Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

[volcaniclastic]

I'm on a really tight budget for the next couple of months, and while I have been in this situation before, I've always treated it as being super broke, and thus, miserable. And I don't want to be absolutely miserable about it this time.

I thought this would be a good place for tips on frugalism, not just for me, but for everyone else, too.

How do you reduce your grocery bill? For instance, I spend about $300 on groceries on MYSELF ALONE when I've got the funds. I can't afford to keep doing that. Short of just eating ramen, I haven't really a clue how to spend less on food. *

What do you do when your friends want to go for lunch at the local restaurant? How do you satisfy your daily latte without spending $5 a day?

How do you get around things like shopping, keeping your car running, etc?

How do you treat being broke positively, and not act like a slug who can't get out of bed?




*Disclaimer: I live in northern Canada. I spent about $100 less when I lived in southern Canada (but then I ate out more, too).

[anunitu]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

Vol,having grown up very poor I learned a few things. cooking from scratch instead of buying pre made stuff can help. One thing my mom always did was beans,a LOT of beans. She was really good at making them taste good. Rice can be good too,you can do it so many ways. Make soup with a ham bone or chicken or turkey leftovers. Make stone soup,if you remember the story,everyone threw in a little something and all ate well. Maybe get friends to do a big cooking thing together. I am sure some friends also face being broke too. Growing up poor in my neighborhood we did that with everyone doing a big cooking thing,and that was good. My father once brought home several boxes of ribs(he was a cook) and the whole neighborhood ate good that week.

[Shawn Cameron]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

*sigh* my husband and I are going threw the same thing and as I only get payed while I'm in school three times a year its worse then the rest (and all the big things like car registration and inspection always seem to fall on one of those three times!)

Anyway here are some of the things we have been doing that help:
Eat soup. there have been tests that state that do to the semi liquid nature of soup it is able to keep you fuller longer. also it is a wonderful way to get a wide variety of food types and veggies into your diet, but for this case, you can make a massive pot of chicken and veggie soup that will last you a week for quite cheep. And you can get better ingredients for your soup without going spending too much extra.

If your friends are quite prone to going out to eat you can set aside money specifically for that from each paycheck and once that money is gone you apologize but decline their offer until the next pay day, and of cores when your at the restraunt, drink water, no appetizers (or get an appetizer for a meal which I really like) and the obvious of not eating the most expensive thing on the menu.

the latte... that's a hard one. do you drink a specific coffee type drink/latte from a specific place that you like or are you open to making your own coffee at home? its much cheaper and if your moving from buying a coffee everyday to making it at home you can afford to get the nicer coffee. other then that I would say just cut back to every other day or get a smaller size (if you don't already get the smallest size).

in my opinion shopping for anything but food is nice but unnecessary and keeping the car up and running is a constant struggle for us. the best way is to do you best to build up a decent savings and don't touch it for anything except the car or things that you NEED and really sit and evaluate for a moment what you need and what you want. (keep in mind that some wants are needs because they keep us from going into a depressive state of dangerous ugliness... which is why I still smoke cigars even though they are not cheep.)

lastly if you are the crafty type do some research as to what you can make at home versus buying (its not always cheaper to do this btw) and have some fun with it while getting the things you need at the same time.

being frugal in this day and age is ridiculously hard. between the rising prices and lowered pay, and the constant upgrades and updates for things (and the fact I swear they make things to break so we have to buy new ones...) the only last bit of advice I can give is to stay busy .. reading, talking on here working on a project (that doesn't require to many supplies... cross stitch is great for this) so that you fill your day doing satisfying things and aren't even tempted to spend on anything.

[wisp]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

Meat tends to be cheaper when you buy a lot of it at once, so that can be a way to cut back on groceries. I'll second making as much from scratch as possible and plan for leftovers. Spend a little extra to pick up herbs and spices and those can bring you a lot of variety to repetitive ingredients. So it's kind of like an investment.
DIY tutorials can be lifesavers, as someone else mentioned. They can get you cheap but delightful home decor, delicious recipes, and some awesome ways to salvage/update thrift shop finds. Check out things like stumbleupon and pinterest to find so much diy you won't even know what to do with it all.
You can totally make your own lattes. It works for both tea and coffee (and depending what type of tea you drink, you can get a bunch of flavours for it too.) Just microwave or heat up enough milk on the stove for about 1/4 of your cup/travel mug and make your tea/coffee a bit strong. Sweeten to taste. If you want variety, consider adding cocoa, cinnamon or vanilla. Or use coconut milk instead of actual milk.

[PsykhikosAnarchosNautikos]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

I used to live off a hundred dollars a month in food and some extra for beer (I lived in Portland, OR in a weekend punk venue, so it was a must). I bought a lot of onions, garlic, chocolate silk (a treat, honestly), sausage (or some other cheap meat), bread and whatever extra veggies and fruits I could afford (usually large bags of apples or oranges). It was bland, but I survived.

