Living the Frugal Life

Cold and Flu Season is here! There is an easy way to avoid all the sicknesses that seem to be affecting everyone around us this season. It’s a tip that is given by doctors and moms around the world…

Wash your hands!

It seems simple, but the amazing fact is that properly washing your hands or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the best way to prevent sickness. You come in contact with germs throughout the day from a variety of sources - direct contact with people, dirty surfaces, food, animals, etc. You can easily infect yourself by touching your eyes, nose or mouth if you don’t wash your hands frequently enough. And you can easily spread those germs that you have accumulated by something as simple as touching a doorknob.

Here is a list from the Mayo Clinic about when to wash your hands:
-After using the toilet
-After changing a diaper — wash the diaper-wearer’s hands, too
-After touching animals or animal waste
-Before and after preparing food, especially before and immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish
-Before eating
-After blowing your nose
-After coughing or sneezing into your hands
-Before and after treating wounds or cuts
-Before and after touching a sick or injured person
-After handling garbage
-Before inserting or removing contact lenses
-When using public restrooms, such as those in airports, train stations, bus stations and restaurants

So wash your hands frequently with warm soapy water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid those hefty doctor bills this Christmas!

With growing families, many people choose to draw names at Christmas, so each person is only responsible for purchasing a gift for one person. This is very frugal - you avoid having to purchase a gift for each member of your family. Make it even more frugal by setting a dollar limit - and everyone must abide by the limit!

Here’s a simple tip to ensure that everyone gets what they want. When you are writing down each person’s name to be included in the drawing, on the same slip of paper have everyone write down their wish list (items included in the dollar limit) on the same paper as their name. Fold the papers, and proceed with the drawing as usual. Then, the person that draws your name will have a few suggestions on what to purchase. That is an easy way to give and get what you want for Christmas! Also, you don’t end up with an ill-fitting sweater that you are forced to wear whenever your family visits.

Merry Christmas!

Yes! August 24 is my birthday. I am turning the big 30. As my dad loves to ask, “Have you accomplished all the goals you wanted to achieve by the time you turned 30?” That is a pretty big question, and my answer is that I am still trying to figure out exactly what I am want for myself. I had a blast during my 20’s and I expect my 30’s to be even better.

But, for now, I want my cake and I want to eat it too! FreeBirthday.com will send you a list of places across America where you can receive free stuff on your birthday. This “free stuff” can range from a free song to a free dessert. It’s nice to know your options! The list is updated daily. You just have to fill out a short form and they email you a list. When your birthday comes around, don’t forget to check it out.

Since I just posted the first frugal challenge about not going out to eat for a month, I thought I would post a tip that has helped me tremendously. The first time I did this, I thought it was the best thing ever. Now that I do it on a regular basis, there is no way I can go back.

It’s called once-a-month cooking. You take one day (Saturday for me) and spend a few hours cooking several meals (enough for the entire month) and then freezing them. I have two cookbooks that help me: Once-a-Month cooking and Dinner’s in the Freezer. Both are good books that tell you step-by-step what to cook, when to freeze, and serving day directions.

It is a commitment to spend most of a weekend day cooking, but it is worth it. Typically, I will plan out the meals and go to the grocery store on Friday. Then, bright and early on Saturday I will start cooking. It goes by incredibly fast, and when you are finished you are filled with a sense of accomplishment, especially knowing you won’t have to cook for some time.

My husband and I both work full time. When I come home from work, I will take something out of the freezer (or refrigerator depending on if the dish had to be thawed or not) and throw it in the oven, grill or on the stove. The dishes don’t always have to be casseroles, you can really make anything and freeze it. Hamburger patties, fajitas, wings, etc - there may be some of the ingredients that you wait until serving day to use.

I definitely recommend once-a-month cooking. As part of the frugal challenge of not going out to eat for a month, this will give you no excuses. You will always have a home-cooked meal waiting on you!

Announcing the first Living the Frugal Life Frugal Challenge!

When my husband and I first started thinking about saving money, we challenged ourselves in several ways. The first challenge was to avoid going out to eat for one month. It was definitely a challenge, but we did it! In my corporate job, I would go out to eat almost every work day. Lunch with friends, coworkers, etc. seemed to make sense to me. Then my husband and I have our favorite Mexican restaurant that we would eat at every week. We would also eat out several times on the weekend. So, let’s add up those expenses per week:

• Lunch during the week(est. $10 per meal, 3 times a week) = $30
• Favorite Mexican restaurant (est. $25) = $25
• Weekend restaurant trips (est. $25 per meal, 2 times) = $50

That is $105 a week just for eating out! Luckily, it’s just the two of us - no kids, yet. Still, that is over $400 a month. How crazy were we?

So, for one month we did not go out to eat. At my job, I occasionally have vendors that come in and take a group out to eat. Because of that, we were allowed to go out to eat if the meal was being paid for by someone else.

The challenge: For the next month, do not go out to eat. Cook at home, fix sandwiches, eat leftovers. Just think of all the money you can save! It typically takes about a month to make a habit, and this is a great habit to start.

Let me know how you do!

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