Frugal Simplicity

5 strips of bacon
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 T. butter
4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 can cream of mushroom
2/3 C. milk
1/8 t. black pepper

Cook bacon until crisp. Drain and allow to cool then crumble and set aside. In the same skillet, cook onion in butter until tender. Stir in potatoes, soup, milk and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10-20 minutes. Sprinkle bacon on top before serving.

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The heat of the summer can cause your power bill to skyrocket. Trying to keep your home cool while trying to keep your power bill down isn’t always easy, but it can be done. Using these tips can help you to keep your home cooler and keep your power bill down at the same time.

Avoid using appliances during the hottest part of the day that heat the home, such as the stove, oven, and dryer. The air units have to run even more to try and cool down areas those appliances are heating up. Use heat generating appliances when it’s cooler like early in the morning or later in the evening.

When baking, refrain from opening the oven door repeatedly while you are cooking. It lets the heat out, thereby making the air unit run harder to cool off the heat from the oven. Set a timer for how long the oven needs to bake what you are cooking and then check on it. Keep the heat in the oven and out of the kitchen.

Invest in a slowcooker or crockpot. These put off a lot less heat than the stove and oven, and can be set on low to cook even while you sleep or shop. They don’t heat the kitchen up and using them gives you time to do something else while the food cooks.

Use fans to help circulate the air. Ceiling fans and regular fans on a stand help to move the air. If you have window units, using fans will move the air from room to room more efficiently. If you have window units but not in every room, placing a fan in the door of the room without the air units will help keep the room cooler.

Computers heat up rooms. Fans are especially helpful in the room where you keep your computer. Using a fan to keep the air circulating will help keep the room cooler and keep your computer from getting too warm in the hottest part of the summer.

Close off rooms that are not in use or used often. Don’t try to cool rooms that you don’t use. This is most helpful if you have window air units. Keeping doors closed to rooms not in use leaves less area to be cooled, so it will be easier to cool it and keep it at a decent temperature.

Keep kids from going in and out repeatedly during the heat of the day. Each time the door opens, it lets the heat in and the cool out. Have them be either in or out, but not back and forth.

Clean the filter or change the filter on your air unit every two months. Dust from the air collects on the filter and it needs to be cleaned or changed on a regular basis. Clean filters help the air unit to cool the home more efficiently.

Place weather stripping on doors and windows that have cracks. Weather stripping keeps the cool air in and the heat out. It comes with a stick on side and can easily be applied to entrance doors and windows, and won’t harm the facing or woodwork. Weather stripping is available at hardware stores and discount stores such as Wal-Mart.

Keep curtains and blinds closed during the hottest part of the day. Opening curtains and letting the hot summer sun in during the hottest time of the year only heats up your home and causes your air unit to work harder to cool. Turn on the light and keep the curtains closed during the day. Using the light will burn less electricity than the air unit trying to cool what the sun is heating up.

Invest in insulating drapes for your windows. Insulated drapes have a rubber like backing that insulates, keeping the heat out and the cool in. These work opposite in the winter, keeping the heat in and the cold out. Using these with blinds gives a nice decorative look while helping to save money on power costs.

There are more ways to save money on the costs of cooling your home. These are just a few tips that can help keep your home cooler and your savings happier.

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Credit cards are everywhere. Turn on the TV and you will find advertising for the most popular credit cards. Sign onto the internet and you will find ads wanting you to apply online for a credit card. The temptation to apply for and acquire as many credit cards as possible can be great. After all, we can charge just about anything and pay for it later. And since the web has become the most popular way to shop, the use of credit cards has multiplied greatly.

As convenient as it is to just pull out a card and charge a purchase, it’s also one of the fastest way to get deep into debt. Learning to resist the urge to use a credit card often and controlling credit card spending is a must if we are to remain out of major debt.

The holiday season is peak season for credit card companies. They want us to use our credit cards and use them often. After all, just think of the amount of interest just one person is paying for just one card. Now multiply that by the millions of cards that are used on a daily basis, especially during the Christmas shopping season. They are raking in the dough at our expense! And let’s face it, most of us are paying the charges on these bills for years.

The easiest way to avoid going deep into debt from these charges is to avoid making the charges to begin with. While it’s a good idea to have at least one major charge card for emergencies, having a pocketful of them is just asking for a debt consolidation solution. To save yourself from having to worry about seeking help to consolidate debt, resist the urge to charge items, especially during the holiday shopping season.

One of the best alternatives to using credit cards is to use a debit card. One of the most popular debit cards is through PayPal.com, who offers a debit card that works just like a credit card. There are many benefits of using a debit card instead of charging your purchases. By using a debit card, the convenience of using a credit is still available, but there are no finance charges, and no bills to pay. Using a debit card in place of a regular charge card can save thousands of dollars in finance charges alone, depending on the amount of debt owed.

