Why Frugal People Should be Shot

I have noticed that virtually every single popular blog or website pertaining to finances considers the concept of frugality and saving money to be the next of kin to Jesus. Sure, saving money is important and is a good way to ensure that you don’t end up begging for change on the boardwalk, but that doesn’t necessarily ensure that you will be wealthy.

By budgeting every single last cent, by counting every last kernel in your can of corn and by reducing spending down to the bare essentials (toilet paper and alcohol) you will still be limited to the money that you make in the end.

Even if you don’t spend a single cent of your income due to your suspiciously effective saving skills, you are still held down by your income level. You can pride yourself all you want about squeezing out so much from such a tiny budget, but in the end, you are still living on a tiny budget.

Looks familiar?

If there is no money to manage, then what is the point of learning about managing your money? Learn about making it first!

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can simply go around and spend your money willy nilly, you still have to be responsible. All I’m saying is that instead of spending seven hours going from store to store to save eight bucks on a pair of flip-flops, why not make those eight bucks, a hundred, a thousand or even a million dollars in that same time span?

Sure, I can give you a whole concoction of tips on how to make money, I can advise you to get a smaller house, to adopt a minimalist wardrobe, to buy used, to commute to work or classes and to use two squares of toilet paper instead of five.

But why?

Wouldn’t you much rather live in a house the size of fifteen football fields, change into a new ,000 suit every other hour, buy things before they aren’t even available to the public yet, to drive your four-hundred thousand dollar sports car and throw gold bullion the size of pineapples at pedestrians and to use all the toilet paper that your heart (and ass) desires?

You shouldn’t have to give up the things you have always dreamed of having or doing just to save a few bucks; anyone and everyone should be able to afford the luxury of draping themselves in elephant skin if they so desire.

So, how can you solve this dilemma?

Instead of saying, “I CAN’T afford this.” ask, “HOW can I afford this?”

Then go put that noggin’ to good use!

Here are some articles that can help you get started:

21 Ways to Make a Million Dollars

Eating Healthy On A Budget For A Frugal Lifestyle

Don't buy into the conventional wisdom that healthy foods are expensive. The simple truth is that you and your family don't have to spend much money to eat healthy. Eating healthy on a budget does not mean eating poorly; it just means paying attention to how you shop and what you eat. The first step to eating healthy on a tight budget is to eliminate junk food from your weekly shopping. This is easier said than done, but can be accomplished easily enough by going grocery shopping on your own - not filling your cart with junk food is much simpler with no husband or kids to whine and complain.

Substituting water and milk for soft drinks will go a long way to improving your family's health. As we all know, milk contains calcium for necessary healthy bones and teeth, and should be consumed every day by both children and adults. Many people these days sadly don't drink enough water, opting instead for sodas. This is obviously extremely unhealthy, and can lead to diabetes and kidney problems later on in life. A great way to alleviate this is to eat foods high in water content; fruits such as watermelon, green salads and sugar free gelatins are perfect.

Be mindful of what fruits are in-season and stock up on them! In-season fruits are typically cheaper, fresher and tastier than their out of season counterparts. If you find yourself with too much fruit don't panic; simply wash, thoroughly dry and freeze extras in Ziploc bags for long term storage. Fruits properly stored this way will stay fresh for a very long time.

Learn to love beans! Meats and beans are both excellent sources of protein, but lean meat tends to be expensive while cheaper cuts of meat are riddled with fat. A can of baked beans, on the other hand, are as cheap as they come and can be an excellent meat substitute for your whole family. An easy way to prepare a meal of beans is to slow cook them in a crock pot so it is ready for consumption by dinner-time. If you are concerned about gas from eating too many beans, wash, boil and soak the beans in advance before cooking. Canned beans are cheap, easy to store, last forever and a superb source of protein, even the USDA recommends consumption of beans at least 4 times a week.

Families living in near the coast or places with nearby supplies of fresh fish should consider making the locally caught seafood a major part of their diet. Not only is it more ethically sound and environmentally friendly to eat fresh produce produced locally, you will also find it much cheaper. A final tip on healthy eating for the frugal homemaker is to buy peanut butter in bulk. Peanut butter is a perennial favorite among kids and adults and is always in demand in sandwiches. Peanut butter also keeps very well and can last for many weeks if refrigerated.

