Simple Steps to Debt-Free Living

I have been really inspired by some of the grocery challenges I’ve been reading online and I wondered how cheaply I could feed my family for the week.  Now, we are a family of six but two of our family members are under 3 (and one isn’t even eating solids yet!) so I set my challenge to feed a family of 4.  This challenge required me to buy all our groceries (no using items already in our pantry!!), include three main meals and some snacks, and require very little prep work.  I think we did really well, no one went hungry and we definitely saved some money!!

I wanted to do this challenge a bit differently than others because I didn’t want to assume everyone has extra items in their pantry and/or a bunch of spices and baking essentials on hand.  Everything we ate for the week (minus salt, pepper and the sweetener in the oatmeal if you choose to use these things!) came from this list.  We do have a deep freezer and freeze everything we can and always have pantry staples on hand, but I wanted to try a different approach to meal planning that could work for anyone.

Here is a breakdown of what we bought at our local Wal Mart prices (so if you shopped somewhere like Aldi you could do it even cheaper!!)

I decided to do Wal Mart instead of our local Aldi because I could do the online shopping and show some realistic prices.  Aldi doesn’t always have the cheapest items on everything and Wal Mart is a store that most everyone has nearby.

Granted, this menu is not going to fill you up every meal if you are used to very large portions, but you can always add in the snack options to keep you going.  Also, I would definitely buy a variety of frozen vegetables but so that I didn’t make the list terribly long I put all the same in my cart.  Wal Mart has a lot of different varieties of vegetables for the same price.  Having some sort of vegetable at dinner is a must for our family so that’s why you see frozen vegetables every night.  Add some variety in!

Other items you might consider adding for more variety if you have a little more to spend: Their Market Bread ($1) can be cut into slices with butter and salt and toasted.  This would be great for pasta night.  Add in hot dog buns ($0.89) for your hot dog night.  Add in another in-season fruit for more variety with breakfast and lunch.  Cereal ($1.74 for a large box of Great Value O’s).

Here is a breakdown of the meals you can make from these items:

**Please note these amounts are per person but the shopping list above is enough for four of these servings per meal

Weekly Meal Plan

Breakfasts

Monday: Slice of toast with 1 Tbsp peanut butter and 1/2 banana
Tuesday: 2 Eggs and 1 banana
Wednesday: Oatmeal with 2 cut up apples mixed in (add sweetener as desired)
Thursday: Slice of toast with 1 Tbsp peanut butter and 1/2 banana
Friday: Oatmeal with 2 cup up apples mixed in (add sweetener as desired)
Saturday: 2 Crescent Rolls, peanut butter, jelly and 1 banana
Sunday: Oatmeal with 2 cut up apples mixed in (add sweetener as desired)

Lunches

Monday: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich with 1/2 banana
Tuesday: Grilled Cheese (1 slice cheese on 2 pieces bread with butter) and 1/2 apple
Wednesday: Pasta (1 box) with butter, salt and pepper with 1/2 apple
Thursday: 2 Eggs, 1 Slice Toast, 1/2 Banana
Friday: Peanut Butter and Jelly on Tortilla with 1/2 apple
Saturday: Tortilla “Pizza” (tortilla topped with sauce and cheese), 1/2 apple
Sunday: Cheese Quesadilla, 1/2 apple

Dinners

Monday: Hot Dogs, Frozen Vegetables
Tuesday: Pasta (1 box) with butter, salt, pepper and frozen vegetables
Wednesday: Rice with eggs and frozen vegetables (stir fry) with butter
Thursday: Crescent Dogs (wrap hot dogs in crescent rolls) with frozen vegetables
Friday: Grilled Cheese sandwich with frozen vegetables
Saturday: Cheese Quesadillas, refried beans, frozen vegetables
Sunday: Tortilla “Pizza” (tortilla topped with sauce and cheese), frozen vegetables

Snacks

Hard boiled eggs
Leftover apples
Toast with peanut butter and jelly
Toast with butter and jelly

So that’s it!  I hope this meal plan challenges you to save money on your next shopping trip.  It certainly did for us.  I’m hoping to come up with even more variety in my next trip – see you then!

 

 

One of the things my husband and I decided to invest in early on in our marriage was a deep freezer.  We really value having a good store of food in the house (and, in this case, the garage!) and now that we have kids that value has become even more important to us.  No, we’re not exactly “preppers” but we do have a stockpile of food just in case!  Our freezer is used more for housing extra items we use regularly that we buy in bulk when they are on sale and freeze for later.  At first I was really surprised when I found out you could freeze some of these items, but man am I glad you can!!

