Top ways to be more frugal

Everyone is looking for ways to be more frugal and save more money nowadays. Being frugal used to be looked down upon, but now it has become the next big thing for society to learn how to get better at. By becoming more frugal in our everyday lives, we can change and make an impact on each other and hopefully mother nature,  too. Being frugal doesn’t have to be a drag, it can be fun to save money–and you help the Earth and other people by consuming less, instead of more. Most people have been forced into frugality now because of the state of the economy, but it is the hope of future generations in the world will that we all learn this most important lesson and take away from it, that being frugal is a good thing for everyone. Here are some great tips for becoming more frugal:

• Plant a garden and grow some food.
• Hunt and forage for food.
• Make food from scratch; bake from scratch.
• Can food or freeze large quantities of food to save it for later.
• Make your own home cleaners.
• Make your own beauty/health products.
• Do facials, manicures, pedicures and other beauty treatments at home.
• Use coupons on items that are on sale, check the local grocery ads to see what’s on sale and match up the coupons you have.
• Only purchase what’s on sale, cheap and/or you have coupons for.
• Drive less, walk and bike more, share rides with others or use public transportation more often.
• Buy used from thrift stores or yard/garage sales.
• Save all your change.
• Look for inexpensive or free stuff from Craigslist/e bay/ Freecycle
• Save things you can reuse or repurpose like baggies, popsicle sticks, butter containers or any plastic container, plastic plates or cups.
• Use non-fat dry milk in baking and cooking.
• Save scraps of food to turn into compost; and put it on the garden to help it grow.
• Fix anything that is broken if you can before buying (including clothing).
• Keep a price-book on grocery items to see what the lowest price is on any particular item.
• Take your lunch to work with you; make your own lunch at home.
• Eat out less; make more of your own food at home.
• Cook extra food and freeze it to pop into the oven or heat later or cook using a crock pot or steamer so that it is convenient and ready fast or when you get home.
• If you do eat out, order water instead of soda or other drinks; if they offer smaller portions of meals opt for those; if you do get a large portion save half for another meal, perhaps a lunch or dinner, this way you pay for one meal and stretch it out to two; or order only one meal to share with your spouse, children or friend who is eating with you.
• When shopping online always compare prices (shopzilla.com) and look for coupon codes (retailmenot.com) to save money; you can also go through sites like cashbaq.com to earn money back on your purchases, and many banks have programs where if you shop through them when shopping online you can earn money back, it’s usually a percentage of your purchase.
• Find anything and everything you can for free, look out for samples and free offers on many health/beauty/home products like toothpaste, shampoo and even toilet paper.
• Make a budget and stick to it, save money aside for a goal, your goal can be for anything you want (vacation, new car, home repairs, new furniture, pay down debt, Christmas or birthday / holiday money or for an emergency fund).
• When you do have to shop, shop at dollar or discount stores like The Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Family Dollar, Wal-Mart and Target, and any thrift store or consignment shop in your area.
• Build or purchase rain barrels to catch rain water to use to water your lawn and garden.
• Make most gifts for friends/family/co-workers instead of purchasing a gift; purchase materials to make gifts that are inexpensive and nice. If you do purchase a gift instead of making one, purchase something the person will use that won’t go to waste.
• Start shopping for Christmas and birthdays in advance, set money aside weekly or monthly to save up for any gifts or special purchases. You should start shopping in July or August for Christmas, this way you can find deals before the Christmas rush and you will have everything ready by the time Christmas comes.
• Stop paying for TV, watch TV for free on the internet at sites like hulu.com. Buy a converter box and an antenna if you don’t already have one and get several local free stations to tune into. Instead of watching a lot of TV, read a book, listen to the radio, play a game or go do something outside. If you like to watch movies get them through Netflix or Redbox at inexpensive prices.
• Borrow instead of buying things if you’re only going to use something once or for a short amount of time at Borrowme.com.
• Get rid of subscriptions if you don’t read the magazines you subscribe to, or use the memberships you have.
• Plan meals around what you have in your pantry already and plan your meals ahead of time; stick to a list when shopping and find budget or low-cost recipes in books or on the internet.
• Read blogs and websites to find more information and tips from people all over America and the world.