Are your dollars not stretching as far as they used to? Everyone has different reasons for wanting or needing to cut back. I thought I’d start sharing some frugal things that we do, in a monthly series, as a way to not only encourage myself to stay on tract, but maybe give someone with similar goals some ideas. Please feel free to share what frugal things you have been doing in the comments!
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-I got these two books for free combining the 20% off coupons that Barnes & Nobles sent me with BN gift certificates I got from the Viggle Rewards Program. Plus I got free shipping since we are B&N Members.
– Also got a free book for my Kindle with my Swagbucks gift certificates
-Lovely free bouquets of flowers from trimming my rose bushes
-My amazing daughter needed more RAM and a new video card for her desktop and watched a few youtube videos on how to install them and did so to her desk top computer. Then I needed some more RAM for my old desktop and she installed it in mine. Normally we would have gone to Best Buy and had them do it but – honestly- it’s so inexpensive to buy the parts elsewhere and install it yourself. You basically just pop these things out and in! So we saved quite a bit because she was willing to learn something new!
Every month I try a few new things to make myself. In April I made homemade dry onion soup mix (which I love btw – I will never buy the “L” brand again) & dry mix cream of whatever soup. We also made our own deodorant and so far it seems to work really well. There are a couple of recipes for making your own deodorant and some use more ingredients. This one is pretty simple:
5 Tbsp. of Coconut Oil
1/4 – 3/8 cup of Baking Soda
1/4 – 3/8 cup of Cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Your choice of essential oil – I used tea tree oil since I had that on hand from making liquid hand soap, but I think a lavender oil would be nice.
You can get the instructions for how to make it at Surviving The Stores
-My newspaper seedling pots have worked really well and I’ve already planted some in the garden.
-We made our own homemade healthy coconut candy – soooo delish!
It’s made with coconut oil, unsweetened coconut flakes and you make the chocolate topping from cocoa. It’s like a dark chocolate Mounds/Almond Joy bar – except minus the bad stuff. You can find the recipe and instructions here at the Nourishing Gourmet. My daughter wants to make some homemade healthy gummies – I’ll let you know how that turns out 🙂 !
Last year I bought a bunch of plants on clearance at the end of the growing season and re-landscaped one side of my house with them. I’ll take some pictures in a few weeks so you can see how pretty that’s looking (gotta pull some weeds first).
But I wanted to show you how beautiful my yellow climbing rose is now that it’s bloomed.
I got it at the same time as the other plants last year and planted it on one of the arbors going into the veggie garden (the other arbor has grapes growing on it). I had to coddle it through the heat of our Georgia summer and fall but it was so worth it!
We also did all our usual things like bake bread, I cut my husband’s hair, we’re still a one car family although we are looking for another car. We’ve been a one car family for almost 3 years now and that’s not easy living in a place where mass transit is practically non-existent! But we’ve made it work!
Have you made anything from scratch lately? What have you done to save money lately?
Your yellow roses are gorgeous! I’m still awaiting our first rose blooms, but it shouldn’t be long now. We’ve gone without the extra car as well. I haven’t had one since last October. My friends can’t believe it but it works out pretty well. Now that’s it’s warmer, I’ll be getting the bike ready for trips into town when I want to purchase a few things at the grocery store or go to the library. I’ll just toss it all into my bike basket.
Thanks! All the roses are blooming and the hydrangeas just started!
We just got sidewalks on the main roads about 7 years ago! When we first moved to Georgia from New Jersey the first thing I noticed was that there were no sidewalks – anywhere. People walked out in the road – if they walked. As a matter of fact, it was illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalks until last year! I don’t think they ever gave anyone a ticket for it but I just thought it was weird. They are so against mass transit here. “They” think there’s something wrong with you if you don’t have a car and they think mass transit will “bring criminals in” (because criminals obviously can’t afford a car). 🙂
Your roses are beautiful ! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Lots of good money saving ideas.
45 as I type and down to 38 tonight – sure hope I don’t lose any flowers over this crazy weather.
Enjoy your weekend.
That rose is beautiful! Well, I have made and am still making all of the curtains for my new home. I am in the midst of recovering lamp shades, with left over curtain fabric too.
I know – you’re amazing! I thought I would make some curtain for my office but now I’m thinking I might use some tablecloths and clips instead 🙂 We’ll see – I have some lovely yellow toile that I bought years ago to make curtains for my living room and never did – might use that. I could use some of your sewing skills!
