Category Archives: Best Tips Arouind

Here is the #1 Easy way to Be Frugal but below are readers tips about how to be frugal-

So here are my readers tips for being frugal.
Susie H- Look in your cart before you check out. Figure out the total, and put back whatever you don’t really need. Too many times, a spontaneous little $1-3 item here and there, adds up to $20+.

Kim F- Question every buy! Lol I don’t know how many times I been in line at the store and told myself “do I really need this?”, then turned around and put half my basket away lol.

Joyce C. - If I bought some veggies and realize after a few days I’m not gonna get to them before they go bad, I chop them up and freeze them. peppers, onions,squash, mushrooms

Ann H. B.- When there is a good sale, stock up! Get enough to last you at least until the next good sale!

Martha W- I use my k-cups of coffee and tea twice before tossing them.

Samantha H- Grocery shopping: always a list, a plan and that nutrition should always come first. We save way more buying fresh and base ingredients than boxed stuff.

Kara M- Shop with a list, with cash and a full stomach. I actually refill the few water bottles I have and keep them in my in my fridge ready to take w/ me when leaving the house for anything-store, dr. appt., trip. I’m not always fond of plain water, but I can add a few squirts of lemon or lime juice, a generic energy powder, generic Crystal Light, a few pieces of frozen fruit, an orange slice, etc. Sometimes I refill my small Diet Coke bottles w/ Diet Coke from a 2-liter bottle and refrigerate it. I have MS and am always low-energy and have to use caffeine when necessary, esp. to shop. (Yes, I know there can be a crash later, but I have to be able to function long enough to get things done sometimes!) I also use a lot of coupons, but am always careful to make sure I’m not buying something and paying more than another brand that would be just as good and ultimately cheaper, just because I have a coupon.

Krystal P- I have a large garden and can a lot of items. I save the juice from canned veggies and use it as stock for soup and stews. I use the juice from canned peaches, pears, and pineapple for marinades for meat. Cook from scratch saves me a lot of money. Use a price book and coupons.

Vicki H- Walk and bus and bike when you can. When I walk, I put the bus fare I just saved in a jar. My only expense is having to but smaller clothes from the weight I am losing.

Janie A- Just because you have a coupon for the item, does it mean its a great deal. Stock up when price is dirt cheap or free.

Karen B- Check clearance aisle first.

Melissa B- I freeze my produce when its freezable. I can use 1 bell pepper in about 3 meals by freezing it in dices and throwing in a handful at a time. I also pre-dice onion tomatoes and sometime potatoes and carrots and freeze. I find them on sale and do my best to always have a little something in the freezer.oh and i always always pre-cut celery!!!! Its expensive and I use it a lot…….no wasting in my house! Not only do I save money I save time and its always nice to have all I need on hand.

So I have noticed after watching a few shows and reading a few articles about being frugal. That I am not what those shows are like. I don’t reuse paper towels 10 times, I don’t use towels for toilet paper and I don’t eat random meat. I wanted to share with you my number #1 easy way to be frugal and how it helps my family save extra money each year. Also at the end I will give you some other ways that readers of this blog have told me about.

So here is my number way way I am frugal . It is simply don’t be brand loyal. Yes it is that simple and it can be a hard habit to break for some of you but once you get into you will see the money you save. Example for my family, we love Colgate toothpaste but not always when we need can I find a deal on that brand for free so instead of spending $3.00 on a tube of toothpaste since I am brand loyal I go find the best toothpaste deal for the week and spend between nothing and .50cents. So alone there is a savings of $2.75 on average. So the moral is don’t be a brand loyal, try new things you never know you might find a new favorite.

So remember when you are low on something at home check your local coupons and ads to see what brand you can get the cheapest for the week. To see the readers tips click this link. I was going to add to the bottom but I got so many good tips I made a separate post. Oh and once you start to get out of your habit of being brand loyal see how much money you can save in one month. You might be surprised with the number.