Like mentioned, reading kept me busy, and since you have the internet, you can explode your brain on search engines, youtube, forums, etc, to learn or just keep your mind out of the gutter. I prefer to exercise and play music when I am down and to avoid that gut wrenching 'life is killing me' I meditate frequently, contemplate existence and just do my best to have a positive attitude and look in myself for abundance (I know, cliched, but it helps after many, many years of constant reflection on how awesome you really are).

I think the biggest thing to remember when you get down is that Rolling Stones song where he sings "You don't always get what you want... but you get what you need!"

[Asrais]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

The best tip I think I have been given being frugal is plan your meals, make a shopping list and stick to it. If you buy meat, try to stretch it - a whole chicken, for instance, can make 3 dinners for 2 (two from the meat and one fro stock made from the bones)

I make my own laundry detergent and use vinegar and bicarb for household cleansers. in a pinch they can be used instead of shampoo and condtioner too.

I have reduced mt weekly shop for two to just over $100 from $250

[BigHat]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

ramen and eggs are a cheap meal. combining ramen (for filler) with eggs (protein) can be delicious if cooked right.
i usually crush a couple packages into rice sized flakes and boil it half way then put it in a frying pan and throw some eggs on there and stir them up until they're fully cooked. it kinda tastes like fried rice. that's about all i can think of. hope it helps lol.

[Bjorn]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

Being a gypsy for a while taught me an awful lot about how to pinch pennies.

1. Learn to do without. Yeah, I know that's really flippant, but you've got to learn what the difference between a treat and a necessity are. When I was broke and traveling with what I could carry on my back, I didn't have the funds for the things that I enjoy, like weed and alcohol and cigarettes and going out to see live music, etc. Instead, I spent my money on food and transportation and when the aforementioned treats came my way, I generally had enough money to throw at it because I HADN'T spent all my money on really really cheap beer or something. See?

2. Start a garden. $300 on groceries isn't going to be an option so you're going to have to modify your diet. Early weather crops should be ok up there this time of year (peas, spinach, radishes, carrots, potatoes, etc) and if you keep planting as soon as you harvest a row, you'll have a rotating crop of vegetables coming in that you won't have to spend money on at the grocery store. Then, as it gets warmer, add tomatoes, peppers, etc so that you can have a surplus and MAYBE can them. When it comes to buying less expensive things, I think groceries is where you'll be the least able to compromise, so I'd save your money for that, which leads me to my next point

3. Prioritize. At least figure out what you're not at all willing to scrimp on.

4. If you don't have one already, a DivaCup (green alternative to tampons) is about $50 or so and you'll never have to buy tampons again, thus saving you money every month. My friend has one and she likes it very much, though she did admit that it took a minute to get used to. She has been using it for years now at this point though, with no further complaints.

5. Rice milk does not have to be refrigerated as you store it, and I personally find it delicious. It's a good alternative to diary and it's cheaper out here than regular milk.

6. DEHYDRATE FOOD. If you know someone with a dehydrater then ask to get together every now and then. Show up with a bag of apples and you'll have delicious apple chips after a few hours. NOM NOM

7. Come visit me. It's very expensive but you'll fall in love with me and then all your problems will be solved. :*

[Denarius]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

Free is your friend, I don't know if this is true for your area but where I'm from there is always free stuff it's just a matter of finding it. Look for parties, or other events. "Oh, I'm a friend of John." or "I know Dave from college." Tends to get you into most places.

Keep an eye on places where people eat, if you're not squeamish you can scrounge a meal or two from their leavings.

Get to know people, especially people with marketable skills. Butchers, bakers, mechanics, clergymen, and police officers are worth the time and effort.

Buy in bulk when you can, and stock up on staples: Bread, lentils, oats, flour, oil, butter, salt, sugar, milk, and ground beef. As long as you have those, a meal is never out of the question.

Condiment packets, they're everywhere and people generally don't care if you snag a pocketful every now and then.

Learn your local edible plants and wildlife. Hunting can supplement your diet, but can be expensive. Trapping is cheaper, easier, and less time/resource consuming. Skinning and gutting a rabbit isn't fun, but it'll fill your belly.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

To address your specific questions:

How do you reduce your grocery bill? For instance, I spend about $300 on groceries on MYSELF ALONE when I've got the funds. I can't afford to keep doing that. Short of just eating ramen, I haven't really a clue how to spend less on food. *

I plan. I look at what I already have in the fridge that needs to get eaten, I look up recipes that go with those, and I buy everything else I need for that. I try to keep ingredients similar, so that I don't have to buy a ton of stuff. I keep a good stock of staples like rice and flour on hand so that I don't need to buy that all the time.

You can get these bags for produce that keep them from going bad. I find it stretches out the life of my produce by a week or so. It mattered more when I lived alone, but it still helps.

If anything is going bad, chuck it. It will make everything else in the fridge to bad faster.

You can use things like milk, butter, and eggs past their due date. I go by smell on those ones. The due date is really just a suggestion and not a total rule. Also, sour milk can be used in baking. It's fine.

