Cheap Home Living by Knowing Your Financial Strengths and Weaknesses
In order to live a more frugal lifestyle a consumer should take inventory of where they currently stand. But, this time the inventory isn’t a physical breakdown of what you own and what you owe but rather an inventory of your behavior. Living a frugal lifestyle doesn’t mean living without goods and services it simply means buying the most cost efficient and effective good and services. But for some consumers the transition to a more frugal lifestyle even when it requires giving up very little is difficult because of poor learned behaviors.
By analyzing your current spending habits and activities, you can see where your strengths and weaknesses are regarding these behaviors. By dealing with your financial short comings, you’ll be able to cut down on the time it takes to embrace a more frugal lifestyle. If you are the spend thrift but already convinced of the need for financial change in your life, the road ahead is much easier. If you are not even aware of your reckless buying habits or spontaneous decision making, then the road to savings may be more difficult.
To start the inventory, sit down and review the details about your personal money approach to spending, savings and education. Some key points to consider include: do you carry credit cards with little regards to the number and amount of debt on each? Do you carry cash and had do you keep track of the amount and its distribution? How well do you know you monthly living expenses? How well do you now the price of everyday expenses such as groceries, gas, clothing, etc… What does your credit history look like? Do you have a system for paying your bills and managing debt? What are your limits for personal shopping? How do you decide and evaluate major purchase such as a car new furniture, large appliances or a home? How much of your income do you save each month and do you have a savings goal or plan? How do you allocate your free time?
Unfortunately, reforming yourself from spendthrift ways can sometimes be difficult and requires patience and help. Help that can come from education and resources that lead the way to obtaining knowledge on where the best buys are, what products work the best, where the cheap activities and entertainment can be found as well as information on good resource utilization.
Sometimes the road to a consistent awareness of using less resources is challenging but the rewards on how adopting frugal living habits can reduce outstanding consumer debt, free up money for activities such as vacations, help finance large future expenses such as buying a house or paying for your children’s college tuition or free up more time for family and friends is well worth the journey.
Identify your weaknesses and strengths and spend some time planning how to modify your behavior to become more frugal with financial resources and physical resources.
Cheap Home Living with Second Hand Purchases
Buying second hands goods opens up a number of oppurtunities for cheap home living. Second hand items can be found from a variety of sources including; garage sales, thrift stores, consignment shops and estate sales. Shopping for second home merchandise doesn’t have to be a way of life. There are a number of shoppers that acquire most of their household goods and clothing in this manner and save 100’s if not 1,000’s of dollars but this is the exception not the norm.
Simply making it a habit to shop for slightly used merchandise at garage sales and second hand outlets can deliver big rewards. This doesn’t mean you have to buy a refrigerator or dining room table second hand, but items such as lawn mowers, end tables, lamps, shelving, toys and related items can deliver big savings compared to buying new.
To make the process easy, stick close to home. For garage sales, starting early and staying relatively close to home makes the process quick and efficient. And if there is nothing worth buying, a little family time early in the morning on the weekend has its own rewards.
For those shoppers that don’t like buying items second hand the biggest issue is that the used items are dirty or damaged. For damaged items an assessment has to be made to either repair the item cost effectively or simply take a pass on the purchase. For dirty items there are several alternatives. Clothing can be washed or for the more antiseptic buyer, dry cleaned. Small items can be washed or for the more antiseptic buyer, placed in boiling water or cleaned with alcohol. Most bacteria can not survive for even short periods of time in boiling water and alcohol also kills most all bacteria.
For the more environmentally conscience buyers, used items cuts costs along with saves from more manufacturing and waste used to create new items and saves any waste that may have been headed towards the landfill.
Think of how many items we discard each year. Unwanted kitchen goods, household goods, electronics, books, toys and more. Not only do we save by buying another person’s discards but these items often don’t last long in our own homes because we soon discard them for something different. Children’s clothes and toys probably have the shortest life expectancy in a household. Buying these items new is just lining the pockets of the big retailers and manufacturers.
