thriftiness

Savvy Shopper’s Guidelines (Thrifty Thursday)

May 17, 2012

We’re having lots of fun with our sisters here… and of course staying up way too late. The time has flown by so quickly, but we’ve fit a lot in… including a fun trip to the thrift store in which we all found something we loved. Yay!

Like many a thrifty mama, yard sales and thrift stores are among my favorite places to shop. I like casting my money vote for the thrifty choice. Even more than that, I like to help minimize consumer waste by reusing perfectly good items.

However, when you’re bombarded with good deals on every side, it’s all the more important to follow good shopping guidelines. Otherwise it’s easy to succumb to the “Look! I’m not exactly sure what this is for, but it’s only 10¢!” pitfall.

photo credit

Know what you already have before shopping. By sorting through the clothes, shoes, and other items you already own before shopping, you avoid adding ten new shirts to an already large collection or passing by a pair of cute shoes because you forgot that you needed them.
Make a list of needs. I am a minimalist at heart, so my children’s and my wardrobes are simple. (Honestly, does any kid actually wear 20 church outfits in one season anyway?) I made a barebones clothing list which makes it easy to see what items we really need.
Make a list of wants. Know the difference between the lists!
Remember upcoming birthdays. Sometimes, you just might find a brand-new gift for a fraction of the retail price.
Stick to a budget. Even dollars and quarters add up.
Have a target price per purchase. Ideally, I’d like to pay no more than 50¢ per item of kid’s clothes or $2 per pair of shoes.
Just because it’s a good deal, doesn’t mean you should by it. Even if an item is only 25¢, if it’s just going to clutter your home, it’s a wasted 25¢. Leave it for someone else who could really use it!

What about you? What are your shopping guidelines?

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(Grab code for the button from the sidebar)And now, Jenn (from The Purposeful Mom) and I would love to have you join us for our weekly Thrifty Thursday Blog Hop!

Posts about living frugally, thrifty tips and tricks, money-saving DIY projects and gardening, frugal recipes, and encouraging posts on financial stewardship are all welcome. Link up to either of our blogs–your post will be displayed in both places.

We’d be very grateful if you’d share only thrifty-themed posts. (Read full guidelines here)

Tagged with: shopping • thriftiness

Think Like Great-Grandma (Thrifty Thursday)

May 3, 2012

Yesterday morning, when I went to “fluff up” a few line-dried clothes, the dryer made a weird whining sound and refused to turn on.

We bought our dryer used almost six years ago and we’ve had it on our covered back porch for nearly four. It wasn’t terribly shocking that it decided to give us troubles. Immediately I began to wonder if we could make it until our move to purchase a replacement.

I like hanging out clothes and generally hang out the big stuff anyway. I’m sure we could manage, I thought, besides, there’s a laundromat right down the road if we really need a dryer.

Then I laughed. Here I was mentally trying to calculate if we could survive a few months without a dryer, when my great-grandma didn’t even own one.

photo creditModern conveniences, from indoor ovens to boxed pasta, are wonderful. They free up thousands of hours each year and make our task as homemakers way simpler.

Some modern inventions (like refrigerators) are practically a necessity. Sometimes though, we come to view a convenience as a necessity.

Though I have no desire or intention of giving up my oven or washing machine, part of learning to live frugally is learning to “think like great-grandma would” when the need arises.

Maybe we’ll find that we can live without a microwave or dryer after all. Or we might discover that we like homemade nursing pads much better than disposable.

Have you lived without a normal modern convenience? How did you do it? Do you prefer “grandma’s way” over the modern?

(Grab code for the button from the sidebar)And now, join Jenn (from The Purposeful Mom) and me for our weekly Thrifty Thursday Blog Hop!

Posts about living frugally, thrifty tips and tricks, money-saving DIY projects and gardening, frugal recipes, and encouraging posts on financial stewardship are all welcome. Link up to either of our blogs–your post will be displayed in both places.

We’d be very grateful if you’d share only thrifty-themed posts. (Read full guidelines here)

Linked up at Homemaking Link Up, Handful of Heart and Motivation Monday.

Three Ways to Window-Shop (Thrifty Thursday)

April 26, 2012

Window-shopping used to require exercise and a walk down Main Street. Thanks to online stores, we can window-shop from the comfort of our couches. And then, there’s Pinterest—and the 50 outfit pins that are just too cute (and I don’t have!)

There’s nothing wrong with browsing through cute pictures with no intent to buy, but window-shopping can lead to problems with contentment.

photo credit

Three ways to window-shop

Window-shopping can be used to ignite creativity. The boards on Pinterest can teach us to creative new outfits using the clothes in our closets. They can inspire us to repurpose what we have to beautify our homes.

Window-shopping can also help us wisely plan future purchases. Before actually adding items to our cart, window-shopping can help us think through our purchases and make sure that what we’re purchasing is the best decision.

Or, window-shopping can foster discontentment. The cute new chairs in Sears’ ad or the adorable outfit on Pinterest can trip us up. Window-shopping for things we can’t afford (and probably don’t need) can lead to jealousy if we’re not careful to guard our hearts.

While window-shopping can be a good thing, sometimes we simply ought to not window-shopping for certain things. For example, when I first joined Pinterest, I was tempted to start a “dream house” board. There are oodles of absolutely amazing house ideas. Maybe, a bit of browsing would help me think of good ways to beautify my own home, but I was afraid it would just lead to discontentment.

We’re not moving quite yet and we’re not ready to buy my dream house. I’d rather pass up on a few cute ideas than struggle with being content right where I’m at.