Not only is this list good for when you buy perishable items in bulk or on sale, but it can also help if you decide to make lots of baked goods and other foods at once and freeze the extras for later.  This is really helpful in our family when my husband makes a ton of mini muffins and we freeze the extras – they thaw out quickly and taste just as delicious and we only have to do the work once!

The freezer also is a big help for us when we make a few freezer meals for later.  Now, we don’t do big batch freezer cooking (except for chili) but we do often make an extra pan of whatever we are having for dinner and freezing that for later.  I mean, you are already doing the work and have the ingredients out, so why not make two and have one for later?  One less meal you have to think about!

Here is a list of things that we regularly freeze for later:

1. Cheese. I was SO surprised when I found out you could freeze cheese!!  Now we buy lots of it when it goes buy one get one free at Publix and freeze the extras.  We get it out and put it in the fridge when our last package runs out, but we have even found that you can use it frozen in things like chili!  use shredded or grated cheese for this, so if you buy blocks go ahead and grate it before putting it in the freezer.

2. Baked Goods.  We like homemade bread around here and we often will freeze a loaf or two for later.  This also works for store bought bread although sometimes the packaging isn’t the best if you plan on freezing it for long.  Like I mentioned above, we love to make mini muffins and put them in freezer bags – we put just as much as we usually eat in a bag and leave one in the regular freezer and put the rest in the deep freezer.  You can also do this with tortillas, rolls, bars, cakes, etc.

3. Fruit.  Wow, do we go through a lot of fruit in our house!!  While we often buy fruit that’s already frozen, we also buy fruit when it is on clearance or in season (pick your own!) and freeze it.  Super easy – just lay the fruit out on a sheet pan to freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag.  Done!

4. Meat.  We like to buy grass-fed beef and when we do it is already frozen, but we can’t always afford it.  The next best thing is to pick up the best quality meat when it’s on sale or clearance.  I love to freeze ground beef (somehow I always forget to use it when it’s in the refrigerator!) and chicken when it’s on sale.  You can also freeze cooked meats.  My husband really likes to smoke Boston Butt so when he does he makes a huge amount and we freeze the amount our family eats in freezer bags for later.  Just throw them in a cast iron pan with a bit of butter and it’s a meal ready to go!  We also always keep

5. Butter.  Butter is another thing we go through a LOT of in our house so it makes sense to stock up when it’s on sale and freeze it!  Butter here goes for over $3.50 a pound for store brands, but around the holidays it can be as low as $1.99 so we stock up.  Obviously that doesn’t last the whole year but we keep our eyes out for good sales and stock up again when we get low.  You can also buy it at Sam’s or Costco and freeze it.  We’ve never noticed any difference in taste or quality after thawing.

6. Vegetables.  We also go through a ton of frozen vegetables.  You can buy cheap bags at places like Kroger (it usually takes 2 of their dollar bags to feed our family a side) or you can freeze produce you have before it goes bad.

7. Eggs.  We have chickens so during the warmer months we end up with a lot of extra eggs.  You can freeze whole eggs out of the shell, just crack them and place in a freezer bag.  Be sure to label how many eggs are in each bag just in case!  You can also freeze eggs after cooking for some quick breakfasts!

8. Homemade Pizza Crust.  This is way cheaper than buying store bought, so make up a large batch and freeze at once.  When you get to the point where you would bake it, just put it in the refrigerator for a few house to slow the yeast, wrap well and freeze.  We like to go ahead and flatten it out so we just defrost, top and bake.

9. Whole Pies.  While you can freeze just the dough, we like to freeze whole pies.  Make the pies then freeze them uncooked.  When it’s time to bake, take it from the freezer to the oven and cook for 1 1/2 times the recommended time.  This is great when you have unexpected company – just pull out a pie, put it in the oven and you have a wonderful homemade dessert while you catch up with your guest.  Another option is to prebake the pie shell and freeze so you can add the filling fresh later.

10. Herbs.  We grow a garden every year and often some of it goes to waste.  I’m really trying to use as much as we can and that includes the herbs we grow.  We often have a ton of basil, oregano, rosemary and cilantro that we don’t use.  They freeze really well!  The easiest way to do this is in ice cube trays with a little water.  When they are frozen, pop them out and store in a freezer bag.