There is a wealth of cheap items that can purchased second hand but for people who have not been accustomed to this type of shopping, a good start is to go to your first thrift store or consignment shop and garage sale. Take a mental inventory of what is available at what price and in what condition. To avoid making unnecessary purchases or risky purchases it is a good idea to write down items or categories of items that may be of interest to compare what is available second hand and the costs compared to those same items new.
Cheap Living and Saving Money Relies on Knowledge
Saving money is not a hard task that requires hours of work per week. But saving money does require knowledge. Knowledge on how to find the best savings for groceries, household products and services as well as how to manage your resources and time. Almost anyone can engage in cheap home living but with a little knowledge or a lot of knowledge, the savings can really pile up. And the more information the easier the process of savings becomes. Information that can be found right at your fingertips.
Not having timely information on the right products, services and actions can leave a consumer open to paying higher prices unnecessarily as well as purchasing inferior products and wasting resources. Saving money requires only a small investment in time but an investment that should not be ignored. All the resources to save money, time and natural resources will not be found on this site but this is the starting point and the information obtained can guide consumers to many other easy to find resources that are available.
The resources needed to save money include information on where the discounts are, which stores are offering the steepest discounts. This information should be segregated on the savings by merchant or retailer to see who is selling the cheapest goods by product category. There is abundance of coupons available now, coupons for groceries to coupons for household products as well as the standard promotions and discounts that are promoted. Obtaining this information on your own would be a daunting task. Finding all the best coupons and discounts to use with the right resources can be done quickly and easily.
Knowledge about savings will also include identifying what not to buy. Finding the right product for the job which may entail spending more money initially to save more money or environmental resources down the road is a key element to savings. Unnecessary expenditures account for a great deal of waste in resources and waste of money. Knowledge teaches us not just where and how to save but how not to be penny wise and pound foolish.
Knowledge on optimal resource utilization may also include DIY projects. Identifying what projects and items can be made at home for less cost than store bought and often works better. Do it yourself projects that can also be accomplished to spend more time together. Savings involves not just money but time and natural resources.
We all need to know how and where to stretch our dollars. Learning more can never be done enough but does not require hours of reading, clipping, sorting and shopping. The more time that is dedicate to learning how live a more frugal and rewarding lifestyle the more money and resources that can be saved.
The great thing about learning how to save and where to save is that most of the resources are free including all the information on cheaphomeliving.com.
Common Reasons Why People Fail to Save
There are always a number of reasons why people fail to save money. The causes will be as varied as the different financial position people will be in at any point in time, but some of the reasons for failure have a common component for a number of consumers.
The most common reason for failure to save is the inability to establish a plan and work on savings goals. Just to be aware of the need to save is hardly going to put a dent in a savings plan. Awareness is a first step, but success in saving money and resources requires attention to detail to some degree. For some consumers, attention to detail may be quite refined while for others it may entail a budget with a range of options. In either case, the lack of a plan almost always results in failure to execute a behavioral change that leads to savings.
Along with the clear lack of a savings plan, procrastination and the lack of follow through fall close behind. The longer someone waits, the less time they have to take advantage of debt reduction opportunities, savings on expenses and compounding returns on financial savings. Follow through also involves developing a winning attitude. The foresight to see that a plan in motion is established to save will work and accomplish a goal is a key element to success.
A third recurring theme in failure to save is the unwise use of credit. Poor use of credit will often lead to high interest charges and costs and can also frequently lead to unnecessary consumption. Managing credit properly is a pillar in saving for financial rewards.
Inadequate emergency preparedness for the unexpected is on the list of barriers to savings. Without the steps towards acquiring adequate reserves, any savings action plan can become severely constrained and can get sidetracked resulting in even greater money troubles.
A final problem with maintaining a savings plan and goal is the inability to fully understand the value of money. Without a full appreciation of the value in compound savings and the rate of return from the accumulation of frequent small savings, it’s difficult to find the right motivation to save and reap the rewards that come with a good savings plan.
