Frugal Fran!

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Permalink Reply by Joeli on June 24, 2009 at 11:09am

I'm so sorry to hear about the layoff. We've fortunately haven't gotten to that point, but all sales are down in the sales industry. Here are some ways we try to save money...

For the kids -- our children's museum has a free day the first of every month, other family places that have free days in Madison and maybe there are community farms, a theater sponsor saturday musicians. We get our movies from the library (or redbox $1/day).

For us -- we try and baby swap as much as possible with friends rather than hiring a babysitter so that we can still go out together and have adult time away from the kids.

Food -- the biggest money saver we did was make a weekly menu for our meals, create a shopping list and only buy the items on the list. It is definitely more time consuming, but we've found we have less food, more to eat and save a bunch of money because we eat all of the food rather than it sitting in the cupboard or spoiling. We can also make the meals stretch by planning lunches with leftovers or other meals using the same food we didn't use up in one meal. My biggest issue is only buying what's on the list, I often get suckered into sale items that are not on the list.

Hopefully some if this info helped or atleast inspired some of you own saving ideas.... good luck :) Joeli

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer on June 24, 2009 at 1:06pm

Heather, so sorry to hear about your layoff.

Being from the midwest I can't help but try to save money every step of the way. I spent 6 months in Santa Barbara where I had to eat on about $20/week or less or else I was building up debt. My husband thinks I'm a bit crazy at time but deep down it gives me a bit of satisfaction (however I still can't stomach much ramen noodles from packages). It's bad because around here in portland there aren't many grocery stores which do double coupons which is where you can really get the amazing deals that make a big difference in your budget.

I agree with all of the things Joeli suggested. For food, one step further to go is make two batches or meals at a time (freezing half). It always seems like recipes use up half a can of tomatoes or half a box of pasta or half of something that can go bad. This way you use it all up. There are also cheap make your own substitutions for items in more complicated recipes (buttermilk - just add lemon juice to milk or creme fraiche - sour cream or lemon juice&vinegar to cream)

If you want to be very frugal there are several websites where people are completely compulsive about doing things in the most frugal ways. Also the blogs babycheapskates will clue you in on really good deals for baby stuff for Hadley (including when organic foods are on sale at Amazon).
I also will buy in bulk at the stores when it is a non-perishable item that is more than 50% off or I freeze items in portions to serve 2-3 so that I can buy the bulk packs. (that's why i bought 7 bottles of Jet Dry Rinse agent last week).
While it isn't always cheaper we also grind all of our meat using an attachment on the mixer. This way you can get pretty good meat and make it as lean as you want without paying the added expense (this is a good way to use marked that looks fresh the day you buy it).

If your husband has time to do the shopping, they are always better at not buying things which aren't on the list.

I have also been trying to trade toys and clothes with friends in order to avoid having to buy new stuff too often.

We also walk/bike to as many places as we can on weekends to minimize gas.

Another fun outing is to Sauvie Island where you can pick fruit and veggies that are as good as farmer's markets but a fraction of the cost. The sauvie Island farms has a market that has great prices on veggies/fruits during the season they are open. Also Portland is great for city fruit/nut bearing trees. Maybe you have a neighbor who doesn't eat pears but has a pear tree... Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Stefanie Ryder on July 1, 2009 at 11:02pm

Check out the library for all sorts of wonderful and FREE things to do! Don't buy books, check them out! If you want to go to the children's museum, omsi, etc... get a free pass at the library! If you type "children's museum" into the catalog search, you will pull up a pass that you can check out for up to 3 days for 3 people I believe!

I check the Urban Mamas site every Thursday.. it lists a lot of things that are going on around town (many are free)

Never underestimate the goodwill or other thrift stores. If you can deal with the smell and the amount of stuff to dig through, we get a lot of great clothes for me and baby there! Everything I have purchased for Elliot there has been Hannah Anderson, Gap or Gymboree.... great resale value when I am done too!

A great place to sell baby items you do not need is the JBF sale.... I am holding onto most of Elliot's clothes for now... until the next baby, but sold just a few things at the last sale and made $40!

http://portland.jbfsale.com/index.cfm?siteid=2006072016493317

Also, we make our own cleaning products for a fraction of the cost of purchasing cleaners and they are way better for the environment! Check out: http://thetobyshow.typepad.com/the_toby_show/2008/10/green-cleaning...

Speaking of green living, I get a ton of frugal ideas from Enviromom: http://www.enviromom.com/

Have you seen the Summer Free For All site through Portland Parks and Rec?
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=50362
Here you will find FREE things to do everyday of the week!

We are also growing a garden... I have lettuce now that will last through the summer.. tomatoes are coming and also carrots, squash, peppers and tons of herbs....

Not sure if you are crafty... but for holidays and birthdays I make my own gifts and ALWAYS wrap in used paper... this Christmas I made freezer paper shirts for everyone in my family .. I get a lot of ideas from etsy.com

Finally, we have a mileage credit card. We pay ALL of our bills with it and also use it for ALL of our spending. We pay the bill at the end of each month with the money we would have spent on all of these things out of our bank account. Since we started using this card 3 years ago, we have gotten 4 plane tickets to NY for free! You have to book well in advance, but using miles to fly or to upgrade is a great way to cut costs on travel!

Some websites:
http://dealnews.com/
http://mommysavers.com/boards/samples-freebies-offers/
http://freepeats.org/
http://thebargainwatcher.com/index.asp
http://www.frugalgreenmom.com/

Hope this helps... can't wait to see more ideas!

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