Friday, July 4, 2008

101 Frugal Tips

There are probably a million and one ways to be frugal but here are a bundle that I use on a regular basis. The name of the game is to be frugal in areas that are necessary but don't have a whole lot of meaning to you. Personally, the laundry is necessary but how it gets done doesn't really matter as long as I have clean clothes to wear. On the other hand, I have no problem spending money on travel which, for me personally, is a necessity. Other people may feel just the opposite so they should spend their money accordingly. Here's some ideas:
Laundry: If you have a large family, this area can make a pretty good-sized impact on your budget. When my sister's half dozen kids were young, laundry day was a major event at her house--I even had to take a picture once because I couldn't believe how much dirty clothes one family could generate in a week!
  1. Wash clothes in cold water instead of warm or hot. I can't tell the difference--the clothes come out the same and we save money on heating the water.
  2. Dry clothes outside. It takes a bit more effort but it is good exercise and is a good way to cut energy costs.
  3. If you must use a clothes dryer, shake out the clothes when you transfer them from the washer to the dryer--they dry quicker when they aren't clumped together.
  4. Use half the amount of recommended detergent. I see no difference when I do this either.
  5. Go easy on the bleach. Bleaching every load of whites every time will cause rapid deterioration of your clothes.
  6. Cut dryer sheets in half. This is simple to do and each half sheet works just as well as a whole one.
  7. Buy only clothes that don't need special care such as hand washing and dry cleaning.
  8. Try mending clothes and removing stains before you toss the item and purchase a new one. These are simple things that can prolong the life of your clothes.
  9. Polish your shoes and iron your clothes. This takes very little effort yet makes you look like a million bucks.
  10. Make your own laundry soap.
Cleaning: This is another area where spending a lot doesn't make much of a difference. It doesn't matter what you use or how you clean as long as the end result is a clean house.
  1. Make your own cleaning products. This is better for the environment and your wallet.
  2. Use old rags for cleaning instead of paper towels.
  3. Use newspaper to clean glass instead of paper towels.
  4. Air out your house on a regular basis instead of using chemical air fresheners.
  5. Never wear shoes in the house--use slippers in the kitchen and bathroom and use socks or bare feet in the rest of the house.
  6. If you want to save the electricity and the cost of the vacuum, have only wood, tile or linoleum in your house which can be cleaned with a broom and mop.
  7. Shop at the dollar store for cleaning supplies.
  8. Clean up messes immediately so stains won't have time to set in.
  9. Wash dishes efficiently by hand and let them air dry.
  10. Use half the amount of dish soap that is recommended and dilute with water. This works on all but the greasiest dishes.
Kids: Often people equate how much they spend on their kids with how good of a parent they are. Usually it is just the opposite. Kids do much better with lots of attention rather than lots of things.
  1. Actually play with your kids. You can do all kinds of fun, free things like going to the park, kicking a soccer ball around, or making forts out of blankets at home.
  2. Babies don't need all kinds of toys. They do just as well with pots and pans, plastic bowls, big empty boxes, and other safe items that you already have on hand.
  3. Give your kids lots of attention from the time they are born through their teen years--this saves on restitution, court fees, and other penalties for them acting out.
  4. Consider not letting your kids drive until they are 18. This saves insurance costs, car debt, and maybe even their lives, as the part of their brain that makes judgement decisions is not fully developed until they are in their early 20's.
  5. If you have teens, or even pre-teens, you don't need a housekeeper or a gardener. Kids need to be relied upon to help the family, it makes them feel needed and part of something larger than themselves.
  6. Have your kids earn their own money to purchase their "wants". With larger purchases we often went half with our kids.
  7. Teach kids good money management skills--how to spend, save, and give a portion of each chunk of money they earn.
  8. Start a "Hope Chest" for each of your teens. This is an old fashioned idea but it is a great way to get your kids set up in their own place without having to break the bank at WalMart and Macys when they move out.
  9. Teach you kids the basic skills of living so that they can rely on themselves instead of others. They should know how to cook, sew, make basic car repairs, do some basic plumbing and electrical work, etc.
  10. Get your kids on track to a paid-for college education when they are freshmen. Some programs will allow them to attend their first two years of college while they are still in high school at no charge. Make getting scholarships a top priority, and if you can't pay cash, don't spring for an expensive, private college over a good (cheaper) state school.
Debt: Can you save money on debt if you are in debt? You betcha!
  1. Call all of your credit card companies and ask for (demand) a lower interest rate.
  2. Refinance your mortgage if there is a significant cost savings (ie: you are changing to a fixed interest rate from an ARM or if the interest rate is significantly lower than what you have now).
  3. Pay cash for everything--even cars. Especially cars.
  4. Have an emergency fund. This will be your cushion during a crisis instead of going to the Payday Lender.
  5. Get rid of your debt as soon as humanly possible. This means all credit cards, loans, car debt, and even your home mortgage.
  6. When you do have a crisis, take a minute and devise ten ways to meet the crisis without spending money. Often when we are in a panic, we tend to pay first and think later.
