How Far Will You Go to Be Frugal? (1)by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 26 Dec 2006 01:11 PM
Rather than letting your washer's rinse water go down the drain, bail it out with a bucket and use it to water your plants. I haven't tried this, but I like the idea of saving water. In the summer shut the furnace or hot water heater off and take cold showers. I have to confess that we did try this last summer for about a week. The cool shower in the heat wasn't bad, but I loved having the hot water back. Raid the grocery's store's dumpster for food. Some people have reported great finds from "dumpster diving" at the grocery store, such as canned goods with torn labels, and holiday cakes and cookies. I will probably never try this one, as I am far too picky and squeamish when it comes to food. Save salt, pepper and ketchup packets from fast food places and use them at home. There is some debate on the ethics of this one. Some people just like using what they already have, while others like to "stock up" on the condiments. Have a family bath night. Fill up the tub once to bathe everyone, one at a time, without draining the water. For a quick tub bath, I have bathed my two year old and then added more water for my five-year-old. By the time he was done, though, the water was too soapy for anyone else. Do you have any frugal ideas that others think may be going a bit too far? Please share! Related Articles: How Far Will You Go to Be Frugal? (2) 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. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments  Andrea Hermitt (5507) 26 Dec 2006 07:18 PMI grew up in a family of 11 people, we did the bath thing for the smaller children, often having two to three kids in the tub at once. These days however, few people do it.  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 27 Dec 2006 05:05 AMDid you have a nice big claw foot tub? I had one of those growing up, and I can't beleive how tiny today's bathtubs are! lovesfreebee (1000) 01 Jan 2007 06:45 AMI had a neighbor who is extremly frugal. I think :+) He would save the kids bath water to hand wash clothes. Of course he raise them out with clean water then use the soapy water to water his law. He would cover his carpet with old sheets during the day and dust the sheets after his kids goes to bed at night just to protect his carpet. Mary Ann Romans (26876) 04 Jan 2007 05:31 AMWow, your neighbor sounds like he definitely deserves some sort of extreme frugality award! Didn't the soapy water kill the lawn?  texflower (56) 19 Jan 2007 08:47 PMI must laugh at several post I have read on this board aboiut being frugal. When you live where there are water shortages you make due with what you have. To save water depending on your toilet, fill a plastic bottle full of sand to weigh it down or a brick wrapped in foil to raise the level of the water tank. City codes allow the washer drain to be dirrected outside as long as no diapers are being washed. This saved our tree and bushes many a year. I could go on and on about house hold hints but my daughter would scream at me. She is 21 and still think we are nuts!  Julie Gentry (5915) 20 Jan 2007 02:25 AMTex, I've heard of grey-water diverters, but never actually usually one. Was it difficult to install? texflower (56) 20 Jan 2007 02:02 PMJulie, I wouldn't be able to answer if a grey-water diverter was hard to install or not. My hubby used supplies needed to extend the hose out the back door. We don't need something permanent. Our city has a drought every summer and we can only water certain times on certain days. When you have 115 degree heat - that will kill anything! Besides... I am too frugal to pay for a diverter. Speaking of being frugal - can you direct me to good posts? I do way more than what has been posted on this site that I have found so far. THANKS! Mary Ann Romans (26876) 20 Jan 2007 04:38 PMHi texflower! There are a few ways to find some great frugal posts here on families.com. You can browse through the frugal or deals blog by clicking on the category on the right top. You can also click under frugal categories to find something specific, such as "conservation." Lastly, you can go up to the search box on search on a specific term. Do you have a specific frugal interest? We are working on posts on gardening, grocery shopping, laundry, food and other ways to save. I would be happy to research and share frugal ideas on anything you are interested in. Also, I am always looking for frugal experts, such as yourself for interviews for specific blogs. Are you interested? texflower (56) 20 Jan 2007 05:11 PMHi Mary Ann, As you can see I am new here but I have always been very frugal. All I can say is ask away... when you have lived "cheap" all your married life - I just take things for granted. This helped us to raise 5 children (youngest is 21). My husband gave me the tile of a Domestic Engineer but I am master of none. I have went to extremes such as solar camping lanterns indoors to now replacing those items to LED Lights. I am not a pro by no means, just a crazy mom...trust me - just ask my kids they think I am nuts! Mary Ann Romans (26876) 28 Jan 2007 05:08 AMI think that is so wonderful texflower! I'd love to learn more about LED lights! Community Tags dumpster diving, extreme frugality, saving water Discuss this article
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Do you know someone who is extremely frugal? From using coupons on groceries to raising chickens in the city for free eggs, a frugal person has to find her own level of frugality.
Here are some of the more extreme ways I have heard about, when it comes to being frugal. Some of these ideas may just leave you shaking your head and thinking, "There is no way I would do that!" Or, you may just be inspired by some of the things people do to be frugal. Either way, this is going to be fun.
