The Frugal Life?

While having a conversation with a friend recently, I quoted something to her about being frugal that I had heard in the past that always stuck with me, "Live like no one else, so that you can LIVE like no one else."

I feel like my job as a mom and wife is to make the most of what my husband provides. I am absolutely privileged to be a stay-at-home-mom, and I don't take that role lightly. My personality is also to protect and provide. I'm the kind of person who likes to be useful and needed, and that part of me has turned into a passion to heal, prevent, and protect for my family.

Besides what you already know, my love for holistic healing, natural living, and organic eating, I have, since becoming an Army wife, found a love in being as frugal as possible. I get a huge high off of leaving the grocery store and knowing I just saved a ton of money, or that I went out with a budget and shopped UNDER that. Especially since our family eats completely organic, no exceptions. Making that kind of commitment for a family of five on a soldiers salary can be taxing, but I promise you, it can be done....I'm doing it :)

I want to share some super simple ways that I have learned (many from other wives & moms!) to save money for our family, and I'm hoping that in return, you'll share your tips and tricks with me! I'm always looking for new ways and ideas to make our pennies stretch.

BUYING IN BULK:

Of course, we are Costco frequenters. There are a lot of things I can buy in bulk at a store like Costco that save me tons of money. Cheese is a big one. We don't use cheese a ton, but it's expensive! I buy the big blocks, 5 or 10 pound from Costco and FREEZE them. I shred some of it, separating it into amounts I would use for tacos, chili, burritos, etc. and then take out to thaw the day of. I slice them into sandwich sizes and put sheets of wax paper between each one, throw them in a freezer baggie and store in my deep freezer. I cut up cubes and store those too, they are great for road trip snacks, sides for the kids lunches, snacks, and on-the-go food for me when I'm running around and don't have time to sit down for a meal.

We also buy our organic meat from Costco, the price cannot be beat for chicken and beef unless you buy locally from a farmer. Even then the price comparison (at least here in my area) is almost better at Costco. I stock up on meat, this way when we grocery shop every two weeks, I don't have to buy meat at all. (They also have their Hebrew National kosher hot dogs for a great price, I never buy them anywhere else. My freezer is always stocked for unexpected BBQs, camping trips, etc.) Meat is expensive, and not having to buy meat when we grocery shop leaves me with our entire budget for other things. Every year with our tax return we will buy $300-$800 worth of meat. It goes in my deep freezer and that can usually last me 6 months. Any time we have unexpected extra money, we use it to further stock our meat. This means none of my budget goes to meat and I never have to worry about it.

Bread. I freeze bread like CRAZY! If bread is on clearance because it's about to expire, Ill buy it all and freeze it. I always buy at least two loaves when we go to Costco, the price is right and I just throw it in my freezer. This goes for english muffins, bagels, tortillas, pita bread, etc. If we use it and it's on sale, I'll buy at least two and throw it in, unless I know we are well stocked and I could use that $5-$7 elsewhere. When we need it, it's always there, a loaf takes no time at all to defrost and it keeps wonderfully in the freezer for long periods of time. This also means that often times, I don't have to spend any of my budget on a single bread item either!

Other things we buy in bulk at Costco are baby wipes, juice, baking soda, fruit snacks, granola bars, spaghetti/noodles (the price is much better if you are buying organic or whole grain like us, I never buy my pasta at the local store), and Quinoa. Those are main staples that I probably wouldn't make a shopping trip without. All of these can be stored for long periods of time, so when you don't need that extra cash somewhere else, stock up. When money gets tight, you can shrink your food budget because you've planned ahead. Like my mom always says, 'a good soldier always has a back-up plan.'

FREEZING:

Got produce going bad? FREEZE IT.

We are big smoothie drinkers in this house, but I refuse to spend a ton of money on pricey frozen fruits or buy three times our regular produce just so we can enjoy a yummy drink. Whenever I have something that's about to go bad, I cut it up and throw it in a freezer baggie. I probably have about 30 bananas in my freezer right now. Fruit spoils fast, and it's easy for us to just toss them, but think about what you could do with it if you freeze them! This doesn't just go for fruit either, freeze your veggies (cook and freeze)!

CLEARANCE:

I got in to the coupon fad for a while, although I'll admit, it was more time consuming than money saving. I'm sure some people have that kind of patience and dedication, but you sure won't find it here, haha. Do you watch for produce to go on clear out? I DO! I'll pop into the grocery store on our way home JUST to check and see if any produce is on clearance. Our organic bananas (hence my stock pile) go 50% off once a week, when they start browning and new shipments come in. I'll buy a whole hand basket full. This can make banana bread (which you can....FREEZE), baby food, freezer packs for smoothies, banana pudding, dehydrated banana chips....I could go on! I often pay less then $10 for what I haul away, and for produce, and organic, you just cant beat that.