Trying to save without a clear plan and assistance makes it a difficult and arduous choir. Savings money and resources doesn’t have to be arduous and to make it easy, consumers should not try and do it alone. The first step is to get involved and become educated regarding the resources that are available to help save and enjoy what is available whether your net worth is way up on top or just struggling to stay positive.
Savings involves financial rewards and psychological rewards. Psychological benefits may entail living a better life with less conspicuous consumption or saving by reducing the impact on the environment. Whatever the objective, obtaining and developing a plan is a good start.
Composting Saves Money and Resources
Composting is a great way to save some money while helping the environment. The biggest savings with composting is the saving it does for the environment, but composting also helps save on fertilizer costs for outdoor gardening and indoor plants as well as saves on the cost of removal or disposal of organic waste. By reducing food waste that is carted off to the local landfill, consumers can to help the environment and save money.
Composting is an effective way to reduce waste and recycle organic matter. Creating compost involves the natural process of decomposing plant remains and other once living or organic material. Compost is simply an assortment of organic matter that is commonly used for fertilizer since it very high in nutrients needed for plant growth. Decomposition occurs naturally anywhere plants grow but is not terribly efficient or effective in landfills with organic waste created by us.
Composting is a natural form of recycling. Compost is produced by a process in which microbes decompose the organic matter such as food scraps and plants into an organic fertilizer. Naturally occurring microbes are the primary agents for degradation of organic material that results in compost whether the compost is happening naturally on the forest floor on in a backyard compost bin. The compost can be used to enrich soil, provide plant nutrients, or help with natural erosion similar to mulch use.
By creating compost at home, consumers are making their own natural fertilizer and mulch and help alleviate the stuffed landfills. Yard trimmings along with some residual food waste can be thrown into a compost bin and this very same material accounts for roughly 25 percent of the solid waste we dispose of.
Composting can takes many different forms, from simple and inexpensive backyard composting methods to more expensive and high tech methods of composting. All organic material will eventually decompose. The speed at which it decomposes can depend on the temperature, moisture content, oxygen content, surface area and the mix of carbon and nitrogen in the material. Composting can vary in its complexity on how the material is manged and controlled as well as in the range of organic materials that can be recovered.
Here is a simple list of some of the items that can be placed in a compost bin:
Yard trimmings, wood chips, tea bags, leaves, houseplants, hair and fur, fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds and filters, eggshells, nut shells, sawdust, grass clippings, fireplace ashes, shredded newspaper, cotton rags, hay and straw.
Here is a list of some of the items that should not be placed in a compost bin:
Pet wastes, dairy products, fats, grease, lard, or oils, meat or fish bones and scraps ( mostly because they attract pests ), yard waste that is treated with chemical pesticides, diseased or insect-ridden plants.
There are a number of options for making and containing compost. Some people go with a simple binless compost pile on the ground, some people build compost bins from lumber or barrels and more and more consumers are buying commercial compost bins because of their ascetics and added features.
Finished compost can be applied to lawns and gardens to help condition the soil and replenish nutrients. Depending on the contents of the compost, the compost may or may not be used as potting soil for houseplants because of the possible presence of weed and grass seeds.
There are several different reasons why composting is a great, cheap environmentally friendly activity. Yard and food wastes contribute to the waste stream in landfills. The waste that is sent to landfills cost money to transport and dispose of can often be useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead. Composting therefor offers the benefits of resource efficiency as well as creating a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been wasted and is absolutely free to create. Cheap home living that saves money and helps the environment, another win – win.
Family Activities for Cheap Home Living
Choosing entertaining and fun activities doesn’t have to cost tons of money. One of the greatest benefits of cheap home living is dedicating more time to friends and family and less time chasing activities that involve conspicuous consumption and unnecessary financial expenditures.
It can be very rewarding to spend more time with friends and families with inexpensive activities that involve more interaction. In order to be prepared for short term outings and activities it is helpful to have some ideas in advance so when the time comes you can be ready to engage your family and / or friends. When preparing a list of low cost activities and entertainment it is good idea to get helpful ideas from family members too.
