Frugal Living Tips: Making the Most of What We Have

In November, I only spent $7. That’s because I live frugally and I really don’t go out very much. I’m very self-sufficient at home and I can always find ways to stay busy around the house.

My list of things I want to do around the house is huge and most of them cost nothing to do. For example, I could sort through things that have piled up at home or work on a craft project.

I recently made an apple butter loaf that I always make around Christmas and one of the main ingredients is nutmeg.

But when I put in the nutmeg I thought it looked strange, and then I realized it was ginger. I didn’t want to throw the entire thing out so I decided to add the nutmeg in and proceed as usual. My husband couldn’t even tell the difference.

When things like that happen and there’s something you would normally throw out, think twice before you react out of habit.

Try and get creative and think of ways you can reuse, and repurpose before you get rid of anything. My goal is to have zero food waste. I work really hard to make sure that everything is used.

Heat can get pretty expensive so I like to make sure my house is properly sealed up. Put sealant around your windows to block drafts. If you’re like me and always have piles of mysterious single socks, use them to make decorative draft stoppers for your doors.

Old socks are pretty useful for a lot of things. When I was growing up, if I had a sore throat, my mom would put mentholatum on my neck and tie a tube sock around my neck to keep it in place. I’d sleep with it on, and by morning my sore throat would be gone.

You can also wear old socks like gloves to wipe down windows, or ceiling fan blades. Any use you can find for things you have at home will save you the money you’d be spending to get the job done.

Here’s something interesting I learned recently when I was at Denny’s with my son: Denny’s has a $4 menu. My son traveled all over the country on a motorcycle so he learned all the tricks for saving money on the road.

They don’t like to advertise it, but they do have one. When my son asked the waitress for the $4 menu, she had to go to the back to get it. She even kind of tried to keep it hidden from the other patrons when she gave it to us.

Another way I’ve saved money recently is with some creative holiday décor. If you have seasonal bed sheets you can use those as holiday curtains. I did that with some Christmas bed sheets for the holiday season. Just use the flat sheet and some safety pins and you have an additional layer of décor.

You can also use apps as a way to save money. I’ve been checking my coupon apps to see if there are any good deals around. Make sure you find out about and take advantage of any deals that are relevant to you and your needs.

Frugal living tips

When the new year comes around, I’m going to continue to cook frugally and manage my house as efficiently as possible. I’m going to manage my heat as frugally as possible and make due, reuse, and all those money-saving habits.

Leave me a comment and let me know how you’re saving money this winter.