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“Living Frugal” Archive
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Lately, my husband and I have been having some pretty interesting conversations about homes and about the size of them. We both agree that the bigger home you have - the more likely you are to fill it with “stuff.” As we’ve come to realize, “stuff” isn’t all that important to us.
One of my hobbies is to watch real estate in the area. Rarely do I see a home that is under 1,000 sq. feet. The average around here is probably around 1,600 sq. ft. The newer the home, the higher the square feet, it seems.
It looks like it will be difficult to find the smaller home we desire so we may be looking into building our next home. I’ve checked out places like Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. Their homes are tiny, but they are too small for our family of three. Then I had an idea - why not search cabins! Cabins are traditionally for recreation, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t live in one year round.
Then I found it. I think this is almost the perfect size and layout for us.
Betony Cabin (720 sq ft)
There are two layouts on the page, and I am leaning towards the one with the bath tub (Floor Plan A). I love that the layout is one floor and has a huge porch. One of our dreams has been to have a large porch with a hanging porch swing. I can see my husband and I relaxing on our swing on the porch while my son is playing in front of us catching as many insects as he can for close observation. In the distance, I see a few deer feeding along the tree line and I can hear a woodpecker foraging for food.
*happy sigh*
That does it. When I’m feeling down about our financial situation I need to recreate that scene in my head. It is something to keep shooting for.
Since starting our debt reduction journey, we have spent very little on clothing. The only exception is my son since he is growing like a weed. Even that spending has been minimal thanks to some hand-me-downs from a relative and from shopping second-hand and clearance sales.
I am officially down to one pair of jeans now. And that pair needs to be retired soon since they are getting very shabby (I’m having a flashback of being in school and having my stonewashed jeans rip down the inside seam because they were too frayed - I’d rather not repeat that very embarassing moment!).
In general, I don’t like shopping for clothes because I don’t like to try things on in the store. I also don’t like spending money on clothes. I remember one year when I found jeans on sale at Walmart for $5 a pair. I tried one pair on, they fit okay, and I bought three of the same exact kind and that was that. I haven’t seen a deal like that in a long time.
That means that I will be going shopping for jeans this weekend. I’m going to do something a little different, though. I’ve been thinking about the value in finding deals on well-made clothing. Over five years ago, I purchased a pair of jeans from JC Penney for less than $20 on sale. Those jeans fit well and they lasted a long time. I was very sad when I had to say goodbye to them. I was so sad that I went back to JC Penney to see if they still carried that brand/style. They didn’t, and no longer had any sales, so I went back to Walmart for buying jeans.
While the Walmart jeans I usually buy are okay, they don’t last very long. They fray quickly and develop holes. Did I mention how awesome that one pair I bought from JC Penney was?
I think you know where I am going here. I am going to stop by JC Penney first and see if they have any sales on good pairs of jeans. Even if the initial cost is more than a pair of Walmart jeans, they can be a better value if they last longer. I am going to take the cost and the quality into consideration.
It’s hard to do, because (I’ll admit it…) I’m pretty cheap. But I think I need to transition into a more frugal mindset with buying quality items for less. Not just cheap items for less.
Just a note…we do have second-hand stores in our area, but I have not been able to find jeans in my size in good condition. Hopefully that will change soon!
We are always on the lookout for ways to save money. Lately, we have been trying to buy things that we use a lot in larger quantities. For the most part, the bigger the package, the lower the price (although there are exceptions - always check!).
One thing that is heavily used in our household is ketchup. I personally don’t use it a lot (maybe only on fries), but my husband puts it on everything fried or fake-fried in the oven - steak, chicken, pork, fish, french fries. My son takes after his father. With two ketchup-loving people in our house, we go through a lot of it.
When you look at ketchup on a per bottle basis, it can get a little expensive. Since we go through so much, we decided to buy a large Heinz container of ketchup as well as a $2.00 pump to go with it. Instead of buying bottle after bottle of ketchup, we would buy large containers of ketchup (any brand) to refill the Heinz container.
During our last trip to Walmart, my husband grabbed a can of Hunt’s ketchup. He was excited at how much ketchup you could get for a low cost. As he placed it in our cart, I took a look and gave him a smile that showed my approval. When the both of us are on board with saving money - it’s a very happy feeling.
