Frugal living shares tips and ideas that will hopefully help you run a more productive household, and minimize on unnecessary waste. My mum all the time used to say, "Waste not, want not", and I think with the way the economy is going at the moment, this is as true today as it was in the past. Frugality is about changing your lifestyle, because if you do not change how you live, you will not save anything. We categorically need to tighten our belts and save where we can. It categorically is not that difficult, but you need to know the incompatibility in the middle of living frugally and being a 'cheapskate', and a miser. That is not what I want to propose, because at the end of the day we need to enjoy life too. What we can do, however, is to be truthful with resources and learn how not to waste. We are a consumer driven community and puppets of the advertising corporations telling us what we should be buying next. In order to be prudent one has to look at what one wants and what one needs, and to know the difference. In the end it becomes fun and intriguing to see how clever you are at prudent living and creative in being able to save money. So here are some prudent tips for you:
Frugal Tips For The Garden:
Non Toxic Ant Killer Recipe
Frugal Living and making your Own Compost
The most definite recovery for gardeners and homesteaders alike, is of course your household waste from your egg shells, vegetable scraps, newspaper and the like. Here is an ideal chance to be prudent make your own garden compost using what you have used in a recycling process that goes back to nourishing nature using nature. You can make compost in just 4 months with very limited fuss at all. If you are concerned in this area, I have written an article on this branch that is also with EzineArticles.
Frugal Living and Growing your Own
Another prudent tip is growing your own plants from seeds, which is a lot of fun, and very much economy than buying instant plants and vegetables for your garden. Growing these, especially herbs and cress in a attractive box can be a lovely cheap gift for friends and family. Growing sprouts is a great past time for children and as they have grown them, they will be more eager to eat them in their salads and sandwiches. And you do not all the time have to buy seed from seed suppliers. The next time you have a great tasting tomatoes take one and dry it out and save the seed. Save seeds from rock melons, papayas, green peppers etc. And plant them out when the season it right. As long as they are kept in an air-tight box after completely being dried out, they will be fine.
Growing your own therefore also refers to growing your own vegetables. You can be totally self-sufficient on an acre of ground. And if you live in an apartment, grow vegetables and herbs on your windowsill, or generate a box garden. If you have a rooftop, generate a box garden there. If you live in the Uk owning an allotment of about 150 - 200 sqm is a way of life for many, and allotments are cheap enough to secure from the council and the land will allow you to grow your vegetables, fruit and herbs on ground that you did not have before. By growing your own, suddenly prudent living also becomes a healthier alternative lifestyle. You will eat great and get more exercise!
Frugal Living and Using Vinegar as a Herbicide, Insecticide and Pesticide
What about a natural herbicide and pesticide, that costs next to nothing? Do you have a rabbit problem, or too many slugs and snails eating your lettuce? Or are you being invaded by ants? Or perhaps you have grass growing in in the middle of those pavers and your categorically don't want to use Roundup or something similar. Well have you belief about using vinegar? Using vinegar is a great prudent tip as you will be amazed just how many uses it has, and we all know how cheap it is, therefore a far economy formula to use, and eco-friendly too. The full article is again with Ezine Articles on this subject.
Frugal Tips For Shopping:
Frugal Living and Buying Bulk when you Can
Saving money starts in the kitchen and when you go shopping. Buy bulk where you can, and make sure that when you get home you divide this bulk buying into smaller packages and make sure that you have permissible storage. Buying bulk meat for example is great if you have a big chest deep-freeze. Buying a whole lamb at your butchers and a hind-quarter may be costly when you first buy it, but it will be a lot economy for you in the long run. If your butcher is any good, not only will he cut it and pack it agreeing to the numbers of house members for portions, but he will also label it for you too, so that you do not end up with 'mystery meat'. However, too much red is not good for you, so your meat meals should be interchanged with fish, chicken and a meatless dish once a week. In that way, your meat will last longer and your health will be great for it.
Frugal Living and Cooking and Baking it Yourself
As a working mum myself, I know that it is a struggle to find things to feed the family. But do a reality check the next time you shop. Are you buying tv dinners and pre-cooked meals or do you make your own from scratch? Do you buy packets of biscuits or do you make your own? Do you buy shredded vegetables and pre-made up salads? Buying convenience food like this, all comes with a price. If you are serious about recovery money, make your own meals, biscuits and buy a cheap food processor to slice and dice those onions etc. I am a lazy cook, and if you have a look at my recipes, you will find a lot of quick and easy recipes for all occasions that you will knock up in a jiffy.
And it not just the pre-prepared meals but what you are throwing in your trolley that you should be seeing at. How many bags of crisps, fizzy drinks, chocolates, sweets and other rubbish is going into the trolley that will send any child who is borderline Add& H totally off into swinging from the light bulbs and hanging from the fans. The diet that you have your children on affects them, and buy buying loads of fruit and vegetables and staying away from foods packed with preservatives, tartrazine and other horrible beasties will not only be economy on the pocket, but you will notice a primary improvement in your children's behaviour if they do suffer from Add & H. So avoid impulsive shopping, buy only what you need, creating a list is good for this if you find you are undisciplined, and check and assess brand prices. Regularly shop fitters place the more costly grocery brands at eye-level. The economy brands are on the lower shelved. Look there first.