11. Milk, Cream Cheese, and Sour Cream.  While these may lose a little of their quality after thawing, they are great for baking.  We use sour cream in a lot of our baked goods such as banana bread.  Having some frozen milk on hand is great if your recipe calls for it and you have run out.  Cream cheese is good to have for sauces (we love alfredo!).

12. Nuts.  Natural oils in nuts can go bad so it makes sense to store them in the freezer.  It preserves the goodness in the food and helps it to last longer.

13. Broth.  We like to make frugal, mineral-rich bone broth in our house.  You can really stretch the value you get out of a chicken by doing this and using the meat in several other recipes.  Plus the nutrition of this can’t be beat and it’s so easy to make a filling soup with this as a base.  We freeze it in 2 cup portions in a freezer bag.

14. Cookies and Cookie Dough.  If you like to eat cookie dough, find an egg-free recipe, make up a double batch and freeze it!  We used to freeze the rolls of cookie dough when I was a kid and I’d eat it frozen (although I wouldn’t do that now because of the real risk of salmonella!)  You can also freeze cookies after they are baked, thaw and reheat.  Yum!

15. Yogurt.  My kids love it when I freeze tubes of yogurt.  They eat it frozen!  I buy the tubes because it’s easier to feed the kids – just cut off the top and give it to them.  As the yogurt melts it gets easier for them to push up the yogurt just like a pop ice bar.  This is healthier and they love it.  I’ve never tried defrosting it because it’s so delicious frozen!

16. Bacon.  Now, I know this could technically go in the meat category above, but I think it deserves a stand alone entry because at our house we have bacon in the freezer at all times.  Since we do have chickens that lay a bunch of eggs, we have bacon and eggs about once a week.  The best thing about frozen bacon is that we don’t even have to defrost it first.  We just open, peel it carefully apart and place it on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Place it in a cold oven, turn to 325 and bake until it is done to your liking (for my husband and sons that is about 25 minutes, it’s longer if you’re like me and like it crispy).

17. Lasagna.  This is one of those dishes that is great for a quick freezer meal.  Make two or three pans at once, cook one for dinner, and save the rest in the freezer.  We buy disposable pans for this, too, so that we can easily freeze it and throw the pan away.  If you want a more budget-friendly option, I’ve read of people who line the pan with parchment or plastic wrap, freeze, then pop the food out of the pan, wrap it well and store in freezer.  Then, when ready to cook, unwrap the food, place it back into the pan and cook.

18. Chopped Onions and Peppers.  When onions and peppers are on sale, stock up, cut them up, and freeze in freezer bags.

19. Whole Wheat Flour.  Any flour can technically be frozen, but whole wheat really should be to keep the oils from going bad.  We have a grain grinder and enjoy the taste and health benefits of freshly ground flour, but we quickly freeze anything we don’t use right away to keep the nutrients.

20. Uncooked Dough and Batter.  Besides the pizza and pie dough mentioned above, you can also freeze pancake, waffle, or cake batter as well as any bread dough.  Then, just thaw and bake!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of the best foods to freeze to save money.  Freezing these foods saves us hundreds per year not to mention time with our busy family.  What else to you freeze?  Leave me a comment below!

Let’s face it – we all have way more stuff than we really need in our homes.  I’ve been fascinated recently watching TED Talks about minimalism and frugal living.  I know I could really never be a minimalist, but I like the idea of just living with less stuff and having the stuff we do keep in the house purposeful and organized.

When my husband was in the Army we moved a lot.  In one way this was really good for us because it forced us to take a long, hard look at each item we owned and decide if it deserved a place in our new home.  We usually ended up decluttering quite a bit every time we moved.  We really pared down the time we moved from Massachusetts to Tennessee and could only afford a 16′ truck!  Everything we thought we could part with got set to the side in case we had room (which of course we didn’t!) and it all had to be donated.

Since then, though, we have purchased a house, had four kids – and collected stuff.  Granted, we have a lot less stuff than most people I know but still more than we actually need.  I’m working hard at decluttering now that I have read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  That book was so eye opening!  You can check it out here:

Now, let’s take a look at how to declutter and then organize what’s left like a pro!

Step One:  Declutter Ruthlessly

The first step is to get. rid. of. stuff.  I mean a LOT of stuff.  The book said to get all of your items in each category in one place starting with clothes.  Bring all of your clothes out in one place at one time and go through them all.  Keep only those things that make you feel like a million bucks.  If it’s something sentimental, keep it or you can always take a picture to remember it by.  Clean that closet out!

