Frugal Moms

Sometimes saving money requires thinking outside of the box.  Before the advent of the internet and paypal, neighbours got together and mailed their electric bill in one envelope at the same time.  Sometimes they would do the same for all their bills.  This kind of cooperation with neighbours can help shave cents in this manner, but it can save dollars in another.

If one person with high quality transportation decided they would be open to being the neighbourhood “car pool”, a neighbourhood could save bundles.  For example: You and all of your neighbours work in the same town about 30 miles away.  You all work one of two shifts.  One neighbour has a van that gets okay gas mileage and is really nice.  If everyone agreed to pay a set amount per week, half what you currently pay for gas, I am certain that really nice neighbour would be happy to take a few extra passengers on his way to work.  In fact I am certain he would be happy to ride down the second shift afterwards too.  This will save you 50% of your gas bill and supplement his quite a bit.

This can work with just more than going to work.  Say you are a sports mom, and you have a lot of the team members in your neighborhood, you could do the same thing.  May be you have a monthly shopping trip to a far destination, if you have the room, invite a few people for a cost to offset the gas.  It’s a way to help out your neighbours and yourself with the high price of gas.   You can advertise your trip on one of the car pool places I listed earlier or you can advertise in a local free classified.

Another way neighbors cooperating can save money, is with wifi.  My neighbour came over to my house the other day to use his lap top because he needed to get on the internet.  I happen to have wifi, so he could sit at my kitchen table and get his email without a lot of wires and plugs, while I worked on my computer in the living room.  Wifi, is a great way to share the internet.  It’s also a great way to play games against each other and be able to trade battle cries in defeat.  (That’s for a different time though)   Wifi is a way to make sure everyone has acess, but how does this save you money.  Well, it can make you money.  If you are a business owner in a small town, this is a huge attracton.  In the case of my neighbor he has already given me a steel front door and a steel filing cabinet, both of which I really needed.  In my opinion, I couldn’t ask for more, and he is welcome to use my wifi, until the end of next year.

If you happen to be a really good gardener, and don’t mind the work.  You could start a neighborhood garden,with subscriptions to whatever fresh food you have.  This will save your neighbors money at the shop, since they won’t have to drive for food, and it will make you money while your just doing what you normally would do.  This year I plan on planting extra rows for this exact purpose.  I am saving money by growing my own food, but I can make money by growing too much.  If enough people subscribe, I could plant my whole ten acers, and my neighbors could have some of the freshest, sweetest, local produce around.

Have you ever had sun tea?  Where you place a large gallon pickle jar outside on the porch full of water and about 8 to 10 tea bags early in the morning.  Then through out the after noon the sun warms the tea, essentially cooking it for you by sunset.  A solar cooker works on the same premise.

Solar cookers usually do not burn food, and in the southern part of the country might save on air conditioning bills.  A solar cooker works very much like a slow cooker, but using only the power of the sun.  Solar cookers can be constructed out of some of the most ingenious ideas.  In fact, if you home school this might be a wonderful way to incorporate science into your lesson plans while saving money.  A solar cooker would make cooking less of a hassle in the heat of summer and more of an adventure.

If you are interested in plans to make a solar cooker, feel free to follow the links.  Some also have pre-fabbed kits, but making one works just as well. If you get really inventive perhaps you can create your own plans and make more than one, then resell.  In small areas this might be a very lucrative business.

Path to Freedom

 Solar Cooking.Org

Cook with The Sun

If you have a savings, even a tiny amount, you are already better off than most.  Budgeting means preparing for the unknown when the main bread winner loses a job.  This can be a financial nightmare, and can bring a family to it’s knees if not handled with grace.  As a mother the first thing you can do is remain calm.  You should definitely explain to the kids that money will be tight.  How much detail should be determined by how mature the children are.

1. Review all bills. Pay only necessity items for survival or finding work.  This usually means car insurance, health insurance, and other “seemingly” burdensome bills must remain paid or found at a better price at the very least.  However, this also means the extra cell phones, cable, High speed DSL, and WoW accounts need to be shut down as soon as possible.  Cancelling subscriptions to unnecessary items should be the first thing done.

