Frugal Homemaker
Frugal, as defined by the Random House Dictionary is “Economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful.”
Now this means to be a frugal homemaker you have to be a person who thinks before they buy something for the house. It also means you are a homemaker who uses what is already on hand for a different purpose than it was originally intended.
Let’s look at some ways you can be a frugal homemaker:
Plastic Store Bags – If you haven’t jumped on the expensive “going green” bags at stores and you still just get the little plastic bags, you probably have a lot of them. Most people just throw them out but you can use them for other jobs. If you have any small trashcans in the house, these are a perfect fit. Got a cat and have to scoop litter? Dump it in one of these bags. They also work great as a pooper-scooper bag for your dog.
Milk Cartons – Just about everyone has these in their house and they can serve a number of other purposes once the milk is gone. You can keep another one in the car full of water in case of emergency. Another way is to use it at a flower watering pot or cut one in half and use it as an actual flowerpot.
Old Clothes – Turn them into new rags with a couple of snips. If you know how to sew, you can take them apart and make new things out of the good fabric.
New Clothes – If you have growing children, get their clothes, (especially pants) a little too long and hem them up. When they get older, let out the hem for continued use.
It’s not just about the things you purchase and how you reuse them; it’s also about using what you already have on hand instead of buying the same thing repeatedly:
Mixes – You can make pancake mix at home and it’s super easy. It takes about 5 minutes and can last months in your cabinet. You probably have all the ingredients to make the dry mix already, saving you even more money.
Food – Only cook what you plan to eat during the sitting. Don’t make food for six if you are only feeding four. People forget about leftovers all the time and they end up in the trash.
Energy – Turn the thermostat down, for every degree below 72, you can save 2%-4% on your heating bills. Turn off lights you don’t need, get energy saving bulbs and make sure you windows and doors are tightly sealed to prevent air being lost.
Washing Clothes – Only wash clothes when you have a full load for the washer. Don’t wash half-full loads, because you will use more electricity, water and detergent per item in the wash the fewer things you have in a load.
Those are just a few ways to get you started being a frugal homemaker and to help you save a little money in everything you do.
June 3rd, 2009 at 18:28
Well now your post reads like someone who wrote it has written it for personal experience. There’s a lot of good hints here that can make a difference. The only thing above I would not practice is the leftovers. It’s just me, my wife and 2 dogs, 1 cat and a bird. The bird doesn’t eat much, LOL, but I do enjoy leftovers. It means I don’t have to cook anything. Otherwise, all great hints as I said. Sometimes the simple things are the best medicine. We’re all going to have to get with the program to make it through the coming years. All the best.
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