Simple Savings: Shop at Home

Before you go hit the mall or the grocery store, try shopping from home. Look in your closet to see if there is a shirt or dress that you haven't worn in a while. Pull it out and wear it and save yourself the money you would have spent on something new. Before you buy furniture, see what you have at home. Maybe you can switch lamps or put that extra dresser in another room where it is needed. Changing the furniture around gives you a new look and feel, and it doesn't cost any money! Is it time for dinner and the cupboards are looking a little bare? Don't go out to eat and spend a lot of money, open a can of soup and make some grilled cheese to go with it. Use your imagination to make a meal with what you have on hand. That 25 dollars or more that you would have spent going out to eat can go towards stocking up those cupboards.

Simple Savings: Pay on Time

A good way to save money is to pay your bills on time. If you don't do this now, take a few minutes and see how much money you are throwing away in late fees and interest payments. It might surprise you enough to change your habits. Wouldn't you rather have that money to take a vacation or build up an emergency fund for things that inevitably come around? You might as well take the cash and throw it out the door if you are paying interest or late fees.

Conquer Clutter: The Ironing Closet

Some of you may enjoy ironing, but I certainly wouldn't put it on my top 10 list. My husband even bought me a very expensive iron that some women at is work said was wonderful. I heard a friend of mine say that it was the "Cadillac of irons". It is a great iron, but I still lack the motivation. There are about 15-20 things in our ironing closet at present. Some of them haven't been worn for over a year because I don't want to iron them unless I really need them. I can declutter and stay on top of lots of things, but ironing and pictures are two exceptions. Another family member has helped with the pictures, so that was great. But, I am on my own with the ironing. I need to set a time limit to go through the closet and iron it or pass it on. I try to buy things that I don't have to iron, but sometimes you can't avoid it. If any of you have some ironing that you have hidden, ignored or conveniently blocked out of your mind, get it out and see what it is. Hopefully it wasn't something that you kids have grown out of or something that doesn't fit you any more. Actually, that might make the decision a little easier if it was. You can just donate or sell it and not have to worry about it any more!

Waffle Wednesday...minus the waffles

For those of you who read my book review of the Tightwad Gazette, you'll remember I decided to start having one day a week where we ate 'frugal food'. And, to me, the epitome of frugal food was this: oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and of course, waffles for dinner.

This worked well for the first two weeks. Then, my sweet husband said, "Maybe we could try something besides waffles next week." I agreed, wholeheartedly. I can only take waffles so many nights a month. So, this week, I decided to make red beans and rice. I did make a few changes: instead of ham or smoked sausage, I threw in a few drumsticks I got yesterday night at the grocery store. (Even better, they were half price!) And, I threw them in about 5 hours before I planned on eating dinner. I hope they will be cooked in time- I may need to adjust the recipe for that. I will update this post if so.

Red beans and rice is the OTHER 'waffles' in our house...it's another cheap recipe that my husband doesn't particularly like. He did say the other day that having frugal recipes makes him feel richer. So, I guess it's better than nothing?

Well, I figured there has got to be a good collection of frugal recipes that DO taste good. So, I started looking around, and found this excellent page on Frugal Follies. Not only does it have a large variety of recipes, it has things that sound incredibly delicious, like balsamic chicken, pepper steak, etc. I can't wait to add some of these to my collection of frugal recipes! I know my husband will appreciate it too.

Do you have any frugal recipes that you love? What is your go-to website for great, inexpensive recipes? Please link up or leave a comment. I love new recipes, especially those recommended by others.

Simple Savings: Eat Healthy Food

I used to coupon and get lots of food for next to nothing. It took some time, but boy did I get some great deals. One problem: a lot of the food was processed and not fresh. It would sit in my pantry until I donated it to college kids who will eat anything or the food bank. If you eat Hamburger Helper, Fruit snacks, Potato Chips, Soda or other processed foods, think about changing your eating habits. I am still spending as much as I did before, but we eat less and eat healthier. It takes less time to prepare the grocery list and go shopping.

So, where are the savings? They are long term. You may not see them right now, but you will feel better. The Western Diet, so to speak, with all of it's processed foods is not a healthy diet. We wouldn't have so many people with health problems if people switched and ate less processed foods. Eating well is like putting money in the bank for retirement when you are young. I wish I had understood this years ago. It may have saved me from some of the health challenges I have had to face in my life. I have always cooked a lot of things from scratch, but I could have done much better. When something good happens, it is easy to go celebrate by going out for ice cream or other food full of fat. It is also hard to change eating habits, so be patient if you choose to change.