Maybe house pictures don’t tempt you. Maybe it’s clothes or books or cars, but avoid window-shopping for things that lead to discontentment. Choose to use it instead to encourage creativity and wise purchases.

What about you? Do you like to window-shop? How do you avoid discontentment.

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(Grab code for the button from the sidebar)And now, join Jenn (from The Purposeful Mom) and me for our weekly Thrifty Thursday Blog Hop!

Posts about living frugally, thrifty tips and tricks, money-saving DIY projects and gardening, frugal recipes, and encouraging posts on financial stewardship are all welcome. Link up to either of our blogs–your post will be displayed in both places.

We’d be very grateful if you’d share only thrifty-themed posts. (Read full guidelines here)

Linked up at Proverbs 31 Thursday

Tagged with: contentment • thriftiness

Keep Rebate Info and Receipts (Thrifty Thursday)

April 19, 2012

Getting rid of unnecessary paper clutter makes me happy. However, over the years I’ve learned there are a couple paper items that you should keep: rebates and big-ticket receipts. (And important documents, of course!)

Keep track of your rebates:

I submitted a rebate for a phone in January and by the end of March still hadn’t received it. After a quick phone call they told me they had already sent it. It hadn’t arrived. I asked if they could check and see if it had been used (perhaps it got stolen??) and was told that “we have no way of tracking rebates.” [That's odd!] I called to request another one and finally received my rebate.

About a month later, after submitting another rebate, I received a letter saying we didn’t qualify for the rebate (even though we did). A 2-minute phone call later and the rebate was in the mail. The exact same thing happened to a good friend.

So even though it is a hassle, it’s definitely worth keeping track of rebates. A five minute call is worth $100 to me.

Hang on to big-ticket receipts:

…for all those times when your word simply isn’t enough. When switching internet services, I made sure to cancel our original provider before the next billing cycle began-which included a last minute trip to return the “box”. I hate hanging on to extra pieces of paper, and since I wouldn’t need to return anything, why bother? But, I did keep it.

A few weeks later a bill arrived from the old company for the new month. The customer service rep said, “well, it looks like you didn’t cancel until the 13th and the new cycle started on the 4th.”

“But I checked to see when the cycle began and specifically canceled before it.”

“Well, the computer says you didn’t cancel.”

“I did cancel and we certainly didn’t use your internet service after the 4th. Is there nothing you can do?”

“No, but you can pay the bill before it’s late,” she answered rather rudely.

…and then I remembered the receipt (which I’d reluctantly filed). What a difference it made.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” she said in a conciliatory tone, “I’ll take care of that right away. There must have been a mistake in the recording. Please disregard the bill. So sorry for the trouble.”

republished from my former blog

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(Grab code for the button from the sidebar)And now, join Jenn (from The Purposeful Mom) and me for our weekly Thrifty Thursday Blog Hop!

Posts about living frugally, thrifty tips and tricks, money-saving DIY projects and gardening, frugal recipes, and encouraging posts on financial stewardship are all welcome. Link up to either of our blogs–your post will be displayed in both places.

We’d be very grateful if you’d share only thrifty-themed posts. (Read full guidelines here)

Tagged with: household tips • thriftiness

9 Energy-Saving Kitchen Tips

April 12, 2012

Do you ever have “duh” moments in the kitchen? I do.

My latest involved a should-be-obvious kitchen tip: Keep the lid on while your food is cooking.

photo credit

Earth-shattering, huh? For over a decade, I’ve happily cooked away while letting all that steam escape into the kitchen.

Now I’m scratching my head wondering why it took so long to grasp this simple time & money-saving tip! [Especially since Joshua has several times asked, "Don't you want the lid on that, babe?"]

No wonder my kitchen got so hot before!

Summer is right around the corner. Avoiding unnecessary heat in the kitchen is a big money (and comfort) saver. Here are a few other ideas:

Fill the grill. Grill dinner, but also grill the meats you’ll need for the coming week. (See Amy’s example here!)
Maximize the oven heat. If the oven has to be on, don’t just bake one item. Slip potatoes in while your bread is baking. Slide a couple loaves of quick bread for the freezer next to dinner, etc.
Leave the oven door shut until you need to open it. Once you’ve made a recipe and know how long it takes to cook in your oven, jot down exactly how many minutes it takes. That way next time you don’t have to check it multiple times (and spill hot air into the kitchen!)
Turn off the oven and let things finish baking while the oven cools. (Easy way to cook granola. Another brilliant idea from Amy! It must be hot in Texas, or something.)
Do the same thing with the stove.
Use the crockpot. If you can safely plug it in on the porch or in the garage, all the better!
Use the freezer: fry up a big batch of hamburger, double/triple dinner, etc. Freeze the extras
Plan ahead. Frozen food heats up much faster when it’s thawed…. especially if you don’t have a microwave.
….and don’t forget to put the lid on when you’re cooking!

What about you? How do you keep your kitchen a little less hot during the summer?

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(Grab code for the button from the sidebar)And now, join Jenn (from The Purposeful Mom) and me for our weekly Thrifty Thursday Blog Hop!

Posts about living frugally, thrifty tips and tricks, money-saving DIY projects and gardening, frugal recipes, and encouraging posts on financial stewardship are all welcome. Link up to either of our blogs–your post will be displayed in both places.

We’d be very grateful if you’d share only thrifty-themed posts. (Read full guidelines here)

Linked up at Homemaker by Choice, Consider the Lilies & Delight Thyself

Tagged with: laughing at life • thriftiness

Savvy Shopper’s Guidelines (Thrifty Thursday)

Think Like Great-Grandma (Thrifty Thursday)