Organics go on clear out A LOT, watch for them. Milk (which yes, you can FREEZE!), eggs, orange juice, chicken, ground beef...these are all things Ive bought on major mark down from our local store, brought home and froze or used right away (orange juice does NOT last long in our house). I often peruse through our organic/natural food section in the store with one thing in mind, looking for markdowns. You'd be amazed at what you can find when you look! Things I normally wouldn't buy, like orange juice, I can buy 3 gallons of for a fraction of the price.

IN-HOME RECYCLING:

Do you use what might be trash to make something useful? PLEASE share if you do, I love these ideas! As we just built our first in ground fire pit, we have started recycling to make fire starters. I save all of our toilet paper rolls and fill them with lint from my dryer...instant fire starter :) We also use old newspaper, grocery ads, paper, etc to make fire starters. We get the paper wet and wad it into a PVC pipe, let dry and boom GREAT fire starter. This burns for over an hour and we have started collecting for camping and emergencies, especially with our Alaska winters!

MISC:

How about dishes and laundry? Those two dreaded chores that every mother undoubtedly does more than her share of. If you're like us, your washing machine and dishwasher never stop running! I have made laundry detergent in the past, back when I was trying to get our cloth diapers (<---- another money saver) under control. Admittedly, that stopped after a few batches and becoming pregnant with number 3. So, this is a fairly new venture for me, but my husband is loving it so I'm sure that means it's here to stay this time :) Right now I am making our own laundry detergent and dish washing soap. I am still messing around with our laundry recipe because of our very hard well water and its need for lots of borax, but I love our dish washing recipe.

check it out here -----------> Dish Washing Soap Recipe

I also make our own baby soap and shampoo for the kids using bar castile soap. EASY to do, and very cost efficient. Face Wash? I was paying an arm and a leg to buy my husband and I face wash without chemicals, parabens, additives, artificial colors, etc. & after doing some research I went ahead and gave baking soda a try (which we buy in bulk for pennies on the dollar at Costco). BEST face exfoliant EVER. My husband gets grumpy when there is none in the bathroom at his disposal. Mix 1 part water with 3 parts baking soda and voila, instant face scrub. For an extra boost/bad acne mix 1 part green tea with 3 parts baking soda and 1 drop of tea tree oil, works wonders...I promise you'll never go back. You can also use it to brush your teeth if you despise fluoride like us. Though we use toothpaste with cranberry extract, it's definitely a money saving option! Some people do not appreciate the flavor or grittiness, but it gets the job done and leaves those teeth sparkling white!

Make your own baby food. You DON'T need a baby bullet or a ridiculously expensive 'baby food maker', you don't need a million recipe books. All you need is a food processor (or good blender), some ice cube trays (hello, we're talking less then a buck), and fresh produce! This also takes the guessing game out of what's inside that jar of food you bought at the store form the big baby-chain. You know because you made it. No sodium, no preservatives, no sugar, just fruits & veggies! This weeks I made Kale/Carrot/Pear, Carrot/Garlic, Butternut Squash/Cinnamon, Avocado, Banana/Spinach, Mango/Banana, and Zucchini/Squash/Brown Rice. All my ingredients were organic and fresh. Everything cost me under $20 at our local Fred Meyer and it made enough baby food for 3+ weeks.

Do you love those shower steamers from Vics? Or are you like my husband and the first thing you do when you get congested is sit in a hot shower for as long as the hot water will allow and take in the steam? I found an AWESOME recipe for making our own shower steamers. We love them so much, that I make them in bulk, vacuum seal them, and store them in our basement so we always have a ton! The best part? They are super cheap and super easy to make! It aids as a decongestant, is safe for the kids, and the essential oils are great for the body!

RECIPE for homemade shower steamers [ these are undoubtedly my husbands favorite ]

Baking Soda

Water

Essential Oil Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Lavender

Cupcake liners

Cooling rack

• Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners 
• In a large mixing bowl, pour in 1 cup baking soda and slowly stir in 1/3 cup water (plus a tbsp or two more) and mix until thick and 'putty' like.   
•  Pour in muffin liners and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  
• Take out and let cool. Once fairly cool, add 15 drops of each essential oil to 'tablets'.  
• Store in a cool dry place in an airtight container to use at any later date.

CAUTION**These are not to be used in the bath. The amount of essential oil used would not be conducive for soaking.  For baths, never under estimate the power of a $5 bag of epsom salt! (often found in the pharmacy section of your local store, if not, ask!) Add in a few drops of essential oil (lavender is especially helpful when ill) and you are set!