Some great ways to enjoy time together without spending large sums of money can include:
Visit the local library to see their selections of videos, books, and programs. With the number of new libraries that has been constructed recently, the services and selections will surprise many visitors regarding books, movies and activities that take place at the library.
Visit the local museums on free days or days with reduced rates. Many big city museums and zoos have reduced rates or free admission on select days. In Chicago, the Art Institute is free on Thursday afternoons and the Zoo is free on Thursdays during certain times of the year. The kids love both outings and since the price is right we don’t feel obligated to stay and see all the attractions in one visit.
Cook a family barbecue or family dinner together. Have fun, make something special or creative. When possible, add a little science and education to the process to help show how various ingredients react during the cooking process. When cooking and especially when experimenting with cooking at home, failure can be as much fun as a gourmet meal.
Play outdoor games that involve the whole family. Or, take indoor games out. My children like chess, Pass the Bomb, Stratego and other games that we often play indoors and out. It always appears as though the outdoor version is more entertaining. So entertaining in fact, that we often play chess well into the fall bundled up on the deck.
Read the local newspapers to see what activities in the community are available. Activities that may include planned community events, educational seminars or plays. With some educational seminars, my wife and I have sometimes bribed the children with a promise of ice cream or some other treat after the event. With the use of coupons, the treats are relatively inexpensive, the family learns together and just to help the project along we will get material on the subject of the seminar in advance to help prepare for what we are going to experience.
Work on new craft projects together. Crafts can range from beading necklaces and bracelets to building a bird house. My wife loves bead projects, hers can be expensive, but cheap material is readily available at local craft stores. The children love learning, creating and producing something for themselves.
Plant a small vegetable garden or flower garden outdoors or indoors. Planting indoors can involve a little more work to make sure the plants get enough light and space but plants provide a great deal of beneficial properties when grown indoors. Of course, vegetable gardens have the added benefit of yielding a low cost food source. Using artificial grow lights indoors can be an added fun and educational component but can add costs as well.
Spend some time volunteering or doing charity work. Local housing organizations and shelters can almost always use some extra hands. Charity work may not quite be on the top of the to do list for fun activities but it is cheap to do and psychological rewarding.
Saving Money on Groceries by Comparing Unit Prices
To make sure you save money at the grocery store, comparing unit costs is a fundamental practice that needs to be adhered to. Whether you are buying brand name products or generic grocery items or whether you are buying in bulk or not, the unit price of the goods being purchased is a key measure to ensure you are saving money.
By comparing and saving based on the unit price you can save money even if you don’t have a coupon for select products. While in many instances, buying the larger size may be better or using a manufacturer’s coupon or store coupon appears like a good deal, this is certainly not the case every time.
When products are sold in different quantities or in different packages of the same size but actually holding different quantities it can be difficult to evaluate the best deal. A coupon can actually make the decision more difficult if the larger quantity is measurably cheaper per unit. Don’t be bamboozled by the creative packaging of food manufacturers and distributors either, just because two products appear to be the same size, does not mean that they are.
The unit price is a measure of the product cost f the item per ounce, quart, gallon, pound, or any other unit of measure. The unit price displays the cost of one unit, such as an ounce of that product. The unit price can be found on the product labels or on the shelf under the package display.
Of course it is best to compare the unit cost of products that are the same but if the products are similar substitutes or generic versus a brand name or even one product after a coupon reduction and one without, the unit cost should still be the primary decision making tool. Unit prices can also be used to compare different types of a food product such as dried and canned foods or fresh foods. Preference will clearly play a big role when comparisons like this are made.
Some brands cost less than others but will change their pricing frequently so check brand prices and coupons weekly because prices may change. Choosing the food that has the lowest price per unit costs will save money. By shopping and comparing the unit prices, you can make your purchase decision for the grocery item that offers the greatest value.
