MOST of what we have in our cupboards and freezer so that I can "start from scratch" on the whole thing. It is pretty liberating! And pretty fun to come up with new things. I will try to start planning the meals for the month so that I have the supplies on hand for several meals, rather than trying to figure out what we need, and not buy frivolously! Thanks again for the tip! Keep 'em coming ladies!
I try to make a lot of meals that will have leftovers for the next night. I know that some people don't like leftovers, but we don't mind them. Things like pasta, sloppy joes, soups & stews (in the colder months), etc. Lasagna is always a good one to last us a few days, as well as casseroles and spaghetti pie. I typically find myself doing them more in cooler months (we grill just about every chance we get in the hot months so that the oven isn't on and hot) but I try to plan every meal so that it has leftovers.
I agree with Andrea about the leftovers. I also try to make a double batch of some things (meatloaf, lasagna, some casseroles, etc.) and freeze the extras. I'm not sure if that saves money, but it definitely saves time in the long run! Here's a good blog post about frugality minus coupons (read the comments, too) - http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/07/lower-your-groc.html.
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