Frugal Home Tips

There are so many ways to save money in the home. Our family lives a pretty frugal lifestyle, and we still learn from others’. Nothing is unobtainable, even on a meager income. We are a one income family, but we still save money to take a vacation.

Our yearly family vacation is worth all of the savings that we apply throughout the year. While on vacation we have fun. My husband and I each take a turn doing something we would not normally do. Our goal is too make sure that the kids leave with an awesome collection of memories.

For that…..we save daily.

Laundry-

Frugal home tip #1, do it all on one day, then catch up later in the week one day. Don’t run the washer everyday.

Food-

Frugal home tip #2 grow your own food, if you live in an area where chickens are permitted eggs are a great source of protein. If you live in an area where chickens are not permitted and it is cold, look at your weekly menu. Research some less expensive meals.

Vacationing-

Frugal home tip #3, I love to take a vacation. It may not always be where in someplace with a beach, or Disney world. A tighter budget may mean vacationing at a fun park for a few days, or an extended camping trip. Lack of funds does not necessarily mean a cancellation of any vacation time.

Clothing-

Frugal home tip #4, only buy clothing when it is a necessity. Keep a list, and periodically check what the family needs to purchase. If it means there are more clothes or shoes than we have days in a week, then no new clothes for awhile. Kids do not need 42 shirts. I know because at one time I counted that my 3 year old had 42 shirts. I finally figured out why the laundry was piling up! Grandparents were always bringing him a shirt! (That has stopped with each new child we had).

Utility bills-

Frugal home tip #5 ,my first frugal home tip is on utility bills. For water usage, we use a timer. When it goes off after 12 min, each person…including us turn the water off. this saves us a lot in the water bill each month. for lights we use a timer. All, we do not leave the coffee pot or toaster plugged in.

Extra Curricular Activities-

Look at the locations and times. Just like when you are putting together a schedule, plan activities the same way. We have all of our activities on Tues/Thurs. in one location. We are gone both evenings from 5-10 pm. Frugal home tip # 6 save on gas, time, and food. Link activities to and plan them.

Homeschool curriculum-

Frugal home tip # 7, is to reuse as much curriculum as possible. Use the same curriculum on several kids, and just re-purchase the workbook. Also, search Pinterest for as much free curriculum as possible.

School supplies-

Frugal home tip #8, is to only buy school supplies you need. Buying a bunch of college bound notebooks that are only .25 cents isn’t a savings, if you do not use them.

Weekend date nights-

I know, date nights are rare, but especially homeschool parents need to stay connected. Order in pizza, put the kids in bed early with a movie and eat together. If you are like us, we rarely can hold a conversation without being interrupted, so we communicate with each other for about an hour. Frugal home tip #9, save on a babysitter and stay home.

Family activities-

Saving money with this is a no brainer. Family activities do not mean that you always have to leave home. A great read aloud, backyard games, invite some friends over for dinner, or just go out for ice cream. There are so many ways to have fun as a family with out spending a ton of money. Frugal home tip #10, is put some thought into family activities and see how many you can come up with that cost under $35.00.

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Cheers,

Michelle