Following a few simple common-sense rules when shopping and cooking can save you a lot of time, money and effort when eating healthy on a budget. Now you and your family can enjoy the lifestyle, good-health and peace of mind that comes with living and eating well.

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Frugal Cleaning – Save Money And Have A Squeaky Clean House

Cleaning your home is unavoidable if you want to have a clean and healthy environment to live in. Unfortunately it can be quite costly too if you buy and use all the recommended products advertised.

 

In these times of economic recession and with everyone needing to tighten their purse strings, finding cheaper but effective ways to clean your home is a necessity for most of us. That's where frugal cleaning comes into its own.

 

What do I mean by frugal cleaning, it simply means using cheaper alternatives to many of the branded cleaning goods without sacrificing cleaning or germ killing power. It really isn't that difficult, after all our grand parents didn't have all these fancy cleaning products available to them and they managed to survive.

 

How to be a frugal cleaning whiz

 

There are two ways you can be frugal about your cleaning methods. You can either still buy products but choose cheaper alternatives or make your own cleaning solutions.

 

If you prefer the first option there are several things to keep in mind to help you save money.

 

Don't buy branded products; often the shops own brands are just as good at a fraction of the cost.

 

If there is a concentrate version of your cleaning product buy that one as it will work out a lot cheaper in the long run.

 

Buy either in bulk if on special offer or buy the biggest pack size, again this will save you money over time.

 

Use your products frugally by always measuring out your cleaning products; this is especially true of washing powder.

 

If you want to go the whole hog and make your own cleaning products just like our grandparents did then all you need are a few simple ingredients. These ingredients will make up several different types of frugal cleaning products and don't contain the chemicals of shop bought products. These ingredients are:

 

White Vinegar â?? good for killing germs, bacteria and mould.

 

Baking Soda â?? A deodoriser and scourer.

 

Lemon Juice â?? the acid provides antibacterial and antiseptic properties.

 

Olive Oil â?? Good for polishing wood surfaces and adding shine to stainless steel.

 

Salt â?? A multi purpose cleaner and deodoriser.

 

Basic cleaning recipes

 

The following recipes are tried and tested but to be on the safe side always try on a small area first to make sure it does not harm the particular item you are cleaning.

 

Multipurpose frugal cleaner for Worktop tops, splash backs and hard floors:

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

Mix together and wipe over surfaces

 

Wood polish:

1 cup olive oil

Half cup lemon juice

Mix together. Use a small amount on a soft cloth. After applying, rub off and buff with a dry soft cloth.

 

Fridge odour remover

1 cup dry baking soda

 

Place on a saucer and place in the back of the fridge. Can be kept in the fridge for a few days and then replaced if necessary.

 

Baking soda can also be mixed with warm water to wash out the inside of the fridge.

 

 

Blocked drain cleaner:

1 cup salt

1 cup baking soda

1 cup vinegar

Mix together and pour down the drain. Leave for a few minutes then flush the drain with hot water.

 

Stubborn stains:

1 cup baking soda

1 cup salt

1 cup borax

Mix and pour onto the stain. Leave for at least 10 minutes then using a scourer rub off. (Only use on surfaces that will not scratch)

 

Carpet freshener:

Dry baking soda

 

Sprinkle on the carpet and leave for 1 hour then vacuum up.

 

 

Making A Budget – 5 Insider Tips

Yes, making a budget is, without a doubt, the foundation to establishing control of your finances.  Putting proper budgeting techniques to use will enable you to track all of your incoming and outgoing cash to help you eliminate unnecessary expenses resulting in substantial savings.

Tip 1 -  Budgeting Basics

Putting together a budget isn't at the top of most people's fun list.  However, going without budget will certainly not be fun if you don't know how you're doing financially.

Once you put together and work your budget, you'll be surprised at how much unnecessary spending you'll uncover.  For instance, going out to lunch everyday, buying that coffee in the morning, impulse shopping, etc. really does add up.

In a nutshell, a budget will track where your money is coming and going.  It will indicate your revenue (cash coming in), expenses (cash going out), and what you have left over (net income) after subtracting expenses from revenues.