Then do the same thing with other items in your house.  Be ruthless.  If it isn’t functional or beautiful it needs to go.  I’m still working on this myself but we are getting there!  I’ve been selling a lot of my maternity and baby items on ebay now that we have had our last baby.  It feels so good to be getting rid of some of this stuff we’ve had sitting around for years!!

Step Two: Organize What’s Left

Okay, so now you’re down to things that you think actually really belong in your home.  Hopefully you have some more space to store it now that you’ve gotten rid of a bunch of stuff.  Let’s look at some brilliant ways you can organize on a budget.

For All Rooms

Dollar Tree bins are really a great idea in any room.  I love to use them in my almost every room in my house: kitchen, bathroom, kid’s rooms, etc.  We also make use of a lot of the closetmaid cube organizers.  They are great for holding different types of bins and for a piece of furniture they are budget-friendly.  Here are some styles we like:

These have been a life saver for us with our boys’ toy storage.  We have the 12 cube unit pictured above and half of the cubes are filled with bins that hold different items.  One bin holds vehicles, another play food, another holds figures, etc.  Then, the cubes that don’t have bins are home to various types of large vehicles that usually fit 2 per cube: fire trucks, police cars, etc.  It works out so well for us!!  We do have the storage bench that is pictured above, too.  It is at the foot of our bed and holds some of my craft supplies. 🙂  We use three three cube units in our closet.  They fit really well on a shelf turned sideways.  My husband stores his T-shirts in them this way since we don’t have space for a dresser.  All of our clothes are in the closet and this type of cube for around $20 is super helpful!

Kitchen

My husband and I are both foods teachers so we have a lot of stuff in our kitchen because we cook a lot.  We keep it organized, though!  Here are some of our favorite ways to organize on a budget in the kitchen.

For our pantry, we use a ton of the Dollar Tree plastic bins.  I started this with just a few to create a snack area for the kids where they could choose their own snacks to take to the car.  This was super helpful since we walk right by our pantry on the way to the garage so I try to keep healthy packaged snacks handy (either purchased in individual packages or portioned into snack size ziploc bags).  I liked the plastic bins so much I expanded it to use for other pantry items (kid’s lunch stuff, chips, etc).  If you want a lot of these and want them to match, try DollarTree.com – they will let you special order items and ship them to the store!!!  Here are some of the items online I found when I searched for storage:

We personally have the Plastic Locker Bins with Handles and I love them.  Head over to the main Dollar Tree website to search for their storage items.  You can see that with a lot of things you have to order between 24-36 items so if you don’t want that many check your local store.

You can also make great use of command hooks inside your cabinets to hold your mixer accessories, pot and pan lids, etc.  Command hooks are amazing!

A great way to store produce is to get it off the counter and hanging on the wall in one of these great wire organizers.  We like to store onions, potatoes and bananas in these types of baskets hanging on a wall in the kitchen.

Bathroom

Make use of small plastic baskets to organize your drawers.  I use the small, 2″ tall white baskets to hold hair ties, nail stuff, etc in my drawer and it really helps to keep everything organized.  You can use the same Dollar Tree bins to help organize your linen closet, medicines, and first aid items, too.  These bins are also amazing at under-sink storage.

If you’re crafty, you could easily make some wooden crates to hang on the wall and hold towels, cosmetics and more or you could buy some pretty inexpensively at a craft store.  This is a great style:

You can also use the same baskets I use in the kitchen for produce in the bathroom as well.  They can hold towels, hair dryers and straighteners, etc.

Bedrooms

For our bedrooms, we make great use of the Closetmaid Cubes and bins.  We also purchased several plastic crates and attached them to the wall the same way you can hang wooden ones (just don’t put anything too heavy in these!).  We put our boys’ costumes and lighter toys in these.  At $10 or less per crate you can’t hardly beat it for cheap storage.

We also utilize some under the bed storage bins and some fabric bins on shelves.  I like this under bed shoe storage unit that costs a little over $10 and these two other storage units for $15:

You can also buy the plastic under the bed storage containers with lids but they are more expensive.  Dollar Tree has some fabric bins that are nice but they are pretty flimsy and you will eventually have to replace them (especially if you have kids!!).  We personally like these storage bins that cost a little over $20 for six but they hold up better:

I hope this post has inspired you to live a less cluttered and more organized life!  We are nowhere near where I would like to be with our organizing, but it’s slowly getting better.  After all, it’s a journey – and we’re having a ton of fun along the way! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the ultimate list of places where kids eat free (or almost free) broken down by night of the week.  Keep in mind that there are usually restrictions such as an adult entree must be purchased to get the free kids meal.  Some restaurants don’t participate or have a different day of the week in some areas, so please call the restaurant to verify the kid’s night before you go.  Want to download and print this list?  Scroll to the bottom of this post.

