Frugal Idea Part 3 of 3

1)Pack snacks for when you are out.



2)Instead of a full haircut for my daughter we just ask for a trim of her bangs and they charge less. (She is trying to grow her hair out) And then every couple of month we will have a full trim. I am hopeless when it comes to cutting hair. I leave it up to the professional but you could buy hair clippers and do it yourself to save money.



3)Teach your kids to shop the sales! I am also trying to teach the value of money at an early age. She pays for her own items at yard sales.


4)I also think twice about how I plan trips and if what I am going for worth it or if it can wait till I am on my way back home from work or other trip to not waste gas.

5)I bicycle instead of drive when go to the local store if I do not have a trip planned with the car. This way I get exercise and help the environment. I have a trailer for the bike to pack the items in and can take the kids with me.

6)We compost everything which can does go into it. Tea bags, egg shells, vegetable waste and etc.

7)If your bank offers a Holiday Club Savings its a great way to save thru out the year for xmas shopping and you won't use credit.

8)Track what you are spending it makes you more aware of that goes out. I use Quicken. There are some free software that helps.

9)I usually buy a stock of kids toys and art supplies for my daughter to give to the birthday kids for the many parties she goes to. If I see a art kit and supplies on sale I will stock up. I only buy during clearance time keep a list of items so you know who you already have a gift for xmas and birthdays at least for those that you can shop ahead. End of the season clearance time is also a way to keep the budget down on kid’s clothes when you know next winter they need a bigger coat.

10)Buy in bulk when on sale even meat Suggest to buy 1/4, 1/2, or whole animal if you have the freezer space. My father is a rancher and has sold a few this way. They will even do an exchange. A neighbor sells hogs and will exchange pork for beef.

Frugal Idea Part 2 of 3

1) Shop garage/yard sales and thrift shops.

2)Check out some swap type of websites. I found one for books and keep my cost of buying books down.

3)I have given up my magazine and go to the library to read them. I take a notebook along to write down any information I might want to look up later online.


4)We have given up the newspaper. We read the paper online and print only the coupon we need online now.


5)We pay for daughter activities in one lump sum. Check to see if they give discounts for paying in one lump sum. This fall our daughter school will be giving a 2 1/2% discount if paid in full in September. Not much but every little bit counts.


6)Recycle as much as possible. We were able to reduce our trash service due to the small amount of trash we generate.


7)I clean the house and sell unwanted items on garage/yard sale twice a year. Fall and spring.

8)All are cars are paid for. Since we are both engineers and have worked on cars. Our vehicles are salvage. We have had really good luck and know what to look for.


9)Check your area for a freecycle. We have three in our area. They have a post of things to keep out of the trash.


10)Shop around for ALL kinds of services. This includes trash service, Internet, phone, newspaper, TV, etc.

Frugal Idea Part 1 of 3

1)Pay off your credit card each month.

2)Avoid impulse buying.

3)Pay off the balance on the credit card balance on a monthly basis

4)Know your budget (I know that our checking is always low during the month of March due to taxes are due April 1st).

5)Clip coupons and follow some other people blogs they have done the research on where the best buys are!

6)Find other to do clothing swap with! We were able to convince our private school to have a clothing swap this year!

7)Shop yearly for insurances. I have not changes our auto or house for years but still shop around to see if I can get a better rate.

8)Grow a small garden or see if there is a community garden. This has helped with the groceries cost. We also grow fruit trees in our backyard. I know this can be done in the Midwest. Growing up we had apple trees, cherry trees, plums and grapes.


9)Put a small amount away in an emergency fund so not have to use credit cards. The thought out there is a 6 month reserve. We have a year reserve.


10)Pay off the house as early as possible. We placed a little extra down on our house payment and now we are mortgage free. This always me the ability to not work.

GF Items which works for me

These items are the ones I like so far.

Trader Joe's GF Brownies
365 GF Corn Bread & Muffins

Creating this to track GF and Frugal

I have created this log to track and hep myself with frugal and gluten free life.