The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Proverbs 31:11
Are things tight budget-wise for you?
I know things have become a lot tighter for my family as my hubby switched to a lower paying job position so that he could be able to attend all our church services and activities. It’s been worth the sacrifice, but we have to be very frugal.
Here’s 8 frugal tips to implement:
Food – Where to Cut?
Perhaps one of the greatest chunks of household income goes to buying groceries. Keep the following things in mind as you give your food budget an overhaul…
1. Eat out less. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks, eating out can eat your budget. Pack lunches and snacks, and cook in instead of eating dinner out. Really, pre-planning makes cooking at home much easier!
2. Focus on fresh produce, dried beans, potatoes and bulk whole grains (such as brown rice) when you go to the grocery. Not only is this healthier; it’s a big savings if you replace expensive meats and prepared/packaged foods with these items.
3. Skip the chips and other snack foods. It may seem affordable and cheap to get a bag of potato chips for $2, but you can often get many fresh, raw potatoes for the same $2 (think oven baked fries). The same is true for cakes, cookies, and ice cream. You can make your own for much less, or simply cut out some of the unhealthy snacks altogether.
4. Cut down on drinks. Prepared iced tea, chocolate milk, juice, soft drinks, and so forth can really add up. Make your own iced tea for pennies, and try cutting your juice by mixing it with half water. Soft drinks can be cut out gradually. When you do buy drinks, put them in reusable drink bottles rather than spending money on individual drink boxes or containers.
5. Use coupons (be careful not to splurge trying out new products — use coupons for products you currently use.) Coupons are a great way to cut back on food, too, although you are not likely to find a lot of coupons for produce and whole grains. But for those items that you do buy pre-prepared, coupons can help.
Other Ways to Save Money
6. Make your own household cleaners (see homemade cleaning recipe resources below) to save money. There are all kinds of recipes online. You can even make your own laundry soap. Hint: you’ll need a lot of baking soda and white vinegar to start!
8. Shop at second-hand for clothing and household items. Second-hand stores, yard sales are great money-savers for clothing and household items, like placemats, throw rugs, and shower curtains…and even kitchen utensils and other gadgets.
(7 More) Frugal Living Tips:
Make Your own Household Cleaners – Recipes from the web…
www.tipjunkie.com5/4/12
How to make homemade remedies for kitchen, natural cleaning the bathroom, flooring homemade cleaning recipes, cleaning solutions with vinegar, natural household cleaners, homemade laundry detergent recipes and even homemade …
25 Best Natural Cleaner Recipes
www.remodelaholic.com2/25/13
Want to try some natural cleaner recipes? Try these 25 natural cleaner recipes, all ready at your fingertips for your all household needs!
An Old Soul Incognito: Household Cleaning Recipes
oldsoulincognito.blogspot.com2/3/13
Received a few recipes today that I’d like to share with you all. The first comes from my cousin Amy H. She makes homemade toothpaste for her family, and sent me the recipe for it. She says it stores well in up-cycled hand ..
