Just a Starting Message

fru·gal
ˈfrugəl/[froo-guhl]
–adjective
1.
economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: a frugal manager.
2.
entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager; scanty: a frugal meal.

That's me! I'm frugal and proud of it. I didn't used to be this way. We used to have a great income. Then my husband was laid off. Although he found a new job with fantastic benefits, it just doesn't pay anywhere near what he used to earn. I am a stay-at-home-mom and that is not going to change. So we had to make a lot of changes in our lifestyle. Surprisingly, we're happier now than we were before. We have control over our money, it no longer controls us.

In this blog I am hoping to share with you realistic tips and tricks about how you can be frugal too. Don't misunderstand, I'm not a cheapskate. But I don't like to give away our money unnecessarily. My husband works hard for that money and I'm going to do everything I can to keep as much of it as possible. I actually really enjoy getting a good bargain and avoiding spending money unnecessarily. It feels really good. It's a kind of rush that can be very addictive.

The first and best advice I can give you is to live on all cash! Get rid of those credit cards. Cut them up & cancel them. Then work Dave Ramsey's FPU (Financial Peace University) to pay off those credit cards. This sounds a lot harder than it really is. Once you make a budget and learn to live within that budget you'll be amazed at how much you were spending on just 'stuff' that you didn't need. You'll have control over your money and your life again.

The second bit of advice I would give is to 'get over yourself'. That's right. YOU are the problem. This was a very hard thing for me to admit, that I was the problem. I had to have those name brand diapers for my daughters. I swore that people would think less of me if my children were seen wearing cheap diapers. Get real! They hold pee & poop. Nothing more, nothing less. No one really cares what brand of pee & poop soaker-uppers your kids are wearing. And if they do, then they're not really the kind of people that you want to surround yourself with anyway!

Thirdly, I'd say 'take an inventory'. Find out what you really have. I have a big freezer in my garage & I know every single piece of food that's in there. You should know what's in your freezer also (and pantry, and fridge, and closets, and bank accounts, and medicine cabinet - you get the idea). Get organized! It will make your life so much easier and prevent you from purchasing unnecessary duplicates.

In this blog I will share recipes and tips with you that I have learned/discovered through trial and error. I hope you find it useful. If you have any tips/recipes/ideas/whatever you'd like to share please email me! I love to get new ideas!!!

Blessings!

Karen