Friday, January 16, 2015

Oh, Hey Friday! *5 on Frugalness*

Friday Friday Friday! Love it. And this weekend we have a 3 day weekend with both boys. How lovely!

My 5 this week are going to be about frugalness. We are quite good at living frugally. I'm a big fan of buying things but I like a good sale and I like to save money and live below my means. We live on 1 salary so it's important to save where we can and watch our spending.

#1 Yarn- Here's a big one for us! I LOVE yarn. I love buying yarn. I love making big projects that require a lot of yarn. So my frugal money saving tips when buying yarn-
  • Buy On Sale- This one is easy. Wait for the craft store/online shop to have amazing yarn sales and then buy it!
  • Build A Stash- Especially when yarn is on super sale, buy a bunch of different colors so you'll have a variety of things to choose from and it will last you a while.
  • Acrylic Cheapo Yarn For Kids- My rule for making toys for my kids/kids that I know is use the cheap stuff. These goobers are going to drag it through the mud, often literally, so use something durable and don't spend a ton on it.
#2 Food- We don't eat out much and I try to keep 2 rules- Only eat somewhere you really like (no crappy fast food) and buy whatever you want at the grocery store because it's always cheaper than eating out.

#3 Coupons- Whenever I can I will use coupons but I haven't yet gotten to the point of mastering it and I don't NOT buy something because it's not on sale or I don't have a coupon. But they can sometimes save you a big buck on things! One day I'd love to be one of those people that can buy a buggy full of stuff for 15 dollars but for now I am content with saving a few cents when I can.

#4 Kids Clothes- Here's one for anyone with kids- clothes. These little monsters grow out of their stuff lightning fast! Here's what I do to not spend a fortune on their clothes-
  • Buy Gently Used- My favorite place is Once Upon A Child. It's amazing. Gently used clothing, books, toys, baby items like swings and bouncers and strollers. I love love love it. I buy 80% of Al and Ollie's clothes there and almost all of their shoes. I just bought Alice a perfect pair of flats, not a scratch or wear on them, for 3.50!
  • Buy Big- I always buy one size up for them. This might not work for everyone since all kids grow at different rates but it has suited our kids well. I buy their winter and summer wardrobes in one size up so that -fingers crossed- it will fit them for 2 seasons in a row. One size up is big enough to fit for a while but not too big that they look like they are dressed in a tent.
  • Ask For Clothes For Birthdays and Christmas- For Ollie especially I always ask the Grandmas to supply him with a few pairs of khaki pants or collared blue shirts for his school uniform. This is also a great place to ask for socks and underwear. :P

#5 Get Creative- When it comes to entertainment, explore your options. Big vacations aren't in the cards for us for the most part because we have to save for a long time for them. We have to focus on the surrounding areas. We look for free days at museums and other local attractions. For example- Every Sunday is free entry at the SC art museum and they have a special free art class for kids once a month. The first Sunday of every month is 1 dollar admission to the state museum. We also ask for 'experiences' (like going to a museum) or memberships to places (like the zoo) as Christmas gifts. It's a gift that keeps on giving. We have a state park with a beautiful walkabout through the swamp just up the road from us, we have free museums near us, huge beautiful libraries, a 2 dollar cinema with NEW movies, etc. Get creative and find new free/cheap things near you!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend.


2 comments:

  1. stopping by for oh hey friday! I try my best to be frugal. Like you, I'm a fan of coupons, but I'm not a master. I also won't NOT buy something if I don't have a coupon, but I am rather cheap with groceries. I like your idea about only eating out if you REALLY like the food. That would same me both money and time on the elliptical :)


    Sarah
    Midwest Darling

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  2. I definitely try to live by the rule of only eating out where I love the food. It saves me from fast food most of the time. :)

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