Frugal Living
If you find yourself here then great! My family and I have made a commitment to live within our means…it’s not easy but I am hoping our experience can help others on the path to feeling more financially stable. The concept of frugal living to me is defined as a full belly without having an empty wallet. We don’t live cheap…living cheap means eating 10 cent noodles and hoping you don’t die of dysentery. My family is lucky and we don’t have any food requirements (i.e. gluten free, vegan, ect.). So this is the stuff that works for us. Also I do not coupon, I used to, but once the extremist ruined it..it just became easier to shop sales. If you want an extreme couponing site that isn’t what you will find. In fact our grocery store trips are very few and far between. We try to limit our trips and rarely eat out. We spent 2 years working toward our “out of pantry” eating goal. So here are the steps we used/use. Good luck!
1. Invest in a deep freezer.
For $200-300 they may seem like a huge out of pocket expense in the beginning but in the long run it will pay for itself over and over. You want to make sure you have a logical place for it. You don’t want to place it in a hot garage where it can burn out after a few years. We keep ours in our basement where the temperature is more stable. If you are a busy family and want to be able to just pull something out for dinner instead of a frantic trip to the store this is a huge step in that. Freezer meals, and food preservation is beyond a blessing if you can make the commitment! To really live the frugal life a tiny freezer attached to your fridge isn’t much storage for much of anything.
2. Make friends with a farmer.
If you really want to save money, and know where your food comes from this is 100% the way to go. Sometimes you will spend a little extra for farm fresh..but in frugal life you should never sacrifice quality for quantity. And sometimes the longevity of being a customer can pay off in unexpected ways. And I know lots of working farms who are always open to barter. So if you have a trade skill such as carpentry, plumbing, construction or just time to offer to help out you can save money there. Bulk or monthly meats are a fantastic way to save, and once you try farm fresh cuts you will have a hard time going back to grocery store water and food coloring injected meats.
3. Find a food co-op.
As far as produce and people this has been my favorite part of frugal living. It can be work, unloading trucks, stuffing baskets, quality checking produce…but the monetary savings and the social aspect of co-op have been a wonderful addition to our life. Our family goes through Bountiful Baskets. For $15 (plus $5 delivery/handling) you can get a lovely assortment of produce that is great quality and will inspire you to try new recipes! Some *cough* idiots argue that things are under ripe…I know. But if you want fresh..this is as fresh as it gets! Heaven forbid in our instant gratification society we can’t wait a day or two for things. *sigh*
Bountiful Baskets isn’t the lone wolf out there. In our area we are blessed with an abundance of option of co-ops and community gardens. If you spend 5 minutes on google you can most definitely find one that suits your family’s needs/wants.
4. Stop eating out.
I know it seems daunting. But this is the hugest money drain. And you are overpaying for things you could make for yourself with a little effort. It may not work for everyone. But since we started our frugal living eating out at restaurants is now a special thing again. Our kids are better behaved because they know this isn’t an everyday event. And seriously involving the whole family in meal planning can curb a lot of fights with little kids.
5. Stock your pantry.
This can be expensive. But it is worth it. Dry goods and canned goods last a very long time so once you get your pantry fortified you can easily just grab and go! Pasta and rice are staples for us. We also keep cooking soups on hand. If you shop sales 10 for $10 and whatnot can really help out. And we started canning our own pasta sauces, salsa, and other fruits and veggies. This can be a gigantic savings if you put in the effort. Canning is a family tradition and a life skill I really believe everyone should have.
6. Make it from scratch.
This is a tough one if you aren’t into spending a lot of time in your kitchen. My husband and I have spent years working towards the goal of having a quality kitchen. A kitchen aid stand mixer, a giant food processor, butcher block island, durable lifetime warranty cookware and knives, and an amazing double oven (lovingly given by my parents for an anniversary gift). Our kitchen is the lifeblood of our family. It’s where we come together, catch up and let loose. We love to cook. So for us this is probably the easiest step. Buying a 25lb bag of flour a month is entirely normal for us. Really I started small. If you make one new dish (or pinterest pin) a week you can be well on your way.
Below are some helpful links to get you started!
Something Barrett 
Jun 10, 2014 @ 10:13:35
You rock, my darling!