Frugal cooking and saving money on groceries doesn’t mean depriving yourself and your family of a balanced diet and delicious food. It means spending more time in your own kitchen whipping up some delicious homemade food, instead of going out, and being a bit more creative on how you use ingredients. We all know that sometimes, especially after a long day at work and hungry children, dialing for a pizza or going out for dinner is the easy option, but the book “The Frugal Foodie Cookbook” gives you lots of easy and delicious recipes that not only save you loads, but are also quick to make.
The book is divided into 9 chapters, such as: Snacks on a Shoestring, Dinners on a Dime, Clever Kids’ Meals, Midnight Snacks and Thrifty Gifts. I like the fact that the book not only gives you lots of mouth-watering recipes, but also passes on lots of great tips on cooking and food. You can read up on topics such as: food storage and safety, benefits of coupon cutting, meal planning 101 and growing your own vegetables.
The recipes are varied and there is something for the whole family to enjoy. Being a coffee lover, I like the recipe on how to roast your own coffee or how to make a mocha.
Overall, if you are trying to reduce your grocery and restaurant bills, this book is a plus to have. It comes with lots of information on how to easily save a bit of money on cooking to put aside for something special. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in frugally feeding a family. It would also make a great gift to any new couple moving in together – a great way to start a frugal life together.
Let’s face it, it can cost an arm and a leg to get a professional interior designer to come to your home and make it look great. When you’re on a budget, you want frugal interior decorating ideas. The following are ideas you can use to change the look of your home and stick to a budget.
Start by deciding which room is most in need of an interior decorating facelift. What things about that room can remain and what would you like to change? Can you keep certain elements or do you want an overall new look?
Next, come up with a budget. Decide how much you can spend and then begin researching to see what you can do yourself and what will require a professional. Two areas you definitely want an expert involved in are plumbing and electricity unless you’re a licensed professional. And once you have your budget squared away, stick to it!
Painting is one way to change the look of a room dramatically without having to get all new furniture and accessories. Don’t be afraid to create a bold, new look by using darker colors. Find a darker shade than the curtains or furniture and create a focal wall. Add a new mirror or wall art to give your room a new look.
Rearrange your current furniture. Pull items from other rooms of the house to be repurposed elsewhere. This is a great way to bring new life to a room without spending any money at all.
Find wallpaper borders to match any style or décor. With a new coat of paint and a new border, you can totally change the look of any room. Bring in a few accessories to complete the room.
Borders can also be used down in the center of the wall to create a chair rail. Paint a darker shade below the border, possibly using glaze and texturing to give the appearance of leather, faux wood, or even marble. Luckily, many of the faux painting techniques can be done as do-it-yourself projects.
If your bathroom is in need of an update, why not refinish your bathtub and sink rather than replacing them? This project may seem difficult, but the fact is anyone who has ever painted with a paint roller can do a bang-up job and make a huge difference in their bathroom. Add new curtains, corresponding towels, and your bathroom will look great without breaking the bank!
Do you have a friend that is gifted with interior decorating? Barter with them by offering to help them in an area where you excel. This could be cooking lessons, babysitting, or whatever you can do that will be comparable in value. Bartering is an age-old way of getting what you want; it can be a win-win proposition for both parties.
Set up a decorating swap meet. Ask friends and family to pull together items they’d like to change and have everyone meet at a central location. Trade those items with one another rather than tossing them or selling them at a yard sale. If the items are still in good shape, this could be a great way to give them new life in a new location.
These ideas aren’t the only ones available, but they can get you started toward creating a new look for your home without breaking your budget. Decide how much you can spend, find frugal ways to make the changes you want, and soon your home will have a new appearance you’ll be proud of.
Everybody loves a nice, relaxing, vacation. The family vacation gives us a chance to focus on family and spend some quality time together. Unfortunately, sometimes the family vacation can be costly. Especially, if you have a large family.
Including a vacation in your plans can be a challenge on a tight budget. For those of you who want to get in that family quality time, yet don’t have the finances for an extravagant vacation, here are some frugal family vacation tips. Since the goal here is to get the most fun for your money, let’s talk about some frugal and low cost vacation ideas and tips that could be right for your family.
1. Camping: A great low cost option for families that enjoy the outdoors. Don’t worry, you don’t have to sleep in a tent. There are lots of state parks that rent cabins for a very reasonable fee. As an added bonus, when you are registered at a state park, you gain free entrance into all state parks.
2. Beach It: If you want to beach it, be sure to check out all your options for lodging. Sometimes a large family can do better by renting a condo or home for the week rather than staying at a hotel. Remember, you can save a tremendous amount of money if you can prepare your own meals while on vacation. A good portion of a families vacation budget can be literally “eaten up”! Even a little kitchenette in a suite can save you big bucks. If you’re campers, you can almost always find a campground near popular beach areas and get maximum savings on lodging.
