Frugal Friday

Frugal living is about making the most of your limited resources. People who are frugal understand the importance of sticking to a budget, spending their money wisely, and avoiding an attitude of materialism. 

~Amy Hoover

It's been about a month since I've posted a Frugal Friday post and I thought it was time to do another. I find that frugality is so ingrained in me that I don't really think about it too much anymore. We have been in seasons where I didn't have a choice and it was necessary. Then there have been other times when I don't have to watch every penny.

But even in those times of bounty, I'm more inclined to not overspend. And that is mostly because I'm not having an attitude of materialism and having to obtain the latest and best of everything.

I have an I-phone that is 5 years old. The Otter Box covering has a tear in it. The charger is not the original. The battery doesn't hold a charge very well. It's getting to be time to replace it. Last night, I received a text from the company offering me a really good deal with 0% Apr for 36 months for a new one. 

I may take them up on it, but I also may not. I want to think about it a bit. Because the reality is this one does still work. It's not critical for me to replace it right now. I could feasibly just keep this until it totally dies and then replace it because they are always offering some kind of deal. It may have another year in it or it may have 3 more years left. 

Our society is conditioned to need to the newest and brightest and best of everything. Advertising companies spend millions of dollars convincing us that the latest deal won't come around again in order to get us to purchase. They are counting on us to impulse buy and that's how we end up in debt.

My kids tease me about my old phone, but as I tell them, it works and I'm happy with it so why do I need a new one? 

Over the past month I've done a few things which has helped me to pay off two of our bills. By saving money I was able to take the savings to get rid of some debt.

Here are some of the things I've done:

I use a lot of homemade and natural cleaners. I have eczema and many of the store bought cleaners trigger hives and days of itching. 

$ I made furniture polish which totally rejuvenated this table top which was looking really sad. It still needs to be refinished but the difference was very noticeable. 

$ I made laundry detergent. My normal "cheapest I can find" detergent comes out to $.11 per load compared to $.04 per load. 

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$ I purchased these wool laundry balls to replace dryer sheets. You can use them for hundreds of loads and they don't have harmful chemicals in them. 

$ I went to a fabric sale and I was able to purchase about $400 worth of fabric for $80.

$ Most of my savings is in the kitchen. I make everything from scratch and do my best to use up every bit of what I purchase. It frustrates me when food goes bad because I let it sit unused for too long. So I'm trying to do better about this.

$ I started another batch of sourdough starter and will be working on some sourdough recipes once the starter is ready. It still has about 3 more days to go. It's only day two, but it's already starting to bubble. It such a satisfying feeling to see the chemical reaction between flour, water and the wild yeast in the air.

I find it fun to see how I can save and use things up or repurpose items. It's a challenge and I've always enjoyed a good challenge! 

How are you doing in this area? Feel free to share any tips in the comments. The cost of groceries continues to rise so let's encourage one another to find ways to cut corners.