Tip 2 - The Budget Worksheet

I would recommend putting together your initial worksheet by hand.  Some people like to use Excel.  You can also find an array of free on-line spreadsheets through google docs (docs.google.com).

Keeping it simple and getting the worksheet done it what's important.  Many people find that taking a pencil to paper approach to constructing the worksheet works well because they can better absorb the information.  Of course, use whatever you feel most comfortable with.

Tip 3 -  The Money Flow

Here you'll list your monthly income, your monthly expenses and subtract your expenses from income to come up with your net figure.  This net figure will tell you if you're income exceeds your expenses or vise versa.

Ideally, you'll want to have a positive net figure.  Unfortunately, in many cases, that positive cash flow number isn't as large as you would like it to be.  Or worse yet, you may be showing negative cash flow.  The good news, there is light at the end of the tunnel - adjust.

Tip 4 - Adjust

If you would like to have more money left over at the end of the month or you're spending more than you're taking in, don't despair.  You're just going to have to make some adjustments.

Take a look at your expense items on your budget sheet.  Do you see areas that you've flagged as being wasteful spending?  Perhaps you're overspending at the department or grocery store?  Maybe you can spend less on a cell phone plan, cut back on premium TV and eliminate unnecessary expenditures.

Tip 5 - Envelope Budgeting

The beauty of this system is its simplicity. It's a very effective budgeting tool that uses envelopes to track your monthly spending.  Envelope budgeting is a method of budgeting where you set aside cash money each month for a specific budget item in an envelope.

What's really ideal about envelope budgeting is it forces you to live within your means.  Once you've spent the money you have for a budget category, you cannot spend additional money for that category until you put more money into the envelope the following month per your budget.

Another great feature of envelope budgeting - you'll know how much money you have left to spend in a given category at any time by just simply counting the cash in your envelope. If you have the cash, great. If not, you hold off spending on a category until you accumulate the necessary cash.

For instance, you put 0 a month into your clothes envelope. At the beginning of the next month (month 2), you put another 0 cash into this envelope.  Let's say at this point, you count what you have in this envelope and its 5 (meaning you spent 5 of the 0 in month 1).

You now have 5 to spend to get you through the remainder of month 2.  If you spend less than the 5, your clothes envelope cash will continue to accumulate.  On the other hand, if you spend the entire 5, you cannot spend additional money on clothes until you put another 0 into this envelope at the beginning of month 3.

How to Simplify your Living Expenses

Here's the thing: I'm a New Yorker. And in New York, it is amazingly difficult NOT to spend a lot of money, just on the basics! As a student of Harv Eker, I am trying to limit my expenses to 50% of my after-tax income, and I have to tell you, that is really hard to do. Harv isn't the only one to suggest this either: almost every money-management guru gives the same advice. Simplify your expenses.

The fact is, if you want to become financially free, you must do two things: increase your passive income and decrease your expenses. Once your passive income is equal to or greater than your expenses, you are financially free. The concept is simple enough -- and in other articles I address creating passive income (the easiest and fastest way to do this would be by renting your rooms). But how do you simplify your expenses? Especially when you look around and you don't see a way HOW? Here are a variety of ways you can still live a decent life and be a bit more frugal at the same time.

Food & Toiletries

By far, making lunch at home was one of my biggest savings! I made lunch and snacks and bought them to work.
Instead of buying shower gel, go back to soap bars. They last longer and are much cheaper.
Don't wash your hair every day, and when you do wash your hair, only wash it once. That saves lots of shampoo.
I made my own coffee at home -- or cut it out altogether and put that money aside in your financial freedom jar. One guru calls that the "latte factor."
As a nation, we eat out a whole lot more and buy convenience foods to just heat in the microwave -- but these can be expensive. Cooking may take time, but it does save you lots of money.
Buy generic! I was so opposed to this, and one day I ate some potato chips that my boyfriend bought. Seriously? They didn't taste different from the name brand. Try it. Ok, some things may be non-negotiable, but you'd be surprised what is. Your grocery bill will go way down.
Take the effort to cut coupons, take advantage of sales, and go to discount warehouses, like Sam's Club or Costco.