Tonight, my husband fried some chicken wings we bought on special and some french fries. Our Heinz ketchup container was empty, so my husband grabbed the new can of Hunts and opened it. He noted that it was a bit runny, and we both at first shrugged it off since we haven’t had Hunt’s brand in a while. I grabbed a spoon to dish out some ketchup for my son. As my spoon swirled around the can, I started getting that feeling in my stomach that something was terribly wrong.
“Look!” I told my husband.
“What?”
“Look at the can!”
“What?”
“Look!”
My husband smiled as he finally realized that in bigger wording in the middle of the can it stated, “Tomato Sauce.”
Now we have 6 lbs, 9 ounces of tomato sauce. I’ve already placed it in containers and put it in the fridge. It’s not a complete waste because we do use tomato sauce to make our own pizza sauce. Although…I’m not sure we could get through the whole can before it goes bad. I have a feeling we’ll be searching the net for other things we can make with the sauce before it goes bad.
Lesson learned - if you think you are getting a great deal by purchasing a can of ketchup, make sure it is a can of ketchup! 
Thank you for stopping by for this week’s Festival of Frugality, a festival dedicated to helping you get the most value from your money. I decided to give out 12 awards to spice things up a bit and vary from the traditional format. I hope you enjoy!
BEST OF SHOW - this award goes to the article that made me think and I love that! How Frugal Are You?
BEST PICTORIAL OF FRUGALITY IN ACTION - what a difference a coat of paint makes! Saving Money With Paint
BEST ANALYSIS TO FIND THE BEST DEAL - what a thorough article researching tire prices! Which place sells cheapest tires?
BEST CONNECTION BETWEEN FRUGALITY & EXERCISE - get more bang for your buck with exercising! The Most Cost Effective Ways to Stay in Shape
BEST USE OF A POOH BANK - Winnie the Pooh isn’t just entertaining, he can help you save money! Pooh Bank as Fun Money.
BEST IMMEDIATE FRUGAL ACTIONS TO TAKE TO GET THROUGH A ROUGH PERIOD - sometimes you go into despiration mode due to a financial situation. Here’s some great tips to get through it! End of Your Rope? Tie a Knot and Hang on Tight
BEST FRUGAL WAY TO KEEP THE KIDS OCCUPIED THIS SUMMER - summer vacation is right around the corner and what’s better than a few free (or low cost) movies for the kids! Free Summer Movies for Kids
BEST FRUGAL VS. CHEAP COMPARISON - this article comes complete with a chart! Frugal vs. cheap
BEST MYTH DEBUNKER - very good argument against the common belief that a baby costs a lot of money! Six Common Myths: Adding A Baby To A Household Costs A Lot Of Money
BEST ARGUMENT FOR BUYING SOME STORE BRANDS - buying store brands can save money, and here the authors detail some that work for them! Saving Money By Buying Store Brands - 7 Products That Work For Us
BEST WORDS OF CAUTION REGARDING FRUGALITY - if you confuse being cheap with being frugal, it can cost you more money in the long run! When Being Frugal Can End Up Costing You A Fortune
BEST ARTICLES ON HOW TO SAVE ON ELECTRICITY - there was a tie here, good tips from two articles! I lowered my electric bill even though it’s late spring! & Frugal Friday #9: 10 Ways to Save on Your Summer Electric Bill
And here are the rest of the participants, in the order of when they were received:
10 Reasons Why Everyone Should Keep Chickens
Tips for buying second-hand stuff
Quick & Easy Ways to Lose Money
Such a Deal When You Love Your Job
How to Use Yahoo Answer to Save Time, Money & Reduce Stress
Free Cell Phone & $100 Free Money With Sony Ericsson W810i Phone!
How To Get Free Membership At Costco
The Perfect Hobby: One That?s Cheap, Makes Money Or Becomes A Business
My Attempts at Frugal Mattress Shopping
Question: Would You Eat a Squirrel?
Yard Sale Tips What to buy there
Donate to Charity and Save on a Fancy Dinner
Thank you to everyone that participated! Next week, the Festival of Frugality heads on over to My Two Dollars.
For more reading, also make sure you check out this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance over at Money Smart Life
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Want to keep closer track of your money? Look into online bill tracking and fill out credit card applications that offer online payment. Also be sure to check out cash back credit cards.
