The Frugal Mindset

 

Learning to be frugal with money by saving where you can so that you can spend where you want.  In my opinion, this is the foundation of being frugal.

A frugalista mindset focuses on what she/he needs, not trying make purchases based on what others have.  The major premise is to focus on needs.

Frugal spending habits is a good starting point to gain the mindset.  Remember that being frugal isn't being cheap . . . a positive attitude is key in anything you attempt to do.

Keeping a budget and sticking to it is very important.  Take your time to set your financial goals in order to develop a realistic budget.  A frugal mindset tracks expenses often as it relates to the budget.  I've developed a mindset of checking it every day, makes changes as necessary.  

Sometimes an emergency will make it necessary to update your budget.  It is not always easy.  But being frugal can make it easy to manage the emergency because you have probably saved money and hopefully put it in your savings to cover emergencies.  That one thing has saved me from a financial disaster when an emergency arises . . . I'm retired on a fixed income and saving money has become a major thing.

Your life situation will guide your mindset if you just give it lots of thought.  Just remember to make it about needs, not wants and save what is left over at the end of the month.

Replacing your washer or dryer

 

One of the things I do as a frugalista is research high dollar purchases.  Educate yourself on various features of the item and how they affect the cost to start off.  Know exactly what you want before going into the store and purchasing the item that has features you don't need.  If possible, familiarize yourself with the brand and compare store prices.

Unfortunately I am currently in the market for a new washing machine and have no idea what I actually want.  So I was very happy to come across the following article from Mary Hunt of Everyday Cheapsake that goes into everything you need to know before making the purchase of a washer or dryer.

Click here to go to the article and check out her blog while you are there.

Thoughts from a frugalista!

 

Frugal people understand the value of their money and don't indulge in unnecessary spending.

Being frugal is not being cheap.  A simple explanation is possessing an awareness of being over indulgent in spending.  Ask yourself "do I really need this?" before making purchases.

I'm a serious frugalista!  Read on for some of my thinking on being frugal.

In the past, I would overwork myself to make more money.  For what?  So I could purchase more stuff?  Currently, after a lifetime of overindulgence in my purchases, my house is stacked with way too much stuff that I should never have bought.  Now I have to get rid of the unnecessary stuff so I can live an orderly life and be comfortable in my surroundings.  

I often laugh at my former self for foolishly spending money instead of realizing that retirement and a fixed income was in my future.  What was I thinking?  Or was I thinking at all about my crazy spending?

One of the most important things I do to make it easy to stay frugal is to keep a budget and stick to it.  

My favorite way to overindulge and spend too much money is ordering meals from Door Dash rather than having to cook a meal for one that I really don't like to do.  If I didn't keep a budget and track my spending throughout the month, it would be so easy for me to overindulge in placing those orders.

Set financial goals!

Tracking my spending throughout the month keeps me living within my means.  I am aware of the fact that I am living on a fixed income through Social Security and have to stretch those dollars and leave enough at the end of the month to go toward my savings to cover emergencies.

Don't spend more on name brands . . . buy generic!  You'd be surprised at the difference in cost.  From what I have found in my research, most items are made at the same factory.  The only difference is the label and the cost.

I could go on and on!  I've gone through some rough financial times and try so hard to not go back.  There are so many little things I do that I will discuss in future posts.

A great article on how to be a beginning frugalista . . . click here.

How to Save on Your Electric Bill

 

My electricity bills went up drastically this year until my AC unit stopped working and was too expensive to fix.  That is when I realized how much it actually costs to have the luxury of air conditioning.

Anyway, I found an article that gives many tips on saving on your electricity bill.

Click here to go to the article.

Frugal Laundry Hacks

 

Cutting costs of everything has become a challenge lately!  I don't think we are alone . . .

One Good Thing by Jillee has an excellent article on frugal laundry hacks with some great tips.  Click here to go to the article.

Economical Castile Soap Uses

Lately we have been using artisan natural soaps and shampoo soaps that we love, but they are a bit pricey.

As a result, I've set out to educate myself on making my own concoctions and soaps.  It seems I keep hearing about castile soap for a wide array of  DIY projects that will hopefully save us lots of money.

When I ran across this article from One Good Thing by Jillee, I was amazed at all the practical uses for castile soap in my DIY endeavors.  Hopefully you will find one you like!

Trash Can Liner Trick

Save money by recycling those plastic grocery bags for your smaller trash cans.

I love the trick of putting an upside down hook to keep the bag from getting stuck in the can.

This trick comes from an awesome article "Why Didn't I Think of That" from the blog One Good Thing by Jillee.  Check out the article for many more great ideas!

Why you should have a well stocked pantry

The question to the why is, of course, to save money and stretch your budget to the limit.

The Captain and I are very blessed to have the privilege of having access to our local air force base commissary.  We always shop the seasonal case lot sales, take advantage of monthly sales and plan for our purchases with their listings of sales on the internet.  