2. Have both spouses look for work immediately.  Don’t handicap yourself about who will look for work.  Your family is in jeopardy,  and if you want to survive everyone has to pitch in until the ideal situation can be remade.  If dad can collect unemployment benefits while mom works a part-time job, until dad finds a suitable substitute for his lost pay, it will make life a little easier.  If both parents are working, and you were struggling before the job loss, only extreme belt tightening will work.

3 Extreme belt tightening.  This is where the “pain” involved comes in.  You should choose which items you are capable of living without before finances choose for you.  I do mean survive.  The top things that need paid, mortgage, phone, electric, water, sewer, garbage, car insurance, and medicines.  Try to find cheaper health insurance, food, clothes, car insurance, phone, internet, electric, etc… or use less of those items which are consumable.  That may mean rationing meals, not eating meat except Sundays, learning to mend or remake clothes, keeping electricity off after 9:30pm, and/or limiting the amount of time one has in the shower.  Drastic measures must be taken immediately.  Cut your comfort level to the bone and then cut into the bone, until all you have left is survival.   This blog will help with the last two mostly, but you can make great strides by doing #1 alone.

Amazon has this great deal where certain things, if you purchase over 25 dollars, get free shipping.  This actually saves quite a bit of money.  I bought bulk dish detergent, (came to less than 2.00 a bottle after all was said and done) and bulk laundry detergent (again cheap on a per bottle basis) and free shipping.  I paid 60 dollars total, but that is detergent for the next quarter at least.  I usually pay 30 dollars a month for these things,  so I saved 30 dollars total.  The savings of 30 dollars could only be realized thanks to Amazon having free shipping.

In order for you to realize any savings when pruchasing from Amazon, I suggest you buy in bulk and take advantage of the free shipping.   Here at Bulk Home you can do both.  They have enviormentally friendly cleaning products for much less than you would pay for some common pricer name brands in discount stores.

Do your kids always beg for entertainment?  Instead of playing the same movies over and over again, why not invite them online, with supervision of course, to some of the following really fun kid friendly sites. They might learn a thing or two.  That will make you happy.

Jigsaw Puzzle Page

Reeko’s Science Lab

That way your kids can have fun and it’s educational too!  You’ll feel so much better knowing that this is helping to flex their brain muscles.   Plus if you teach at home you might find this site interesting.  It offers a lot for education.

Educational Sit e

Besides walking just about everywhere, car pooling, or riding a bike, what can you do to save on gas?  Well, believe it or not there is a little more you can do if you have to use your car.  The advice contained there in is not a guarantee of how much you will save, but I promise it will cut down on how much gas you use.

1. Make sure to plan your route when ever you do go out.  Know exactly where you need to go and the most efficient route to get there.  Do everything in one trip.  If you have to do shopping all over town, park in the middle of town and walk around to all the shops, then drive home.  Planning your route will save the most gas.

2. Keep your tires inflated.  Besides preventing uneven wear, it adds miles per gallon to your driving ability.  Properly inflated tires will really help you save in gas and engine wear.

3. Make sure all fluids are at their proper levels, your spark plugs are changed, and everything is working smoothly.  A well running car is and efficient car.

4. Place the car in neutral on down hills, this stops the engine running as high and allows you to take advantage of gravity to keep momentum.  You may even increase speed allowing you to keep the car in neutral on the up hill part way.  This one tip saved me absolutely tons in my area.

5.  Don’t drive over 55 unless your in neutral.  The old speed limit is the most efficient for gas mileage.

With 4 dollars a gallon inevitable, and 5 or 6 dollars a gallon likely.  Gas is more expensive per gallon than milk.  This is a mile stone many of my customer would remember when they complained to me at the gas station I worked at.  They would complain my gas was too high, and I would reply, “Well at least it’s not as expensive as milk per gallon.”  Well now it is.  I am sorry to all of you out there if you remember me.

Because gas is so expensive, most people have been cutting back on food, luxuries, etc… But one thing you have to consider.  If you have far to drive and over 30% of your pay goes to gas, you might want to take some drastic measures to lower your gas bill.

