Small choices equal big savings
photo by squirrel cottage
Frugality is about choices. Frequent small expenditures can leave you wondering where your money has gone. Ever backtrack your purchases and discover you didn’t lose that $20 after all? Tracking your spending will pinpoint your money leaks, and wise consistent choices will help improve your savings, too. It’s as simple as adopting new, painless and cheaper alternatives to your old, automatic spending ways. For example, Lindsay in Alabama shares: “I’ve discovered the wonder of coconut oil mixed with cornstarch and baking soda (about 1/4 cup of each, mixed with enough coconut oil to make it not powdery) and will not be going back to regular deodorant!”
Here are a few more cheap options.
LESS PAPER: It’s easy to swap out paper towels and napkins in favor of cloth. You can make your own from older towels, sheets, etc. It seems the biggest excuse to keep paper is … how in the world do you drain bacon? Easy. Use a splatter screen, and drain the bacon grease back into your frying pan or use a wire rack over a cookie sheet.
FABRIC SOFTENER: Dilute liquid fabric softener or cheap hair conditioner with water, and place in a spray bottle or plastic container, such as a baby-wipes container. Use the spray bottle of softener and spritz a washcloth, or soak the cloth in the plastic container, wring it out and toss into the dryer. You can use 1/4 cup vinegar in your washer’s dispenser or reuse a Downy Ball by refilling it with vinegar. If you miss the scent, add a few drops of essential oil.
One reader, Karen in Kansas, recommends a cheaper option: “If you have problems with static, there are ways to help reduce it. Static is a sign you are overdrying your clothing, so reduce the drying time. Keep a spritz bottle of water at hand, and, when you open the dryer, give the contents a few spritzes to break the static charge. You can also add a wet washcloth and start the dryer for a few tumbles to rehydrate the air and break the static charge. Fabrics that are made from synthetics are great at creating static, so remove them from the dryer before the load is completely dry; or hang them on a hanger, drying rack or line to dry.” Previously, I’ve mentioned using homemade wool dryer balls, too. If you missed it, you can find the directions at www.frugalvillage.net/2009/05/14/find-washing-soda-in-local-stores.
FOOD: Look at the packaged foods you buy and re-create them yourself. Try frugal recipes on my Web site, such as homemade soups, salad dressings, marinades, waffles, pita bread, granola bars, cookies or your own homemade pudding.
Chocolate Pudding
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2-2/3 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more, until mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs. Return all of the egg mixture to the saucepan. Heat over medium but don’t boil. Reduce heat. Simmer and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl. Cover bowl to prevent skim from forming. Cool before serving. — Kathy, Texas
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I wonder if this is as frugal as buying a package (4 sevings) of Jello Sugarfree, Fatfree pudding mix at Wal-Mart. I pay 84 cents for a box–it has no eggs, no butter, no sugar and uses only 2 cups of milk (skim). I’m diabetic and find that it allows me to have one serving with fat free Cool Whip and no rise in my blood sugar. There is no cooking involved (electricity), only 2 cups of milk are used. By the time you pay for eggs, vanilla and butter plus extra milk it doesn’t seem too frugal to me,not to mention the time it takes to cook and cool it.
I like that this recipe calls for eggs. Store-bought pudding has no redeeming nutritional value whatsoever (especially when trying to sneak enough protein into a picky preschoolers diet). If you’re eating garbage, it’s not frugal! I’ll definitely give this recipe a try!
I think if a person has dietary restrictions, then of course this pudding isn’t a good option. I usually mention health restrictions for some recipes, but in this article, I didn’t. It’s also hard to beat the price of some convenience foods. For example, Kraft mac and cheese is going to be cheaper than homemade. But there’s a considerable taste difference. Not to mention your control over the ingredients. It’s good to know how to make things yourself and if you don’t have restrictions, chances are you have these ingredients in your pantry. Yes, it still cost you to buy the ingredients upfront, but you’re only using a portion of them and it’s handy (and delish). And small decisions can make a difference. Let’s say you went to the store to buy the pudding and walked out with a cart filled when you intended to simply buy pudding. These small decisions we make daily make a difference. If you have something already, use it up. Consider alternatives. Use less when you can, too.
I don’t have a sugar free example handy, but in regular jello instant pudding, here’s the ingredients
sugar, dextrose, modified food starch, contains less than 2% of natural and artificial flavor, salt, disodium phosphate and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (for thickening), mono and diglycerides (prevent foaming), yellow 5, yellow 6, artificial color, BHA (preservative).
Adding cross reference:
http://www.frugalvillage.com/2009/02/20/the-cost-of-convenience/
Sorry for the late response – I’m new to this site (and I love it!). How would you apply the home made deodorant recipe above? I visualize it as being very messy.
I’d use a cottonball or wash cloth. If that sounds too messy, you can try
http://www.thecrystal.com. I’ve had readers report that witch hazel or milk of magnesia applied to the skin with a cotton ball works well, too.
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