Practical Money Saving Tips

Frugal tips for Frugal Moms

Practical money saving tips and dollar stretcher frugal tips.

Practical Money Saving Tips and strategies to save money on everything from Entertainment to Transportation. Enjoy these money saving techniques and strategies to save money using our extensive frugal tips!
Frugal tips and dollar stretcher ideas are only one side of the penny pincher coin. See our page on Increasing your income, not only strategies to save money. An important money saving technique is to make more income! Start a side business, we show you practical money saving tips to make money from anything you are passionate about here.

Practical Money Saving Tips for Groceries and Meals:

1. Take your lunch to work most of the time. Use the extra time you save waiting for a meal to go for a walk in your city, work on your moonlight 2nd income stream (link) or just take a nap if you are overworked. Practical money saving tips and strategies to save money wisely include doing anything you can to avoid commercialism. Ask every dollar in your home who he is and where does he think he's going?

2. For more practical money saving tips, try this: Make food gifts instead of buying something and then paying ridiculous sums for cards, bows and wrapping paper. You can make jar mixes, soap, perfume, breads, cookies and candies much cheaper at home. Your thoughtfulness is a far better present than anything you could buy in a store. Another of our frugal tips -Don't ever forget the power of home canned foods and a note to go with it. Anything you can do that involves saving money on groceries is indeed worth the investment, because people keep on eating!

3. Do not waste food. There is almost always a dog, a flock of chickens, a cat or some critter who will eat your scraps and leftovers that cannot be rehashed into another meal. Remember how much you spend on commercial dog and cat food. In my area chicken scratch costs anything but, so I feed them everything leftover and better yet, they love it and it keeps them healthier than they otherwise would be.

4. Take only your store card and cash into any grocery store. Choose what you want to buy and there will be only that much money to spend. I shop in bulk and have a large family, so 200.00 is my limit on a monthly trip. Yours may be only 30.00 or 50.00 dollars. The point is to leave the checkbook and credit cards far away at home.

5. Another of our practical money saving tips: Drink more water. Yes, you heard that right. Drinking more water has at least three benefits: One is that you will save money because you will not need to buy as much juice, soda and milk at the grocery store. Try drinking a big glass of water right before eating. You will feel fuller and eat less. Presto! The groceries last a little longer. You also will be feeling better after doing this for a couple of weeks. We usually are somewhat dehydrated as many people do not drink enough water. You will improve your health while saving money.

6. More frugal tips -Use the "Moment to Ponder" rule. When you are adding items to your cart, take 5 seconds and decide if you really must have this item. Get good at putting things back on the shelf. Of all the strategies to save money, this may work well for you, especially if you are good at substituting ingredients while preparing meals.

7. More practical money saving tips for you: Drink less bottled wine and beer. If you have a wine connoisseur palate get rid of it or learn how to make your own wine. It is not difficult and can be a creative outlet and a big money saver for you. If you drink beer with friends frequently you are going to spend too much, and then you have the bottles to take into that foul smelling recycling station. Make a batch of your own beer, or consider keeping a pony keg in your fridge for those super bowl parties.

8. Don't even think about smoking. You know why, your money and your life. Practical money saving tips will not help you if you are dead. I say this with compassion. Quit smoking while you still can. Besides, cigarettes are expensive.

9. Use coupons all the time and shop at stores that have double coupon days. Sometimes you will get food for nearly free. Use the Sunday paper and don't forget to shop free online coupon sites on the internet before you go out.

10. Get a chest type deep freeze. You save tons of money by making meals from scratch and freezing them for later when you don't feel like cooking and takeout is looming in your thoughts. Pull out a perfect meal, add some homemade bread and dinner is served. Talk about strategies to save money, dinner is nearly free.

11. More practical money saving tips to try: Buy in bulk and divide it up. This is my favorite of the frugal tips and really saves on groceries. Buying large amounts saves money, so just divide meats and cut vegetables into portions and freeze them. Planning ahead this way also means you don't need to go to the store as often, another money saver.

12. Shop the internet sites. There are many good blog and deal sites that will match coupons with sale prices for you. You can get many items for free or almost free just by spending a few minutes online before you go.

