[cocotbo]

My husband and I agreed that when we had children of our own, I would be a stay-at-home Mom so that we could give our children the very best start. This, of course, involved living a little less high on the hog for us and being thrifty wherever we could so that we could provide well for our children's particular needs.

I've always considered myself pretty thrifty and rather prefer to shop for clothes at thrift stores, but I know there are some people out there who have virtually no garbage because they manage to reuse everything. I'd like to learn to be more frugal & thrifty like that!

So tell me, what do you do to save money? How frugal are you?

[shoshanna]

Not as frugal as I would like to be. Read The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzn (sp?) for some ideas that are great (and some that I think are a little over the top!).

[JoLynn]

When I tell people I like to be frugal, I generally get to hear "reusing toilet paper and washing paper plates" jokes... but all joking aside, you can save a massive amount of money by just cutting a few corners.
We don't do without anything, we just do it a little different.
Check out our frugal living blog for tons of tips not only from me, but others as well who know the secret for getting the most out of your dollars!
Peace!
J

[lpelham]

I am not frugal so much as cheap. Hubby will try to go out and get something we need new at the store and I will scour the thrift stores for it. But we do have garbage - lots of garbage
Libby

[cocotbo]

Originally Posted by lpelham

I am not frugal so much as cheap. Hubby will try to go out and get something we need new at the store and I will scour the thrift stores for it.

I'm the same way! We've made a list of some of the furniture items we'd like to have and/or replace and although it would be easy (but costly) to just buy them new, my husband has given in to my assurances that I will be able to find what we want at significantly cheaper prices at thrift stores. We're about to move from Nowhere, Montana, to Denver and I'm so excited about the thrift store opportunities there!

How crazy am I?!

[MamaWrites]

Originally Posted by shoshanna

Not as frugal as I would like to be. Read The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzn (sp?) for some ideas that are great (and some that I think are a little over the top!).

The Tightwad Gazette was my first introduction to living frugally, but you are right Shoshanna, there are some things in there even I wouldn't try! Hey, I think you are inspiring a new post: "What is your most extremely frugal moment?"

--Mary Ann

[Mom0206]

Originally Posted by lpelham

I am not frugal so much as cheap.
Libby

I agree. I am trying to learn to be more frugal. I go to the thrift stores about once a month and usually find a bargin!

[MamaWrites]

Thrift stores are just great. Every little bit helps, I think.

[lynclarke]

You know I grew up before it was "in" to be frugal- I just didn't have any money. My first house was outfitted with mostly hand me down furniture and auction finds. The sofa and chair in my family room was a $2 auction find. We were a sight driving down the road with a sofa layed flat on the roof of a VW and the chair tied on the back bumper. Dumbly we tied everything on to the car and then remembered we couldn't open the doors---so we had to wriggle in through the windows. That sofa and chair were still there 20 years later when I was divorced. (He got custody) I still have the same bedframe and chest of drawers that I bought my first year out of college. I am still using most of the hand me down furniture in various rooms. I know every pork end, chicken part, egg recipe ever devised by man. I only buy one multi-roll package of paper towels a year. Until recently, I thought I was normal. I married a guy 6 years ago and moved to the suburbs. Now I find I am an anomaly. My husband's friends think he is tortured because he doesn't have paper towels. They have given him paper towels the last three years for Christmas. Works for me. By the way, I retired at 51. His paper towel buying friends know they HAVE to work until at least 62 but most probably 66. Who's is laughing now?

[CheapCoach]

I'm definately not as frugal as many...but I do my best when i can...but I love Walgreen's Rebate program because if you choose to get your rebate back on a gift card they give you an extra 10%. So I try my best to only use that gift card to buy next months freebies. So after a couple months I'm making money! Yay!