Friday, September 7, 2007

Frugal Friday

I've got that Frugal Feeling.... (sung to the tune of I've got that Lovin Feeling) :o) Can't get that song out of my head.

These are the frugal things I've been trying to do this week.

1. Gas savings: Gas is really eating into our budget. We have to have it to get to work, church and to see the grandbaby :o)! So this week I've been making more efforts to save in that area.

I've been careful to combine trips. Such as going to Walmart on the way home from work, instead of making a special trip at lunch. My church is about 1/2 way to my daughter's house, so I made sure that my last Sunday trip was done in that order. First church and then on to my daughter's house. I could reverse that and go to my daughter's house and then to church. On any trip I make I should think of where else in that area I need to go.

I've been trying to drive "easy". No jack rabbit starts and stops. I've been trying to coast up to the stoplights, stopsigns or the intersection I am turning into.

I've been using only the fan in the mornings on the way to work. Its slightly cooler now in the mornings, so the fan is sufficient. I make sure I leave windows slightly open and park in the shade if possible to limit the AC use.

Just stay home. I live out in the country and its just not worth the gas to make a special trip into town. I'm going every day to work, so I need to take care of everything while I'm there!

Also staying home saves money in many other areas. If you aren't in the store, you can't buy. This is one of "Laine's Letters" money saving hints.

2. Electricity.

I've been using my clothes line and clothes drying rack. Once I got into the swing of this, its really no big deal. In fact I seem to get through faster than before. The weather's so hot, the clothes dry really fast. I use the rack for small items and unmentionables, placed over an AC vent. I also hang shirts and blouses on hangers straight out of the dryer. I do dry towels and jeans, because they get so stiff. I'm down to drying only 2 or 3 loads a week, as compared to about 10 before.

I'm going to see what other ways I can cut down on the electric bill, other than the obvious ones like turning off lights, etc. I am also thinking of other drastic measures like unplugging the extra older model refrigerator we keep in the garage for drinks, etc. I would like to know how much energy it uses. Its pretty old. Its avacada green, if that tells you anthing.

Joy over at A Joyful Keeper (see my side bar) is doing an experiment this week. They read their electric meter before and after a normal week and then before and after a week of cutting out as much electricity as possible. She isn't even blogging this week to save electricity. I'm interested in seeing her results.

Pay the bill on time!!! My electric company changed my due date from the 15th of the month to the 7th of the month. Well, its been the 15th of the month all my life and I paid it late the last two months. After closer inspection I discovered they had charged me $7.50 late fee both months. That's $15.00. YIKES!!!!

3. Coupons: Thanks to my sweetie, I now know that September is National Coupon Month! I'm usually a coupon queen, but have to get mine organized. I've gotten behind on this lately. This Sunday afternoon, I'm going to get caught up on this enjoyable frugal activity!


4. Food: I have cut down on convenience foods quite a bit. My son says there is nothing to eat in the house!!! So, he made a trip to Sam's Club to stock up on his own favorite frozen foods. We have also cut down on eating out. However, convenience foods are cheaper than eating out, so when in a pinch that's the preferred option. Most of the time I am going to cook from scratch, though.

Go to http://www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com/blog.htm for more of that "FRUGAL FEELING"!

Have a frugal Friday and weekend!!!

5 comments:

Elizabeth Sue said...

Your grandbaby is SO cute! ( and I am pretty biased I have a very cute lil one) Makes me want to have another soon! Congrats agian!

Rebecca said...

Good for you! A few gas saving tips that I read recently {besides the "get-all-your-stops-in-one-trip" type of advice} are to keep your tires properly inflated, not to drive at highway speeds with the windows open {increases drag}, and to turn the gas nozzle 180 degrees after filling as there is still about 1/2 cup of gas in the line that you are paying for!

If you have always paid your electric bill on time, I would call them and ask them to give you a concession on your late fees. There is no reason why they can't reverse at least one month's worth. I have done this several times in the past with various bills, including credit cards, and have never had anyone say NO.

Good for you for drying your clothes on the line & trying to eat out less. I also agree that the more I stay out of the store, the less I spend ;>)

Cheers!

Little Penpen said...

Good going, Debbie! I had the very same thought about not going into to town and not spending any money! If I go, I definitely spend more than I had intended to spend. Thanks for the Friday inspiration!

Anonymous said...

Your picture of "Dylan the Babyrito" sure made me smile. He is just too cute. :)

Enjoyed your post as usual. I was wondering if you could give us some of your menu's that you cook. I seem to always cook the same old thing. I would love to see what kind of things you make,it may give me some new ideas.

My teenagers say the same thing "nothing to eat in the house". ha. I have started grocery shopping every two weeks (just because I absolutely hate to shop and to try and cut the grocery bill) and by the second week I have to admit,there is nothing snacky to eat,so I need to try and bake more,its my plan but rarely gets carried out.

Sorry for such a long post.

Melinda

Little Penpen said...

My "grown" children are now having the dilemma of not having anything to "carry" to work for lunch. I've decided it's time for them to look out for their own lunches. What do you think? (ps... I love baby Dylan on the sidebar)

Glimpses of Home - first quarter of 2021

I made a list of my 2021 goals that I wrote down in the back of my planner.  Its time to review that to see how I am doing! But, here are a ...