So recently I've...

[Jessesbride]

Hired a friend to do my housekeeping for about 2-3 hrs/week @ $10/hr. This is someone who is a very good friend who has all the codes to our house anyway & is a struggling student (almost has her degree). It helps her out & it helps me out she comes over 1 day a week & for that 1 day I don't do any housework & I can concentrate on other things... like my kids & our crazy schedule.

Just wondering what things have you all have done that makes your life easier, even if they aren't what most people consider... "FRUGAL???"

Kim

[frugalwarrior2]

I won't scrimp on pet care. Not the vet,not the food. In the long run it pays off.

I will not wash dishes by hand or go w/o a dishwasher.

I paid for the teens car ins.

We do go out to eat once a week now because we couldn't afford it for years. It is good for our relationship.

[LuLuBleen]

Hired a friend to do my housekeeping for about 2-3 hrs/week @ $10/hr.

This sounds fantastic! Yay for you!

...what things have you all have done that makes your life easier, even if they aren't what most people consider... "FRUGAL???

[LuLu dons flame-retardant suit]

Well...I bought a brand new truck yesterday.

BUTBUTBUT!!! I paid cash and got only what we needed. We had looked exhaustively for a slightly used truck that would meet our needs and one could NOT be found.

Anyway, we also won't scrimp on pet care. Worth every penny.

[pollypurebred39]

-I just started using paper plates

-I just started buying some pre made food like on cor dinners, canned biscuits, frozen pierogies, etc. I know I could make them, but it saves me a lot of time and effort. I do buy it all on sale and stacked with coupons or a food thrift, but I know I could make a lot of it cheaper from scratch a lot of the time.

[stinkbug]

I can't believe anyone there will clean house for 10.00 hour. MINIMUM here is 15.00.

We have a Keurig coffee machine. It ain't cheap to use, but I can have a fresh hot cup whenever I want and I'm not having to drink *old* coffee. I get up 2 hours before dh and he travels a lot (not home) so one cup at a time works for us.

[lisaflex]

i pay $10/hr + tip of about $15 - 20. our cleaning lady has been coming here for about 6 yrs...we just love her! we also give her about $100 at xmas time. she comes every 2 wks...and is here for about 5 hours.

i do not scrimp on fresh vegetables or fruit..in or out of season. just my way! we eat filet mignon. lots of things i refuse to be frugal about. life is meant to be lived to its fullest and if that means spending a bit, then, so be it...

i buy expensive bras ($50 and up...) and hand wash them in dreft and replace them every 16 or so months...only after being fitted at nordstroms.

we do vaca a few times a year. w/ and w/out the kiddos. w/out kiddos is healthy for the marriage in our opinion. we do hire a sitter for $100/day while we are gone. i know, not frugal, but, still..we need it!

[AnW819]

Ugh...I have some of these, and while I enjoy every minute, I do hate that we do these things sometimes....

One is recently we have been dropping off our laundry.

We started when DH are I were both really sick about a month+ ago and I could not get out of bed, so I had made DH run to the laundry mat, and he saw that they will do your laundry for .69c a lb. so he dropped it off. They wash, dry and fold, sort guys and girls clothes seperatly in the bag and even match the socks. Wow, how spoiled is that?! Well,it ended up only being about $10 more than what it costs to do it ourselves and we do not have to pay for laundry detergent, and spend 2-3 hours @ the laundry mat so he did it.

Well now, it seems more and more convenient being DH has to leave for work @ 6:30PM and I work everyday but weekends til 5:30, so it just works out so much better then having to wait til we both have a stupid day off work together to go to the laundry mat.

So I budget $10 more every other week in our laundry budget.

I also buy some quick meal items, like frozen ravioli.

I also use the dish washer when I have a ton to do.

These are really the only things we splurge on right now...

[sahm2boys]

im the opposite..on the original post..i started cleaning my moms house once a week for 35.00

but i like name brand soups

we order out occasionally and im sure there are a lot more things we splurge on

[shoiji]

I use my dishwasher a little more, especially when I am really busy or sick.

I still get my hair cut or colored at a hair salon.

I have started going back to using clinique for my skin care instead of trying to use witch hazel or other "natural" products on my face. I am noticing a difference in my complexion. It is alot brighter.

My cat eats a more expensive brand of cat food. She seems happier and healthier and does not have as many sneezing fits.

The fee that you are paying your friend really does sound frugal compared to the prices I heard people paying someone to clean and that was over 13 years ago.

[AnW819]

I also get my hair cut 2x a year @ a salon. I can cut DHs hair but not mine, lol.

[Nana2two]

I love my dishwasher
My pressure cooker,saves on power and cooks food fast.
My kitchen aid mixer
My deep freeze
My laptop.

[Palooka]

I always buy convenient food because I know some days it comes in handy.

I spend too much on makeup and hair products.

[Ilovesewing]

Oh, I'm jealous! I'd love to come home to a nice clean house that I didn't have to clean myself. Just today I walked through the living room as the sun was shining through the window - right onto the glass on the entertainment center - and it did a fantastic job of showing all the dust that needs cleaning up!

There isn't a rule book for frugality. Most of us are as frugal as we want, or need, to be. So....there are lots of things I/we do that are not 'frugal', but it works fine for me. We go out to dinner often, shop at nicer grocery stores rather than discount stores, have toys to play with...and spend the money to play with them, take vacations... Honestly, I could go on and on.

But I also hang my laundry, use coupons, shop sales, use up leftovers, shop in bulk,....and I could go on and on. There are a lot of things I do that ARE frugal. We all have to do what we are comfortable doing.

Unfortunately, for me, paying for a housekeeper wouldn't pass my frugal test and I would hate parting with the money. Did I mention that I'm jealous? LOL

I have found that the older I get, and the longer I go without spending money on (insert anything here) the harder time I have spending money on it now - even if I have plenty of money for that item. It's a curse I tell ya

[pollypurebred39]

Oh I think I could part with housekeeper money, it's my DH who couldn't. Might have something to do with the fact that he never lifts a dust rag.

[AnW819]

DH and I could if we had it, but we don't so for now, I gotta do it all. Super wife here