Frugal Living for Families: Large or Small
Can You Live Simple and Enjoy Life?
When you think of the word frugal, what comes to your mind? Perhaps you think of low cost, cheap or thrifty. These terms all fit in the category of what is considered frugal. Because of the economy, so many individuals and families have been experiencing hard times and are keener to having a frugal lifestyle. Especially is this true with families, big and small. Living on a budget and being mindful of spending habits can keep families afloat, despite hard economic times. Just how can families accomplish this? Here are few ways families can live frugal and save, despite hard times.
Avoid Being a High Tech Family
In this day and age, technology has soared. What used to be considered the basics are nothing of the sort these days. In a typical family home, you may find that not only do the mom and dad have cell phones, but all of the children do as well. Not only does the whole family have cell phones, but they have other costly gadgets that require paid services as well. While it may be nice to have, the cost of technology isn't cheap. Some studies show that many families with more than one smartphone spend close to $4,000 a year one services.
If you are trying to cut down on your spending, this may be an area that can help reduce your monthly bills if you cut down somethings. Perhaps using less data or ending unnecessary services. To cut cost, you could ask yourself: Does my family really need these gadgets? Could we limit how many cell phones and tablets we own? Or could we at least invest in cheaper cell phones, perhaps going prepaid?
Shop Smart for Clothing
Shopping for clothes for a large family can get quite expensive. Therefore, it is ideal to shop either on clearance racks or at secondhand stores. With these two options, you can still get quality clothes, but at a cheaper price. Some have even been successful with buying clothing lots off of eBay at a rather fair price. A good reminder concerning children's clothes is to do your best to keep them in good condition. Why? Because once you are done with them someone else can use them and you could make a profit by reselling them yourself.
Cut Down On Eating Out
It is not only healthier for you to eat at home, but in the long run it could save you a lot of money depending upon your dining out habits. Some families spend hundreds of dollars weekly; this money can be put to better use for healthier food and other more important things. It may be hard for busy families to cook a meal each day, however, setting a side a little time to plan your meals in advance will make it easier to avoid the temptation to eat out.
Another wonderful thing about eating at home is that it draws families closer together. When families eat a meal together it promotes communication and stronger bonds.
Get rid of Your Home Phone Service
Most people these days have at least one cell phone. Is it necessary for your home to have a cell phone and a house phone? Cutting out the house phone could save you a few hundred dollars a year. For those who aren’t ready to let the home phone go, you can also cut down on the monthly phone bill by using services like magic jack or VoIP services. There are several others to choose from, just be sure to do your research first.
Don't Forget to Use Coupons
So many people are finding that using coupons can save you a lot of money. The idea of couponing may sound daunting to some since it does involve a lot of monitoring, but no worries. There are many bloggers out there who enjoy “extreme couponing” and share their findings online so that viewers can know where to go to find some good deals. So if you aren’t really ready for the whole “extreme couponing” thing, find a good blogger who have already done the work for you.
Buy products in bulk
Buying in bulk and initially save you some money as well. Of course, you want to be wise about picking the right products to stalk up on. Products like shampoo, toilet paper, paper towels, and soap are all good examples of items you can buy in bulk. Foods that have a long shelf life is ideal versus foods that have to be consumed in a short period of time. This is a great way to save some dough especially if you couple it with some coupons.
Make Your Own Products
There are many things that you can save money for in the long run if you just make it yourself. For instance, there are many recipes online for making your own natural deodorant. Once you buy the products, you will have them on hand to make more batches when you need too. You can also make your own toothpaste, facial cleanser, soaps and even shampoos. Many of these are created with simple ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen.
Don’t Throw those Leftovers Out
Instead of tossing your leftovers from last night, why not reheat it for lunch or dinner? Get creative and have leftover chicken or turkey with a salad or as a sandwich. Leftover rice makes a great fried rice meal or could be stuffed in a burrito. Unless last nights dinner was just a plain disaster, refrigerated it have it again later. This will lessen your chances of spending money on takeout food.