Today on Oprah being frugal

**Nana2two** · 07-29-2010, 05:09 PM

Just came on, talking about being frugal and making life style changes with the economy.

**Syn D** · 07-29-2010, 05:32 PM

I have noticed, people have different ideas of what being frugal is.. That's the great thing about this site, you get many ideas and can find the ones that would work best for you..
I have never found any advice on most shows that weren't anything but plain common sense, and usually no help in my situation..
I'm not just wanting to go frugal so we can have money for trips, etc., as I have come across often.. I need to for necessity, as my husband only gets paid once a month, and I can't work due to a medical problem that I can't get benefits for..
The last week to week and a half on the pay period, we are always very low on food and I already go way cheap on food, haven't found to many more ways to go any cheaper..
Then I found this site, my cleaning, laundry and bathroom supplies are included in my food budget as there is no extra money for them and this site has givin me great ideas on cleaning supplies to lower the money I put out on them, which in return I can put toward food.. Even if I lower it $40, that will give us like 5 more days of like Top Ramon, Grilled cheese, those type of foods for dinner..

As I learn the direction to make different types of laundry soap, softener, etc. and try them out, I can pass it on to people I know in the same situation I am in that I know... To me the best way is word of mouth, knowing someone in your situation or worse that tried the cleaning recipes and like it..

I have known people that got duped by those frugal shows and wound up realizing they were saving more the way they were doing it before the show, sadly they didn't notice right away..

**jas** · 07-29-2010, 06:15 PM

It was a good show, I think it was a repeat though. Still it was good. It was great to see how the thrifty family came and sat down with a family that had lost a portion of thier income and showed them how to take a good look at where the money was gong and how to keep it in check. The freegans story was interesting too.

**Nana2two** · 07-29-2010, 06:57 PM

Jas, i think i seen it before also. Maybe last year. The freegan part is normally called dumpster diving lol. I guess they had to put a classy name to it.

**Nana2two** · 07-29-2010, 07:01 PM

Syn- Most of the stuff is common sense stuff. But people that i tell, just unplug all your stuff you would save alot. Really don't understand it. But what they all were saying is true. The one couple in minnesota. Were spending over $600 a month on new cd's,dvd's, games. Thats more then my mortgage.

**Syn D** · 07-29-2010, 07:44 PM

Sadly common sense is on a huge down slope..

The people I have talked to have been great at listening and do try suggestions I give.. One big one is, your not saving money if your going to a store because they have a sale on a food item you think is a good deal, when you do all your shopping at another store and aren't usually near the store with the special for anything else.. Example ~ a coupon saving 50 cents off an item that is usually $1.50 at the store you shop at, 50 cent is a good savings on an item that price, but not when you waste $1.00 in gas to go to that store, just for that item, your actually paying more for it.. Some of my friends in Cali have stopped doin that and now include their gas cost in with the sale and have seen savings in their gas..

As for the couple you mentioned and for a lot of others, not matter what you tell them, you get "oh we can't stop doing that" as I have gotten, so I say "well then unplug is all I can suggest.. As I said, people have different ideas on being frugal/saving.. I usually only suggest what I have tried and works for me, or I know of at least a few people have tried and it worked for.