Car pooling- The most comfortable way to lower your gas.  Hundreds to thousands of people car pool everyday.  My husband car pools 3 days a week now.  Car pooling is the equivalent to public transportation in a place where it doesn’t exist.  If you want to find a car pool visit the following sites.

Erideshare Has listings for errands, getting to and form work, or cross country travel.  I am a member on here and find it to be very valuable.

Carpool Connect - this one is a little more detailed about the atmosphere and is mostly for finding rides to work.

Car pooling is the most effective way to lower your gas bill almost instantly.  It is greener and will get you into the HOV lanes!  Plus you can always stop after work and catch a few drinks with some buddies, it happens trust me.  Car pooling is the perfect way to connect with people too.

Ride your Bike!  If you work less than 25 miles from home ride your bike and burn off some of those cheese burgers.  Although my husband doesn’t work under 25 miles from home, he actually works 36 miles from home, he rides his bike to and from work 2 days a week.  Although he complains, and boy does he ever, he is looking better and losing massive amounts of fat.  You noticed I said fat right, well he only lost about 10 pounds, but he doesn’t have jelly belly, or bubble butt anymore.  You can see his six pack, pecs, and especially the glutes.  Sexy!  I estimate he has built a lot of muscle.

As a result he has been looking into getting into competetive bike racing, so if anyone knows of some events nearby Arkansas with money prizes let me know.  He rides about 36 miles on brutally hilly terrain on a mountain bike in under 2 and a half hours.  I think he’s like Lance Armstrong.

I’ll have more ideas about saving on gas in the future.  Good Luck!

I know the headline says insurance, but this is a good alternative to people that need anything.  I currently have no health insurance at all.  I fully intend to purchase this discount medical plan.  You pay annually.  Get this, it costs less than 500 dollars per year for every service they offer!  Personally this is a dream come true.  If you have no health benefits, this might help you or your family a little bit.  If you take advantage of the eye cards I found, you will have to purchase less benefits.

Now get this it’s only 31.90 per benefit per year!  That’s right!  Personally, the dental benefit alone will save me a couple hundred.  So if your still interested Go HERE .

If you have ever been in a pinch until you could get a little more money for laundry soap, I have a list of short term substitutes for emergency cases.  For each I will tell you how to make them and how long you can expect it to work before you will absolutely need to get laundry soap.

Baking Soda- This single product should be in every household in bulk.  Not only does it clean tubs, destroy odors, help with baking, and cleaning teeth.  It also gets your duds clean in a pinch.  Again, don’t use it for more than a month or else even baking soda won’t work on the stench that will start to set in.  It can be used for lightly soiled clothing.  It can and should be bought in bulk for less than 50 dollars for 50 pounds.

Vinegar- This works very well when added to the rinse cycle of the baking soda wash.  Don’t mix the two at the same time.  Although I have, it leads to some problems in your washer.   Clothes come out softer and actually smell nice if you happen to have apple cider vinegar.  Again this only works for at most a month.

Pine-Sol- This is one of the most versitile cleaners I have ever found.  Real Pine oil cleaner with strong concentrations of Pine Oil is a blessing.  You can find a large bottle at Lehmans.com but any will do in a pinch.  1/4 a cup per load will get your clothes clean.  This can work on a regular basis if you aren’t extra sensitive in the skin.

I know most of you may think this is silly, but there is so much you can find right in your own backyard.  Did you know Dandelion Greens when cooked in bacon fat taste delicious!  They really do, and who can ask for a cheaper dinner. In a minute children can gather the common flowers and feel very proud of themselves for helping.

But I did say more, as in different, foods from your backyard.  Roses have a wonderful thing called “rose hips ” which contain a lot of vitamin C.  Rose hips can be made into teas, stew, or even jelly.   Rose hips are a natural food you can add to your daily food plan if you happen to have roses already around.

Another food from the backyard you might find is lichen .  Of course you will want to cook them first.  They are good added to stews and have high mineral contents.

Another final one is “chicken of the woods ” a type of mushroom easily identified because it grows on trees.  Another one that grows on trees, the oyster mushroom, is similiar but white and also edible.  Chicken of the woods tastes like chicken, where as oyster mushrooms are sour and best also placed in soup.