Frugal Ways To Save

Article: So Many Ways to Save

I started reading about frugal living about 9 years ago. My main reason was to save us money for my husband and I who were living on our own for the first time. Now we just bought our first house (2 months ago) so I'm trying to learn even more about frugal living. Here are some things that I do to save money.

• I use the LIBRARY a lot. I rent books, music, and videos from there.

• I love a garage sell or the thrift stores, they are very useful.

• I just recently started keeping track of when it rains. Why? So I don't have to water my grass (saving us money).

• I am a coupon user, and a big fan of sales.

• I do not use any lights during the daytime (since we're blessed with a window in every room).

• I converted to using fluorscent light bulbs over 9 years ago and have just recently replaced only 1 light bulb during this whole time. When I can't use a fluorscent, I change the bulbs to low wattage bulbs (40 watts).

• I recycle almost everything, so it will save me money on trash bags in the long run.

• I am one of those people who pick up the pennies on the ground. It sure does add up, and that's one less penny my husband didn't have to work for.

• I use every free sample I can get. I sign up for everything that can save me money.

• I read all the frugal websites on the internet.

• I do surveys online for a small amount of money or for free samples. If I make any money, it goes into savings.

• I save on my phone bill by having only one line with no call waiting or caller ID. We have an answering machine for messages.

• When I do laundry, it is all done on the same day, saving money on drying time. I cut down on laundry soap by adding baking soda. I also spin the washer twice to get the extra water out (which saves money on the dryer time).

• I re-use the dryer sheets after they were used in the dryer. I use them to dust with.

There are so many ways to save, you just have to start looking and see what is good for you. There are things I plan to do to save in the future like putting up a clothes line in our yard and planting my first food garden (I hope, I am not a green thumb here). I will learn new ways to help us save more money now that we have our own place. During the years, these ideas have saved us money and I hope this helps someone else!

Tonya from Illinois

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