  7. Live below your means. Duh.
  8. Have a monthly budget. Use the envelope system if needed. Better yet, give the family a challenge--if they can, for example, buy groceries and feed the family for the month with less than the amount budgeted for food, they can keep the rest and spend it on a family activity.
  9. Have a garage sale or sell stuff on EBay to fund a vacation or other large family purchase.
  10. Budget for annual or unexpected expenses such as a new roof and painting the house.
Necessities: These are things we all need and usually all spend an arm and leg on over the course of our lives.
  1. Stock up on necessary items when they are on sale (ie: toilet paper, school supplies, etc).
  2. Do without. Do you really need ten different hair products? Eight different shades of eye shadow? Four Carhartt jackets? Try not to buy something unless you absolutely NEED it.
  3. Reduce. If you are on debt's door, reduce the number of pets you have, the number of cable channels you have, the number of sports the kids participate in, etc.
  4. Periodically compare prices on your monthly bills such as cable, insurance, cell phone plans, etc.
  5. Recycle as much as possible. Use newspapers to clean windows and to line the bird cage. Use worn out towels for cleaning rags.
  6. Buy larger quantities if it mathematically makes sense and won't go to waste. Sometimes buying three months of prescription meds at a time can save a significant amount of money. Obviously if there is only one or two of you, you may not need or want to buy huge bulk sizes at Costco. Always do the math to make sure you are getting a good deal.
  7. Save money on food.
  8. Save money on transportation.
  9. Consider cheaper ways to go about your daily tasks (ie: put left overs in reusable plastic containers instead of wrapping them in foil).
  10. Reconsider what is "necessary" and look for ways to give you the same outcome. Starbucks isn't necessary but coffee is, so brew your own and take it in a thermos.
Entertainment: The bottom line is that "going out" to be entertained whether it is to a restaurant, the casino, the night club, or the movies is going to cost you. Being entertained at home is usually much cheaper.
  1. Rent a movie and watch it an home instead of going to the movies. Better yet, check out a free movie from the library or watch an old movie you have taped.
  2. Have a weekly family game night. It's more fun than it sounds. We used to have Monopoly marathons that would last all weekend.
  3. Exercise for free at home with the whole family. Play soccer, do aerobics, play basketball at a local court, etc.
  4. Have potlucks with extended family and neighbors.
  5. Go on a picnic with the family. Home-cooked food and a fun area to play in at the local park equals a lot of fun for the whole family.
  6. Go to the library for free books, music, children's activities, and other free, fun entertainment
  7. Research free events in your city. Museums, zoos, and other venues often have free or reduced cost nights once a month. During the summer look for free outdoor movies and music events.
  8. Volunteer as a family. This can be done nearly anywhere--the zoo, the theater, local trail groups--your help will be greatly appreciated and your family will bond over the work.
  9. Go dancing--at home. Teach your kids all of the "old" dances (waltz, cha cha, boogie) while they teach you the "new" dances (crunking, hip hop). This promises to be amusing for all.
  10. Take up hobbies as a family. Go camping, fishing, hunting, play darts, and do other "hobby" type activities as a family.
Clothing: This budget item can break the bank depending on how style-conscious your family members are.
  1. Set a basic clothing budget for each family member and make it a requirement that if anyone wants something more expensive, they will have to kick in their own money to get it.
  2. Shop at thrift stores and the Goodwill. I know it sounds "yucky" but some basics such as T shirts to sleep in and raggedy jeans to work in the yard in can be had for a song at these places.
  3. Organize a "clothes swap" with other parents who have kids about the same age as yours. You can also do this with friends who are about the same size as you.
  4. Stock up on items at the end of season for the next year. Styles don't usually change that drastically from year to year so what is cheap this fall can be easily worn next spring.
  5. Buy the classic styles and avoid overly trendy items that so be "so over with" within a few months. Dress up these basics with cute, cheap stuff from the dollar store.
  6. Do the hand-me-down thing. Any kid who was raised more than a few decades ago has probably lived through this stage where you get clothes from the next bigger sibling.
  7. Buy and wear clothes in layers so that they can be mixed and matched throughout the seasons.
  8. Don't gain or loose too much weight so you won't grow out of your clothes.
  9. Check out trendy/expensive stores and then go to a discounter (Ross, TJ Maxx) and put together similar outfits for a fraction of the cost.
  10. Use add-ons to stretch clothing. Fringe around the bottom of pants that are getting a little too short, embellish an old jean jacket instead of purchasing one brand new.
Expensive Items: With smaller, cheaper items, you can save or lose a little bit of money on each purchase, but with larger expensive items, the possibility of saving or losing big can be huge.
  1. Buy a slightly used car instead of a new car. The value of a new car drops like a rock as soon as you drive it off the dealer's lot.
  2. Wait for the price of new technology to drop. I don't even want to be reminded about the $1,000 VCR and $3,000 computer I purchased when this technology was brand new.
  3. Don't get an extended warranty. Others may disagree but I have never had any problem when I purchase a quality product that has a basic manufacturer's warranty on it.
  4. Buy the kind of product you need, not necessarily the top of the line product. A basic computer works fine for my needs--I don't do video editing or video games on it, therefore I never buy a top of the line computer. For me, this makes sense.
