Frugal Challenges with Friends

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

24 Mar 2009 08:03 AM

Having a frugal challenge with online or offline friends can be a lot of fun and a great way to save money. You can cheer each other on, brag about your accomplishments and meet your goals together. Having a friendly community at hand really does make a different when it comes to being frugal Interested? Don't have a community ready and available? Check out the Families.com forums, where there are plenty of new friends waiting to be part of a frugal challenge.

Here are some frugal challenges that you can join or start.

Pantry Challenge

Cook only from your pantry for a week or more without doing any grocery shopping. You may want to exempt basic fresh items, such as milk and produce.

Buy Nothing Challenge

Vow to buy nothing at all with the exception of monthly bills and regular expenses (such as food, heat and gas). This can be a lot harder than you think. From a candy bar at the vending machine to a big screen television, see how long you can go without making any new purchases.

Coffee Challenge

If you drink coffee, forego the take out coffee and bring your own from home. It takes a little work in the morning, but it can save you a lot of money at the end of the year. Will you fall off the bandwagon on hectic days?

Brown Bag It

Take your lunch to work every day and skip the kids lunch runs to McDonalds. Can everyone in your family bring lunch to wherever they need to go for at least a month?

Quit Smoking

This is both a frugal challenge and a health challenge. Quitting takes a lot of support, so it is an ideal challenge for a community group.

One Tank of Gas

How long can you make one tank of gas last? Will it be a week, two weeks or just a few days. Cutting down on your gas consumption make take some creativity in the beginning, but it may pay off for a lifetime.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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