Last year we bought a case of Kraft Mayonnaise that cost us 75 cents per bottle. Big savings and we didn't have to worry about buying mayo for over a year. 

My favorite case lot sale included Pepsi products that equated to a 2 liter bottle of soda for 35 cents each. We stocked up with massive quantity buys since we go through a fortune in Pepsi products.  Yes, we saved a ton of money on that one sale.

Although I have not been a member of Sam's Club type of store, I am sure similar savings can be found if you take the time to find those bargains.  Make sure those big purchases are for items you often use and won't just sit there in the pantry.

Click here for a well written, informative article titled "Why to Have a Well-Stocked Pantry."

7 Weird Ways to Save $4000/Year

Yep, it says weird ways to save money.  It doesn't involve making any cuts or changes to your current budget and savings methods.  Having said that, making little changes to our spending habits along with doing some of the weird little things that may seem insignificant, we can have extra money to either save for something special or stretch the monthly budget to a comfortable level.  It all adds up!

The Captain and I have utilized weird ways of making a little extra money, like using Bing to do searches and get paid in Amazon gift cards.  We accumulate the gift cards until we have enough for a purchase we have set as a goal.  While it didn't put money in our pockets, we were able to purchase a little treat just for doing searches on the internet.

We also use Google AdSense on all of our blogs to make actual money.  Check it out if you haven't already.

Filling out surveys and watching videos is another way to make money on the internet for those who have the time to dig in and do those things.  We have done those too and were paid in Amazon gift cards.

Rewards points from charge cards can certainly add up.  We are awaiting our first $50 Red Lobster gift card just for using our charge card.  Of course we have come up with a plan to just filter all the expenses through the card and pay the card immediately so we don't accumulate a balance . . . just valuable points.

I could go on and on with little things you can do, but you get the idea.  Think outside the box!  Click here for those 7 weird says to save $4000/year.

Homemade Deodorizing Disks

Being a fabulous frugalista sometimes means making your own stuff.  Actually, I prefer homemade items for cleaning since I control what goes into it.  No more toxic fumes and burnt, stuffy nose from my old method of using bleach and other harsh chemicals for just about everything.

Let's face it, cleaning items are expensive!  It doesn't matter how many coupons you gather up, it adds up quickly . . . unless you have a free coupon.

You probably already have the simple ingredients in this recipe for deodorizing disks . . .

2 cups baking soda

1 – 2 cups distilled water (or you can boil your water for 10 minutes.)

Lavender essential oil (or whatever oil you choose. Citrus would be good too!)

Silicone mold or muffin pan

Click here for the tutorial from one of my favorite blogs . . . One Good Thing by Jillee.

Kitchen Stuff on Sale Now

Stock up on these following items

 while the stores have too much

 inventory left from the holidays!

It happens every year . . .

1. Fruit & Citrus: These items are usually heavily stocked, intended as holiday gifts.  If you can't use them right away, citrus can be juiced, pureed or even frozen (most fruits can be frozen).  Plan your menu around these items while they can be purchased for a fraction of their original price!

2. Baking Supplies:  Look for discounts on flour, sugar, baking soda (which can also be used for your cleaning needs) . . . Basic staples are stocked in large quantities for holiday baking.

3. Pie Crusts & Phyllo Dough:  Take advantage of discount prices . . . same as baking supplies!  Grocery stores buy these items in bulk for holiday baking. Stock up!  Don't forget you can freeze pies :)

4. Cookie Cutters & Icing Supplies:  You will find inexpensive cookie cutters and icing tips at discount prices, although the inventory could be picked over . . . you never know!

5. Yogurts:   We tend to make our resolutions to lose weight in January, so it is logical that yogurt and other assorted "healthy" items will be purchased in large quantities by the stores and sold at a discount.  Just stick a popsicle stick in the top of yogurt you anticipate will not be used by the expiration date and pop them in the freezer for some handy healthy treats.

6. Sponges & Cleaning Supplies: You can count on deals for pricier specialized items like hand brooms or single sponges that might otherwise be over your budget.

7. Cookie Mix-Ins: Just when you made your resolution to lose weight, you will be tempted by the deep discounts on items like wrapped caramels, chocolate chips, marshmallows, chocolate bars, candies, nuts, dried fruits, sprinkles and other assorted cookie items for the next several weeks.

8. Winter Alcohol Packs: Beer, wine, hard liquors and gift sets are sold at reduced prices this time of year . . . stock up for that Super Bowl party! 

9. Super Bowl Foods:  Time for the start of the big push for party items like soda, chips, crackers and cheeses.  

10. Festive Beverages & Mix-Ins: Be on the lookout for holiday items like gingerbread and peppermint teas, holiday coffee creamer and flavorings . . . big markdowns on these items this time of year!

Happy Frugal Shopping!