Managing Your Stockpile 2

Do you have a well-organized stockpile? It doesn’t take too much effort to maintain a stockpile if you know a few tips. Yesterday, I started talking about how to manage your stockpile and avoid waste. Now, let us continue with the tips, including some recipe secrets. When you have a stockpile, it is important to be flexible enough to adapt when there are dietary or taste changes. For example, my husband used to take lunch meat as his lunch to work almost every day. Now he prefers soup. So, I have a couple of jars of mayo and salad dressing … Continue reading

Managing Your Stockpile

Having a stockpile of food and household goods that you purchase on sale makes good sense, especially now when the prices on things keep going up and up. For example, I purchased an extra bulk box of laundry detergent for $20. The price today is $30 for the same box. That is a 50% increase! The bulk organic flour I purchased cost me $25 for 25 pounds. Today the price is $50, a 100 percent increase! I purchased cans of pizza sauce on sale for 59 cents. The price today is 99 cents. You see what I mean. But one … Continue reading

Getting Your Kids Involved in Being Frugal

Are your kids part of your frugal lifestyle? I love involving my children in our family’s frugal practices and ideals. By having them involved, they learn some good lessons, such as managing money in a sensible way and reusing items in a disposable world. Another positive aspect of teaching them about frugal practices early on is the fact that they get to spend more time with us, as parents, following along and helping as we do what we can to save. I have young children. The eldest of my three is five-and-a-half, so there are limits to what they can … Continue reading

Shop at Home to Save: The Sources 2

If you were wondering where I get many of my products frugally, read on. This is a continuation of Shop at Home to Save: The Sources. Shower gel, body wash and soap Things to get people clean seem to be a main staple of holiday gifts. My main source of these products is from gifts (hmm, are people trying to tell me something)? Also, holiday gift baskets and packages abound at up to 90 percent off after Christmas. Free samples are also another source of these products. With the body wash, I was able to stock up on Dove and … Continue reading

Shop at Home to Save: The Sources

So, now that we are done talking about shopping from home, you may be wondering how on earth I had enough toothpaste to last for years or where I got all of that laundry detergent. Whether you are interested out of curiosity or are looking to get some tips on having free or nearly free products, it should be an interesting read. Here are my sources for all of the shop at home products we have around the house. Toothpaste Toothpaste manufacturers have started to place expiration dates on the tubes, although this is a relatively recent practice. A very … Continue reading

Shop at Home to Save: The Steps

If you missed the first post in this series, catch up here. Shop at Home to Save Picture yourself on a deserted island where only your home exists. If you had to survive in the manner to which you are currently accustomed and could not go out to buy anything else, would you use up the stuff you already have? For example, you could wash with that bar soap even if it isn’t your favorite type or brand? Have you been eyeing a new perfume lately when you already have three unopened bottles of other scents that you haven’t around … Continue reading

Shop at Home to Save

In the last five years or so, I have yet to buy one tube of toothpaste, a bottle of shower gel or body wash. My shopping list seldom includes body lotion or shampoo. I never buy magazines, cotton swabs, baby oil, or baby powder, and yet we are always supplied with these things. How? This past month, I have been using fabric softener and detergent and yet the last time it was on my shopping list was at least a year ago. Now, you might think this is because of stockpiling. Some of it is. But, some of it was … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: December 1st Through December 7th

By the first week in December I am almost ready with everything for the holidays–at least shopping wise. Of course there are always a few things to pick up here and there, hopefully frugally. December 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: November 24th Through November 30th How was your holiday? Was it a frugal one? In case you missed any of last week’s articles, here are the posts that were featured. December 2nd Frugal Month in Review: November 2008 November to be is the beginning of two things. The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, and then there is winter. Despite … Continue reading

Frugal Month in Review: September 2008

Now that September is come and gone and the kiddies are settled back into school and regular routines, it is time to welcome the fall. Still, there is plenty of good stuff that went on in September, including a bunch of ways to save money. September 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: August 25th Through August 31st Food and back to school are the two things on my mind this week. I e-mailed my son’s teacher ahead of time to ask about additional supplies that she might need for the classroom. She said that she usually asks parents for antibacterial … Continue reading

My Third Week in Review

Three times is the charm, right? I’ve had a lot of fun this week, celebrating Christmas, getting ready for the new year and blogging up a storm. Are you having a good holiday season? In case you missed any posts from my third week, here they are again. Reflections in A Dime Store Window: My first exposure with getting good deals happened early on in my childhood. Caught up in the holiday wonderland of Brooklyn, New York, the sort of magic that is captured by the song “Silver Bells, Silver Bells,” I would stare wide-eyed at the shops lining the … Continue reading