Ack yellow toile! It sounds glorious! You could so do it Manuela! Just hem and clip!~
I know….every time I sew I have to get re-acquainted with my sewing machine since I don’t use it very often.
It is easy….just sew straight lines. I know you could do it! You are so very talented in all areas, it would be easy for you!
Those yellow roses are just gorgeous! I favor yellow roses because that’s what I used in my wedding. They have always been a favorite.
Judy
The yellow roses are so beautiful! We still have a ways to go to have roses! I just recently sewed some curtains for the dining room, I bake bread and we are working on turning an old buffet from craigslist ($75) into a vanity for the bath. We had sticker shock after looking at the junky pasteboardy ones at Home Depot. Seriously, I can’t believe the terrible price for the crummy quality. This is a solid wood piece with some character, just what I love!
As a Texan, I especially like your yellow rose (of Texas) bush.
Thank you for the soup ,is review.
We recently made a 300 mile each way road trip. I knew gas along the way would be cheapest at Walmart so I bought a prepaid card. To eat on the way, I packed homemade sausage biscuits that I heated just before we left and wrapped in foil, peeled oranges, bottled water and a thermos of coffee. It was so much nicer eating our real food instead of a fast food breakfast. Lots cheaper too
That is such a great tip! I really should do the same. Often we’re wandering around trying to find a semi-healthy place to eat!
Your coconut candy looks soooo good, Manuela! I love Mounds and Almond Joys, so I’m sure I’d love these. Your rose looks gorgeous! I have to get out and get a couple of rose bushes this coming week, before it gets too hot I’d like to get them in.
Gorgeous roses!
We have started some herbs and flowers from seed this year. We’ll see how it goes!
I really want to read The Handmade Year– will have to look for it at the library. Using the library is one of favorite frugal tricks.
My mom read Wheat Belly last year and has lost 25 lbs. By eliminating wheat it made a lot more room in her diet for fresh fruits and veggies.
Love seeing your flowers. We finally have tulips blooming and my lilacs should be blooming soon.
Money saved is money earned! Been working flat out in the garden as this is the season for sowing seeds,transplanting, propagating plants for joy and food for the family! We’ll more or less have most of our fruits & vegetables needs from our garden for the whole year!!
Manuela, I’m really looking forward to see more of your beautiful garden, because it always inspires me to do the same:)
Love your yellow roses! I’m going to have to try the homemade Mounds/Almond Joy recipe. My husband loves Mounds candy bars! 🙂
You’re always so inspiring, Manuela. You really commit to living frugally and have such great ideas. Thanks for these posts, my friend.
After reading the post and comments you have all inspired me to try harder to be more self sufficient. We have the time, we’ve just been down right lazy, no other excuse. We are trying to grow some tomatoes and peppers. Have to plant everything in pots as our ground has so much alcali it’s awful. Looks like snow on the ground all the time.
We have an older pickup but only use it to take the recyclables to the place in town or get pallets so we can make items to sell.
. Can’t afford gas for two vehicles let alone the insurance. We stay home most of the time so we can make a tank of gas last all month, like our grocery trip to Walmart when we get paid. (we both get our SS on same day). We have to live frugally, if we want to eat we has to give up several things we used to enjoy. The cost of everything has gone up so much and we’ve had month after month of 5 week months between paydays. Being on a fixed income is getting harder all the time. Luckily neither one of us has to have expensive meds. The only glitch for me was having skin cancer, having to pay for the specialist co-pay and extra meds for that, gas to go into town for appts.. That will be an ongoing problem as it could come back again and again. I’ve had to have many places on my face, arms, legs and chest area frozen for pre-cancer spots.
Hi JaneEllen,
Yes, the cost of things continues to rise and I’m sure will always rise. So we have to find ways to cut back in other areas or do things that will bring in some more money.
Planting in containers or raised beds is a good way to get around your soil situation! You can grow everything in a container. I’ve grown corn and potatoes – you just need the right size container.
I always say I have more time than money so I try to use my time at home wisely. I have a friend that has a great blog that you might like. She and her husband are on a fixed income too. http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/
well I was thinking about money until I saw your roses and then money flew right out of my mind. Gorgeous!!!!!! 🙂