Resisting the urge to pull out the credit card and charging purchases isn’t always easy. Solve this problem by simply leaving the cards at home and taking the checkbook, debit card, or cash when shopping. If it’s not with you, you can’t use it, so just leave it at home.

Not using the card for online purchases isn’t as easy to control. Having the cards within immediate reach offers the opportunity to shop and charge with entirely too much ease. While this is great for convenience, it’s not great for the pocketbook when you overcharge and overspend.

How can we stop ourselves from going over the deep end with web purchases? A lot of it has to do with simple willpower. If we allow ourselves to spend without reserve, we will end up with a mounting debt that with no end to it in sight. The trick is to use a debit card such as PayPal.com’s. If a regular charge card must be used, use one only and set a limit on the amount that will be charged before using it. If the same item about to be charged can be purchased at a local store, go to the store and buy it rather than charging it. Make a list of what is to be charged and stick to the list.

Taking control of credit card use and spending can save a lot of money. It’s worth the extra effort to avoid charging and using other methods to make purchases. The extra effort can pay off in a nice nest egg with all the money you will save by not giving it to the credit card companies.

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Do you want to save money? There are lots of ways to cut costs, to make your money go further. I will present a few ideas here, most of which I have tried myself, and some of which I still practice.

Why buy storage containers? Those fake butter containers work just as well! Buy a container of the fake butter, use it and wash the bowl. There’s your first container! Keep buying the fake butter, washing those containers, and before long, you’ve got yourself a collection!

Want to save on buying drinking glasses? There are two ways to save on these. You can buy the cheap plastic ones. Or if you buy items in a glass jar, jelly for example, save the jar! Wash it, and there’s a drinking glass. Buy a few of the same items up, and you’ve got a set! Much less than buying drinking glasses, and they work just as well.

How many times have you went to wash your hands or bathe, only to find pieces of small or broken soap? That can drive you nuts! Simple solution! Take one of those fake butter bowls you’ve saved, and each time the soap gets that small, put it in the bowl. After a while, the soap pieces add up. You can get the bowl of soap pieces, add a small amount of water to it, and shape it into a new bar!

Are you tired of constantly buying emery boards to do your nails? Those things never last long. Make your own super duper boards for a fraction of the cost! Buy a package of sand paper. Go to a paint store and ask for some paint stirrers. You can usually get these free in most paint departments. Take a sharp kitchen knife if you have no saw, and cut the paint stirrers into small pieces. Then cut the sand paper into small pieces and glue the sand paper onto the paint stirrer pieces that you just cut up. There you are! A TON of emery boards! You have saved a lot of money, and made yourself something at the same time!

Another excellent way to save money is the brand of food you buy. A few years ago, while working for a company, I made a shocking discovery! I learned that most name brand companies put out the exact same item in a store brand and also off brand names! We all know that most store brand and off brand items sell for less. So I decided to start buying and trying the no name items rather than name brand stuff. I found that most, but not all, of the food items were the same thing I’d been buying under a well known name. I started saving TONS off of my grocery bill just by buying the store brand or off brand rather than a name brand! Add sales and coupons and there is no end to the amount you can save. It can actually trim HUNDRED�S off of your food bill every month!

Do you throw out your old junk mail? STOP! Look on the back of that mail. Is there anything on it? If not, cut it up into small pieces to write notes on! Why buy paper to scribble on and such, just to throw away? Use that junk mail and save money!

Do you need to decorate your walls with something? Take a look at your calendar, the months that have passed. Are there pictures on your calendar? Cut or tear those old months off, take the picture and find where you want it. Get some tape and place it nicely on your wall. Once the entire twelve months are up, you’ve got yourself a nicely decorated wall. And the best part is that you can get calendars free!

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Okay, so you want to get out of the house for the day. Why not have some fun, get things you can use, and save money all at once? Find some yard sales and get happy!

Yard sales are a great way to find all sorts of items. From junk to treasure, you’ll find it when you shop yard sales. You’ll have fun digging through all sorts of things, and be happy and at peace with your pocketbook, because you won’t go home broke.

You might be surprised at just what you can find shopping the everyday yard sale. It has been reported that the innocent shopper has bought, for well under $20, antiques worth thousands! Most of the reported finds were sold so cheap because the owner had no idea what they had or what it was worth.