Frugal Living by visiting Farmers' Markets & Farm Shops
Farmers' Markets and Farm Shops are great places to visit for your cheap fruit and vegetables. You know that you will be getting quality furnish at a fraction of the cost and because its fresh it will last longer in your fridge if it is stored correctly. Farmers' Markets are also places to ferret colse to for those limited arts and crafts, jams and preserves that make cheap but intriguing gifts for later on.
Frugal Living about Eating Out & Take Outs
This brings me to another connected issue, eating out. It's fun to eat out, and we all love doing it, but how much money are you throwing away? Going out to clubs, bars, restaurants and take-aways on a regular basis all costs money. prudent living does not have space for inordinate eating out. You should limit these outings to once a month. By doing this, not only will you save, but you will categorically appreciate times you do go out more, rather than taking them for granted.
Frugal Tips For The House:
Frugal Living and Cleaning your Kitchen with Vinegar
So, I'm back to vinegar again, and before you think I have a total fixation, I do not, but categorically it is a great limited substitute as a cheap cleaning goods and a must-have if you want to be prudent because it has so many good uses. Half a cup of vinegar added to your soapy dishwater will cut straight through the greasy pots and dishes, recovery you on the estimate of soap you would have needed. 2 teaspoons of vinegar added to your dishwashing cycle, instead of Rinse Aid and the like, will do the job just as well. seeing to clean those mirrors and windows in your house? Mix one half teaspoon of liquid soap, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 cups of water. Keep in a spray box and start cleaning those windows! And by the way, you do not need costly cleaning cloths for cleaning windows and mirrors. Scrunch up some newspaper and use that, it gives a far great result. Finally if you have a clogged drain, take a quarter of a cup of baking soda and pour it into your drain. Supervene that up with a half cup of vinegar. Let it fizz and then Supervene straight through with boiling water. It should do the trick.
Frugal Tips For Gifts:
Frugal Living: Card and Gifts
We all know how costly Xmas time is and those house birthdays can be a killer. Commercial cards are exorbitant and at the end of the day will probably end up in the bin. Have you belief about making your own? For a fraction of the price you can download free software that allows you to generate your own card that can be personalized for the occasion. And will be far more meaningful. Secondly, if you are good with your hands, generate a card using dried grasses and pressed flowers glued onto card. Thirdly, if you like creating cross-stitch pictures, make a small sampler, paste it into a card border and write your message in your card. I have had several of these given to me, and have ended up framed and on display, rather than in the bin, where the Commercial card would have gone.
So if you have made the card, what about making a gift? You don't have to be artistic to do something clever. Put a basket together of goodies and ring the changes. You could generate a basket of bubble soap, candles, lotions and potions, or a themed basket for an Italian or Mexican meal. If you are a good baker and cook citizen appreciate homemade biscuits, jams pickles, preserves and sweets because it tells citizen that you care. At Xmas time you can spend a limited more putting a incorporate of luxury food items in a basket, but still end up spending a lot less than you would have done. Cover the basket with cellophane and top it off with either raffia string or a bow. Those sorts of things you can find very cheaply at those shops. A final gift idea is to buy some visible paper and using your favourite house photos make a personalized calendar for house members who perhaps don't see you as often as they should. You can put all the birthdays down and other extra events for your calendar.
Frugal Tips For Bookworms:
Frugal Living and Using your Library
I have to confess that I love my books and tend to spend more money than I should. However, I have an excuse in that where I live there is no group library. However, if you have entrance to a library and you love spending money on books, magazines and Cds join your local library and visit it once a week to read your book and magazines without having to pay for them. If you have a lot of novels and books at home that you have not read for a while, and probably are not likely too either, find a book-exchange shop and either sell your books to them or replacement your books for others.
Frugal Tips For Gamblers:
Frugal Living and Weaning yourself off Gambling
More money is wasted in households on gambling then any other thing. Gambling only leaves the bookies rich and the Casino bosses gloating. These are the only true winners. Yes, occasionally you may get lucky, but how much have you spent to get there? It is only a million-to-one chance that you will charge it big. As a gambler you would know that the odds are categorically too high. Take that money and rather spend it in land and property which will all the time appreciate, especially in the middle of 5 - 10 years when you should see your venture either duplicate or triple in value over that time period.
Frugal Tips For prudent Living:
Frugal Living and learning to Budget
Learning to funds means that you have to live within your means, and that does not mean that when you have blown your funds for the month you bring out the credit card. If you have a credit card, cut it up. You don't need it. Start with what you earn and do the math. How much are you spending and where can your economize? You will all the time find ways of spending less if you are driven and committed to do so. Yes, there is all the time the unexpected expenses, and that is where so many citizen fall foul, because they don't anticipate these. They are so stretched financially every month, basically because they are living above their means, that when an unexpected cost occurs, the only way out is to bring out the credit card. This is a sure slide into financial hell. When you have your wages the ratio for spending it on housing should ideally be a quarter, and absolutely no more than a third. If you are spending more than that, you are already way over your head. Start modest and live comfortably. Life is stressful enough without having to worry about finances as well. If you have read these prudent tips and take some on board, your finances should see a difference. Remember, if you are serious about prudent living, if you look after the pennies, the pounds will take care of themselves.
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