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The other day, I asked if you had any questions for me in regards to how I keep our costs low. I received a question on whether I had any frugal backyard ideas and I do!
1.) Use old things and turn them into landscaping centerpieces. Sometimes some great landscaping treasures are right under your nose covered in dust. Old bricks found in a crawl space or obtained from old buildings can be used as borders for a flower garden or can be used for a walkway if you have enough of them. Old wheelbarrows, wood barrels cut in half and metal washtubs can be filled with dirt and flowers planted in them. Note: Make sure they have adequate drainage so they do not flood when it rains. That may involve drilling holes in the bottom.
2.) Skip the annuals and buy the perennial or bulbed flowers. We have tulips, crocuses, daffodils and irises in our yard (all bulbs) and they come up year after year. It is an investment for the initial planting, but after you spend once you have years of color.
3.) Look for programs for free or low cost trees and/or mulch. In some communities, the utility company, conservation districts or city municipalities may have discount tree sales and/or free mulch. Keep your eyes out or even call around to ask if a company has a program available.
4.) Buy at the end of the season for next year. Would you love to have a wood border around your plantings? Wait until the end of the season and snatch it up when it goes on clearance. Don’t forget to check smaller stores like Ace Hardware for deals.
5.) Look to nature. Natural stones can line a walkway or provide a border around some flowers. A piece of driftwood can serve as a centerpiece in a display of flowers. Look to nature for some free landscaping items. Note: some beaches/parks will not allow the removal of items so if you are unsure please ask.
6.) Ask neighbors. I have fruit trees in my yard, and often come across some fruit that is inedible. If someone asked, I wouldn’t mind giving them the inedible fruit so they can utilize the seeds to plant in their own yard.
Writing this makes me want to go do some work in our yard. But we still have snow! 
Last week, I asked if you had any questions for me. Stephanie asked if I had any frugal decorating tips.
There is only one room in our house that we took great care to decorate and that is my son’s room (although I am currently working on our bathroom and when it is finished I’ll detail what I did). He absolutely loved Bob the Builder and everything construction related so here’s what I did to give him a room that he loved, but was easy on our wallet.
Bedding - Bought a Bob the Builder bedding set from Walmart for $27 on clearance. I did look on eBay and I couldn’t find it cheaper when you factored in the shipping costs. With some purchases you need to be in the right place at the right time for the best deal.
Curtains - Used the flat sheet from the bedding for a Bob the Builder curtain. I also went on eBay and found a flat sheet for sale ($4.55) and a valance ($7.54). Total Cost: $12.09 (NOTE: Bob the Builder was “in” at the time I did my son’s room and now you can find things at a great deal. You can also make your own curtains by buying material and sewing them. Unfortunately, I do not know how to sew).
Wall Decorations - I scoured the local thrift shops for shelves. I bought two smaller matching ones ($1.00) and one larger one ($1.50). It took some patience to carefully scrape off some paint splatters that were on the smaller ones but they were in good condition overall. Total Cost: $2.50
Shelf Decorations - Bought a large firetruck from a garage sale to put on the large shelf ($1.00) and used a few of my son’s cheaper plastic construction trucks and road signs to place on the smaller ones (not more than $4.00). Total Cost: ~$5.00
Wall Border - Instead of buying expensive border, I used some printable sticker paper to print out construction trucks to cut out and stick on the wall for a border. I also used some stickers to decorate the light switch plate and his bed. Total cost: Probably around $2.00.
Laundry Hamper - and bought a garbage pail ($4.94) the one with the rounded top and the push flap for his laundry hamper. I bought bright construction orange spray paint for $3.47 and spraypainted the top orange and then painted stripes on the bottom. It ended up looking like a construction barrel that you see on the side of the road. Total Cost: $8.41
Miscellaneous Item to Tie the Look Together - Bought some orange cones to place on top of his dresser. Total Cost: $2.96
Total Cost To Decorate My Son’s Construction Room: $59.96
I’m glad we didn’t spend too much on our son’s room because a few years after we decorated it, we switched rooms with our son. So yes, mom and dad are sleeping in the room with the construction truck border and Bob the Builder curtains. Probably this summer we will get around to removing the stickers and getting new curtains (if funds are available).
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There are many different ways to get out of debt, you just have to choose the method of debt consolidation that’s right for your lifestyle. Don’t just worry about your credit card debt, do something about it!
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