What do you do when your friends want to go for lunch at the local restaurant? How do you satisfy your daily latte without spending $5 a day?

The first part is tricky. I'm pretty frank about my financial situation, so sometimes I just opt out of going. Sometimes i go but just order coffee, and eat at home. Or I'll go and order a plain garden salad. I do keep a "going out" budget, which I keep in cash in a jar. That's my money to go out for the month. When I'm out, sometimes I'll spend a bit more if I have the money, but usually I'll cut myself off.

The second part is simple...I make nice coffee at home. I have a cheapie milk frother, and I make my own "milchkaffee". You need about a quarter of the cup of milk, heat it in the microwave, and then top it off with the coffee. I snazz it up sometimes with cinnamon or homemade caramel syrup (which costs like 50 cents per bottle to make, if that).

How do you get around things like shopping, keeping your car running, etc?

Shopping? I don't really do it. I buy food, and the occasional other thing I need. If I have some extra cash and I really want something, I'll maybe go to a second hand shop or flea market. I love to download free ebooks online, and make things, as I have a real love of shiny new things, and this seems to satisfy the urge. I also go through my closet and makeup drawer and put new outfits together.

Driving? I guess I slide by on this one. I don't drive. I ride a bike most of the time, and sometimes take the subway. I guess this might be tougher if you're not in a big city. When I was still in Canada, I still biked a lot of places, and I took the bus to university when I went to UVic, but this was largely because we got a transit pass with our student cards and couldn't opt out, so I thought I'd use it.

How do you treat being broke positively, and not act like a slug who can't get out of bed?

I take it as a chance to be creative. I like making things, and it's amazing how much stuff you can repurpose. Sometimes going out and doing free things can be more fun than stuff you pay for. Last year, I had my birthday party in the park instead of at a restaurant. Everyone brought some snacks and drinks, and we played games and chatted. Everyone had a great time, and I can say with 100% honesty that it was the best birthday I've had in years (it even managed to be so when I was jet lagged and I got dumped the day before). If your friends want to go to a restaurant and it's nice out, suggest a picnic instead. You can also do things like host potlucks and movie nights, which are super cheap and really fun.

A couple of tips that I just thought of:

-TRADE. If you grow food or make things and you have surplus, trade it for what you need. Trade things you can do for things you need done, or for food. I've given friends homemade meals for helping me out around the house, and we often trade veggies.

-Grow potatoes. I think they should grow up north. They're the easiest thing to grow, and you don't need any money. I even grew some in large containers (I don't have an actual yard) and got a few in those. All you need is an old potato or two. Plant them, and watch them grow. When you see them start to flower, you can dig out the new potatoes, or leave them longer to mature.

[BigHat]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

also if one were so inclined to go dumpster diving, some food markets will throw out their out dated croissants, sandwich bread, or generally just all out dated packaged bread. and if it's packaged it probably won't hurt that it's swimming in a disease infested dumpster i would imagine...but sometimes there will be old discolored meat on top of it all which would kinda make fishing through it all suck.
i don't know if it's illegal to do that though so maybe do it at around 4 am or something and know your escapes because that would probably be embarassing to be caught stealing from a dumpster.
my suggestion may seem asinine but you never know when you might need a free piece of BREAD

[wisp]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

I'm going to second the diva cup thing.
Also, a delicious at home treat: Baker's chocolate and peanut butter. Melt them together in the microwave, add some sweetener of choice, maybe some vanilla if you have it. Pour it onto wax paper and refreeze it. Voila, chocolate bars for cheap! Sometimes a little bit of chocolate can make you feel rich for a few moments.

[anunitu]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

Ok salad dressing,VERY easy to make your own. French dressing:mayo,catchup.oil.and vinegar(use what is left in your mayo jar,and catchup bottle) add oil and vinegar thousand island add pickle relish to the french. Mainly start with mayo and oil and vinegar...Vinagreet I think is mainly oil and vinegar with what ever you want to add. This takes care of those mayo or catchup leftovers you usually throw out,and saves the price of pre made pricy stuff. eat a lot of salads and you save a lot.

[volcaniclastic]

[thalassa]

Re: Practicing Frugalism - Tips/Suggestions?

This doesn't really help with groceries too much, but, I don't buy anything disposable with the exception of toilet paper, and I shop at thrift stores for everything before I get it from a store. (I don't have to worry about the feminine hygiene thing, since I use Implanon for my BC and I haven't had a period for most of 4 years now.) I use washcloths instead of paper towels, I get paper bags from the grocery store since I always buy a bit more than I have reusable bags for and use them as trash bags, etc. I also buy stuff in bulk, and I DIY a lot of things like cleaners, etc...also bath and body stuff.

As far as not acting like a slug...sometimes you just have to force it. Sometimes you have to make yourself do stuff even if you don't want to and don't think you can. Sometimes you just have to pretend to be motivated and fake happy until you believe it....and often by then, things start to turn around and its not as difficult.