  5. If it still works, don't replace it. I often wondered why my grandparents had "old" things like an old TV, and old radio, and an early 1940's vintage refrigerator. Now that I am getting older, I realize that my stuff may be considered "old" because, like my grandparents, I see no reason to replace a perfectly good TV to get the latest version.
  6. Buy less house. You know the lyrics of that country song that says "love grows best in small houses"? Well it seems to make sense. When people grow up in tiny houses they seem to be closer than families with huge houses where each person can segregate themselves in their own part of the house and not have to interact with the rest of the family.
  7. Don't fall for scams and rip-offs. Do the math! Time shares, high interest credit cards, a sudden offer from someone in Africa to give you money...if it doesn't make sense it probably is not something you should get involved in.
  8. Don't have vices. Smoking, drinking alcohol, gambling, prostitutes, drugs...if you have a vice, get rid of it and bank the money--you will shocked at how much money you end up saving.
  9. Stay out of trouble. Speeding tickets, DUIs, fines, legal problems, a gold digger girlfriend, a drug addict boyfriend...if you see trouble coming, go the other way--it will save you an armload of money.
  10. When you do purchase something, consider the maintenance and long term costs associated with the purchase as these can add up quickly.
Preventive Maintenance: There is more to saving money than watching how you spend. Taking care of what you already have can also save you lots of cash.
  1. Take care of medical/dental problems before they become huge (expensive) problems.
  2. Take care of your overall health with plenty of exercise, nutritious food, and fresh air. This keeps future medical costs down.
  3. Keep things clean and in good repair to extend the item's life (such as appliances, the roof on your home, your car).
  4. Nip problems in the bud. If things with the spouse are getting tense, fix the problem now rather than when she has her lawyer on speed dial. If your kid is a manic at the age of nine, don't wait until he is 16 to address the problem. If your dog is excavating your back yard with his digging, fix the problem sooner, not later.
  5. Spend a little to save a lot. Regular oil changes, keeping your furnace tuned up, a regular chimney cleaning will cost a bit of money up front but can save big bucks over the cost of ignoring these things.
  6. Take safety seriously. Cost of a bicycle helmet, $10, cost of a traumatic brain injury if you get hit by a car while riding your bike without a helmet, $1.8 million. You do the math.
  7. Don't scrimp on insurance. Basic auto, home, health, life, and disability insurance can really save your bacon should a disaster happen.
  8. Take a vacation. All of the work and stress of everyday life can lead to burn out. Taking vacations on a regular basis can chill you out and recharge your batteries so that you continue to strive towards your goals.
  9. Keep up to date in your field of expertise. Just because you are an expert now, doesn't mean you will stay that way if you coast. Stay on top of what is happening in your field so that you can continue to make a living at what you do.
  10. Relationships take work. Doing a little preemptive work isn't a bad idea so that family problems don't get out of hand. Divorces are expensive.
Random Tips: Here's another ten ways to live frugally.
  1. Don't be shy. Speak up if you have a problem with a product or service you purchase, you should either get what you paid for or be compensated for what you didn't receive.
  2. Never pay retail. I try to always buy on sale, with coupons, when at item is on clearance, or otherwise get a discount in order to save money.
  3. The things you do buy should do double or triple duty. A newspaper can be read, then used to line the bird cage or clean window. A T shirt can be fashionable this year, a sleep shirt next year, and a cleaning rag the year after.
  4. Set an example for friends and family and also set standards. Don't make excuses for bad behaviour.
  5. Consider becoming a single-income family. Do the math and also figure in the cost of daycare savings as well as the care your children will receive by having a parent stay at home.
  6. Spend less so you will need to earn less so you will have more time to enjoy your life.
  7. Work like a maniac for a short period of time so you can retire debt free.
  8. Set up as many passive income streams as possible. Passive income=little or no actual work by you--your money is doing all of the work.
  9. Consider becoming self employed. You get a lot more freedom and a lot more tax breaks as your own boss. Remember to start small, not with a huge business debt.
  10. Do the math for your job. How much are you really making after expenses are deducted?
Tip #101: Learn to enjoy the things that money can't buy--clean air, your body's ability to exercise, friends and family...all of the (free) great things in life.


  1. Great post.

    I do many things you mentioned, spontaneosly.

    Great reminder and new ideas.

    I never been able to articulate what you just mentioned. I'll made a printed copy of this post.


  2. Thanks for the comment--glad you thought it was helpful.

  3. Super tips thanks. I'm sure there's a few precious pennies to be saved by us all if we take note of just one or two of these things - thanks

  4. I've shopped at the Goodwill now for several years. It's my main store for clothes and household items, including furniture sometimes. It's not yucky at all! In fact, it's fantastic. I've gotten brand new items for less than 5 dollars. I bought a large a very nice, new couch, for $50. I bought a brand new comforter for $10. The Goodwill I go to has pretty much everything, and it's all very good quality. The clothes are clean, but I usually give them a wash and a good ironing before wearing them.

    Thank you for the amazing articles. They're chock full of useful tips.Al