 

Mondays:

• Arooga’s Grille – kids 12 and under eat free with each adult entree purchased
• Brewzzi – kids 12 and under eat free, two kids meal for each adult meal at least $12
• Cody’s Original Roadhouse – kids 10 and under eat free from the kid’s stuff menu (2 kids per adult entree purchase)
• Fuddruckers – kids eat free from 5-9 pm with purchase of an adult meal
• Golden Corral – kids 10 and under eat free from 5-9 pm
• Jason’s Deli – kids 12 and under eat free all day (day varies by restaurant, please call)
• Red Robin – kids 10 and under eat free (not all locations participate)
• Romano’s Macaroni Grill – kids 12 and under eat free with purchase of adult entree
• Whichwich – kid’s meals 99 cents with purchase of a 7” Wich, 12 and under

 

Tuesdays:

• Atlanta Bread Company – kids 12 and younger eat free per adult meal during dinner hours
• Backyard Burgers – kids 12 and younger eat free after 4 pm with purchase of an adult combo meal.
• Bob Evans – kids eat free after 4 pm with purchase of an adult meal
• Chick-fil-A – kids eat free from 5:30-7:30 pm with purchase of an adult combo meal
• Denny’s – kids 10 and under eat free from 4-10 pm with purchase of an adult meal
• Cody’s Original Roadhouse – kids 10 and under eat free from the kid’s stuff menu (2 kids per adult entree purchase)
• Famous Dave’s – kids eat free all day with purchase of an adult meal
• Fazoli’s – kids eat for 99 cents after 4 pm
• IHOP – kids 12 and under eat free after 5 pm
• IKEA – kids 12 and under eat free at the food court at participating locations
• Lone Star Steakhouse – kids 12 and under eat free all day with purchase of adult entree
• Marie Callender’s – kids 12 and under eat free with eat adult entree purchased
• Perkins – one free kid’s meal per paying adult
• Pizza Hut – kids 10 and under eat free at the buffet with purchase of adult buffet
• Ponderosa – get 2 free kid’s meals for each adult meal purchased after 4 pm
• Ruby Tuesday – free kids meal with purchase of adult entree from 5 pm to close
• TGI Fridays – kids eat free with purchase of an adult entree
• Uno Pizzeria & Grill – free kid’s meal or gluten-free thin crust pizza with purchase of an adult meal all day

 

Wednesdays:

• Buffalo Wild Wings – kids eat free with purchase of an adult meal
• Firehouse Subs – get 2 kids meals free for each adult combo purchase (medium or large)
• Logan’s Roadhouse – kids eat free with purchase of an adult entree
• Luby’s – kids 10 and under eat free from 11 am to close with purchase of adult meal
• Qdoba – kids eat free with each adult meal purchased

 

Thursdays:

• Captain D’s – two free kids meal for each paying adult
• Picadilly – kids 12 and under eat free all day for $1.99 with purchase of adult entree.  Includes entree, two sides, drink and kid’s dessert!
• Ryan’s – kid’s buffet for 99 cents, 11 and up, 2 free kid’s buffets per adult buffet
• Salsarita’s – kids eat free all day with purchase of an adult meal

 

Fridays:

• No deals specifically on Friday – check the everyday deals below

 

Saturdays:

• Maggiano’s – kids under 5 eat free all day
• Picadilly – kids 12 and under eat free 11 am – 4 pm for $1.99 with purchase of adult entree.  Includes entree, two sides, drink and kid’s dessert!
• Steak ‘n Shake – get one kid’s meal free for every $9 spent dining in

 

Sundays:

• Arriba Mexican Grill – kids 10 and under eat free.  One kid’s meal per adult entree from the dinner menu.
• Dickeys BBQ Pit – kids 12 and under eat free with purchase of an adult meal costing $10
• Hooters – kids eat free from 11 am – 11 pm
• Planet Sub – one free kid’s meal per paying adult
• Sam & Louie’s – get one free kid’s meal for 12 and under with every $12 spent
• Steak ‘n Shake – get one kid’s meal free for every $9 spent dining in
• White Castle – kids eat free from 4-8 pm with purchase of adult meal over $4

