Frugal Fashion

1) Buying lunch and/or eating out often. You’d be surprised just how much money you can save if you pack your lunch every day as opposed to “just grabbing a quick bite” during your work day.  And we all know how expensive it can be to eat out at a restaurant.  Even our family of 4 will cost about 50 to 60 bucks to eat at Max and Ermas or Red Lobster.  Do that just ONCE a week and you’ll see approximately $200 gone from your savings.

2) A large home. There’s SO much money that goes into owning a home, ESPECIALLY when that home is large!  And quite honestly, most people don’t need the large homes they have.  In fact, they could live  comfortably in much less square footage.

3) Your fancy/expensive vehicle. What’s the point in having a super nice vehicle if you really can’t afford the payment?  Or you can barely “afford” it, but you don’t have any extra money to do the things you’d really like to do….such as go on vacation??  And truthfully, when you’re making payments, it means that the bank owns your vehicle and you just rent it on monthly payments until you can finally pay it off!  Why not sell it, buy a cheaper one and use the extra money to save or if you’re not into saving, then use it to buy the things you couldn’t afford when you were paying 5, 6 or 7 hundred/month for that nice vehicle you just had to have.

4) Trying to impress people. Buying the best of everything just to impress others is a sure way to keep you in debt.  Just because Johnny-so-and-so bought a cool new camper and Razr doesn’t mean you have to…..unless of course you either like having to work to pay your debt (and don’t want to retire early) or you are independently wealthy and paid cash for those items J  The same goes for neatly manicured lawns, the best toys on the market for your children, the most up to date home décor and appliances, etc .

5) Procrastination. Procrastination is your enemy!  It’s easy to put things off/wait till later….only, later never comes.  Procrastinating is a sure way to keep you from being able to retire early and enjoying the kind of life you dream of.  Start TODAY instead of tomorrow!  Write out your goals/how you want your life to look.  Track all of your spending starting TODAY, then create a budget and stick with it.  Why put off until tomorrow what you can get done today?  Unless you absolutely love the life you currently live and have more money that you know what to do with!  Start working towards your dream life today!

#frugalfashion   #frugaldailyliving

Featuring a frugal post from my friend, Chelsae Schleich:

Recipe for a year’s worth of Laundry Soap for $27.87 that is safe for a High Efficiency washer!  This makes 30 pounds, and is a year’s supply worth if you do approximately 7 loads of laundry a week.

I have only ever seen the Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda and Borax in one size. You can also replace the Biz with OxyClean, I however thought Biz did a better job, as long as it’s 60oz. Fels-Naptha can be replaced with Zote, or you can do 2 of each, I personally like Fels-Naptha better. For the Purex Crystals, you can use any brand and any scent. The crystals are only for scent, so it’s all up to you. You can also add more or less of the crystals to reach the scent you desire.

What you need to get started:

-A big bucket (I used a 5 gallon bucket)

–grater

-4 lbs baking soda (.79 x4 = $3.16)

-1 box Arm&Hammer super washing soda ($3.99)

-Borax ($4.19)

-1 box Biz 60 oz ($6.59)

-4 bars of Fels-Naptha (.99 x 4 = $3.96)

-2 bottles of and scent of Purex Crystals (optional) ($2.99 x 2 = $5.98)

I sat my bucket on the floor and started with the top of the list. First, I put in all 4 boxes of the baking soda and then added in the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I cound that if you mix after each ingredient, you get a more even mixture. Then, I added in the Borax and Biz. I mixed this up with my bare hands. Next, you grate all 4 bars of Fels-Naptha and mix well. Lastly, you can add the scent crystals if you choose.

I used ¼ cup of powder per load, give or take depending on the clothing. I purchased everything from Meijer. Prices are above. Enjoy!

#frugalfashion   #frugaldailyliving

I love meal prepping, ESPECIALLY when I can do it frugally! Today I made 20 meals/individual servings for just 15.50! Meals were chicken breasts baked in creamy sauce, taco meat and potatoes soup. I grocery shopped at Aldi.  Ingredients and pricing as follows: A) 3 lb bag of frozen chicken breasts 3.50, can of mushroom soup .50 (combine these 2 items and bake at 350 for 1 hour). B) 1.2 lb pkg of ground turkey burger, 1 pack of taco seasoning .50 (fry meat and add in seasoning) soft tortilla shells 1.50.  C) 3 lb bag red potatoes 2.97, package of kielbasa sausage 2.09, baby carrots 1.00, can of condensed milk .50 (chop up potatoes, sausage and carrots. Add them to a pot of water and canned milk. I also added some garlic powder and oregano. Boil for about 30 minutes). All of these meals are freezable. Not only does meal prepping save me a ton of time, but doing it frugally saved me tons of money!  #frugalfashion #frugaldailyliving

1.  Movie time.  Find out the times when your local movie theater has the cheapest tickets and go then or have your own movie marathon night at home.  This way you can each pick movies, instead of just watching one at the theater.
2. Have a sports night.  A little friendly competition never hurt anything.  The winner gets a kiss 😉
3. Go on a nature walk/hike.  These can be beautiful, therapeutic and provide time to just slow down and talk to each other
4. Visit a free museum. You might have to do a little Google search to see what’s local to you.  But this can be educational as well as getting you in touch with your artsy or intellectual side.
5. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.  Give back to your community.  Not only will you be serving others, but you will be blessed as well.  It’s a win-win!!
6. Volunteer at an animal shelter.  For those of you that are animal lovers, this would be perfect.  You will see their faces light up when you show them some special attention.
7. Have a cook off.  Each of you could make a dish.  Then taste both and score for a winner.  Have a little of each and save the rest.  Who doesn’t love left overs?!
8. Game night and homemade pizza.  It’s fun to make your own pizza and add any toppings you want.  Maybe do a “half and half” pizza where you choose toppings on your half and the other person chooses sides for their half.  Then start a game while the pizza is cooking.  And after it’s finished and you eat, you can go back and finish your game.   Just enjoy your time together.  You don’t need money to enjoy date night.  #frugal fashion  #frugaldailyliving