3. Low Cost Lodging: Don’t forget your best resources, friends and family. Ask around to see if anyone has visited an area you plan to go. You may get lucky and have a “friend that has a friend” who maybe has a vacation spot they wouldn’t mind renting to you for a lesser fee. Sometimes people won’t rent out their vacation spots for various reasons, but don’t mind doing so if the tenant is a trusted acquaintance of a friend or family member.
4. Visit Friends and Family: Plan to visit friends and family that live far away, or even those that live close, and you rarely find the time to visit. In today’s fast paced society it’s not unusual for family and friends to lose touch. You’ll save money and get to catch up on what’s happening with friends and/or family that you haven’t visited recently. This will be fun for everyone and reinforce family togetherness.
Whatever you decide to do, if you’re traveling a great distance be sure to check all your travel options. With today’s soaring gas prices it’s not unlikely that you may be able to get there faster, and cheaper, in the air. Hey, maybe there’s a conspiracy here?
If all this just doesn’t fall into your category of “fun”, and you just have to have that exotic resort vacation, then at least be sensible about it. There are many great deals on vacation packages and off season rentals. And, oodles of travel agencies just waiting to tell you about them.
This is one area where do-it-yourself isn’t always the most practical advice. Travel agencies are privy to a lot of travel information, especially seasonal discounts, that you and I don’t have knowledge of. Do Your Research at least for goodness sake. You won’t be kicking yourself later when you come across that great deal you missed out on!
Check out your local travel agencies, as well as some of the many online agencies. Don’t forget, if you’re an AAA member you’re eligible for travel discounts. Before finalizing any plans, be sure to know your rights. What happens if you have to cancel? What is the deadline to cancel? Will you loose your deposit or is it refundable? Know your options.
Remember, the most important thing about family vacations is to spend quality time together. Have fun, and have a safe and happy frugal family vacation!
Frugal Tips to Shrink Your Grocery Bill (Plus Recipes)
Frugal Tips to Shrink Your Grocery Bill (Plus Recipes!) offers helpful money saving tips that will cut your grocery bill. Who doesn’t want to and need to save money in these hard financial times? Find out how to save money on groceries with this frugal tips ebook. Also included are some delicious frugal recipes.
Candle making can be a great past time, hobby, or business venture. While the supplies for candling making are remarkably inexpensive, the cost does start to add up over time. There are many ways you can cut back the cost of the candle making supplies, but I caution you not to sacrifice the quality of the products you purchase just to save a few dollars. This is especially important for those who sell their candles. If the quality of the product goes down because you are buying wax and other supplies that are of less quality, you will end up costing your business money over the long haul.
Keep a list of the candle making supplies you use. Include the brand, the price, and the amount of the item you get for that price. This will help you compare the prices with sales you run across and know if you are getting a better deal or not. Many craft stores run sales on candle making items before and right after the holidays. This can be a great time to stock up.
Checking online auction sites including Ebay and Yahoo Auctions can often be an excellent way to find the same candle making products you use at a discounted price. It could be that the seller of the items doesn’t have the time to make candles anymore or they simply have moved on to other things.
If you use a large volume of candle making supplies on a regular basis, consider buying them wholesale. You will pay more up front for your supplies, yet overall you will save a considerable amount of money. You can search such wholesalers on the internet and compare prices. Many online wholesalers offer free shipping as well so that is another area where you can save money if you normally purchase your candle making supplies online. If you know other people who make candles as well consider buying in bulk and sharing the cost as well as the supplies. This is an easy way for everyone to get a discount as well as reduce the cost at the time of purchase.
Some of the discount candle making products on the market are very comparable to the quality products you already use. A good way to tell is to compare the ingredients. You can research the necessary ingredients of each item on the internet. If the discount products contain all the major ingredients as the candle making supplies you already use, then give it a try. It is recommended that you only purchase one or two items at first to test the quality. Keep track of where you purchased the discounted items so you can return to that retailer or online store if you are happy with the quality of the products.
Containers and holders for your candles are one area you should never spend a great deal of money on. I won’t recommend buying them for regular price unless they are for a wedding or other very special occasion. You can buy mason jars, extra glassware, votive holders, and many other containers to use candle making at thrift stores and garage sales for a very reasonable price. You might also check the online auctions to purchase large quantities of candle making container and holders at a very good price.
The supplies used in candle making can cost you a great deal of money over time. To save money on the quality supplies you use, take the time to compare prices both online and at local retailers. Take advantage of discounts and sales throughout the year at craft stores. Be cautious when looking at discount candle making supplies. You want to make sure they offer the same quality that you are already using. Finding supplies at online auctions and buying them in bulk are also great ways to save you money on candle making supplies.
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Frugal Tips to Shrink Your Grocery Bill Ebook
Frugal Tips to Shrink Your Grocery Bill (Plus Recipes!) offers helpful money saving tips that will cut your grocery bill. Who doesn’t want to and need to save money in these hard financial times? Find out how to save money on groceries with this frugal tips ebook. Also included are some delicious frugal recipes.