Heat & Electricity

If you don't already have one, get an electric thermostat with a timer, so you can change the temperature automatically during specific times of the day. Lower the temperature when the family is out of the house.
Use space heaters and lower the heat in the rooms you use. Use an electric blanket at night.
There is plastic covering you can get at the hardware store and cover your windows. That keeps the heat in the house.
Make sure your boiler and hot water heater are maintained properly.
Wear layers of clothing and keep the heat lower.
Use kitchen and bathroom vents sparingly in the winter
Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents
Wash laundry in cold or warm instead of hot
Use a clothesline instead of using the dryer
Use a ceiling fan instead of an air conditioner.

Cell Phones, Internet, and Communication Utilities

Avoid pre-paid cell phones, even if you just want the phone for emergencies, unless you are careful to use a plan with minutes that don't expire. You pay exorbitant rates per minute.
Never underestimate the minutes your teen may use. Be careful not to get the lowest plan. Constant overages are very expensive overall.
You don't necessarily need a home phone if you have a cell phone. With free nights, weekends and long distance, you may save considerably. Be careful with phone plans that have low rates, because the taxes add significantly to the bill.
For your Internet connection, you don't have to get the highest rate of connection speed. For the average user, you won't be able to tell the difference and that can save you a month.
If you switch to broadband, don't keep your dialup (unless you travel often outside the country or in rural areas). Also, drop paying for AOL. All AOL features are free if you have broadband.

Entertainment

If you really wanted to be extreme about it, you could cut entertainment out altogether. But that's not really practical, so here are some ideas.

First, if you think FREE, you may not get free, but you do end up with "cheap." Cheap doesn't mean less fun, either. Sometimes you can have MORE fun.
If you live in a city, just try walking around. In New York, I have found impromptu concerts by street musicians or just sat in the park and people watched. You'd be amazed how much fun you can have!
Instead of eating out or going to bars with friends, host a potluck at home or just have friends over for drinks. It's much cheaper to buy liquor than to buy drinks at the bar.
For movies, go to matinees or the movie (some communities have them). Yes, those movies are second-run, but hey, it's worth financial freedom to me. You can also always rent movies.
Cable. When times are tough, the cable needs to get going. It can get so expensive! If you do need it for the reception, get basic and then rent movies. Buying a great DVD player and renting movies is cheaper than cable in the long run. If you rent rooms in your home like I do, keep the cable -- it's a perk for your tenants that are worth paying for.
Take your kids to the bookstore and hang out.
Find free community shows, like Shakespeare in the park or fireworks.
Take the kids on the subway trip -- as far as you can and go explore. In New York, take the train to Coney Island.
In the summer, there is always a local food festival or street fair.
Get your kids involved in a community group, like a theatre. They develop skills, make friends and have fun.

Clothing

For kids, don't go over the top with the brand names, especially since the kids will grow out of them quickly.
For adults and older teens, don't buy really trendy clothes that will only last one season. Buy classical fashionable clothing that will last, and get trendy with accessories.
Buy shirts and ties or blouses and just one suit -- accessorizing is cheaper.
Buy a few pieces of quality clothing as opposed to lots of cheap clothing. They will last a lot longer.
This goes without saying, but buy clothing in the off-season and on sale. You will save a tone of money.

Transportation

A gas saving tip I just learned: put your car in cruise control whenever you can. It has cut my gas bill in HALF.
If you live in a metropolitan area, try walking around the city as opposed to taking a bus or a train. In New York, you can even get there faster sometimes!
Maintain your car -- tire pressure, oil changes, everything. Preventative maintenance is way cheaper than repairs.
Never use cheap gas - use quality gas and the correct octane for your car. It may seem more expensive, but it's cheaper in car repairs in the long run.
Don't be afraid to walk, even in the winter. It's great exercise and it saves a ton of money. Bring a backpack with you for grocery shopping if you need only a couple of things.

The Change Jar

I have a change jar. Every time I pay for something, I always use bills and get the change. I put the change in the jar. You wouldn't believe how much money you can save! This money could be entertainment money, allowance for the kids, put it in a savings account or saved for emergencies. This change jar has saved my butt many times over the years, and is a great way to have "found" money at the end of the month.

Tip #3 Budgeting is crucial! Irma shares her tips on budgeting for food, household, toiletries, clothing, and fun. | www.zandland.com
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