-
The HBHW Recommends
Small Frugal Tips That Add Up
Print This Post
A lot of small frugal things we do around here don’t seem to make a lot of difference at first. I often hear (and read) people comment “So What… you saved 10 cents, big deal”. But you know what, when you implement all these various small frugal tips and make them habits that you stick to week in and week out, they really add up.
Let’s say you start cooking your own beans instead of buying canned ones. And let’s low ball it and say you save on average 20 cents per can that you don’t buy on sale and use your own cooked beans instead. Let’s also assume that you use 3 cans of beans a week. That’s a $0.60 saving a week or $31.20 per year. Still not a huge amount of money, right?
But then you start to implement some more frugal living tips (I’ll share some of my favorites below). Some will save you a dollar a week, others like changing the type of meat you cook or replacing some meat dishes with things like beans and rice will easily translate into savings of a dollar a day.
Here’s a little made up example, just to show you how quickly all these little savings can add up.
Frugal Habit 1 - Saves $0.10 per day
Frugal Habit 2 - Saves $1.00 per day
Frugal Habit 3 - Saves $0.50 per day
Frugal Habit 4 - Saves $0.05 per day
Frugal Habit 5 - Saves $0.25 per day
Frugal Habit 6 - Saves $0.10 per day
Total Savings Per Day = $2.00
Total Savings Per Year = $730
Now things are really starting to add up and these are just minor things. Let’s look at a few frugal tips you can start implementing right away.
Tip # 1 - Skip The Convenience Foods
This one made a huge difference in our food budget. Once I got it and started cooking more from scratch instead of relying on pre-made and frozen meals, mixes and such, our grocery budget shrank by about $60 per week. That’s a $2 per day saving right there.
If you are working outside your home and usually go out for lunch, this can add up to some pretty big savings. I’m doing the math for you in that post. Take a look.
Here’s one of those tips that won’t add up to a lot of savings, but it’s so simple to implement, I encourage you to do it anyway. Plus as a bonus you’ll find some more simple little common-sense tips at the beginning of that post. They are always a great reminder for me.
These tips were originally part of the Frugal Challenge Monday I post on my blog every week. I would like to encourage you to stop by the blog each week to read the challenge and start implementing as many of them as you can into your own frugal lifestyle.
Come join me and over 200 other frugal-minded women in this new and exciting community. Share tips and recipes, learn new frugal skills and have fun with others just like you.
Come take a look and see what it's all about for just $1 for the first 7 days.
One member says: "It feels very comfortable here, a nice supportive community, kind of feels like putting on my sweats and curling up a comfy couch after a long day!".
Join us today at www.HillbillyHousewifeClub.com. We'd love to have you!
About this Post
|
Print This Post
Comments
4 Responses to “Small Frugal Tips That Add Up”
Leave a Reply
Website & Graphics by ccd
September 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
[...] Small Frugal Tips That Add Up [...]
September 11th, 2009 at 9:47 am
I was reading your “reuse water” and I thought I could help add to your frugality. Even that really dirty, not good for reusing dishwater would make your plants happy (indoor or outdoor). They like all those food bits. The soap keeps the bugs away and you don’t need to use any or as much commercial plant fertilizer. If it is really hot water you may want to let it cool a bit… though I have been known to dump it around the base of (not on) my outdoor plants. Thanks for letting me share!
October 14th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
My great-grandmother ALWAYS used all leftover liquids on her plants. She would use water, leftover juices from vegetables, old tea, coffee, etc. and pour it around her plants. She had the most beautiful roses I’ve ever seen. I continue this habit. Everything else except for meat and dairy goes into my compost. Waste not, Want not !
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I actually read an article that was titled “Suprising things you didn’t think you could compost” and it said you COULD compost milk. I’ve not done this as I don’t have a compost (I live in an upstairs apt.) but it might be worth a try, or at least looking into?