Frugal Friday

I thought it would be appropriate to talk about staying home as a way to save money since it is horrible weather outside today.

I find that when I am OUT of the house I am usually SPENDING money. Gas of course is always an issue when you leave the house and since I drive a gas guzzler, I really do try and stay off the road as much as possible.

Before I decide to go out, I make sure I know exactly the reason I am going out and anticipate any expenses. Don't eat out unless you planned and budgeted for it. When my kids were little I kept snacks in a bag inside the car. This way when they complained they were hungry I had something to give them. If I knew I would be gone all day then we packed bread, peanut-butter, water, and cookies.

Because we home school and are at home a lot cabin fever happens often. To take a break from the same four walls (especially in the winter) we go to the library, park, or a friends house.

Honestly, staying home can really make a difference. It may sound silly but think about all the times you go out and what you actually do. All those last minute trips to Rita's really start to add up unless, you have a teen with a job willing to foot the bill!

Frugal Friday

I thought I would talk about saving money on haircuts. With 8 people in the family, paying for haircuts can get really expensive. Boys usually need some kind of trim or cut every 4-6 weeks. when my boys were little I bought a pair of clippers and would shave their heads. As they got older and wanted to have a more styled look I had to look for cheaper alternatives.

4 of my boys still get cut by the clippers at home. Two of my boys get hair cuts at the barber. The oldest pays for his own and the 14 year old will go to the barber which cost 10.00 to 12.00. If we are really low on funds then the 14 year old will get a trim here at home until we can get him to the barber.

I try and get my hair cut as little as possible. I wait until I just cant take it anymore. It is 40.00 for me to get my hair cut and at this point I cringe at paying that price. I have decided to try one of those walk in places. If all I need is a trim then they can manage that. If I want a style change then I will save up for my regular beautician. I color my own hair.

My daughter goes to a discount hair place. I pay 10.00 for her. I have to keep her hair shoulder length because she has a soft head and doesnt handle hair brushing well. In the future I hope to grow her hair out so that all that is needed is a trim of the ends which I can do at home.

Check the free paper or coupon books that come in the mail. Today I got a coupon for an adult hair cut for 8.99!

If you are really daring you can look up beauty schools and vocational schools who usually cut hair for practice very cheap.

Frugal Friday

Making the food last! It is hard living in a house with 5 growing boys AND keep the food budget down. Something that I have been doing for a while in our house is to not cook dinner every night! Actually, that is not true. What I try to do is use breakfast food for dinner. I will make waffles, pancakes or eggs (egg omelets, scrambled egg sandwiches, french toast etc.) Breakfast foods tend to be cheaper and filling. We do not normally eat these foods for breakfast becuase they take to long to prepare. We eat cereal and oatmeal every morning during the week.

If I decide not to do a breakfast for dinner then I might decide to do a sandwich night. We will eat tuna, egg or chicken salad on homemade bread with salad. This is a treat because I don't usually make those things for lunch.

This is a really great way to save on the food budget. I great food stretcher for those weeks that you have to keep things tight.

Frugal Friday

I am back to living the Frugal life. I have always tried to spend our money wisely but lately I feel like we are wasting a lot of money. Food is a big ticket item in our house but one that can be monitored closely and can create savings if we are careful.

Every Friday my plan is to post some way our family has managed to save money. Everything from food to entertainment. At this very moment we are ordering a pair of glasses for Jeremy on line from Zeni Optical. His glasses usually cost us around 100-150+ dollars. We get a good deal from a friend who works for Lens Crafters. You can imagine what I would spend if I didn't get this discount from her. I just ordered Jeremy's new pair on line for 33.00! that was the price with added features. If I purchased just a basic pair with no bells and whistles it would have been cheaper. I will let you know how we like the glasses when they come in. All reviews that I have read on this company have been good.

Stay tuned every Friday for a Frugal tip!