Friday, September 26, 2008

Living Frugally

Ok, in light of the job thing, I'm continuing to search for ways to save money/make money on the side/live more frugally and still be able to stay home and be with my kids and keep my house clean and be a typical Domestic Engineer.

Here are the things I'm doing currently:

  1. We've stopped eating out. If we feel like pizza, I make it from scratch. Everything else is stuff you can make at home anyway. Not only is this saving us money, it's way healthier.
  2. I bought my sewing machine. I plan to sew my own diapers for the future babe. We will still use disposable on occasion but they will not be our sole form of diaper which will save us money in the end. Also, I plan to mend clothing as well as make some items if I can...things like pj's and aprons for myself.
  3. Speaking of aprons, I am hoping to start making my own bread. We'll see how that goes but it's SO expensive to buy it in the store. 2.29 a loaf yesterday.
  4. I've stopped taking Jer to work so I can have the van as often as I was. This saves gas and keeps me at home baking, cooking and cleaning.
  5. I'm making a lot of Christmas presents this year. I am purchasing Cross Stitch kits on ebay for super cheap and I will personalize a lot of the stuff I make. I am planning on making cookies and chocolate and caramel covered apples to give out as well.
  6. I'm scaling back how much I buy for the boys for Christmas this year as well. They have more toys than they can play with as it is. I will buy them each a board game and possibly a video game and then clothing and a few little things from the dollarstore.
  7. I'm researching my options on our cable and cell phones as well to see if we can save there. We currently have the movie channels on our cable and we do use them often. We don't go out, we don't drink, we don't smoke or do drugs so really, cable is our form of entertainment and having the movie channels is way cheaper than renting the amount of movies we watch.
  8. I'm clipping coupons. It doesn't save tons but every little bit helps!

So, what do you do to save money? Is there anything I'm missing?

3 comments:

This Guy said...

Well, to save money, I used to go over to your house and eat, but I know what kind of cook you are, so I'm just gonna go get some groceries... HAHA Just kidding, I still want some cookies tho...

To save money I: Definatly dont eat out, leave my bank card at home (so tempting to spend) and stay clear of the LCBO!! Those 23 dollar bottles of Pino Gregio drain my bank account quick! lol

Ruth said...

We are getting rid of having a land line for the phone to save $$ since we got cell phones a month ago. Seems like you have a good plan in place of many ways to save $$. Good luck with ttc. I hope your LP lengthens.

Anonymous said...

Great info. here.
I'm all about living cheaply.
Tops is to find the best, most inexpensive place to live...one of the main reasons I'm always moving.

I invested in a bread machine and it's paid for itself a million times. It's cheaper to make it yourself, plus you know exactly what your kids are eating. No added crap.
Also muffins and cookies from scratch are cheap! cheap! cheap! to make, are healthy nutrious and perfect for kid's lunches.
While grocery shopping, buy locally grown fruits & veggies - the less distance they have to travel, the less they cost.
Buy flour and sugar instead of a cake mix...stuff like that. Goes a long way.
Brown rice, lentils, beans, legumes!! Super-healthy, super-cheap! Packed with protein, and vitamins, you can make burgers, soups, stews....just about anything with this stuff.
Another big one - turn off lights and appliances when they're not in use!! Hydro is going through the roof!
And YES - the gas prices are crazy and soaring. I'm back to walking anywhere I can. Healthier too!