 

Every Day:

• Cafe Rio – kids 6 and under can get a free quesadilla with adult purchase
• Cici’s Pizza – kids under 3 eat free with purchase of an adult meal
• Frickers – kids eat free when dining in with purchase of adult entree and kid’s beverage
• McAlister’s Deli – kids meals are 99 cents every day at select locations
• O’Charley’s – kids 10 and under eat free with purchase of an adult meal
• Shoney’s – kids 4 and under eat free with the purchase of an adult entree

We used to spend a small fortune on laundry soap.  My husband does the laundry and he does at least two loads a day – especially now that we are a family of 6 with kids ranging from 0-8.  We used to buy All Free & Clear and follow up with Snuggle fabric softener (still both great brands but DIY is way cheaper!).  I had to set aside a decent amount of money every month because we would blow through so much of the stuff.

My husband would always turn up his nose at the thought of making it ourselves.  I tried a couple of recipes and encouraged him to try it and we always ended up back with the expensive stuff (and I know there are more expensive ones out there!).  We tried to buy with coupons and on sale but eventually I found a recipe that we loved and we have further tweaked it to meet our needs.

This makes a large amount of laundry soap and we keep ours in a five-gallon bucket with a gamma seal lid.  The gamma seal lids are amazing because they keep the powder safe from small hands but are easy to unscrew when you want a scoop of detergent for the washer.  Even with as much laundry as my hubby does, this will still last us at least 3 months.  If you do laundry less (like most normal people) you should easily be able to get 6 months or more out of this recipe.

It was a bit of a switch to go from the liquid detergent to powder.  This has definitely been worth it and I actually have found that I prefer the powdered detergent!

All the ingredients to make your own laundry soap can be found at your local stores.  The only thing you might want to shop around for is the Oxygenated Bleach.  We have found the cheapest at Kroger, but Aldi is really close if you don’t have a Kroger nearby.  The most expensive would be to buy Oxi Clean, but you can if you like or if you can’t find an off-brand version.

The original recipe said it was safe for cloth diapers, and to be honest I’ve used it on ours without any problems, but I can’t be sure it would work for all brands (we’ve used Charlie Banana and G-Diapers with it).

DIY Laundry Soap

1 box borax ($4.47)

1 box washing soda ($3.97)

4 lbs baking soda ($2.24)

2 tubs oxygenated bleach ($4.47 each)

3 bars soap (you can use Fels-Naptha or another brand such as Dr. Bronner’s.  We often use 2 Fels-Naptha and 1 Dr. Bronner’s.  You can use Lavender or Peppermint or another scent if you like, too!) (Fels-Naptha is $1.56 each)

Total:  $24.30 at Wal-Mart prices without coupons

Directions

1. Grate the bar soap with a box grater.
2. Add in the powdered ingredients and mix well (this is where a five-gallon bucket comes in handy).
3. Use the small scoop that comes with the Oxygenated Bleach for a full load of laundry.  We never use more than one scoop and it always turns out great!

We never use fabric softener anymore.  Occasionally there will be a bit of static with a furry blanket or my robe but the cost savings are waaaaay worth it!!

What DIY laundry recipes have you tried?  Leave a comment below.

Let’s face it, we all want to save money.  I’ve been interested in living a frugal lifestyle since college and I have read a ton of articles on the subject.  Since then, I’ve gotten married, bought a house and have four little boys!  We definitely practice a lot of these frugal living tips in our own lives and I want to share my favorite frugal living tips to help you save, too!

