Well.
It’s been a while since I shared a new 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week!
Actually, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been sharing the occasional 5 Ways with my email subscribers.
But today my kids start their summer break. And I thought I’d use this change in routine as a chance to get back to one of my favorite things…interacting with my favorite frugal folks!
After a lot of neglect, learning how to organize finances seems intimidating. But these 3 simple steps make it easy!
It started innocently.
First there was the stack of mail you forgot about.
So you missed a bill or two.
Then the late fees began to pile up.
Suddenly, everything seemed to snowball.
How did a few blunders lead to this feeling of drowning?
Well… why worry about something that is out of your control? You gave up trying to keep up with finances.
Except that you do worry. Your money nightmare keeps you tossing and turning on your pillow.
And the not knowing what’s going to happen next is the worst.
Whether you consider yourself a master of the frugal lifestyle or you want to learn what it’s all about, having a bag of frugal living tips is always a great idea. Here’s a list of ideas you’ll want to try today!
If reusing baggies and making things from scratch is your jam, you might live a frugal life. You probably enjoy reading about frugal living tips, and you’re always looking for new ways to save money!
And those people that snub their noses at frugal people? Well, they might not always feel that way.
The thing is, even people who can’t stand the thought of being “too frugal” can change.
If you grew with super frugal parents, you might go through a rebellion stage. After a lifetime of feeling restricted (because you don’t understand the “why” behind frugal living), you reach an age where you can buy those things you’ve always wanted.
So you do it!
Well, that lifestyle is great…until you get hit with hard times.
Or you finally face that mountain of debt that your rebellion built.
But let me tell you a secret…there’s more to frugal living than deprivation. Your mindset can make all the difference!
Here’s the first important thing you should always remember…
Being frugal isn’t about buying the cheapest version of everything.
True, frugal people hate to spend money unnecessarily. They never want to spend money on items that don’t last nearly as long as they should.
But that doesn’t mean they live a miserly existence! In fact, embracing this lifestyle can help you to have more money for the things that are most important to you.
Isn’t that better than worrying constantly about having an empty bank account?
Starting a house cleaning business isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. If you’re a reliable hard worker, the money will find you!
You may have dreams about hiring a maid. Maybe you even put it on your Christmas list every year. (Guilty!) But have you ever considered getting work cleaning other people’s houses?
You don’t have to have a spotless home to start a house cleaning business. If you’ve got a strong work ethic and know how to clean well, you can turn this idea into a money maker.
Have you overlooked this simple way to save money on groceries?
I scraped the remains of yet another failed recipe into the trash. I’d been pretty excited about trying the new dish I’d found on Pinterest. It looked delicious!
Although it did have a few odd ingredients.
And the recipe didn’t end up being quite as simple as I’d expected.
Turns out the family wasn’t into it. My experiment meant more time and money down the drain.
I knew there had to be a better way to put together a meal plan. I was tired of planning elaborate meals to keep things interesting. I was even more tired of wasting money every week.
Something had to change. Luckily, that “something” turned out to be a rather simple solution.
When I became pregnant with our sixth child in June of this year, one thing was for certain… the clothing budget would have to expand. (Get it?!)
Because I tend to get HUGE with each pregnancy (it’s hard to fit 10 pound kids into my 5’1″ frame), I knew I’d probably need a lot of different sizes.
Who wants to spend a lot of money on big clothes? Especially ones you will only be able to wear for a couple of months?
Ok, I did splurge on this one shirt!
Luckily, I’d learned to get creative in my spending during our #yearsofno that lead us out of tens of thousands in credit card debt!
Flexing those money saving muscles is fun (once you’ve learned how to grow them)!
(Learn more about the path we took to get out of debt.)
I'm Jamie, and I believe that you can build your savings, even when life is frustrating. Learn more. 