If your looking for baby items, why pay hundreds of dollars for items that will be used for less than a year or two tops? You can find good used baby beds, strollers, walkers, swings, car seats, carriers, and more at yard sales. You can probably buy all of the needed items used, for the price of the baby bed if bought new. Baby clothes that the baby will outgrow in just months or even weeks can be bought at yard sales.

Do you like crafts? Find more stuff and spend less at the yard sales! Buy old clothes cheap and cut into patterns and shapes to make quilts! You can also use old clothes found at the sales to cut into ribbons and bows to decorate crafts with. Find old candles to melt down and make your own new candle! The ideas are endless. If you collect certain items, shop that yard sale to add to your collection! Again, some owners have no idea what they have and you might find an excellent deal, and make a lovely addition to your collection, for a fraction of the cost.

Did your lawnmower die? Don’t fret over it, look for a used one at the yard sale. Why spend tons of money on a new mower when a used one knows how to cut the grass just as well. So it dies next summer, too. That $10 or $20 on a used one is better than $100 or more on one that won’t last much longer! Are you looking to help someone get started out in a home with homemaking supplies and such? You can find pots and pans, curtains, sheets and blankets, and even furniture at yard sales! Nearly everything, if not all, of what a person or family needs to live, can be found cheap at yard sales. Shop until you find good stuff! There are so many people that have yard sales, that it won’t be a problem to find things in good condition. Some things might even be brand new!

The day is over, and you go home. You’ve had a nice day out, you’ve brought home some useful or wanted items, and best of all you can look in the mirror and smile. You’re happy and at peace with your inner self because you didn’t spend your life savings!

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How many times have you went out for an evening with your family, only to feel terrible at the amount of money it cost? The average family might spend $100 or more on a night out, just for a movie, to eat, and the gas to get there and back.

There is another way. You are not alone in wanting to have fun, yet not be broke before the week is up.

I want to let you in on a secret…..having fun does not have to cost a lot of money, if any money. You and your whole family can have fun, and you can go home and actually sleep at night, being comfortable knowing you did not spend you life savings in one night at the movies and the local diner!

You can treat yourself and your family to a host of entertaining events for under $20. You can find less expensive ways to do things and save money, too.

To make it a frugal trip when you go somewhere, take your own drinks and snacks in a cooler of ice. Leave the credit cards extra money at home, and you won’t be tempted to use them on your frugal day out.

Do you like to fish? Grab that cooler and go to the lake! A container of fresh worms won’t run into that $20, and you get some nice healthy fresh air in the process. Plus if you are a good fisher, you have supper for free! While fishing, you can also go for a nice free swim and cool yourself from all that fun fishing.

Take your kids to the city park! There’s loads of entertainment and more fresh air. Pack up that cooler again and make it a picnic for the day. If you went fishing, there’s a place to grill those fish for a yummy meal! Again, you won’t go over that $20.

If you like to read, take a trip to the local library and read to your hearts content. You still have the $20, though you might not want to take the cooler of snacks and drinks here! Start a reading circle and share books with friends and family.

If you want to see a movie that is playing at the theater, but don’t want to pay that ridiculous price, wait until the movie comes out on video or DVD and rent it! You will save lots of dollars this way and still get to view the movie! For those that just have to see the movie now rather than wait, check for special price showings and you can still save some.

Yard sales and thrift stores are wonderful ways to have fun and save money at the same time. Some people really enjoy browsing these sales. You never know what you will find. People have actually found very expensive items for pennies, because the owner did not know the value of the items they were selling!

Museums and zoos are also great places to visit with the children, and very educational. You generally have to pay a small price to get into these. If you pack your own drinks and snacks, you can still have a frugal day. I do not recommend taking the fish you caught at the lake here!

If you live near the ocean, take a trip to the beach! Pack up that sun screen to be safe, and plenty of drinks and food. Don’t forget that you do have to come back home!

If you want to walk for exercise but are not into the heat, check out your local mall! A lot of people today walk the malls just for exercise. Beware of the food court though, because you might find it difficult to walk and be carrying that cooler of drinks and snacks! Yes, this is one place that you will be spending that $20 most likely, but you can eat comfy knowing you did not expend all of your energy walking outside in the heat.

I am sure you have noticed by now that the common factor is the cooler of drinks and snacks. Just not buying drinks and a meal for you or your family on a day out can save a lot of money. The money saved here will add up and can be used for something else you want to do.

There are many other ways to have fun on a shoestring. There are countless other events that can be done without costing you tons of money to do.

If you put the money you have saved by being frugal into a jar, you will begin to see some serious savings soon. Give yourself a month of saving this way, and see the difference it will make. Then take the money you have saved, and go treat everyone to some ice cream….homemade of course (it’s more frugal)!

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Free product samples to make anyone smile!

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