1. Do as much as you can yourself.
   1. Make your own laundry & dish soap
   2. Make your own cleaning products
   3. DIY Baked Goods
   4. Make your own convenience mixes
   5. Cut your own lawn
   6. Repair everything you can on your own (Youtube is your friend!!)
      1. Car
      2. Clothes
      3. Appliances
   7. Take your lunch to work
   8. Grow a garden and plant fruit trees and bushes
   9. Handmade gifts
   10. Take your coffee with you from home instead of buying it out
   11. Dye your own hair and do your own nails (Youtube it or have a friend help)
   12. Cut your kids’ hair yourself
   13. Make your own smoothies and juice instead of buying it
   14. Do your own taxes (it’s a pain but so worth it!)
2. Save money on food.
   1. Weekly Meal Planning
   2. Plan for Leftovers
   3. Budget-Friendly Recipes
   4. Switch to water instead of buying drinks
   5. Work at recreating restaurant favorites at home
   6. Have kids?  Take advantage of all the Kids Eat Free promotions!
   7. Use a slow cooker to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat and save electricity
3. Save on heating and cooling your home
   1. Bundle up before turning up the heat
   2. Seal your windows and doors (tip: use plastic wrap!)
   3. Buy a programmable thermostat and set it to save money when you are not home
4. Reuse everything you can
   1. Freeze leftovers for later (DIY frozen dinners!)
   2. Freeze vegetables for soup and fruit or greens for smoothies
   3. Turn leftovers into compost and use it for the garden
5. Give up what you don’t really need
   1. Cable (use Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime)
   2. Gym (work out at home!)
   3. Combine trips in the car to save on gas
   4. Cut down on dry cleaning – don’t buy dry clean only clothes and start cleaning most things on gentle in the washer or by hand
6. Buy in bulk or on sale
   1. Items that freeze well
   2. Budget friendly items at Sam’s Club
7. Buy used, rent or borrow
   1. Buy secondhand clothes
   2. Rent a prom dress
   3. Rent tools you don’t use often
8. Find free or cheap things to do
   1. No Spend Challenges
   2. Budget Friendly Family Activities
   3. Free or Cheap Date Night Ideas
   4. Visit the library – free books and movies
9. Trade services or goods
   1. Trade babysitting with friends to make date night even cheaper
   2. Start or join a monthly freezer meal club to share the meal planning burden with others
   3. Consider starting a clothing exchange or toy exchange with other parents you are friends with
10. Always buy some items at places like the Dollar Tree
    1. Gift bags and tissue paper
    2. Greeting cards
    3. See a comprehensive list here!
11. Don’t shop unless you need to, and always shop for deals
    1. Shop online and make sure you are getting the best deal (use ebates and also use an app like honey to find the best promotional codes!)
    2. Look for things like “oops” paint, clearance flooring, etc when you know you will want to remodel your home
    3. Check the outlet stores and scratch and dent stores when you need large items

In my opinion, meal planning is the number one thing you can do to save money on food.  If you carefully plan your meals (especially around what is on sale!) then you reduce last-minute trips to the grocery store or stops at fast food.  This has really helped us curtail our eating out expenditures.  With four kids to feed under age 9 we were finding ourselves at a loss for what to cook each night (and would head out to eat!).  The saddest part of that is that my husband and I are BOTH cooking teachers!  You would think we would be all over the cooking healthy meals for our family thing.  Sometimes we are.  But when we don’t take the time to meal plan, out we go!  These free printable weekly meal planners for busy families will help you get back on track!

Printable Meal Planner from Printable Crush

I love this colorful, fun planner!  It has space for breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus a spot for you to jot down your grocery list.  One of the things that makes this planner unique is the daily servings checklist at the bottom, helping you to ensure you are getting a wide variety of foods in your diet.  (Helpful to make sure the kids are eating their fruits and veggies!)

Grocery List with Menu Planner from Heytherehome.com

This is a very simple menu planner and mostly grocery list.  This is honestly how I usually plan dinners (we just kind of buy breakfast and lunch stuff and wing it) so I will make a detailed grocery list with a small list of the week’s dinners off to the side.  Very good planner if you are just wanting to plan dinners and have a large space for the grocery list.

Weekly Menu Planner from Little Coconutty

Here is another good example of a menu planner that lets you plan out each of the day’s meals including a snack.  It also has a small area for the grocery list.

Weekly Meal Planner Excel Template

If you like to keep your meal plans digital, check out this nifty meal planner that you can fill out in MS Excel!  It has a spot for all the breakfasts, lunches, and dinners grouped together and a shopping list area, too.  Maybe I should move my meal plans on the computer… it sure has helped with my budget…

Free Printable Meal Planner from dearcrissy.com

Okay, so if you are looking for a detailed meal planner that includes everything you might need for FREE – look no farther!  This is over 30 PAGES long and includes items such as shopping lists, recipe cards, weekly meal planner, and so much more!

I hope one of these free printable weekly meal planners works for you and helps simplify your life (and your budget!!).  We are jumping back on the meal planning wagon with the new year and I hope you are, too!

Amanda

 

I will admit, there was a time when I hated that my mom shopped at Goodwill and other thrift stores. She didn’t do it out of necessity, she is just a frugal shopper – which is why she and my dad are debt-free when they started off with nothing!  I wish I could be more like her but alas, the spender in me wins out more often than it should, especially when it comes to eating out!  But now that I am older and in charge of my family’s money, I love thrift store shopping and there are now items that I never buy anywhere else.  Use these tips to help you save money, too!

