If all goes according to plan, I wont be having to go back to work. However, for that to be possible, I also need to think about ways to save money. Some of these things I do regularly, just because I hate wasting things, but some of these I’ll be implementing just because it makes sense! Many of these are simple enough to do and don’t even require a lot of skill.
Save old jars/containers for reuse
Do you get pickles? Or Salsa? Maybe a big ole tub of yogurt? All of those containers are great to reuse! I love using the glass jars to create my all natural cleaner, or to hold my old cooking oil. My main point here, is that I reuse them. The old yogurt container I use as Tupperware, and I label what’s actually inside that way the family knows that yogurt is not what is inside.
Cook from scratch
And I know- it can be tempting at times to grab a thing of frozen burritos, or a few boxes of mac and cheese. And when I see it for under a dollar, I’ll buy a box or two, for my kids. But most of the time, our meals are made completely from scratch. Pancakes, Burritos, even our cakes we do from scratch instead of frozen or boxed. Most of the time we have the ingredients to do it from scratch anyways, so why not? Yeah, a cake mix might only be a buck, but I have everything that goes into that cake mix…so, why am I buying the cake mix again? I do try to have a homemade ‘cake mix’ ready made because I do understand how convenient it is to only have to add an egg, oil and water.
Mend your clothes and blankets
Now, I get it. You CAN only mend so much, but its still a good practice. I’ve mended blankets, jackets, shirts, socks, just to give it a little bit more life. This is especially a good tip for the adults, since typically we are the ones who make the sacrifice for our kids. And there’s two different ways to mend. You can mend it and make it look like it never happened, or you can mend it and give it a totally new look. When I get too many holes in the legs of my jeans, I cut them off and now I have shorts. Maybe I’ll sew on a little ruffle to make it look cute.
Wear an Apron
Why? To protect your clothes from stains, burns, holes, etc.. An aprons job is to keep your clothes from getting ruined. And I need to be better about this because half the time I just don’t think about putting one on, and now more of my shirts and jeans are stained than I’d care to admit.
Grow your own food
Grow and harvest as much of your food yourself as possible. That’s why my main goal is to have a year round garden. Different produce grows best in different climates and temperatures, so this takes research to do in your area. Pots or in ground? Questions to ask yourself and determine what’s the most practical for your situation.
Reuse Leftovers
I remember as a kid I hated leftovers. It’d typically be the same thing as a few days prior but warmed up in the microwave and all around just meh. But now, as a mom myself I know those leftovers NEED to be eaten. But how can I give my family something that not even I wants to eat? Hm. Look at what you have and see what else can be made! Meatloaf one day? Sloppy joes the next! Leftover taco stuff? Throw that into a taco soup or Nachos! Get creative and make a new meal with the old meal!
Make your own Cleaning products
I’ve been doing this for years, not realizing it was actually something on the frugal side! Make your own cleaning products! Weather its creating your own spray cleaner with vinegar, and dish soap, or a paste out of baking soda and water, both of those are great alternatives to the cleaning products in the store which are typically loaded with chemicals and who knows if you should really be breathing them in around pets or young children.
Great cleaning combos:
Vinegar + Dish soap (dilute with water if scent is too strong)
Baking Soda+ water (looking for a paste like consistency)
Water + Castile soap (with essential oils for scent)
Vinegar + water + Rubbing alcohol (for windows)
Use Food scraps
This one I can’t stress enough. There are so many different ways to do this even that there’s no reason NOT to do it. Whatever parts of the veggie your not going to eat, you could be putting it in a compost, or freezing it to make broth, or you could totally do both! Personally, I’ll look at what it is. If I don’t want it in a broth, it goes in the compost (I.E tomatoes, or broccoli). I’ve even heard of people using onion skin scraps, drying them out real good and making their own onion powder with it. There is just so many options!
