FRUGAL FRIDAY: Shopping

Frugality is something that has occupied my mind for many years. When the Hubs was in the Navy and I stayed at home with the kiddos, things were tight. We knew it would be if I stayed home, but it was a sacrifice we took seriously. So in an effort to live off his salary, we had to be FRUGAL. Let's just say, I learned as I went. I got a copy of the book The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn and still use it as reference today. Growing up on a farm helps too. We didn't have much money then, but we always had plenty to eat, clothes and shoes, good friends, and of course one thing was abundant: LOVE. So here's a series of posts about living with less, FRUGAL FRIDAY. Feel free to leave comments and share your ideas for living abundantly with less.

1. Shop grocery store sales. Get those sales flyers from the newspapers or check online at your store of choice and make your shopping list accordingly. Check the loss leader sales (on the front page and the back page) and plan your menu for the week by what's on sale. It's a good idea to know what you would pay regular price, because sometimes sales can be misleading. If you match coupons up with the sales, you can do even better. 
2.  Buy in bulk. If the loss leader is chicken breast for $1.19 a pound and you have the space in your freezer, consider buying several packages and re-packaging into the amount you need for a meal. When tuna is on sale for $.39 a can, buy 20 to 40 cans. Bulk buying doesn't always have to be at the big box stores.
3. Shop at thrift stores, consignment shops, and yard sales. You can find the best deals on clothing (especially for kids), furniture, household items, craft items and more. I've recently discovered that a couple of my regular haunts have great deals on new fabric. It's often mixed in with linens and prices vary. Some thrift stores offer discounts on select days. I once found a store that offered a military discount on Tuesday, so I began stopping by just about every Tuesday to check for super good deals.

4. Dumpster dive. Well, not really. Just be on the lookout for discarded items that you could use. The Hubs just re-finished a beautiful rocking chair that Daughter P found beside the dumpster. It is just lovely and rocking that new grandson is a favorite hobby of mine! Other things we have graciously accepted that were destined for the dumpster: a twin size bed with mattress, several dressers, book cases, tents and other camping equipment, untold numbers of toys, and clothes. Don't be too good to take something that is still perfectly good to use! And don't even get me started on hand-me-downs. With two older sisters and multiple girl cousins, I practically grew up in them and I turned out perfectly fine.  And my children all enjoyed the pre-owned garment from time to time.
5. Look for interesting ways to get books cheap or free. Ah, this is a real problem for me. My appetite for reading is un-be-liev-able.  Unfortunately Daughter S is the same way. So we have to find inexpensive ways to feed our habits. Libraries are great. All the books you can read for FREE? Oh, yeah. We're in! Also, find friends or family members who enjoy a good book and exchange with them. I've recently loaned my mom a series of five books. I have several friends (including my mom and sisters) who enjoy the same kind of historical fiction I like. We trade books all the time. (Just remember to put your name in the books you loan out. I've returned books to the wrong friend because I couldn't remember who they belonged to!) Free Kindle books are also a great source for hours of reading pleasure. My Kindle was a gift from The Hubs and I LOVE it! Not only for me, but I recently found loads of kids books to download FOR FREE for Little D.

There are lots of frugal tips out there on the internet. There are even whole website focused on frugal living. Here is just one post from Patrice Lewis at Rural-Revolution that I thought was great. I WISH the internet had been readily available with I was a stay-at-home-mom! There is so much information out there about running a household, saving money, raising kids. It's overwhelming. But I certainly could have used it.

Hope you enjoy this series. I'll cover other topics here as we go along and hopefully offer something useful to you! Again, feel free to leave comments and share your Frugal Friday tips!