Save Money by Saving on Packaging Costs
Choosing products with less packaging can save on costs, storage and waste. By buying items with less packaging you will also reduce the environmental impact produced by disposing of the excess packaging and the cost and waste employed by the manufacturer to create the packaging.
Almost everything we buy seems to come with lots of packaging. Of the million tons of garbage we throw out each year, one of the largest components of waste is the containers and the packaging of the products. By choosing products that use less packaging and recyclable packaging, every one can make a big impact on the environment while cutting costs.
Finding the products you want without all the excess packaging can be difficult especially among food manufacturers who are constantly looking for new ways to persuade you to spend more money on their products with small inviting packages. But these convenient packages use more energy to create the smaller containers that are produced in larger quantities and generate more waste.
Always try to evaluate a product’s packaging, pay attention to the way you use the product and the resources before you purchase the item the way it is presented to you. Choose products with less packaging or recyclable packaging when you can.
Try using reusable shopping bags for grocery shopping. Paper bags and plastic bags are not good for the environment since there production consumes energy and produces waste and any bags not recycled further contribute to waste.
Always reuse packaging when possible. Boxes and packing can often be reused for storage or shipping but containers such as coffee or resealable food bins can be great for storage as well.
One of the best ways to minimize packaging is to buy in bulk. Buy in bulk at stores that specialize in large quantity items and use bulk food stations at grocery stores that offer the service. Wholesale retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club sell products in large quantity packs. These bulk purchases use less packaging and waste and can often be purchased at a significantly reduced per item cost. Purchases of large boxes of your favorite foods or household items can easily be divided into small quantities at home.
When you have the option to choose recyclable packaging and by all means make sure you recycle them.
How you buy products makes a big difference when it comes to reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions used to make the packaging. How you choose the packaged products to buy will also frequently cuts costs at the same time.
Smarter shopping that saves the environment and saves money.
The Best Coupon Web Sites
More and more people are hearing about using coupons to cut expenses and save money. There is little debate that coupon clipping in whatever form is a big money saver. Contrary to what the frugal shopper may think, coupon redemptions are used by only a very small segment of the population. That’s right, though we may read about how to save money with coupons, the number of consumers that actually do is surprisingly low.
Although the use of coupons has been around for years and more media attention appears to focus on the value of coupon use, in recent years the number of coupons redeemed has declined by a significant amount. Coupons that are obtained online are easy to use and find and seem like an easy tool to save more money, yet these coupons account for less than 5% of all coupons offered nationwide. Online coupon clippers are increasing in numbers with statistics indicating redemptions climbing but not near the figures one would expect based on the value they present.
While more people, recently are discovering how much they can save on a wide variety of items by using coupons many are not aware of just how much they can save and how easy it can be to find coupons on the Internet. There is a slew of web sites offering coupons as well as online money saving promotions. Unfortunately, it can be a little confusing to separate the good deals from the lemons and those that just waste your time with deals of limited value.
Numerous web sites have popped up that list coupon codes and produce printable coupons. Some of the coupon websites contain different types of coupons from a range of retailers and the coupons can be printed from the website to be used directly at the store check out. Coupon sites include both store coupons and manufacturer’s coupons. The best money savings deals often involve using both the manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon on the same item and double your savings. Most stores will accept manufacturers’ coupons along with nay store coupon because the company printing the coupons will reimburse them for the discount.
Coupon codes that are displayed on some of these sites should also be considered. The coupon codes or discount codes are more frequently used for larger purchase amounts. These coupon codes are used mostly for online purchases and can be for a single item or based on the total purchase amount. Coupon codes often have more restrictions and therefore should be read carefully before they are used.
Here is a list of some of the best coupon sites on the Internet for the frugal shopper.
Savings.com
Coupons.com
Smartsource.com
Coolsavings
Save.com
Couponcabin.com
Most all of these sites listed, provide effective and efficient means to obtain online coupons and discounts and have well presented information. There are certainly more coupon sites to search but many have limited information or are difficult to navigate. Some of the sites display only grocery store coupons and other sites have coupons and savings for a variety of categories.