THE LITTLE THINGS:

Do you unplug appliances when you aren't using them? You would be surprised how much electricity you might be using, even when you're not 'using' it! Unplug those appliances! The toaster, the coffee pot, the phone charger....not using it ? UNPLUG it! 

Turn off those lights! This is a huge pet peeve of mine, and I'm always on my kids and husband for this one. During the day, we NEVER have lights on (with the exception of the basement when someone is down there), use your daylight and keep lights to the bare minimum. Be diligent, when you aren't in the room, turn 'em off. This is especially helpful if you have a two-story house like I do and can't always have eyes on which lights are on and which lights are off. My daughters room is downstairs so she is responsible for turning all the lights off downstairs. Did you know you can motion censor a room? You can! Buy them for rooms where the light is often forgotten to be turned off, like the bathroom or a child's bedroom. Set it, and forget about it! Set outside lights on a timer, or (even better) have them motion censored so they really only come on when you need them! Closet lights, bathroom lights, garage lights, porch lights....these are things we easily forget to turn off on a daily basis, so make it a habit to turn them off. 

Going on a trip? Even just for the weekend? Turn that water heater off! This is one my husband introduced me to. He was put in charge of this responsibility as a kid when his parents started going on lots of trips and it became a habit for him when we got married. Why heat the water when you aren't home, even if it's just for a few days? & of course, turn off those heaters/air conditioners!

There are lots of ways to save water, including buying water saving shower heads for all your showers. Even though we're on well water and no longer paying for our water usage, we still use our water saving heads because they are so efficient at making the hot water last! Save water and shower together! Seriously. It's a great way to have time with your spouse every day, my husband and I have our best conversations in the shower! (plus, it's fun.) For more great ways to save water, check this out ------>  Save $ on your water bill

How about heating up your house? This is a big one for us, and we really took this into consideration when buying our house in Alaska. Our home has very efficient heating, in floor, but having a large home with 5 people still makes the bill go up. We are having a wood-burning stove installed downstairs to cut down on our heating costs during the winter and take advantage of the abundant wood resource we have, but until then, here's what we do...

Leave the oven open after use. I am always cooking since we very rarely eat out, once I'm done, Ill let the oven cool off but leave it open. This heats up the entire kitchen/living area and costs me no extra money. 

Insulate! This is best done before fall/winter hits. Make sure that your windows and door ways are well insulated and sealed. There are cheap and easy ways to fix any problem areas and drastically improve your heat retention. In areas where it snows, check your roof. Are there patches on your roof where the snow has melted? If so, this means that heat is escaping from the house through the roof , and that's not a good thing. Check the insulation in your attic and make sure it's up to par. A snow covered roof means a warm home :)

FREE FOOD?

Do you live in an area where you can go fishing? We sure do! I absolutely detest fish. I hate the smell, hate the texture, hate the taste. Hey, my family loves it though :) One thing Ive learned being a mom is that I cant feed my family based on what I do and do not like. I introduced fish to my kids at a young age, and to my surprise, and just like their father, huge fans. SO, back to FREE food. GO FISHING. We sure have been using this to our FULL advantage. My husband has successfully caught over 65 pounds of fish, and after a few more weekends, I will be set for the winter. All of this cost me the price of a fishing license, $20! Not to mention it's wild....a hundred times more beneficial for you then farmed fish!

We are getting ready to come up on our first ever berry season here in Alaska, and we could not, and I do mean COULD NOT be more excited. This weekend marks Alyeska's annual blueberry festival up in Girdwood, and we aim to leave with at least a few gallons of delicious antioxidant filled blue goodness! Berry picking is offered across the country, you may just have to take a drive to find the good ones. Berries are EXPENSIVE in the supermarket, especially if you buy organic like us, take advantage of local areas to pick.

Also find U-Pick farms in your area. This is a great way to support your community in buying local produce and let your family enjoy the experience of harvesting your own food and getting to know where it comes from. In my experience, it's much cheaper then local supermarket produce, but call ahead or check a website (if available) and then check your local add before heading out to see if the trip's worth it. Often times you can find fresh herbs and other novelties not offered at your local grocer. Find your local U-pick farms here ----->U-Pick Farms

These are just some of the ways our family has discovered to save money. We work hard for every penny that the hunky hunny brings in, so we want to make it stretch as far as it can, as I know everyone else does too! We are ever grateful for the abundant blessings that God has brought to us, and yes, I'm talking about our kids. We want to provide and build our family to the best and most responsible way we know how, while still nourishing the body, mind, and soul, and living how we know God wants us to be.

I know this is a subject that can NEVER have enough input, so I would sincerely appreciate anyone reading to share their ways of saving money! Happy saving :)