Be faithful in the small ways to save money. It adds up quickly, and it can lead to bigger things further down the road. Many years ago, I downloaded dozens of free Kindle books from Amazon on budgeting, personal finance, wealth building, stock investing, real estate investing, retirement planning, and more. We have taken away a lot of good information and put it to use.
First posted on 2/22/16:
Frugal homemaking tip: One of the biggest ways to save money in a household is to eliminate waste.
One of the biggest things in the household that goes to waste is food. I buy most of our vegetables in bulk. If I see I am not going to use all 50 lbs of the potatoes before they spoil, I preserve them to keep from losing the investment of money I have in them. Eliminate waste with long term storage techniques like canning and dehydrating. Watch your pantry fill as you do this. Use what you have to get every bit of nutrition and flavor out of it.
I also work to eliminate waste in the canner. If I have extra room for jars, I can carrots, beans, or something in that spot. In other words, I do my best to make sure the canner is running with a full load.
We make a list of the clothing needs and shop for name brands from thrift stores in our area first. Then we shop sales in department stores. Clothes that are beyond passing down or giving away, I cut up and use as cleaning rags.
We buy good quality shoes from outlet stores near us because they can be handed down from child to child. We found the cheap shoes ended up being worthless after a few months, so we had to throw them out and buy again. We have Vans and Converse that have been passed down through four children. I use a few coats of tent waterproofing spray to seal the shoes which helps the fabric stay cleaner longer. It will turn white fabric light yellow, and you should tape off the soles to avoid getting it on those.
Old containers become storage containers in Clint's tool shed.
Our arts and crafts materials are the same as public schools ask people to donate: toilet paper tubes, milk jugs, juice cartons, metal caps from glass juice jars, etc.
If you can reuse what you have already invested your money into instead of buying new, you are ahead of others who take every opportunity to spend, spend, spend.
As a young wife, I received a lot of valuable tips on how to run a home with good stewardship from learning about how people lived during The Great Depression. I read a lot of titles on personal finance like Rich Dad Poor Dad, Cashflow Quadrant, The Millionaire Next Door, The Tightwad Gazette, and The Cheapskate Monthly. I also listened carefully to how stay at home mothers of many children did things so I could take what would work in my situation and apply it.