13. Make meals that are leftover happy, like soups, chili, stews and casseroles.

14. Do not ever buy bottled water. OK, buy a case of it once, then refill and pop in the fridge. You will never know the difference. If you really need filtered water, get a water filter and fill them through it.

15. Make dinners in your crock pot. Get organized. Peel/slice your veggies the night before, cover in fridge. Prep the meat and fridge it too. In the morning all you do is throw it in the pot, add the liquid and you will have a wonderful smelling home and a hot cheap meal when you get back from work.

16. Join a food co-op. See our page on CSA's, farmers markets, co-ops and more. You will eat much better food at a real savings. If you have kids you are doing them a real educational and nutritional favor by exposing them to gardening. Teach your children practical money saving tips and they will reward you by not being wasteful of the families resources.

17. Speaking of gardening... Grow your own vegetables and learn how to freeze and can them for the winter months food supply. It would make your mother proud. Of all the strategies to save money this is the most basic and cost effective things you can do to obtain food.

18. Stop buying bread products. This is big. Did you know you can make huge loaves of crunchy, soft, buttery aromatic loaves of bread for about .50 cents? You can make bagels, rolls, muffins, pizza dough, french bread, whole wheat bread, even doughnuts for pennies. Flour, sugar, water, olive oil, salt and yeast. These are your friends. Try adding up how much money it costs your family to buy bread products in a week, multiply by four and then go bake your first loaf of bread. Everyone will ask for more immediately. Then you can add that many dollars into your future fun fund. Baking all your own bread products is one of the very best practical money saving tips.

19. More on bread. Bake for 1/2 day a month and freeze it all. No one I know can bake every day, we just are not made like the pioneers in our modern lives. All bread products freeze very well. Do not forget to make the yummy banana and fruit breads too. Simply making blueberry muffins from those blueberries you froze last summer will save you 6.00 on Costco brand, in my area anyway. And my family will eat 12 in 12 hours.

20. Buy whole chickens and roast them yourself. Your 10 year old could do it. Make it dinner by adding baked potatoes with cottage cheese and veggies, or save it for tomorrows sandwiches. A tip: When you have eaten all the meat off, put it in a pan with a little water and boil gently. You are well on your way to homemade chicken noodle soup. And you know what is in that- noodles, celery, peas, carrots, water. It is easy if you just think about it.

21. Train your family. When you stop buying soda, candy, chips, nutri-bars of all sorts and power caffeine cans everyone will promptly forget about them and meet their needs for water, milk, a sandwich and an apple. Trust me, I have seen it in action. The hardest part is disciplining the shopper.

22. Get off the coffee money drop train. Just say no to Starbucks and the others. Get a coffee cup with a lid. Make your own coffee and stick to it. Teaching practical money saving tips includes helping others understand how to look at money. Several years ago my daughter wanted to buy a horse. We calculated that a moderately addicted suburban teen who socialized with friends at Starbucks after school will spend 1095.00 a year. Enough to buy a horse.

23. More on coffee. OK, so I know you probably don't want to buy a horse. But you do have plans that you would like to achieve, and upwards of 1500.00 a year will certainly put you ahead of the game. So find a way out of your coffee maze. Buy in bulk, get a grinder, freeze what you can't use now, brew your own and be done with buying by the cup.

24. No on big entertaining. Have friends over for potluck. Your homemade beer/wine will come in handy here! Then they return the favor, saving on groceries again.

25. Take advantage of free food. We are blessed to live in this Country. High school and college age students can join clubs and eat free food at the meets. Free samples at Costco can take the edge off your dinner needs.

26. Stop eating slabs of red meat too often. If you like meat, shop the sales, then plan meals that only use chopped portions of meat or chicken, always mixed with vegetables, and a starch like rice, noodles or potatoes.

27. Fast food drive by. Make a game of how many fast food restaurants you can drive by in just one trip into the city. Then pay yourself a dollar for every one you spot. Put the cash in a mason jar and label it so anyone who walks in your kitchen can see and learn from it. No pain, just a fun, silly wake up call. Check back often as I will keep writing on practical money saving tips and strategies to save money. Happy frugal tips day!

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