Q or CPN = Coupon
P&G = Procter & Gamble Monthly Insert
RP = Red Plum
SS = SmartSource
BOGO = Buy one item get one item free
BOGO50/B1G1/2 = Buy one item get one item at 50% off
RR = Register Rewards offered from Walgreens (cpns/money to use next time)
Cat = Catalina coupon, prints from a separate machine when your receipt prints
CRT = Cash register tape, usually used when referring to CVS coupons that print with receipt
ECBs = ExtraCare Bucks, CVS loyalty rewards system (cpns/money to use next time)
REDBOX= CVS coupon station
FAR = Free after rebate
IP = Internet printable coupon
MFR/MANI/MANU/M = Manufacturer
MIR = Mail-in rebate
OYNO = On your next order
OOP = Out of pocket
Peelie = Peel-off coupon found on product packaging
UPC = Universal Product Code, bar code on a product
WYB = When you buy
PM = Private Message
UFT = Up for Trade
$1/1 or $1/2 - A dollar off one item or a dollar off two items (etc)
2/$1 - Two items for a dollar
AC - After Coupon
Addy - Address
B1G1 - Purchase one item and get an item free (buy 1 get 1)
Beep - The sound a register makes when it recognizes a coupon discount is scanned
BTFE - Box tops for education
ETS - Excludes trial sizes
Exp. - Expires
FSOT - For sale or trade
GC - Gift Card
IDSO - In desperate search of…
ISO - In search of
IVC - Instant Value Coupon (Walgreen’s store coupons found in ads)
OOS - Out of Stock
PSA - Prices start at
RC - Rain check
Tearpad - Pad with coupons attached to product shelves

Don’t forget to see all the deals join my coupon group and/or sign up for my daily email.

Couponing, is great and once you learn you can get overloaded with all the deals you find. It feels like every moment you turn your head you find another deal that you “need”. The thing is that after about a month you will notice you have stuff everywhere and you feel burnt out already. So here are some tips on how to coupon without feeling burnt out each week.

• Start a spreadsheet here is an example. I do mine month by month so it doesn’t drive me crazy thinking about it weekly.
• Only buy what your family house can hold. If you buy more then you need weekly it will start having to hide in places you never want that kind of stuff.
• Keep to your limit even if you find for a steal. Okay maybe buy one but that is all.
• Check the expiration dates, make sure you know you will use before it expires.
• Don’t go after every sale, just buy what you need.
• Don’t just buy because it is a good deal, buy what your family will eat or use.

Yes, even after I have followed all my own tips I have had moments where I get burned out. That is the main reason you have a stockpile, so when those moments in life come up that make you have no time to coupon or just you are feeling burned out with it. You won’t have to worry about it since you have put a enough away to give you a break when you need it. I hope my tips helped you out and that you find your perfect way to coupon for your family.

Gardening is a hobby to some while it is a job provider to others. To those who want to build up a large career in gardening it would be wise to be frugal in your spending. This is what is all about Frugal Gardening! Try to reduce the cost of growing plants and trees and also improve your gardening opportunities. There are many tips which can lead to economical gardening! Some of them are,

• Newspapers are something which comes off cheap and can be found in any household.
• Thereby newspapers they can be also used in gardening by use them after shredding into compost beds.
• They can also be found at the bottom of flower pots and window boxes in order to help retain water.
• If you want to start gardening from scratch then the best choice is to buy packets of different seeds.
• These seeds need not be used at once and can be stored for the next season.
• Extra seeds can also be traded off for other plants with neighbors or other potential gardeners.
• Find out shops which offer seasonal discounts and try to buy a large number of plants and seeds around that time.
• Some shops also sell off their plants when the season is over called an off-season sale.
• They might seem costly and hard to grow at the very beginning.
• But these are much better than annuals which you keep replacing every year.
• Get a number of perennials and plant them so that they last for many years.
• It is a good habit to prepare clones from your own plant.
• Try taking out cuttings and seeds and also saplings from the plants which you are cultivating.
• These are like children or clones which can be used to prepare more plants.
• Come up with good plans to prepare compost pits and use natural waste products like peels, fruit skins, egg shells, vegetables and more to prepare proper compost.
• Try to use water which is used to wash off vegetable and other simple items in the home for watering plants in the garden.

 

These are some simple and frugal tips for mastering the art of gardening!