When I first began to seriously look at my household spending and begin taking serious steps to reduce our spending I asked a dear friend about some of the things she did to save money. She gave me great advice, and articulated something I knew, but did not do as well as I could. She said they had a motto in their house and it was:
No more than is necessary
She went on to explain that this meant not running more water than the needed because that ran up the water bill. This meant reaching for a sweater rather than the thermostat. This meant only ripping a piece of paper towel when that was all that was needed rather than the whole piece. She had a lot of examples.
But the fact of the matter is that it does not matter how great a deal we are getting if we are just wasting it once it gets home. So to save money overall we don't have to just look for good deals, we also have to use well what we have at home.
I finish with a story. A friend of our is fanatical almost about looking for deals. He has been talking about buying a house for about 3 - 5 years now. He reads fliers comparing prices on things he is not going to buy any time soon, or until he finally buys a house. He was shocked by the price of groceries down here. Yet he blows money recklessly in other areas, and once he buys it, he does not use it well. I remember my "frugal" friend using wrapping paper that I could wrap 2 or 3 presents the same size as the one he wrapped, and he used the whole piece. I remember him using bubble wrap and packing tape, and using twice as much as was necessary, but if the plane landed in water, his luggage would definitely have floated.... So, when he finally moves out and is buying all this for himself, he will be buying two to three times as much as I have to for my family. It is surprising what a difference this makes once it is all added up.
Bonus tip:
Speaking of using things wisely, back when we had two incomes I discovered the joy of Swiffer Dusters, and now Miss Pear has discovered the joy as well, so when she dusts she wants her own duster! Too Cute! Alexandra over at Happy Hearts at Home shared a great tip on WASHING SWIFFER DUSTERS! Definitely fitting with my theme of using what you have wisely, now that I can wash swiffers I can avoid buy more!
Now I am just a beginner in this whole venture, so head on over to Crystal's for tips from the experts!
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3 comments:
That's funny about the luggage floating! Think of all the people his bubble wrap could rescue!
Really, poor thing, he needs someone to teach him better.
I also read the post about washing Swiffer dusters. Who knew? That's one I'm definitely going to try.
And speaking of 'no more than necessary,' I use face cleaning cloths, and always cut them in half at least. I don't need a great big piece, unless I've worn full makeup!
Thanks for the link Mrs. Pear. Great minds think alike. ;) We also tend toward no more than necessary. I've always been like this...don't know why, but it's come in handy now that we are on one income.
Thanks for the encouraging posts! I'm only at the beginning of my way, learning to be frugal and manage household finances efficiently, and I'm already amazed about what a difference it can make. Little things, like for example using water to wash out the last bit of shampoo that I'm not able to squeeze out anymore; like buying a jumbo pack instead of a small one, without making the excuse that "it's too heavy to carry". Pennies add up! Today, we had a big shopping trip and I was surprised to see how much we actually saved once all was counted.
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