Items You Should Buy at Thrift Stores

1. Dishes and Cookware

This is a broad category but I firmly believe you should buy all of your dishes and cookware from thrift stores.  In particular:

Cast Iron – we love cast iron at our house and use it almost exclusively on the stove top.  Some of the pieces we have found have needed some major TLC, but with a little elbow grease they became good as new.  My hubby is excellent at seasoning the pans and takes great care of them.

Pie and Cookie Plates – pick these up so that when you gift a food item you don’t have to worry about getting your dish back!  Plus, they look so much nicer than a disposable pan.  This totally changed our gift-giving as we love to gift home baked goods and now they can look as nice as they taste.

Casserole Dishes – We pick these up pretty much for the same reason as the pie and cookie plates.  We do a lot of pot luck dinners and if the dish goes missing or someone would like to take the rest home, it’s no biggie to give up the dish.

Vintage Pyrex or Corningware – I love both Pyrex and Corningware and the vintage versions to me are actually better.  Most older Corningware can be used on the stovetop but not most newer versions!  You can find some great pieces at thrift stores to add to your collection.

Copper Pots and Pans – my husband adores copper and the set we wanted was WAY out of our price range (and that was even before we had kids!) but we have found many copper pieces in great condition at thrift stores for a fraction of the cost!  Just like cast iron, you may have to put a little work into a copper piece, but it is totally worth it.

2. Wooden Cutting Boards

Wooden cutting boards are one of those things that just gets better with time.  We always had several of those cheapy plastic ones but you can get a really nice wooden cutting board at a thrift store for the same price!  Wood is really, in my opinion, the best cutting board material out there and it stays beautiful even when you use it regularly.  Wooden bowls are awesome, too!

3. Sheets and Blankets

You can score some amazing cheap fabric if you can find nice sheets in good condition.  I use all the sheets and blankets I pick up for crafts (have you seen how expensive fabric is at the store lately??) but I have bought crib sheets for the kids and nice cotton blankets for the home from thrift stores.  Just take them home and run them through the washer on hot or sanitary and they are good to go.  I wouldn’t buy anything thick with a layer that could trap any nastiness, but a thin sheet or blanket will be fine.

4. Picture Frames

I used to pick these up at the Dollar Store but those are always plastic and super cheap quality.  Now I always get my picture frames at thrift stores – you can easily paint or stain them and they are better than new!  You can also often find some great decor items in the same section if you don’t mind a little DIY.

5. Toys

My kids love going to the thrift store – and we often come home with a new toy or two.  I love it when my kids take an unwanted toy home and it gets hours and hours of use.  Since we have four boys we often find vehicles (fire trucks, airplanes, boats, cars, etc) that the boys love and are usually never more than $4 even for a huge aircraft carrier that we found.  Usually they are only a dollar or two and I don’t mind picking them up for that price.  Plus, we practice toy rotation so we don’t get overwhelmed with how many toys are in the house at one time (we have a small house!).  I would not recommend stuffed toys or things that can’t be easily cleaned, however.

6. Wooden Furniture

We have scored some amazing wooden furniture pieces at thrift stores.  Often it just needs a new coat of paint or some other minor alteration to give these pieces new life!  Turn an armoire into a pantry storage unit, or convert an old entertainment center into a play kitchen – and I love this armoire turned yarn storage!  I haven’t been so lucky with any kind of upholstered furniture (usually they have an off smell) but wooden pieces are a yes!

7. Books

In our house we love to read.  Books at thrift stores are so inexpensive, often just a dollar, and then there is no guilt when you pass them on after you have read them.  You can find some really good books, too, often recent ones.  We like to pick up books for our kids at thrift stores.  There are some really great ones that people get rid of because their kids get too old for them!

8. Baskets and Trays

If you like to organize with baskets or wooden trays then the thrift store will be your best friend!  Why spend a ton at retail stores when you can score these babies for a buck or two at your local thrift store??  You get the same look for a LOT less!  We also liked the wooden trays for our kids.  The oldest two went to a Montessori school when they were younger and I like the way they use trays to contain an activity (they call it “work).  Thrift stores saved me a ton!

So, there are my top 8 items you should buy at thrift stores – anything else you always buy that didn’t make my list? Be sure to download the FREE thrift store shopping guide and leave a comment below!